I do! spring summer 2015

I Do!

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Sophie Magazine’s Wedding Guide

Spring/Summer 2015

Magical

Mountain Wedding

Smoky Mountain SWEETHEARTS A Dream Come True RUSTIC ROMANCE

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I Do!

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Sophie Magazine’s Wedding Guide PUBLISHER

Vincent Grassia ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER

Patricia Martin Betts IT/PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jeff Ruminski CREATIVE EDITOR

Debi Manfre CREATIVE SERVICES SPECIALIST

Adalee Elkins CONTRIBUTOR

Carrie Harder PROOFING DIVA

Karen Shepard ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS

Meg Hale Brunton Pamela Hart Pam Hensley Rick Jenkins Roberta Lloyd Crystal Pressley Kimberly White DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Mark Graham To advertise in the 2015 Fall/Winter edition of I Do!, Please call 828.274.8888 ext. 312 or e-mail editor@sophiemagazine.com.

Sophie Magazine 22 Garfield Street, Suite 100 Asheville, NC 28813 828.210.0340 I Do!, a publication of Sophie Magazine, has accepted contributions which may not reflect the opinion of the publisher. No portion of I Do! may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

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Featured Brides Melanie & Stephen A Geological Romance

Tara & Tom An Enchanted Evening

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Caroline & Aaron

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A Dream Come True

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Emma & Keaton

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True Companions (Pictured on cover)

Kim & Chad

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Bonfire At The Farm

I Do!

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Sophie Magazine’s Wedding Guide

Maitland & Justin

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Smoky Mountain Sweethearts

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Tiffany & Anthony Rustic Romance

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It was four years ago when we published the first issue of I Do! Along with this issue, we will have featured photographs from 55 real brides. Thank you to all of the brides who have shared their love stories with our readers.

If you would like your wedding to be featured in the Fall/Winter edition of I Do!, please email us at writer@ sophiemagazine.com

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W Melanie and Stephen

e met on my first night in Carlsbad, NM, where we had both moved to work as oilfield geologists for the same company. We immediately became friends, and at work Stephen was my constant support (I would often call him at all times of the day to ask him for work advice).

Every time we went out, no matter who else we were with, we always seemed to end up sitting right next to each other talking the night away.

After a couple of months, it became clear that we were just meant to be.

Stephen proposed in December, after 2 months of dating, and we started planning our wedding right away.

Similar to the progression of our friendship, all of our plans fell right into place. Stephen is from Tennessee and I am from Germany. I fell in love with the South while living in Oxford, MS, and so we decided to have the wedding close to family and home for both of us. Since we both love mountains and fall, we quickly settled on an October wedding in Asheville, NC. Once the date was set and we found our wedding planner, Sara, we just kept getting lucky in getting everything we dreamed of.

Our wedding day ended up being pure magic and a perfect reflection of our backgrounds, love, and character.

We had both our families and closest friends with us, who had traveled from as far away as Shanghai and Munich, and as close as Asheville and Tennessee, just to celebrate with us. We tried to make the wedding as personal as possible to reflect us as a couple and also our heritage. An overall vintage feel to our wedding was important to us because we’re both fans of Big Band Music. We included little German items of food and drink throughout the day. We also wanted to show our geological side, so in our table-scapes we included big mineral samples, with respective smaller versions on the place cards that the guests could take home.

Guests also received some German chocolate that we shipped from Europe, which I hand wrapped in the colors of the wedding.

The day began at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville, where Stephen and his groomsmen got ready and my bridesmaids and I got our hair and make up done. For the morning we had planned a gift exchange with our mothers. Stephen’s mom presented

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me a beautiful rose gold and Morganite bracelet picked out by Stephen, which brought me to tears for the first time that day.

And my mom gave Stephen the cufflinks of Moss Agate I had picked for him. After that, the bridal party took the first trolley ride to Homewood. In the bridal suite at Homewood we drank champagne, and I got dressed with the help of my dearest friends and the two moms.

Our ceremony was set for 5 p.m. in the Glen at Homewood.

My dad and I were waiting out of sight as the music swelled to introduce our wedding party. Once I heard the first few tones of “At Last” performed by our good friend (and wedding planner) Sara, I knew the time had come. My dad held me steady as we reached a hugely smiling Stephen. The ceremony was performed by our long time friend Todd, with readings by our two oldest friends. In front of our guests we read the vows we had just written a few days before, first in English and then in German.

As we were pronounced and shared our first kiss, the air filled with the sound of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” performed by a second-line band, which was a complete surprise to our guests. With us in the lead, followed by the band, the bridal party, and all of our guests, we danced our way back to the main building. While the guests mingled and shared some southern and German inspired appetizers, we took pictures with our family and bridal party. During the festivities the guests could take Polaroid pictures for our guestbook.Everyone was seated at tables named after minerals, while we stole a few kisses and took more pictures. Stephen and I were then introduced into the Great Room as Mr. & Mrs. Callihan, and after a few thankful words, we began the first of our many dances that night. The room was filled with flowers, candles and glittering minerals. The evening continued with an incredible plated three course dinner, followed by the cutting of the cake,while the Big Band played all our favorites and much dancing and fun ensued throughout the night.

The evening ended with our guests lined up outside on the street with heart shaped sparklers as we drove through the crowd in a vintage blue Corniche Rolls Royce.

