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Valley Weddings BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS • WWW.BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS.COM

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 • PAGE B1

Continuing a

LEGACY OF LOVE Hargrove and Johnson keep it local

Morgan and Robert Johnson at their reception walking through a path of wellwishers holding sparklers. PHOTO PROVIDED BY GRAHAM TERHUNE, PHOTOGRAPHER

By Barbara Hootman Staff Writer

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organ Hargrove grew up in Black Mountain, the daughter of Hayward “Sonny” and Nancy Hargrove. She has fond memories of the people and the beautiful mountains that surround her hometown.

While attending Louisiana State University Law School, she met her future husband, Robert Johnson, a Baton

Rouge, La., native.

“We decided that Black Mountain was the best place to be married,” Morgan said. “The guests were blown away by the beauty of the area, just as Robert was during his first visit.”

They married on May 25, 2013, in Gaither Chapel in Montreat. The wedding was the result of planning over a year-and-a-half time span while she finished law school and passed the Louisiana Bar Exam.

Morgan chose to use as many local vendors for her wedding as possible.

Her mother, and sister, Hope Hargrove Burk, helped her make her wedding desires come true.

“I was so impressed with the quality of services of the Black Mountain area entrepreneurs,” Morgan said. “I used Red Radish Catering, The Merry Wine Market, Hey Hey Cupcake, Urban Farm Girl, and Westsound Band out of Asheville. All of our out-of-town guests

stayed in Black Mountain. They were impressed with the Monte Vista Hotel and a handful of bed and breakfasts that we recommended, including Inn Around the Corner, Red Rocker Inn, and Arbor House.”

“We enjoyed the time spent with family and loved ones during the planning of the wedding,” Nancy said. “The anticipation was probably the most fun See LOVE, Page B2

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PAGE B2 • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS • WWW.BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS.COM

Valley Weddings

LOVE AT SECOND SIGHT Bucy and Mayer wedding

Alisha Bucy-Mayer and Paul Mayer show their happiness as they leave the Wild Hare as husband and wife in the Rockin Black Mountain cab. PHOTO PROVIDED BY HEATHER HAMBOR/

By Barbara Hootman Staff Writer

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lisha Bucy and Paul Mayer met at the Bistro 1896 in Asheville, where they both worked at separate times. A mutual friend introduced them.

“It was love at second sight,” Alisha said.

They started planning their wedding 10 months before the big day September 21, 2013. They knew that they wanted a fall wedding with a vintage theme.

“We thought the autumn equinox would make a great day to get married,” Alisha said. “My mom suggested the Wild Hare in Black Mountain for our venue, and when we saw the place we knew it was the right fit for us.”

Ashely, Alisha’s twin sister, married last year, and proved to be a big help.

“She had the inside scoop on what was important and what wasn’t,” Alisha said. “My mom, Lenna, was a huge help in planning the wedding.

She has a great eye for detail and extreme organizational skills that kept us on our toes when deadlines needed to be reached.”

Alisha used local vendors for most everything and worked for some 10 months making special items for her wedding.

“She made her own boutonnieres, flower arrangements for the tables, her bridal bouquet, and those of her bridesmaids,” Lenna said.

“For the altar we used two recycled French doors from my great-grandmother’s house,” Alisha said. “Fashioned in between the doors were paper fan-wheels made from bridal magazines.

“About eight months out, I began searching Good Wills for old glass candy containers to use for terrariums and found a bunch of them. We used these for our table centerpieces for our guests, as well as some of my great-grandmother Mimi’s old books and china.”

The bride’s bouquet and those of

the bridesmaids were made out of origami paper flowers.

“Alisha and Paul sat many nights folding paper for the bouquets months before the wedding,” Lenna said.

Alisha’s wedding gown was a Galina organza strapless with floral details.

“The only thing that could accompany such a beautiful dress was cowgirl boots,” Alisha said. “My jewelry, as well as my bridesmaids, was purchased from a local artist at the Sourwood Festival this past summer.”

The rehearsal dinner was held at the Madison Inn in Ridgecrest.

“It was spectacular,” Alisha said.

