ShareDuring Debbie Traylor’s family vacation to enchanting Ocracoke Island, Jeremy Thompson set the scene for his stellar proposal. After dating for two years, Jeremy knew that she had dreamed of flying to the island since she was a little girl. Through the help of her family and closest friends, Jeremy seized the opportunity to make her dream a reality.
The royal treatment began when a limo arrived to escort them to the airport. A red carpet led the way to a private plane where a bottle of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay, Debbie’s favorite wine, was waiting on board. “I was blown away,” exclaims Debbie. “I’ve never rolled up to the airport in a limo before, and I got to sit co-pilot. It definitely seemed like something was up for him to go to all this trouble.”
On the day of the proposal, Jeremy rented a 70-foot schooner to take her out and watch the sunset. The couple sailed into Pamlico Sound, and without saying much of anything, Jeremy dropped to one knee and asked Debbie to marry him. “My parents had given the first mate a camera, so we have pictures of the exact moment with the sunset behind us,” Debbie says. “When we docked everyone was waiting with champagne, and I kept yelling ‘I’m getting married!’ I think I told everyone on the island that night I was getting married.”
Jeremy, owner and creator of Ragin’ Uptown party charters, and Debbie, a business development manager with Allergan, met through a mutual friend. Debbie had recently relocated to the area after living in Greensboro for five years. She was happy for a change in geography, but was not necessarily looking for love. The two were set up on a group date at Red Rocks Café. “He sat across from me, and I remember he smelled really good,” says Debbie. “I felt an immediate connection and thought he was really good-looking, but I didn’t want to like him. I wanted to be single for a while.”
Lucky for Jeremy, Debbie couldn’t help herself. She called her girlfriend who set them up to see when they could all go out again. By the end of the second date, the two were talking into the night. “I had my legs propped up on his lap I felt so comfortable,” gushes Debbie. “It was like time stopped when we were together.”
The couple always planned to have an outdoor, destination wedding; neither wanted the traditional local wedding. The bride read how Napa Valley was a top wedding destination, so the two flew out to explore it for themselves. “We both love wine, and Jeremy loves to cook and create wine pairings,” says Debbie. After touring several vineyards, they found the Harvest Inn in St. Helena, Calif., just outside Napa. The rustic, yet romantic appeal of the inn’s stone exterior paired with a terrace that overlooked the lush green rows of the vineyard won them over. “When we saw this one, I burst into tears,” recalls Debbie. “I didn’t have that reaction to any of the others. It wasn’t too fancy, and the elegant and beautiful scenery fit our style.”
“The wine theme overflowed into all details of the wedding. Empty wine bottles with labels that read, “Debbie and Jeremy, What a Grape Couple, Vintage May 23, 2009” were sent out as save-the-dates, and the bride selected berry-colored, strapless, mermaid dresses for her bridesmaids with the help of her wedding planner, Catherine Bell, of Marry Me Productions.
Together, they selected peonies, tulips, calla lilies and roses in varying shades of pink with orange and green accents for her bouquet. “The details were difficult to plan across the country, but Catherine was wonderful,” says Debbie. “I gave her the color palate I wanted, and she handled the rest.”
And for the photographs, Indigo was a first choice. “Jay and Mimi were incredibly fun and easy to work with,” raves Debbie. “They had photographed our friend’s wedding in Ireland and the pictures were beautiful. Plus, we knew they would travel.”
To kick off the wedding weekend, Debbie and Jeremy threw a welcome reception appropriately called “Cabernet and Cannolis” at the Vino Bello Resort in Napa. A bonfire blazed poolside while a Frank-and-Dean impresario circulated through the crowd performing Rat Pack favorites. The day before the wedding, the ladies enjoyed mud baths at the spa as part of “Getting Dirty with Debbie Day,” while the gentlemen sipped wine at a historic castle and picked up the tuxedos.
On her wedding day, the bride wore a sleek strapless gown with a hand-embroidered lace overlay. She walked arm-in-arm with both parents and as the long train of her gown grazed the rose petal-lined aisle, a violin trio played “Canon in D.” “When I saw Jeremy’s face, he had tears welled up in his eyes,” remembers Debbie. “I just thought, This is the man of my dreams. How did I get so lucky?” The bride and groom recited self-written vows followed by a unity sand ceremony combining soil from Ocracoke Island and Napa Valley.
The wedding party retreated for photos during the cocktail hour, and reconvened with guests for a dinner of halibut and filet mignon paired with tomato mozzarella salad and mini gazpacho appetizers. Indoors, a nine-piece band rocked the night away while everyone danced and sipped regional vino. “At around midnight, we served barbecue sliders and mini California chicken salad sandwiches,” says Debbie. “It was one of the best things we did. Everybody had major munchies from drinking and dancing all night.”
The next morning Mr. and Mrs. Thompson flew to Maui and enjoyed a lavish 12-day Hawaiian honeymoon. “We feel so blessed to have found each other, and we challenge and motivate each other every day,” says Debbie. “My mom made a speech at the wedding about winning in the game of love, and how even if you’re stressed out it’s important to always try and beat the other one at the game.”
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