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Our Top 5 Moments 1 Stephen: One great moment of the wedding was the

vows and “I dos.” Being so nervous I sort of messed up when it was time to answer the different questions from Todd. I answered one too early, then, being flustered, I hesitated on the next one making everyone kind of chuckle. To get back at me a little bit Melanie then purposefully waited and “thought about it” for a while when Todd asked if she wanted to be my bride, and, yet again, everyone had a good laugh.

2 Melanie: One of our favorite moments was when the

New Orleans style second line band came out behind bushes and trees as soon as we were married. They had a full band playing “I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”, performed by Russ Wilson. And as we strolled down the aisle, the band followed us and we danced our way back up towards Homewood, followed by the bridal party and guests. It was such an amazing feeling seeing everyone happy and dancing and celebrating our marriage.

3 Stephen and Melanie: Our first dance was just

incredibly special. From the day we started dating, we often had home-dates, that ended with us dancing across the living room to Frank Sinatra. For our first dance we naturally chose “The Way You Look Tonight”, and as we started dancing in the middle of the candle lit room, in front of all our family and friends, it seemed like the night faded away and we were still dancing, just the two of us, in our living room. Also, we had taken a few lessons so we were able to dazzle everyone with a few extra moves.

4 Stephen: Another Top 5 Moment actually lasted

all throughout the wedding and the weekend. The reception we got from everyone that attended was just astounding. Everyone kept coming up and telling us how amazing everything was and how much fun they were having. One thing that struck me the most was how everyone kept talking about all of the personal touches to the wedding such as the tables being named for rocks instead of numbered, personalized natural handmade soaps, signature southern cocktails, handwrapped chocolates from Germany, and the list just keeps going. Part of what made our wedding so special was getting to experience it with our loved ones, and their reactions to it made every little detail worth while.

5 Stephen and Melanie: Sharing family meals has

always been a big part of both of our lives. As such we decided to do a sit down dinner. The food we had was absolutely incredible. We had options of pork tenderloin, swordfish steaks, and stuffed portabellas as a vegetarian option, and there was not a bad choice to be had. Another one of the fun aspects of the dinner, and an important one to us was the seating.

We purposefully sat people from different sides of the wedding together so that our families could truly start getting to know one another and uniting, and by the end of dinner and on throughout the night, our families had begun melding into one. The joining and communion between all of us together was a moving moment for hopefully not just us, but our entire family, as well.

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BRIDE: MELANIE BERGMANN • GROOM: MATT STEPHEN CALLIHANO WEDDING DRESS: MAGGIE SOTTERO FROM BELLISSIMA BRIDE, DEERFIELD BEACH FL GROOM'S TUX: MITCHELLS TUXEDO, ASHEVILLE, NC HAIR: ZHENYA LAZARCHUK MAKEUP: AMANDA ANDERSON (DOLL BOX PRODUCTIONS) VENUE: HOMEWOOD • CATERING: ARLENE COTLER PHOTOGRAPHER: JENNIE ANDREWS FLOWERS: BLOSSOMS AT BILTMORE PARK CAKE: SHORT STREET CAKES MUSIC: RUSS WILSON, THE WILSON MUSIC COMPANY BRIDAL CONSULTANT: SARA FIELDS AND HOLLY ROGERS OF WEDDING CONNECTIONS GETAWAY CAR: BLUE CORNICHE TERRY CHALKBOARDS & DESIGNS: AMBER HATCHETT TROLLEY COMPANY: ASHEVILLE TROLLEY COMPANY

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Tara and Tom 14 | 2015 Spring/Summer I Do!

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hen I first saw Tom, I thought he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. He was the most recent addition to the engineering team at the office, and I thought there was no way he could possibly have personality and also be that good looking. Luckily for me, a group of us were going sea kayaking that weekend and one of the organizers decided to invite the new guy. I quickly found out that I was totally wrong - Tom not only had personality, but he also shared my love of the outdoors, rock climbing, traveling, and a general need for adventure. We became close friends over the next few months, but I was moving to Europe, so it seemed hopeless. After I left, though, despite our best attempts to move on, neither of us was able to forget the other, and we found ourselves talking whenever we were able – via text, instant message, email, and any other form that worked over the distance. A year after moving to Europe, I found myself at a crossroads in my life, and when I talked to Tom about my options, he asked me not to stay in Europe, and instead to move back to California to be with him.

Three years later, we had shared countless adventures, including fishing with bears in Alaska, ice climbing in New Zealand, mountain biking through Cambodian jungles, and caving in Vietnam. And one rather unremarkable evening we were taking a walk along our favorite stretch of coastline and as I rounded the bend and looked down from the cliffs to the edge of the water, I saw the words “Marry Me?” spelled out in hundreds of LEDs in the sand. I hardly dared to hope it was for me, but when I turned around he was on one knee, asking me to marry him. As amazing as that proposal was, what he said afterwards meant even more.

He told me that he wanted to ask me there, because he fell in love with me taking walks by the water, and that he didn’t want to wait for a “special occasion” to ask me, because he wanted me to

know that he was excited to spend every day with me - that even the most boring days were amazing when we were together.

A year of not-so-boring days later, we were in the mountains of North Carolina getting married. We had fallen in love with the area two years earlier when we joined my brother and his family in Maggie Valley for a short vacation (We took my three nieces rock climbing for the first time!) and talked about coming back to see the waterfalls and do some hiking. After initially saying he didn’t want to have a wedding at all, then saying he didn’t have any opinions on where we got married, Tom finally admitted that he either wanted a place with a spectacular setting and views or with really interesting architecture, like exposed wood beams. We found both at Castle Ladyhawke, and had the added advantage of beautiful fall colors in October.

