Wendy & Stephen

May 30, 2009 at Deerpark on Biltmore Estate, asheville

Written by Rita Larkin
Photography by Michael Juiliano Photography

Stephen evans Knew if He planned an elaborate proposal, his girlfriend would figure out his plan, so he opted for spontaneity instead. “We were having brunch one Sunday when he got down on one knee. It threw me off because he wasn’t holding a real ring. Instead, it was a strawberry candy ring pop,” says Wendy Suares. “I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to eat it or put it on.” Not long after Stephen got his yes, the candy ring was replaced with a Tiffany aquamarine and diamond version.
Such a creative proposal could only lead to an imaginative destination wedding in Asheville. Wendy, a television news anchor, and Stephen, a teacher and coach, were sure they had picked the perfect locale when RSVP cards flooded their mailbox. “We knew we could make a vacation of it for our guests,” says Wendy.

Having to plan from their home in Jackson, Mississippi, the couple enlisted the help of Wendy’s mother and step-father who live in Black Mountain, as well as Jennifer King with Verge Events to create a relaxed, classic Southern wedding at Deerpark on Biltmore Estate. King used Wendy’s favorite spring green damask fabric and a monogram designed by the groom as inspiration for the details large and small. “We used the monogram everywhere—on pillows placed on seats, the aisle runner, even the cake,” says Wendy.

The bride walked down the aisle wearing a vintage dress with lace accents and carrying a bouquet of blush pink and white peonies with accents of white dendrobium orchids. “Seeing Stephen cry made me cry” says Wendy. “It was important to him that we not see each other before the ceremony, and I’m glad we did it that way, so the moment could be sincere.”
After a cocktail hour and dinner in the intimate lodge room, the bride slipped into a cocktail dress to cut loose with her husband, family, and friends in the courtyard, dancing into the night amid trees adorned with twinkling lights—a perfect finale to a day that sparkled from start to finish.

DeLain & Chris
October 4, 2008 at Trillium, Cashiers

Written by Rita Larkin
Photography by Parker J. Pfister

Though DeLain morgan grew up in Asheville, and Chris Mott in nearby Fairview, the two didn’t meet until a friend of the groom introduced them at a party just before Chris left for his freshman year of college. The couple made up for lost time by spending the next eight years together. And even after relocating to Denver so Chris could earn a master’s degrees in landscape architecture and urban planning, they knew they would come home to the Blue Ridge Mountains for their fall wedding. “We love that feeling you have when you walk outside and there’s a crispness in the air. And with all the fall colors, the mountains are breathtaking,” says DeLain, who is a wedding photographer.

An outdoor ceremony at Trillium in Cashiers delivered on their wish for a wedding with a sylvan sensibility. Natural touches were abundant, including stands of wheat at the head of the aisle and programs imprinted with maple leaves.

One of the most special moments highlighted DeLain’s strong family ties. As a child, she visited the local fire station every Sunday to see her father and godfather, both former fire chiefs. “I am definitely Daddy’s little girl,” says DeLain. So it was only fitting that the bride made her entrance for the ceremony in a vintage Skyland fire truck driven by her godfather, Robert Griffin.
The bride had another surprise planned as well. When it came time to kiss the groom, five-foot-two DeLain stepped on a footstool to kiss six-foot-four Chris.

After the ceremony, friends and family retired to the lodge-style clubhouse for dinner, followed by dancing on the covered patio. With the mountains as the backdrop, the day captured all that’s special about coming home.