“Their dining room is so warm and comfortable - it feels like you are in a relative’s living room. Kelli, front of the house manager, was super friendly and helpful in planning our menu, and the food was delicious.”

The ceremony and reception took place at the Wild Hare in Black Mountain.

“One of the highlights of the reception at the Wild Hare was our candy

bar,” Alisha said. “There was over 30 different kinds, from Swedish Phish to Fun Dip and we had bags with our names and the date for our guest to take home. They ravished it.”

Alisha even saved money on not having a formal program printed.

“I used a large chalk board and framed it,” she said. “Then in different colors of chalk I wrote our program.”

“One of the most humorous things that happened was one of the lanterns that were lit and released landed on Cherry Street close to the Town Pump,” Lenna said. “One customer who had had a little too much to drink saw it, and rushed back into the bar and hollered, ‘they have come for us they have landed.’”

Rockin Black Mountain Cab provided the get-away transportation.

“My mom and dad have been married for over 30 years, and Paul’s parents have been married for 48 years, setting an example for us to live up to,” Alisha said.

Alisha Bucy-Mayer and her grandmother, Virginia "Gigi" Bucy, share an intimate moment. PHOTO PROVIDED BY HEATHER HAMBOR

Paul Mayer, the groom, and one of his groomsmen show off the elaborate candy table that was provided for guests. There were over 30 different kinds of candy.

LOVE

veil which was originally worn by my Aunt Anita in the 1970s.”

“The rehearsal dinner was hosted at the Monte Vista Hotel. It worked out well because the majority of out-of-town guests stayed there. We had a lovely cocktail hour on the patio and then a sit down dinner in the large Blue Ridge Dining Room, where Sunburst Farms mountain trout was served as the main entree.”

The morning before the wedding, the bridesmaids and Morgan enjoyed a relaxing yoga session at Black Mountain Yoga, and then enjoyed the traditional bridesmaids’ lunch at the Veranda Cafe.

Hargrove’s reception was outdoors at Wolf Creek Cove, a large open piece of land tucked away near Blue Ridge Assembly.

A large tent housed the dance floor and tables. A large gazebo hosted the bar. Red Radish catered the reception food. Robert and Morgan have deep southern roots and the menu reflected that. Deviled eggs were one of the hors d’oeuvres. North Carolina barbeque was the main dish, with traditional sides.

Wine selections were provided by The Merry Wine Market and beer was from Pisgah Brewing Company. Seasonal summer ale was Morgan’s selection.

“We served signature ‘his’ and ‘hers’ mixed cocktails, which were ‘Southern Sweet Tea’ (Firefly vodka and lemonade) and ‘Gentleman Jack,’ which was Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola.”

Morgan did not have a traditional

Continued from Page B1

part of the whole process. Susan Leive, a neighbor, helped me with the reception, and really took a lot of the work out of it for me. This wedding was a team effort, and it made for such a good experience. Gaither Chapel was a wonderful experience.”

Since many of the guests attending the wedding were coming from outside North Carolina, Morgan wanted to highlight a few favorite things about North Carolina.

“I emphasized Cheerwine, mountain barbeque, and sourwood honey, which was just a name for some of them,” she said.

Family traditions played a big role in Morgan’s planning of her wedding.

“We wanted to focus on the importance of family in our lives and the legacy of love that has been passed down in both of our families,” she said. “At our reception we framed pictures of both sets of parents on their wedding day and all four sets of grandparents as young couples and placed them on the guest book table. We used my greatgrandmother’s handmade quilts to decorate various areas of the reception and the get-away car. Robert’s grandmother, Mary Edna Rose, of Holcomb, Miss., canned all of the homemade jelly that

The bride’s parents, Nancy and “Sonny” Hargrove, enjoy dancing at the reception.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GRAHAM TERHUNE,

we gave as wedding favors. We included hymns that had a special significance to us and our families, including ‘How Great Thou Art,’ ‘Be Thou My Vision,’ and ‘Amazing Grace.’”

Morgan’s wedding dress was simple, elegant, and traditionally significant.