We spent the day prior to the wedding hiking and visiting waterfalls, and enjoyed the most perfect 75 degree, sunny day for our wedding. Every detail turned out perfectly – from my custom Augusta Jones dress (based on the sketches I supplied the designer), to the LED candles on the lawn which spelled our initials (reminiscent of Tom’s LED beach proposal), to the stunning display of petals in the aisle (courtesy of my fabulous wedding planner, Mary). The food was delicious, the flowers were spectacular, and the “wish lanterns” were breathtaking once they were aloft (we had engineered them ourselves using helium filled balloons and LEDs since true wish lanterns aren’t allowed at the castle due to the fire hazard). Most importantly, we loved spending time with our family and friends and sharing a perfect day with them. As amazing as the whole day was, the best part of all was saying “I do”, and going home that night knowing he was mine and that we had a lifetime of adventures ahead of us.

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Our Top 5 Moments 1 Wearing my family’s antique cathedral length wedding veil – I felt such a connection with the past and all the generations of happy brides who’ve worn it.

2 Watching my flowergirl nieces pick their way carefully

through the exquisite arrangement of swirling petals in the aisle during the ceremony so they wouldn’t disturb them (after which I waltzed through with the enormous train on my gown and destroyed it entirely).

3 Saying the vows we wrote for each other, which included

Tom promising to adhere to my crazy trip itineraries and endure meatless Mondays with minimal complaints, while I promised to attempt to hybridize a berry which tastes like the fictitious blue raspberry and to support his attempts to make primitive fire.

4 Sitting with Tom on a hill looking down on the castle and

watching the wish lanterns rise slowly up. We hadn’t been sure if it would work, and if it did, if they would look like we hoped, but they were more beautiful then we had imagined.

5 When my dad, who’s a trained vocalist but rarely performs,

decided to give an impromptu rendition of “Some Enchanted Evening” near the end of the reception, it was the perfect way to describe the event: enchanted.

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BRIDE: TARA STEVENSON • GROOM: TOM SWEENEY WEDDING DRESS: AUGUSTA JONES (VIA THE WHITE FLOWER IN SAN DIEGO) GROOM'S TUX: DOLCE & GABBANA HAIR & MAKEUP: VISAGE SALON VENUE: CASTLE LADYHAWKE PHOTOGRAPHER: BLUE BEND PHOTOGRAPHY (NICK GILLESPIE) FLOWERS: FLORESSENCE FLOWERS CAKE: TIFFANY'S BAKING CO. • CATERING: CORNER KITCHEN DIAMOND BRACELET: ADORN (THEY OFFER DIAMOND JEWELRY RENTALS) BRIDAL CONSULTANT: MARY BELL

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Maitland and Justin

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ustin and I met through his little brother, Tyler. Tyler came home from school one day and told Justin all about this girl that drove a lifted pickup truck. Shortly after we started talking on Myspace and hit it off from there.

For our first date he took me to see Jason Aldean play at Western Carolina University. We went with his brother and a mutual friend. When he went to drop me off at my house, we stood by the door for forty five minutes talking before he finally asked me to be his girlfriend.

From there we began talking and planning our lives together.

A few years later, we got our own place, and a puppy. We learned a lot about each other. All of our life dreams, goals and plans seemed to line right up! We were both hard workers, loved being outdoors, and enjoyed spending time with our little family (which grew to having two dogs and ourselves). I adored how much of a family man he was, for me that was the number one thing I wanted in a husband.

After four years of dating, Justin couldn’t wait any longer. He finally got down on one knee and asked me to become his wife and make him the happiest man in the world. With tears of joy of course I said yes.

From there we spent two years planning and perfecting what would be the greatest day of our lives. I knew I wanted to get married in a church, but we both wanted to truly show our personalities when it came to our wedding. We had both hiked and loved Cataloochee Valley (Located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park), so we chose Palmer Chapel.

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It truly brought out our love for the outdoors and the history of the area. From the beautiful weather, to the leaves changing, and the elk in the fields, it was truly perfect. Six years and ten days from our first date, we finally said "I Do" and vowed our lives to each other with our closest family and friends.

Our Top 5 Moments 1 Maitland: My time with my girls.

As we've all grown older, started working, getting married, and some having children, we have had a hard time finding time to spend together. I had all my girls stay over the night before.

We talked, laughed, danced and finished decorating for the next day. When we started getting ready for the wedding day, things started falling behind schedule really fast. After my hair was done, I went to start on my make-up and quickly realized it somehow had been left at my house (over 1 hour away). With no time to go get it my girls all pitched in and somehow got all my make-up on me and done. After that, I started helping them get ready since the photographer had just arrived. That's when it just hit me, I was getting married! The happy tears started and it was just amazing to have all my girls there, and see how excited and happy for me they were!

2 Justin: Reminiscing with Will (one of my groomsmen).

On our drive from the house out towards the Valley, Will and I began talking. It just seemed like yesterday we were freshman in college. We talk about the moments Maitland and I shared with 2015 Spring/Summer I Do! | 19

him. It was a different side of Will that I hadn't seen in a long time. It reminded me as to why I chose him to be one of my groomsmen. It was good to know that the people I chose to stand by my side on this day, were just as happy as I was.

