After much dreaming and careful planning, Kasey Powell Weddings and Clever Girl Florals made a dream come true! With amazing help from vendors and some really good luck with the weather, they pulled off a huge creative project—an Outer Banks elopement on a beautiful, quiet beach at sunset. The central color theme was yellow, inspired by the art of Vincent van Gogh, but they also aimed for a simple, rustic luxury vibe that felt connected to nature. It was an incredible daydream come to life and definitely a must-see!

Imagine a wedding like no other—both the ceremony and reception right in the water. They joined their creative forces and brought to life “Gele Bloem,” which means yellow flower in Dutch, the language of Van Gogh himself. Picture this: floral pillars rising from the water, beautifully framing the couple. The tablescape featured vibrant centerpieces and golden settings, all in the enchanting wonderland of water. 

As you look through these incredible photos, you can’t miss the careful attention and thought put into every detail. Keep scrolling to see how nature, beauty, and art can combine to create something entirely fresh and captivating.

Bringing to Life a Water-Inspired Outer Banks Elopement

Submerged in nature, we created a water-inspired elopement in the shallows of the Outer Banks. Round trip, the hike to our shoot location was 30 minutes ( Clever Girl Florals had to do this nine times in total to get all the buckets of fresh flowers in!). This is one of my favorite locations on the Outer Banks, not just because of its insane beauty but for it being off the map and mostly unknown. We pushed ourselves creatively, with no expectations or people to please, allowing for the magic of art to come alive. 

Floral and Water Themed DIY Touches

The escort cards were ordered with the invitation suite and then customized to match the styled shoot’s floral water theme. We picked different long-stemmed flowers used throughout the installations and hand-stitched them onto the flowers. Each stem was kept in a hydration tube and then pushed into the sandy grass embankment to be plucked up and kept as guest gifts while they learned of their seat number, a beautiful double experience for guests.

The Couple’s Second Chance at Wedding Bliss

While this was a styled shoot, the couple married previously in 2020. They barely made it past the no-dance laws of 2020, which was a win, but their beach wedding was pushed inside due to a crazy island storm. While they wouldn’t change a thing about their wedding day, this shoot was like fulfilling their destination wedding dreams with the same photographer from their wedding. They had so much fun, along with many laughs and tears.

The Journey to a Secluded Beach on the Outer Banks

The location of this shoot was set on a secret local beach on the west side of the Outer Banks island. Accessing it takes a small drive and a 15-minute walk through the woods. Once you reach the end of the trail, you are dropped off on a small sandy beach surrounded by the preserved remnants of the island’s oak trees and marshes. The island’s west side has very shallow water, ankle to thigh deep, depending on the wind direction, allowing for a relatively easy setup in the water. Due to the seclusion and being surrounded by miles of nature, this area rarely has more than a couple of people walking through. It is heaven on earth.

Inspiration Behind This Outer Banks Elopement Shoot

The ultimate inspiration was the idea to set all traditional wedding elements directly into the grounding element of water. Oftentimes, finding a still, beautiful body of water that is relatively untouched, private, and free, is near to impossible. This specific location was the foundation of this entire shoot coming to life. It inspired everything.

Advice for Couples Planning to Recreate this Theme for Their Own Celebration

We advise keeping your guest list small if a couple wants to bring this shoot to life. There are a lot of logistics (aka costs) to get all vendors out to such a secluded site, and any more than ten guests wouldn’t feel the same. If you love nature and the traditional touches of a wedding, creating an experience like this is as dreamy as it looks. Just be sure to research the area’s laws and communicate thoroughly with your photographer, florist, and planner.

Congratulations to the talented team for putting together this yellow Outer Banks elopement inspiration that is truly unique. And a big thank you to Kasey Powell Weddings for capturing every stunning detail and sharing it with us.

This styled shoot teaches unconventional couples an important lesson: Trust your artists. Count on them to help create something truly amazing with you. Check out our curated directory of the world’s best wedding professionals from around the world to help bring your dream wedding to life.