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The River Forest Manor & Marina is a beautiful, family owned, century-old Victorian mansion

in the charming “Inner Banks” town of Belhaven, North Carolina, and includes a deep water dock on NC's Intercostal waterway. As a multi-faceted facility offering a manor, offshore bungalows, and a deep water transient slip marina, this historical landmark has an appeal to many audiences such as brides, tourists and boaters looking for southern hospitality and an amazing ocean view.

Overview

River Forest Manor & Marina (RFMM) rests in the charming “Inner Banks” town of Belhaven, North Carolina, and includes a deep water dock on NC's Intercostal waterway. As a multi-faceted facility offering a manor, offshore bungalows, and a deep water transient slip marina, this historical landmark has an appeal to many audiences such as brides, tourists and boaters looking for southern hospitality and an amazing ocean view.

Purchased in 2014 and fully renovated, the owners have an aspiration of shining some light on their hometown of Belhaven, and with their devotion to restoring the manor they could help be a part of Belhaven’s rejuvenation. Once again, Byte returns to the Tar Heel state to work with a client that is dedicated to mixing quality and community into a beautiful space.

Strategy

RFMM needed to communicate to some audiences we know well (brides and event people) and to some audiences we didn't (marina folks and boaters), so we had to dig in and try to understand the audiences better. We visited and met with a variety of people during the mansion renovation and got a chance to ask for stories and background information that only old-timers know. 

We learned right away just how breathtaking the experience of the mansion and Belhaven is, and we know the site needed to show this as best as any two-dimensional media can. Like the mansion itself, the website's parts are carved, turned and then sanded in just the right way to promote the feeling of both the space and the quality of the experience of hosting an event.

We worked with RFMM's folks to develop a content strategy that was wedding and event focused, allowing easy bookings through an off-site system, and also shows detailed marina information in a way boaters need to see it on mobile devices. A unique gallery feature makes it easy to upload new images, so brides can be inspired to imagine their dream wedding there.

home page

The site's narrative-based look and feel is tailored for prospective brides looking for a venue for their perfect day, and is achieved by showing a truly unique site with ribbon details, compelling photography, elegant fonts, and a finessed color palette, which all integrates into the notion of southern charm and hospitality. The site's motion design keeps site visitors engaged and gives them a sense of elegance and depth and a little bit of excitement of being a part of a history unfolding. And the site’s architecture gives the visitor the understanding that the River Forest Manor experience is solid, easy to use and invested in their event’s success.