3 Justin: Maitland walking down the aisle.

Seeing her walk down the aisle...aside from the short delay (I had brief worry) when I saw her walk down the aisle, memories and voices from the past 6 years of our relationship came flowing in, and it was uncontrollable. My mind would jump to the past and back into the present as I gazed at her gorgeous smile in her beautiful wedding dress.

4 Maitland: The size of our wedding.

We thought very long and hard about how many people we would invite. We have always loved to entertain and host several parties at our home every year. We wanted the same feeling when it came to our wedding. So we chose to invite just very close friends and family.

Looking back I am so glad we did. It was so relaxed and normal for us, it just felt like another get together! We ate, drank, danced, and celebrated all night long with those we are closest to! We both felt right at home and wouldn't have traded it for anything!

5 Justin: Our drive to our honeymoon.

When we left and made our drive towards the mountains of Tennessee, we had to stop and wash the truck off from all the paint and goodies the groomsmen had left on it. As we drove across the mountain I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, we had finally done it. All those years joking around about getting married and then planning and making that dream a reality....that was the best part. The Tungsten ring on my finger is the key to my past, my present, and my future with her.

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BRIDE: MAITLAND O'NEAL • GROOM: JUSTIN DEMOS GROOM'S TUX: MITCHELL'S TUXEDOS • BRIDESMAID DRESSES: CAROLINA TRADITIONS HAIR: HEATHER BURELL. OWNER OF HAIR RAZORS VENUE: PALMER CHAPEL, CATALOCHEE VALLEY, GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK PHOTOGRAPHER: MOZINGO PHOTOGRAPHY • FLOWERS: KNOT 2 SHABBY DESIGN • CAKE: MS. HEATHER MACLEOD INVITE DESIGN AND CALLIGRAPHY: SABLE AND GREY PAPER CO. • INVITE PRINTING: MINK LETTERPRESS

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Caroline and Aaron 24 | 2015 Spring/Summer I Do!

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aron and I met for the first time at a party hosted by a mutual friend. When I saw him that first time, there was an immediate attraction and I said to myself, “Who is that guy – I’d like to get to know him!” I learned later when we started dating that when he saw me at that party I caught his eye as well. He thought my outfit was interesting and from that day on he never forgot the girl in that crazy dress.

I wondered when I would see “that guy” again, but soon we both ended up at another one of our mutual friends’ gettogethers. After purposefully sitting myself next to him at the table, we finally got to talking. He told me a little about his life and about his sisters living abroad in Hawaii and Nepal. I was intrigued by his stories of their adventures and found him to be an exuberantly confident guy. We exchanged numbers but didn’t see each other again for a few months.

Valentine’s Day rolled around the corner and Aaron called me up and asked me if I would go on an “Anti-Valentine’s Day” date with him and a few other friends. I thought this sounded like fun and l liked how Aaron wasn’t afraid to ask me out on a day that most guys might feel intimidated by. I agreed to go with him and found that the date was far from awkward or cheesy. I liked how I could be myself around him.

It was a few more weeks until I saw Aaron again. Our first date out just the two of us was at Nine Mile in Montford, one of our favorite restaurants to this day. This date and the others that followed were fun and carefree. I liked how I could talk to Aaron openly about things and not feel stupid and eat my salad a little messily in front of him and not care. I also liked how Aaron showed off his gentlemanly skills on each date, opening the car door for me and holding the door. Despite being a full-time student and not having much time on my hands, Aaron and I made time to see each other when we could. Aaron’s pursuit of my heart made me feel extra special and wanted and I enjoyed the anticipation of seeing him again.

As a student I had always dreamed of studying abroad.

My dream finally came true when last summer I got the opportunity to take a trip to Italy! After three weeks of intensive traveling and touring the country, Aaron surprised me on my very last day before leaving and showed up on the Sicilian beach where we were staying! He had coordinated with some of my traveling friends to locate our hotel and whereabouts and had made flight plans the week before to come surprise me.

Late that afternoon, we were at the shore taking a break after a long day of touring cathedrals in Catania, Sicily. I heard a voice shouting from the upper boardwalk, “Mia bella, mia bella!” I looked up and Aaron was leaning over the railing high above the sandy beach where I was sitting. I could barely believe what I was seeing! We made our way towards each other and embraced in a long hug. He soon got down on his knee and said, “Mia bella, vuoi sposarmi?” Or in English, “My beautiful, will you marry me?” Completely shocked, I looked out into the ocean and knew what my answer would be, “Yes!” I said.

The day was magical and I will never forget it. Two puppies surrounded us during the proposal and a double rainbow greeted us right after. I felt like I was living in a fairytale; just a foreshadowing of what our wedding day would be! We were married that November right in the midst of the mountains in my hometown, Asheville, NC. That day was so much more than a fairytale, it was a dream come true!

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Our Top 5 Moments: 1 One of our favorite moments from the wedding was

standing at the altar with one another. The light behind us was beautiful and there was a soon-to-be sunset. I could see glimpses of close family and friends out of the corner of my eye. It was a secure feeling to know that they were all there supporting us and our commitment to one another before God. I kept thinking of good and funny moments with Aaron and how I would be with him for the rest of my life. As the pastor was talking us through our vows, I realized that this moment could never be duplicated and I just wanted to cherish it and soak it in! The feeling was surreal and amazing; looking at one another, exchanging vows, holding hands, and knowing we were soon to become husband and wife!

