The wedding took place at Fontaine Vineyards in Leicester, NC (pronounced "Lester" for you non-native Western NC peeps). This vineyard is obviously a well kept secret! It was stunning. Off in the distance you were able to (just barely!) see the Asheville skyline off in the distance. I spoke with Nik about it and he said that they just stumbled across it online. What a lucky stumble!
I was able to snap a few pictures with my phone, so I will supplement my story with a few pictures.
8:00am - Belle wakes up and tries to become coherent in the morning hours while attempting the whole makeup, blow-drying the hair thing. Normally, not a problem - but I went to bed late due to a marathon of The Nanny. Addicted!
9:15am - FINALLY done! Attempt to take a photo for Twitter and end up with this:
Just another photo to add to the collection of "I am incapable of taking a normal face so therefor I must make a funny zoolander smirk in every self portrait" pictures.9:30 - Annie arrives with fresh Starbucks and we are on our way! It is a 2+ hour drive through the mountains to hit Asheville where we head to Hops and Vines to pick up some nifty gifties for the KY/NH nuptials.
12:00 - I purchase a bumper sticker that says, "Save the Ales"
I then continue to giggle about said bumper sticker for about 10 minutes.
12:15 - Annie and I eat a DELICIOUS lunch at the West A-ville market and begin the trek over to the Vineyards.
**Despite the fact that Annie and I have both lived in Asheville/Leicester for quite some time during our past, we had never been this far out. I may or may not have started a Captain's Log *stardate 3.14159* for our uncharted territory. **
12:45 - After coaxing my car up windy, gravel, treacherous roads... We are the first to arrive at the vineyard and just take in the scenery until others begin to arrive. Again... stunning. They could not have picked a more perfect place for their wedding. They also could not have planned a better day! No clouds, low 80s, sweet smelling air and NO HAZE!! so that the blue ridge could be seen in all it's glory.
My pre-setup jobs included:
- Unloading boxes
- Placing tablecloths on tables
- unpacking vases, votive holders and candles
- placing said votives on tables
- sprinkling flower petals anywhere I deemed worthy of sprinkling
- lining the aisle with gorgeous yellow rose petals mixes with purple iris petals (you can see a tiny bit of this handiwork in the picture above!)
- Tying purple ribbons around the not-so-beautiful white bows that came with the ceremony site.
There was one bathroom with no lock. Annie and I took turns changing in said bathroom while standing guard for each other. I put on my makeup while sitting in the groom's car and looking in the rearview mirror. :)
My favorite part of the day - putting on my shimmer lotion. I felt like a Cullen stepping into the sunshine. I was glittering! Thank you, Clinique Happy Shimmer Lotion!
3:45p - Annie, Dominic, Clara, Adam and I venture out to the ceremony site where we all then break off to go hug and visit with old friends. It was SO nice to see everyone join together for Kristen and Nik! It is always a joy to see my opera friends! Made me miss it even more!
4:00p - Ceremony starts right on time - thanks to P.J. and her awesomeness! :) Nik looked handsome in his suit and Kristen was a vision! I mean, stunning... and absolutely glowing with happiness! :0) The connection between them was electric. I do not have pics from the ceremony, I decided that I would just enjoy and not worry about getting the perfect shot! The ceremony was gorgeous and ended with Adam singing the Irish Blessing... could not have been more perfect.
4:30p - Annie and I (and all other helpers) pretty much bolt from the ceremony site to our reception helper positions.
My duties included:
- Manning the lemonade/mint water beverage bar
- All things ice bowl related
- Lighting votive candles on tables
- making sure P.J. remembered where she hid the toasting flutes.
- moving flower vases from ceremony site to reception site
The beverage selection was great! They had a keg brought in from Craggy Brewing Co. which is so smooth, it goes down like water!
The cake was gluten-free and honestly, one of the best tasting cakes I have ever had the pleasure of eating.
The toasts were heartfelt, funny and touching.
The music was AWESOME! Plenty of old school Michael Jackson, 80's amazingness, Dixie Chicks and, my personal love, lounge lizard favorites.
I was up and out of my chair dancing as soon as Billy Jean came on and did not stop until there were only the helper crew left! So much fun! KY's mom, Pam, danced with me until the cows came home. Literally... there was a pasture across the way. :) We all broke down the ceremony site while Kristen and Nik sat down for the first time of the evening and just took it all in. :0)
Here are a few pictures I snapped during the reception - just a few but I like them. :)
Kristen taking in the scenery - looking gorgeous!
The first dance as husband and wife!
(just look at that connection! electric!)
The first dance as husband and wife!
(just look at that connection! electric!)
We all say our goodbyes and wish Kristen and Nik a glorious honeymoon in Cancun and then start to head home. Which, I might add, was extremely scary as Garmin took us some backwoods way where we ended up off a mountain in TN. It was gorgeous until it turned dark and there were no street lights! ;)
My victory pose!
To Kristen and Nik - if you ever read this, it was such an honor to be a part of your wedding day! You are such an amazing couple and I am proud to know you! Lily has a new D.A.D. and all is well in the world. :) Lots of love to you both!
<3 <3<3
<3 <3<3
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