“I wore a simple A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline, satin belt, lace overlay and sheer top,” she said. “I found the dress in Brookhaven, Miss., with my Mom, Aunt Anita Johnson, and Lacey Johnson Miller, cousin, with me. I sewed a piece of chiffon from my mother’s wedding dress into the bottom of my dress, with both mine and my mother’s monograms sewn onto it, along with our wedding dates. The piece of my mother’s dress sewn into my dress is my favorite feature.

“I also wore a cathedral-length lace

cake. She chose various flavors of cupcakes from hey hey cupcake. Robert’s groom cake was a replica of the original Gameboy that came out in the early 1990s, reflecting his love of video games.

Because the couple had an outdoor reception, they had a cornhole set made just for the occasion. One side was painted with North Carolina scenes along with the logo for UNC-Chapel Hill - Morgan’s undergraduate alma mater.

The other side was painted with Louisiana scenes and the LSU logo - Robert’s undergraduate alma mater.

In lieu of the popular photo booth, Morgan hung old frames from tree limbs that she found at the Tobacco Barn in Asheville. People were able to pose in the frames.

The Westsound Band was also popular, playing music from Motown through modern hits.

“It was great to see our family and our parents’ friends all on the dance floor together,” Morgan said.

Morgan says that after spending so much time planning her wedding, she appreciates her hometown even more.

“I’ve always felt fortunate to have grown up in Black Mountain, however, after planning our wedding, I have a deeper sense of pride in our town. The Black Mountain area has a pool of world class entrepreneurs in the service industry. Also, it is hard to beat the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop.”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 • PAGE B3

Valley Wedding

The Douglas-Taylor wedding party outside the entrance gate to Montreat. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JENNINGS PHOTOGRAPHY

A MONTREAT SCOTTISH WEDDING Douglas and Taylor nuptials full of tradition

By Barbara Hootman Staff Writer

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atharine Elizabeth Douglas and Craig Alan Taylor wed in Gaither Chapel with a Scottish theme wedding.

The bride is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Rusty Douglas, of Greenwood, Miss., and the granddaughter of the Rev. Dr. Harry W. Philips, of Montreat, and the late Virginia Philips and the late Mr. and Mrs. Fred C. Douglas.

The decision to wed in Montreat was based on Douglas wanting a small, simple wedding. Montreat provided the perfect setting.

“My parents have had a home there for 53 of my 56 years and it has been a constant in all of our lives,” Betty Douglas, mother of the bride, said.

“My father is a retired Presbyterian minister who now lives part-time in Montreat, and my husband is a Presbyterian minister. Our children have grown up going to Montreat for extended periods every summer, some Thanksgivings, Christmases, and even New Years. Montreat is more than a place in the life of our families. It is the place where our family has played, vacationed, celebrated, conference, studied, and sometimes recovered from life’s difficulties. It was a great place for my daughter and son-in-law to begin their own life as a family.”

Escorted by her father, Katherine walked down the aisle in an ivory Vneck gown of English netting and reembroidered lace with cap sleeves and crystal embellishment at the waist.

The fit and flare gown finished in a sweep train with spokes of cascading lace. Her 88-year-old grandfather conducted the first part of the wedding, and her father gave her away and then conducted the second part of the service.

“One of my favorite memories of Katharine’s wedding day is her stopping at the Montreat Memorial Garden to trace her Mimi’s name on the wall,” Betty said.

“We added thistle in the flowers for our Scottish heritage and my bridesmaids wore purple in honor of my grandmother, Mimi, who also had purple dresses in her wedding,” Katherine said. “I used a ring I inherited from my Mimi as my wedding ring and my flower girl, Sloan Walker, wore a dress that my mom had made for me to wear in a wedding when I was only seven years old.

Douglas’ aunt, Gina Averett, made all the bouquets and boutonnieres for the bridal party.

Scottish history and tradition mean a lot to the Douglas family, and to Montreat residents. It played a large role in the Douglas wedding.

“Presbyterianism was brought to America by Scots,” Betty said. “The ties still run deep. We invited our friends to wear their kilts to the wedding. We had a sort of Scottish-themed wedding with a piper, Steve Agan, from Asheville, serenading the guests

Katharine and Craig Taylor are shown with Katharine’s father in his kilt and her 88-year-old grandfather, who performed part of the wedding ceremony.