2 Planning our wedding, I knew the flowers were very

important because they would set the mood of the event.

One element I really wanted to incorporate into the flower décor was an arbor. I always envisioned a beautiful arbor decorated with tons of flowers overarching me and my groom during the ceremony. Aaron, an excellent carpenter, agreed to build us an arbor for the wedding. However, things got so hectic during all the planning that there was hardly any time left over for the arbor project. Waiting in the dressing room before the ceremony, I thought that the arbor was out of the question as I hadn’t heard anything about its completion or arrival to the venue. I thought another plan was in store for the ceremonial flowers, but I was surprised walking down the aisle to see a beautiful handmade arbor decorated with lovely flowers overarching my groom!

Later I learned that both Aaron and his Dad pulled things together last minute to make the arbor happen. Seeing this vision come together for the wedding was magical. It was so special to have something that both Aaron and his Dad made in our wedding, not to mention surround us during our vows. I could not help staring at the gorgeous flowers and arbor during the ceremony. It was so perfect that I had to pull myself away just so I could say the rest of the vows!

3 Aaron’s family is quite adventurous. Both of his sisters

live more than 12 hours away from North Carolina by plane; his one sister lives in Nepal with her family doing mission work and his other sister explores the waters of Hawaii as a captain of a boat! That’s why it was rare and super special to see these two and the family that came along with them for our wedding. It was my first time meeting Aaron’s sisters and they were part of my bridal party. I enjoyed getting to know them and spend time with them at my bachelorette spa party and at the hair salon getting ready for the wedding! These were great times to bond and laugh together. Aaron and I both agree that meeting one another’s family and friends allowed us to learn more about each other (by listening to more embarrassing stories about the other).

Although it seemed like there was not enough time to visit with all of our family and friends at the wedding, it was so amazing to see everyone there and travel so far to witness our day!

4 Everything leading up to the big day can be stressful, so

letting loose on the dance floor allowed us to enjoy the day and soak in the fun! Having all my girlfriends there with me was refreshing and made me feel like I could relax after all the tight plans of the ceremony and early reception were 26 | 2015 Spring/Summer I Do!

over. It was nice to see everyone out on the floor enjoying themselves after we had worked so hard to get everything to come together. Our DJ was great and kept the party going.

Everyone from my baby cousin to my grandma were dancing it up on the floor!

5 We opted out of doing a “first look” photoshoot before the

ceremony and kept it traditional. I’m so glad we did it this way because I got to see Aaron’s priceless face when I walked down the aisle. After the ceremony, Aaron and I got to spend some of our first moments together as husband and wife during our photo session. It was a perfect day; chilly, but the sunset was gorgeous and the air was crisp and clear. Taking pictures outside in front of the mountains was so romantic and it felt so special being in my beautiful hometown and where Aaron has spent most of his life growing up.

BRIDE: CAROLINE UNKS • GROOM: AARON SWENSON FLOWERS: SHADY GROVE FLOWERS HAIR: GUADALUPE AT STUDIO CHAVARRIA CAKE: HEATHER PENNYPACKER PHOTOGRAPHER: JAMEYKAY AND ARLIE PHOTOGRAPHY VENUE: THE CREST CENTER PAVILION DJ: JUSTIN AT SOUND EXTREME PASTOR: SERGIO FESIUK WEDDING DRESS AND BRIDESMAID DRESSES: DAVID'S BRIDAL MEN'S TUXES: MEN’S WEARHOUSE CEREMONY MUSIC: BECKY SWENSEN, KING GOSLIN, LENNY LOPATIN MUSICAL GUEST (RECEPTION): LILLEY ARAUZ

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Emma and Keaton

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eaton and Emma met on a blind date in high school.

Who blind dates in high school, you ask? Well, Keaton, who grew up in New York, attended an all-boys military academy for high school outside Emma’s hometown of Philadelphia and needed a date to a winter formal. Emma’s friend was dating Keaton’s roommate at the time and asked her to go to the dance with Keaton. At first, she declined because, again, who blind dates in high school?

But when she found out Keaton was 6’6” and bore a striking resemblance to Clark Kent, her only question was “what do I have to wear?” They met each other the night before the dance and it was anything but love at first sight. In fact, they both tried to cancel. She thought he was “boring” and he thought she was “crazy.” Thankfully, their friends insisted that they keep their word and go to the dance together. To their surprise, the night of the dance was magical. They danced all night, fell in love, and soon fell in love with each other’s families.

Keaton attended the University of Colorado his freshman year of college, while Emma started her studies at Penn State.

After a year apart and missing Emma more than he could bear, Keaton decided to transfer to Bucknell University. Emma enjoyed her big school experience and all things college football while Keaton thrived in a smaller setting and excelled on the Bucknell Ice Hockey team. They spent their college summers in rural Lewisburg, Pennsylvania fixing up a house they bought while Emma worked at a local antique store and Keaton at a local real estate firm. Their summers were filled with farmer’s markets, weekend getaways, and fishing on the lake with Keaton’s 28 | 2015 Spring/Summer I Do!

childhood dog, Jack the boxer. When Jack reached the ripe old age of 14, they decided to get a puppy to keep him young. Along came Olive-a spunky, smart little pug that filled their lives with more joy than they could have imagined, while keeping Jack happy during the last year of his long life. These summers were glimpses of what their life together could be like after college, deepening their love and commitment to each other.

