2012 Dream Wedding: Meet the Couple

Shana & Brad

The Outer Banks Wedding Association would like to introduce the 2012 Dream Wedding couple, Shana and Brad.  During the 2012 Outer Banks Wedding Weekend, Shana’s name was selected by celebrity guest, David Tutera as the Dream Wedding winner, a wedding prize package valued at $45,000.  We asked the winning couple some questions about their journey to find each other and we look forward to following them throughout their Dream Wedding.

Where are you from and where do you live now?  Shana grew up in Greensboro, NC and Brad is from Clarksville, MD.  They both reside in Bethesda, MD.

When did you first come to the Outer Banks?   Both Shana and Brad were introduced to the Outer Banks through friends.  “I first came to the Outer Banks as a child, 9 or 10 years old, while vacationing at a family friend’s home in Duck, NC,” says Brad.  More recently, Shana was introduced to the Outer Banks through her friend and bridesmaid, Kristin, whose father lives in the Outer Banks.

Why was having your wedding on the Outer Banks important to you?  “Brad and I have a mutual love of the ocean, and I knew I wanted to have our wedding at a North Carolina beach.  The Outer Banks stuck out in my mind as a new, special memory that Brad and I could make together.  There is something magical and exciting about it from the lighthouses and history, to the surfing and fishing.  We really want to be a part of that.”  “The Outer Banks is about the same distance from my hometown in Maryland as it is from Shana’s hometown in North Carolina, so it’s an ideal location,” relates Brad.

Shana, when did you first meet Brad? “We first met in 2007 while we wre both working in Knoxville, TN.  A mutual friend introduced us and it was a night of great conversation and I thought he was really attractive.  I was intrigued after my friend told me he was a really nice guy.  Pretty soon after that we fell in love.  We had dated for about 4 1/2 years before we were engaged, but it was totally worth the wait.”

Brad, do you remember the first time you saw Shana?  “A friend of mine brought Shana in tow to my apartment in Knoxville before going out for a casual night on the town.  She was very easy on the eyes and had an infectious personality.  We had great conversations that night and I remember being very attracted to her smile.  I knew immediately she was a genuine person with strong values and couldn’t wait to learn more about her.”

Futher posts will include the story of their proposal and the excitement of the Dream Wedding announcement, as we discover Shana and Brad’s story for celebrating their LOVE on the Outer Banks.