10 out of 10 amazing experience. We plan to do this next beach trip. I recommend this for friends,…read morecouples, or even a person who just loves art and fun. Nancy did a wonderful job getting everyone setup and making sure our mixtures were done to our liking for our final projects.

Always have the best time here! Alex and Mo are amazing!!! I hope next time we have them again!read more

This is what the Dunes Club's "private" beach looks like in Atlantic Beach NC…read more Plastic and trash everywhere, blowing all over the beach and threatening marine life. The members that go there have probably never worked a day of manual labor in their life and the employees probably don't get paid enough to care. As a local I have to say this is a disgrace.

Quite possible the BEST place to have a wedding on Atlantic Beach…read more Beautiful setting, great food, darling staff...does it get better? I doubt it.

Amanda was amazing! There was champagne, a beautiful bridal suite, and gorgeous dresses! Thanks to…read moreDowntown Formal & Bridal for helping find a the perfect one to say "Yes to the dress" to!

From the owner: Our cute little boutique was opened in 2019 to offer Carteret County and surrounding residents a…read moreunique place to go and find one of a kind bridal and formal wear. There is no other boutique like us. We offer an amazing, positive atmosphere, and outstanding customer service! We strive to provide the best customer service and have something in our shop for everyone; no matter the style, size or budget.

Geneva was THE BEST wedding planner!!! Our wedding developed into something I never could have done…read moreon my own in such a short amount of time. We chose an elopement with just my husband and me and our three boys but we still wanted all of the elements a standard wedding! Geneva pulled everything together so perfectly! From the outdoor, waterfront venue to the vintage themed bouquet to the perfect pastor and the photographer... plus ALL the little details in between that I never would have thought of. And it all fit within our budget!!!! She had everything run seamless and smooth and put personal touches on everything. This was no cookie cutter elopement and you could tell she puts every ounce of herself into each event to make it special, whether big or small. Thank you SO MUCH Geneva, we will forever use you to plan events and will recommend you to every person we meet!

Crystal is the absolute best to work with!!!! Not only is she beyond knowledgeable about your…read morespecial day, but caring that all decisions are made and carried out. She is fun to work with and provides an easy working relationship that all vendors should strive to offer any bride and her family. We are extremely pleased and blessed for her services!

If I could give Penny Pincher Planning a Million Stars I would!…read more Crystal is a rock star!! She is extremely helpful with every part of the wedding planning process. She has every document and question you need to help you make sure you are booking the best vendors! The online portal is incredible and so much help! You can tell she put her heart and soul into the whole website, especially the checklist! That checklist kept me on task! Also, it felt great to click the box every time I completed something. If I felt like I hit a wall, Crystal was right there to keep me on track. Also, she is very thorough in planning meetings and will make sure all details, no matter how small, are in order and documented. The preparation Crystal puts in for the wedding day is phenomenal! The hard work she puts in ensures that your wedding day will be the wedding of your dreams! If I ever got married again, Crystal would be the first Vendor I hired!! I am so grateful I ran into Crystal at the wedding expo. So, do yourself a favor and hire this amazing lady as your wedding planner! I PROMISE you won't regret it!

I recently stayed at the Abilena Mansion for a friend's wedding and appreciated how inclusive the…read moreproperty is. The mansion sleeps 14 people with 7 queen beds, but we were able to accommodate more by using the spacious couch in one of the bedrooms and sleeping 3 to a bed another night. It was so nice to have the entire wedding party stay in one place. We had the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception on property, and there was enough lawn parking for all guests. The ceremony space is outside overlooking a peaceful lake that beautifully compliments the sunset. We used the dock for wedding party photos and as a place to hang out and chat on our fist night (tip: bring bug spray). The reception area is also outside but completely covered and with optional side shading. Both areas are the perfect size for small-to-medium size weddings. A big con, should it affect you and your guests: the mansion and grounds are not wheelchair accessible. There are quite a number of steps to get to the ceremony area with no alternative route. Guests who cannot walk or climb steps may not be able to view the ceremony next to everyone else. I also did not notice a ramp leading inside the mansion. We joked that the kitchen has everything you don't need. They have like 3 cheese graters and 50 wine glasses, but no Pam, scissors, or a wine/beer bottle opener. The owners probably don't stock the place with these essential items because guests could easily steal them, so please, for your own good: BRING A WINE BOTTLE OPENER. The kitchen has two refrigerators--enough room to hold 5 bags of ice in each freezer. The mansion also has a washer and dryer and plenty of clean towels. And a piano! And a pool. And tons of room to work on wedding decor projects. Basically this place has almost everything you could want in a wedding location. The owners are available via phone at almost any time and are quick to reply. The husband and wife duo visited every day to clean up, check-in, and help with ceremony set-up. My biggest complaint with the Abilena Mansion is the wi-fi. It worked for about 30 minutes when I first connected and then died for the rest of my multi-day stay. No one's phone could successfully connect to the wi-fi even though it appeared available. This is a huge downside for a place that's supposed to service large groups of people who want to stream music, look up information, post on social media, and activate other celebration-related things.

We just attended a Wedding here and it was beautiful. The backdrop of the water for the ceremony…read morewas perfect. It was about 98 or so degrees out but with all of the shade and the breeze it was tolerable. We ate outdoors under a kind of covered porch with great views of the water and sunset. Parking was easy and they had a golf cart shuttle service to and from the ceremony site. We walked through the house (the bridal portraits we in one of the side rooms) it was a charming older home with early 1900s finishings. To get 5 stars, we would need it to be a bit easier to navigate, there were a lot of large stairs that were hard for those wearing heels. I don't know how much control over the event the owners have but it was a bit confusing knowing where to go and when, maybe bigger signage would help. Overall it was a lovely outdoor venue.

FAVORITE PLACE HERE. We spent hours finding the most amazing shells. The water is crystal clear and…read morethe wanes aren't bad at all. I would come back in a heart beat.

We had so much fun on Shackleford Island. We saw so many horses, found a lot of cool shells, and…read morethe beach was beautiful. It's about a 30 minute ferry ride from Beaufort. There is a restroom but NO amenities or food available for purchase. Bring everything you need with you. Once we arrived, there was a tour guide but it wasn't much of a tour. She walked us to the other side of the island to show us two horses on the beach and then walked all the way back to where we started to show us where to find the best shells. Her "tour" lasted about 30 minutes. We did most of the exploring on our own and that's when we found the majority of the horses. As long as you aren't looking for a super guided tour, this is a great day trip!