After they graduated college, they packed up the life they’d built together and moved to Durham, North Carolina where Emma was to attend nursing school at Duke University. Having no ties to the South and not knowing a soul, this was their greatest adventure yet. The couple visited Asheville for the first time on a trip with Emma’s parents in October of 2009. They were looking forward to touring Biltmore, as Emma’s great grandmother had served as a nanny for the Vanderbilt children at The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island. They gushed over the fall colors and fantasized about what it would be like to get married in such an enchanting place.

2011 was a year of big accomplishments for the couple. Emma began work as a critical care nurse in Duke University Medical Center’s Medical Intensive Care Unit, they bought a house in Durham, and Asheville became the site of yet another romantic occasion. They had been searching for the perfect soulmate for their pug, Olive, when they came across a pug on the internet who was found roaming the streets of Memphis, Tennessee.

They made plans to meet this little guy in Asheville around Christmas. It was love at first site for the pugs and Olive and Tank have been happily married ever since.

On a family trip to Hawaii in 2012, Keaton asked for Emma’s father's blessing to marry his youngest daughter to which her father replied, “Keaton you have been in our family since the day we met you.” Later that year, on a beautiful September morning over breakfast in their sunroom, Keaton got down on one knee and asked Emma to marry him with a ring modeled after her grandmother’s. They called their families and spent the night (with the pugs) at The Umstead Hotel and Spa reminiscing about all they had done in their nearly 8 years together and all the milestones ahead.

And so began the planning of their dream wedding.

They decided to get married in Asheville because it was a location that reminded them of the whimsical Catskills where Keaton was raised with an unmistakable Southern charm they had grown to love. Biltmore was a natural choice, because it embodied the fairytale feel of their young love story. With the help of her mother-in-law and wedding planner, Nicole Bloom, Emma planned the “Ralph Lauren Romance” themed wedding to the very last detail. Painted vintage books served as table markers with pictures of the bride and groom at the ages of the table numbers. A glass of champagne and a “Here in our Hearts” table welcomed guests with pictures of passed family members as well as descriptions of how they would be enjoying the wedding if only they could be there. Emma wore Keaton’s Great Aunt Emma’s earrings and her best friend’s perfume while clutching a bouquet of dahlias and ranunculus tied with twine and ribbon pinned with pendants that belonged to each of her grandmothers.

The couple wrote their own vows and the only speaker during their ceremony was Keaton’s 90 year old grandfather and the couple’s mentor. Guests described the event as enchanting, magical, and right out of 2015 Spring/Summer I Do! | 29

a fairytale. They had gone through so many formative years together, but their wedding day was simply the best day of their lives. In many ways, it felt like a tribute to the end of their lives as two separate individuals and a celebration of their new life together forever as one.

Top Five Wedding Moments: 1 The top moment of our wedding was hands down seeing each other for the first time. Our eyes locked and we couldn’t hear or see anything else but each other as Emma walked down the aisle with her Dad. We loved watching this moment on video because it was such an existential experience for us we barely remembered it.

2 Our grandparents are very important to us. Keaton’s grandfather

was the only speaker during our ceremony. He read excerpts from Corelli’s Mandolin and Ogden Nash. Our 90-year-old mentor giving us marriage advice on our wedding day with his wife of nearly 70 years by his side was a dream come true for us. During our reception, Keaton’s 90-year-old grandmother wheeled her oxygen tank onto the dance floor and shared a dance with her family. She was the embodiment of happiness in that moment, just glowing.

She passed away the following May and it is a memory we will cherish forever.

3 Having a small intimate wedding where the individuals present

were those in our lives who we knew would hold us to the vows we were asking them to witness was essential for us. Individually, we have very large families; but amazingly after combining the two and adding 8+ years of mutual relationships, we were able to say the vows we wrote among 130 of our closest family and friends. That experience and the opportunity to spend time with each and everyone present was a highlight of the evening.

4 Our first dance was an incredibly special moment for us. We

danced to Marc Cohn’s "True Companion", a song we had danced to in our kitchen for years. The lyrics perfectly articulate our love for one another. It was a really emotional moment to dance in front of our family and friends to a song we’ve sung to each other for years.

5 Emma planned everything surrounding the wedding; we’re

talking diagrams, graphs, and charts here, folks. Moments before the guests were due to arrive, her florist and wedding planner brought her out by herself to see the ceremony space decorated as she had envisioned. The photographer captured the moment and her reaction to seeing her vision come to fruition can only be described as childlike wonder.

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BRIDE: EMMA ROSE BARNETT • GROOM: KEATON WRIGHT WEDDING DRESS: JUSTIN ALEXANDER GROOM’S TUX: VERA WANG FOR MEN’S WAREHOUSE HAIR: LOLA SALON MAKEUP: BLUSH BY WENDY BALLANCE VENUE: BILTMORE PHOTOGRAPHER: GOFORTH PHOTOGRAPHY FLOWERS: THE BLOOM ROOM CAKE: PROVIDED BY BILTMORE

CEREMONY MUSIC: CAFÉ STRING QUARTET

RECEPTION MUSIC: PAT LANCE WITH SPINTASTIC SOUND BRIDAL CONSULTANT: NICOLE BLOOM WITH TWO SWEET SPARROWS WEDDING VIDEO MONTAGE AND VIDEOGRAPHY: HUNTER RENTZ

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Tiffany and Anthony

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I

had moved to Western North Carolina from Virginia beach in 2007 with my little Lhasa Apso poodle mix named Webber. I didn’t know many people except my father and a few friends I had met on my frequent trips to visit. I had a few dates and had more friends by 2010 but wasn’t finding my “match”.

