NC couple becomes first to get married at Frying Pan Tower

A North Carolina couple just had a one-of-a-kind wedding. They exchanged vows at the Frying Pan Tower, an old lighthouse more than 30 miles off the coast.

"It was everything I've ever wanted, ever dreamed of," Audrey Black said of the first ever wedding at Frying Pan Tower. "It was perfect."

"It wasn't necessarily a race to get out there to be the first by any stretch, it just so happened it worked out that way," Ben Black said. "To be the first to get married out there is pretty cool!"

The tower holds a special place in Ben's heart. One year ago to the day of the wedding, he sat on the helipad and prayed that his soulmate be placed in his life.

Four days later, he got a notification on his phone alerting him it was Audrey's birthday. He hadn't spoken to her in years but wished her a happy birthday. The rest is history.

When Audrey suggested they get married there, he was instantly sold on the idea.

At 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, she walked out onto the helipad for the most special day.

"My heart skipped a few beats," Ben said. "She was absolutely the most beautifully stunning woman I'd laid my eyes on."

Photographer Jeff Wenzel with Above Topsail Portrait Studio was charged with capturing the magic.

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"To be able to capture it, but more importantly for those images to be seen by them, by their children, by their relatives, by their friends, it's just so important to me to not only capture the story but for them to be able to display it and see it," Wenzel said.

Ben called his wedding "the perfect way to start things off and for us to start our future together," adding, "this isn't the last time we'll be back on the tower for sure."