Carol McCracken, owner of Orange Beach Weddings, walks into a room and the room smiles back at her. I mean, what more do you expect from a wedding planner who loves love?
McCracken, who also has a Christian radio show based out of Wilmington, North Carolina discussing real life joys and authored a top rated wisdom and devotions book sold on Amazon, moved nine times growing up.
“Orange Beach for me was the only solid location I had in my life. We would come to the area frequently, and when I grew older I felt called here.”
McCracken originally got her start in the insurance world since jobs at the time were few and far between, but one thing kept her going.
“I joined Orange Beach United Methodist Church, and soon after found out some of the ladies in the church were selling their wedding business. In 2017, I bought Orange Beach Weddings and haven’t looked back since. I wanted creativity, and oftentimes craved it. It was the perfect fit. However, I had only done so many weddings when 2020 hit us all, and it was hard. Since I am a firm believer in my faith, I knew I was able to show grace to brides in their time of need.”
McCracken says the best part of her job overall is letting each bride shine and finding out what makes them up.
“I have done 100s of weddings, and all was different than the last. For my services, I do not offer packages. I want each wedding to be reflective of each couple, and I want the bride to feel special. It’s her day, and I am just thankful I get to share that special time in her life with her.”
McCracken also says she feels like she can show the love of Christ in her work regardless of what happens. “When it is a rainy season wedding I have 90 page timelines laid out describing each plan we have if something could go wrong. The bride envisions a special day, so I intend to keep it special no matter what the outcome is.”
As far as planning styles go, “we are very blessed that our island is so conducive for people having a lovely day. Let’s face it, life is simply better here. Everyone is hospitable to the point where when you think it can not get any better, it does. Orange Beach has given me a treasure, and I am forever thankful.”
