Angela Anderson

Like any mother, Angela Anderson just wanted to see her daughter, Britta, happy on her wedding day. After Britta's boyfriend, Mac, proposed to her at sunrise on the beach at Nag's Head, North Carolina, Angela put her game face on and set about planning a wedding that would honor the carefree, coastal vibe the couple loved.

"Both of them really have a great respect for nature," said Angela, who is proud that her only child is an equine vet. "They're free spirits and they wanted a more relaxed atmosphere to do their thing."

But where to have the wedding? On the Jersey shore where Britta grew up? In Virginia where Mac is from? Or how about a destination wedding on Hilton Head, where Angela had recently begun living part-time? Her realtor showed her a few possible locations in the area, including Honey Horn Plantation, and when Britta came down and saw the grounds-majestic live oaks, quaint old outbuildings and quiet salt marsh backdrop-she was sold.
"She always said, Mom, I don't want a ballroom wedding," recalls Angela. "So the joke was, I have kids that don't want a ballroom wedding and here I am trying to turn a pole barn into a ballroom!"

All jokes aside, Angela did an admirable job of putting together an event last May that would prove to be a good time for everyone involved. Being a newcomer to the area, she knew that keeping all her business local would help her get to know the community and give the area economy a boost as well. Britta and Mac were married under the dappled light of two arching live oak limbs, and all the bridesmaids and groomsmen wore accents of purple and sunny cantaloupe. The ring bearer carried the ring on a horseshoe while two little girls strewed delicate flower petals along the oyster shell path, and a cousin sang "I Went Down to the River to Pray" a capella. Then everyone gathered for some good old-fashioned merrymaking at the pole barn. Tables were spread with clean white linens and burlap runners, and a festive accent was provided by Mason jars and watering cans full of fresh-cut flowers. Drinks flowed and the band was hot.
"Britta and Mac are very unpretentious, and they love to have a good time," said Angela. "They work hard and they party hard, so everyone got into that pavilion and danced all night."

By the end of the weekend-Angela points out that with a destination wedding you are basically responsible for your guests during a 48-hour period-Angela knew she had given her daughter the wedding of her dreams.

"She had a vision and everyone got on board," said Angela. "We said, they are wonderful children and they've worked hard their whole lives, so we wanted to make their vision a reality."

UP CLOSE:

Hometown: Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Profession: retired educator; holds real estate license in NJ
Hobbies: travel, golf, tennis, fine dining and fine wines, foreign cars and volunteering for the Concours d'elegance
Favorite destination: the French Riviera
Best song to dance to at Britta and Mac's wedding: Wagon Wheel, by Old Crow Medicine Show, because it has a line in it about "drivin' down to Raleigh to see my baby tonight." (Mac used to visit Britta all the time when she lived in Raleigh, so that was his stay-awake driving song).
On destination weddings: "The Internet makes it totally possible-you can explore so much more easily."
Words to live by: "Don't take yourself too seriously."