Katharine Taylor traces her grandmother’s name in the memorial garden in Montreat prior to her wedding.

as they arrived for the ceremony.

Katharine and her dad processed to ‘Highland Cathedral,’ played by the piper, and Katharine and Craig recessed to the piper playing ‘Scotland the Brave.’ We had lots of thistles in the bouquets, church flowers, and at the reception. Even the square dancing at the reception, called, in good Montreat tradition by Glenn Bannerman, had its roots in Scottish Reel dancing.”

“The square dance was a blast, because in the end anyone can dance if someone tells you what to do,” Betty said. “The Crooked Pine Band played.”

“The men wearing kilts was a nod to our Scottish heritage,” Katharine

said. “I love the kilts and the tradition that goes along with them, and being in North Carolina, where many Scots settled when they moved here, made it seem right. I also wanted my dad to wear his kilt because it is the Douglas tartan which represents our family, and I think he looks better in it than in a suit.”

Following the Scottish-themed wedding ceremony, a reception was held at the Monte Vista Hotel in Black Mountain.

“I had an army of talented friends and family, who turned the chapel and the Monte Vista into a wonderland with birchbark vases, which are very Scottish, mixed with sterling vases

and candelabra and little silver birds,” Betty said. “A few days before the wedding, my husband, Rusty, and I, took a ladder and decorated the entrance to the hotel with North Carolina garland, burlap and organdy, and lights. The Monte Vista Hotel took much of the worry out of the planning and the food was fabulous for the reception. The setting was warm and inviting. The cakestand held five different cakes, family specialties, along with Mississippi Caramel Cakes, made

by Elizabeth Melton, a Mississippi friend. There was also a pre-wedding party at the Douglas’ neighbor’s home, Rick Harbaugh. There was wine and cheese and the party ended with hotbuttered rum. There was a welcome serenade by a bagpiper enjoyed from the front porch.”

The rehearsal dinner was hosted by the groom’s parents at The Red Rocker Inn. The restaurant closed to the public and let the guests order from the menu. They had their choice of 10 homemade desserts to finish dinner.

“We had square dancing at our Black Mountain reception because it is a family tradition,” Katharine said.

“My parents and their cousins and friends grew up going to Friday night square dances in Montreat, and my brother and I, along with our cousins and friends, continued the tradition, and it is a Montreat tradition. I was nervous at first, thinking not many people would dance, but before I knew it, the dance floor was full of people and all the ladies were kicking off their heels and bowing to their partners. Having the square dance was something unique for us which fits, because we were in such a unique place.”

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BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS • WWW.BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS.COM

Valley Weddings

PERSONAL FLAIR A cornhole game designed for Morgan Johnson’s reception was a huge favorite. PHOTO PROVIDED BY GRAHAM TERHUNE

From centerpieces to take-away favors, each bride and groom have an opportunity to personalize their wedding. Here is a look at some of the unique and creative ideas that our three brides incorporated into their weddings.

Alisha Bucy-Mayer made her own bridal bouquet and those of her bridesmaids. The bridesmaids’ bouquets were made from origami paper flowers that took months to make. PHOTO PROVIDED BY HEATHER HAMBOR

Alisha Bucy-Mayer created some 20 terrariums for the guest tables from old glass candy containers that she found in thrift stores throughout the 10 months she planned the wedding. PHOTO PROVIDED BY HEATHER HAMBOR (left) Monrgan Johnson chose to serve cupcakes in various flavors from hey hey cupcake. PHOTO PROVIDED BY GRAHAM TERHUNE

Katharine and Craig Taylor’s cakestand held five different cakes, family specialties, along with Mississippi Caramel Cakes.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNINGS PHOTOGRAPHY

Alisha Bucy-Mayer made paper fan-wheels from bridal magazines and they hung between French doors from her great-grandmother’s house, that served as an altar. Alisha and her mother, Lenna, grew many of the beautiful flowers, and friends contributed more from their gardens. PHOTO PROVIDED BY HEATHER HAMBOR