In October of that year, I decided to start a profile on the dating website ”PlentyOfFish”. By the beginning of November, I got an email from Anthony. We realized we had a few things in common and after a couple emails and about a week, we decide to meet for lunch. I would not say it was love at first sight, but it was definitely intrigue at first sight. I thought the date went well with a lot of talking and a bunch of laughter. However, Anthony decided to play hard to get and made me wait another week for our second date. That date went even better. We talked for many hours about our families, our childhood, all the way up to the here and now. The third date was the kicker. I cooked him an awesome dinner, and well, lets say he was hooked.

Anthony has his own business cleaning investment textiles (rugs) but has many hobbies. He mountain bikes, waterfowl hunts, fishes, hikes, and loves to camp. For me, coming from the city lifestyle, I was interested in trying these new things out but was pretty worried I couldn’t keep up or handle doing them all so I decided on just focusing on hiking and camping. I really fell in love with Anthony after one of our car camping outings in Pisgah National Forest. The solitude, the nature and the time spent without a TV or a cell phone was priceless. You learn so much about someone as well as yourself when you have limited supplies and comforts.

Over the next few years Anthony even got me into backpacking. No more air mattresses, coolers, fans, or cast iron pots and pans. I had developed such a passion for camping and backpacking that one weekend when we had decided not to go out because of the weather, so I surprised Anthony when he came home from work by setting up our tent in the living room with ground pads and sleeping bags in it. I had candles ready for our “campfire” and our camp chairs facing the “scenic view” of the bushes outside our porch.

On our second backpacking trip we went up to Slate Rock (which is a secluded rock bald with stunning views) just to do a “one nighter”. That trip will be the most special trip of my life. After getting everything set up for the night and exploring our campsite, taking pictures and getting the stove ready for that night's meal, I walked over to Anthony with a bag of trail mix. (I now look back and notice the small weird signs that tonight would be the night. The extra “I love yous", the extra swig from the flask and the pacing). He hugged and kissed me and said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and asked me to marry him. I was in shock as I look down at the box with the most perfect ring. Of course I said YES! Anthony has made me such a better person. I’ve learned to slow down and enjoy the world around me. It did not take me long to fall in love with him. He makes me laugh, he loves nature, takes the time to teach me things and we make an awesome team. That whole next year was a crazy adventure. We still spent time in the woods and on the water, but most of our days were spent planning our perfect wedding.

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My Wedding Tips: 1 Spend the money on a GREAT wedding photographer! That to me is one of the most valuable parts of your special day. Get to know them and make sure you “mesh”.

2 Also spend the money on a GREAT and affordable florist. I

thought since my budget was so small that I would just buy flowers wholesale and make everything myself. NO THANK YOU!!!

I did however use lower cost flowers like gerberas and baby’s breath though. But pay someone else to worry about all those arrangements and bouquets and setting them up for you the day of the wedding.

3 PINTEREST and magazines! These two will give you all the inspiration you may possibly need.

4 DIY as much as possible (but don’t get too overwhelmed!!!) I

turned our guest room into “wedding headquarters” and made everything from the cupcake stand decoration to white washing wooden frames to Redneck wine glasses for the entire wedding party. I even made the ring box and used the cuffs from my mother’s wedding dress to hold our rings.

5 BREATHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is supposed to be the happiest

time of your life. Don’t let it consume you. And have 1-2 nights of “wedding free” talk or activities with your fiance per week. My MOH gave me that advice and it was priceless and so helpful.

6 Ask for help! Give jobs to your fiance as well as bridesmaids and close family. They are willing, and I’m sure very excited, to help.

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BRIDE: TIFFANY BONELLI • GROOM: ANTHONY ESPOSITO PHOTOGRAPHER: NICK GILLESPIE OF BLUE BEND PHOTOGRAPHY BRIDE’S DRESS: DAVID’S BRIDAL BRIDE’S JEWELRY: HEIRLOOM NECKLACE AND HEADPIECE FROM HER RECENTLY DEPARTED GRANDMOTHER BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES: DAVID’S BRIDAL BRIDESMAIDS’ JEWELRY: CHARMING CHARLIE GROOM’S ATTIRE: MEN’S WAREHOUSE GROOMSMENS’ ATTIRE: MEN’S WAREHOUSE AND BELK MAKEUP: GABRIELLE WHITMIRE BRIDE’S HAIR: STEPHEN BONELLI (BRIDE’S FATHER) OF HAIR GALLERY II BRIDESMAIDS’ HAIR: AUSTIN KELL OF PAT’S HAIR DESIGNERS AND LISA WYATT (BRIDE’S SISTER) CATERING: LUELLA’S BBQ CAKE & CUPCAKES: EILEEN PULLANO FLOWERS: AN ENGLISH GARDEN EVENT COORDINATOR: CORTNEY JACKSON OF ASHEVILLE EVENT CO. RENTALS: CLASSIC EVENT RENTALS VENUE: MANCENT, OWNED BY MANFRED HECHT AND VINI PULLANO

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Kim and Chad

W

e met in the early 2000s during college when my friends were dating Chad’s friends. After graduation, we went our separate ways, occasionally seeing each other at our friends’ weddings. Fast forward to Oct. 15, 2011, when two of those friends, Clay and Danielle Braxton, hosted a bonfire party. That night we found ourselves sitting next to each other around the bonfire, sipping cider with bourbon and roasting marshmallows.

