A Wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains

From the bride, Donna:
I find such joy in God’s landscape and serenity in the nature that unfolds across the Blue Ridge Mountains. I truly feel ‘at home’ here. Neither one of us could imagine pledging our love, devotion, respect and trust to one another anywhere but in these mountains.

taylor01Wrapped around my bouquet, I carried a handkerchief of my great great grandmother. My mother also carried this same handkerchief in her wedding.taylor02 taylor03It had rained earlier in the day. But when the music began (Bridal March by Jonathan Cain – a beautiful rendition for an outdoor wedding) and my father started walking me out across the lawn, the sun came out and provided the most stunning view as I approached the love of my life.  taylor04

We tailored our ceremony to reflect the blending of our lives. It was very personal and not only did we live and experience each word but so did our guests. We also incorporated a reading, which was an excerpt of a letter written by Kent Nerburn to his son (‘Why people fall in love’ – which is where we got the theme of ‘love is a gift’). We coupled that with exchanging of love letters written to one another. We will open these on our 5th wedding anniversary.

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The tables had burlap covering a table cloth, each had indigenous flowers with various decorations (i.e. old books, vases, bird cages). The table settings represented different stoneware and china created from the 1950’s through the 1980’s. Multi-colored cloth napkins were a nice accompaniment.

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I wish I could have slowed down time. Many people told me that the day would go by so quickly and to enjoy every moment.

taylor09My advice:
-Think about what is really important to you as a couple and personalize your special day to incorporate those things.  You will be happy and your guests will also experience those special customizations.

-Hire a planner or have someone help you plan the event.

-Have someone in charge for the day of your wedding. As the bride, you should concentrate on feeling beautiful and preparing for your ceremony. You need to enjoy every minute and not feel any stress!

-Hire a good photographer to capture all those special moments. The photos will be remembered and cherished for a lifetime.

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Donna’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS

Photographer:  Fletcher & Fletcher Photography.  They are incredible to work with, have great ‘eyes’, and their photographs exceeded our expectations.

Venue & Caterer & Lodging:  Crestwood Resort & Spa. Fantastic destination. Beautiful views inside and out. FANTASTIC staff and service!

Event Planner: CeCe Hampton Wedding Planning & Design. Phenomenal. Great ideas, patient, works well within a budget and has connections with great vendors.

Florist and Design: Events by Elisabeth Ashley  //  Cake: Hallmark Cakes  //  DJ: Anything Music  //  Tent & Party Rentals: Boone Rent All and Party Reflections  //  Dinnerware: Miss Match Rentals    //  Gown: David’s Bridal  //  Men’s Wear:  Men’s Wearhouse

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A Day of Fun in the Blue Ridge Mountains

 Anna &  Lanier  |  October 13th    |  Cashiers, North Carolina

From the photographer, Gambol Photography:
Anna and Lanier got married on top of a mountain, overlooking a lake, surrounded by gorgeous fall color and their dearest family and friends. Honestly, I could just stop there and not say another word, because that sums up exactly what their stunning celebration was like in person. The happy couple wed at the luxurious Trillium Clubhouse. Their ceremony site was something out of a romance novel! It was so beautiful, and the only thing that overshadowed the beauty of the venue was the radiance of Anna in her wedding dress.  Anna and Lanier’s big day was the kind of sweet, romantic and fun-filled affair we hope for every time.

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From the bride, Anna:
Since we both have fun personalities, we wanted the whole wedding weekend to be fun, relaxing, and a place where people could make some memories. GambolPhoto02 GambolPhoto03 GambolPhoto04 GambolPhoto05

Our ceremony was very intimate and sweet. GambolPhoto06 GambolPhoto07 GambolPhoto08 GambolPhoto09 GambolPhoto10 GambolPhoto11 GambolPhoto12 GambolPhoto13

 The candy bar turned out to be a crowd favorite! GambolPhoto14 GambolPhoto15

My advice: Weddings are a fantastic time, but don’t stress the small details. When you get to your wedding day, the only thing you care about is seeing your husband. Focus on building a solid marriage and don’t worry about the small things that could go wrong. GambolPhoto16

Blue Ridge Mountain Chic

Lindsey & Ben  | April 28th  |  Cashiers, North Carolina

From the bride, Lindsey:
The Blue Ridge Mountains have always been a backdrop to some of our most special moments.  My husband proposed to me in the mountains and we spent our engagement night in Asheville.  When thinking about where to get married, we could think of no more beautiful place than Cashiers.  Plus, I’m a mountain girl and could not have imagined getting married anywhere else.

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 Thanks to our families, our wedding was not one day of celebration, but an entire weekend of amazing events.  We had an unbelievable rehearsal dinner and welcome party. Having everyone together the night before, truly made the wedding more enjoyable for us as it gave us longer to spend with each guest, rather than rushing through in one night.

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The morning of the wedding, my aunt and cousin threw a beautiful bridesmaid brunch at local restaurant.  With more amazing food and little touches such as wedding dress-designed cookies, this was a special way to begin the big day with my closest girlfriends and relatives.

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Ka11Kat09I departed from traditional bridesmaid dresses and allowed my bridesmaids to choose from four different colors.  I sometimes think the uniform colors can be somewhat boring, particularly with a large wedding party, so I had the “technicolor dreamcoat” of color palettes, as my husband likes to say.

Kat08The ceremony was short and simple, with the focus on us and the beautiful background.  Kat07

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The venue, the band, and the food were outstanding.  I don’t think we could have chosen anything better.  We all danced to the big band sounds of a band whose style largely mirrors that of Chicago, my favorite band.  As everyone seems to say, the night became somewhat of a blur, but I remember dancing the entire night and having all of my dearest friends and family there to celebrate with us.
Kat02 My advice: Enjoy it!  Even if your engagement lasts as long as a year or more, it is a fleeting time.  Appreciate all of the opportunities this time provides for you to celebrate with friends and family you may not see very often, and take time to appreciate just how loved you and your husband are.
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RECOMMENDED VENDORS
All of these were amazing!  Highly recommend them all!

Photographer:  Katy Cook Photography  //  Venue:  Lonesome Valley  //  Musicians:  Coming Up Brass  //  Tent & Party Rentals:  Mountain Party Tents  //  Florist:  Your Vase or Mine  //   Wedding Gown Designer:  Paloma Blanca from Poffie Girls  //  Bridesmaid Dresses:  Lula Kate  //   Men’s Wear:  JoS. A. Bank  //  Lodging + Hair & Makeup:  High Hampton Inn

Honeymoon Location:  Anguilla

From the Magazine: Escape to Asheville

Premiere Issue

 

From the Magazine: Escape to Asheville

From the pages of the Premiere Issue, here’s a preview of a beautiful rustic chic destination wedding held in the mountains of North Carolina. With a nature-inspired color palette and lots of personalized details, we are pretty sure this wedding will inspire you to plan a mountaintop celebration!

 

Luxe Mountain Weddings - Asheville, North Carolina