A NC couple’s dream wedding was nearly canceled by a nor’easter — that’s when 800 locals saved them from disaster: ‘Restored our faith in humanity’

By then, it was too late for most of the wedding guests to reach Hatteras. North Carolina’s transportation department closed the N.C. 12 highway and reported that about 500 feet of asphalt had been damaged.

To make matters worse, the venue they booked for the September 25 wedding was flooded and the DJ, officiant, caterer, and photographer all canceled.

“I took every bit of the money that I could possibly come up with this year and invested it into the dream wedding that Kim had always told me that she wanted,” said Sink, knowing that they were not going to get any of their money back otherwise. “So, we were attempting to make this happen, and make it come to life.”

The kindness of strangers in the midst of disaster

Sink and Laprad were stranded, their vendors had canceled, and only a handful of the 45 invited guests made it to the island.

But Laprad made a decision that turned things around.

According to a report by The Washington Post, on the night of September 24, Laprad suggested to Sink to “just invite the whole island.” Sink recalled that “it was supposed to be something that was funny, but it very quickly turned into something that was serious.”

A friend spread the word in local Facebook groups, and Hatteras Island answered.

A campground on the island, Frisco Woods, offered to let the couple use its location as their wedding venue for free on Saturday, September 26, according to WDBJ7. Stacey Saunders, manager of Frisco Woods Campground, stepped in to fill the shoes of the officiant who couldn’t make the wedding.

“In true Frisco Woods fashion, we’re going to host them and have their wedding, and I’m going to officiate because I’m an ordained minister,” she said. “I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t help out. This could be any of us.”

Some vendors who were also stuck on the island, including a caterer and photographer, offered their services.

Sink told WDBJ7: “We’ve gotten photographers that are gonna show up and take our pictures. People are bringing food. Honestly, it is fantastic. It’s the happy ending to the bad story that I was hoping for that I didn’t think would come.”

About 500 to 800 people made it to the wedding, with around 460 strangers signing the guest book.

How wedding insurance could have made a difference

A wedding can cost lots of money, depending on the plans. According to The Knot’s proprietary data, the average U.S. wedding in 2024 cost $33,000, with couples spending about $12,200 on the venue alone. The Knot’s study also finds that about 67% of newlyweds take on some debt to fund their wedding.

Sink and Laprad saved for a year to afford theirs, and all it took was one storm to wipe out $30,000 worth of wedding money.

This is where wedding insurance comes in. There are two parts to it: cancellation or postponement coverage and liability coverage.