A short chat between two old friends soon turned into a night-long, exclusive conversation.

At the time, Chad was living in Raleigh, NC, and I was outside of Washington, DC. Without an email address or phone number, Chad initiated contact with me through Facebook. The message contained one line: “So how’s the new place and dog?” (I had recently moved into a new apartment with a roommate and her dog). This was the catalyst for an intermittent Facebook conversation that lasted for five months – with each message no longer than a paragraph and solely about dogs and houses. I eventually broke the Facebook cycle that March and gave Chad my phone number. After texting each other every day for a month, we realized we had a lot more in common than we ever knew.

We soon decided it was time to meet in person again.

We devised a plan where Chad hosted a Cinco de Mayo party – but only invited Clay and Danielle Braxton, who I was conveniently visiting that weekend. No one knew we 36 | 2015 Spring/Summer I Do!

were talking to each other at this point so it was quite a surprise when we had our first kiss that night in front of Danielle and Clay!

A few weeks later we went on a proper first date, and finally made our relationship official that September – 11 months after that fateful night in front of the bonfire.

After dating for a little over a year, we planned a weekend trip to Asheville, one of our favorite cities, in Nov. 2013. It was during that weekend that Chad presented me with a series of surprises, including a proposal on Slate Rock while on a hike through Pisgah National Forest.

In planning our Oct. 24, 2014, wedding, it was important to us to incorporate the memorable moments from our courtship and details that represent us as a couple. We chose Asheville because it is one of our favorite destinations and where we got engaged.

Since a bonfire played such a central role in our relationship, the ability to have one during the reception played a key factor in selecting our venue. The Farm in Candler, NC, offered beautiful mountain views, outdoor space for a bonfire and a gorgeous indoor reception area. We both love color, and selected our color palette of cranberry, chocolate, ginger and taupe to reflect the fall season.

We subtly placed little details throughout the wedding and reception to really personalize it and make it unique to us.

Because Danielle and Clay were pivotal to our relationship and have a strong marriage themselves, we asked Clay to speak during our ceremony and share his thoughts on marriage. We often listen to bluegrass music on Sunday mornings, and hired a bluegrass band to play during the ceremony and cocktail hour. Rosemary is a plant and herb that we love to have around the house; therefore, we asked our florist to use the herb in her dĂŠcor. Family history and keepsakes are important to us as well. I wore a locket that has been worn by Newman brides 2015 Spring/Summer I Do! | 37

for generations and Chad’s mother made my veil, allowing us to contribute to family tradition. Anyone who knows us knows we love our dogs, so of course we incorporated them into the wedding as well. Our baker made German shorthair pointershaped sugar cookies, one of our dog’s breeds, and we chose to donate to two animal rescues in lieu of favors. Even the alcoholic beverages served were carefully selected. We served French and Spanish wine, my favorite; IPA beer, Chad’s favorite; and of course, cider with bourbon.

Top 5 Moments 1 First look – A chance to see each other for the first time away from the eyes of most of our guests made it a special moment between us. We were able to shed some happy tears before pulling ourselves together for the walk down the aisle.

2 Ceremony – Howard’s ceremony was beautiful. He has such a wonderful way with words. We received countless compliments about him during the reception.

3 First dance – We spent so much time trying to find the right

song. There were several we liked but either the lyrics weren’t right or the pace was too fast. There were a few nights where we played our favorite contenders and danced in the family room to try out the song. We ended up choosing Ben Harper’s Forever and it was the perfect fit.

4 Matron of honor’s speech – One of our matrons of honor

created a video slideshow in lieu of a speech. She reached out to our closest friends and family for help, and the end product was just beautiful. It meant so much to us to see the effort she put into the video and how much we mean to our friends and family.

5 Exit. We felt like celebrities walking down the red carpet

because of how our guests were lined up and the countless camera flashes. Our own personal paparazzi combined with our beautiful Rolls Royce Corniche exit car made it a movie-like moment.

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BRIDE: KIM VERSHAVE • GROOM: CHAD NEWMAN WEDDING DRESS: PNINA TORNAI GROOM’S SUIT: J.CREW BRIDESMAID'S DRESSES, GROOMSMEN’S AND FATHER’S SUITS: J.CREW MEN’S TIES: THE TIE BAR HAIR AND MAKEUP: DOLL BOX PRODUCTIONS CEREMONY AND RECEPTION LOCATION: THE FARM – A GATHERING PLACE WEDDING PLANNER: WEDDING CONNECTIONS FLORAL: THE BLOOM ROOM CATERING: THE COLORFUL PALATE DJ: MITCH FORTUNE PRODUCTIONS CEREMONY AND COCKTAIL HOUR MUSICIANS: UNSPOKEN TRADITION CAKE AND DESSERT BAR: RUTH & RANSHAW PHOTOGRAPHER: LIFEEXPOSED: PHOTOS BY LINDSEY VIDEOGRAPHER: TWO CENTS PHOTOGRAPHY GUEST TRANSPORTATION: EMMA BUS LINES BRIDE AND GROOM TRANSPORTATION: THE BLUE CORNICHE MINISTER: HOWARD HANGER REHEARSAL DINNER: HI-WIRE BREWING AND DOC BROWN’S BBQ FOOD TRUCK STATIONARY: JESSICA MULDER

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Attention Brides: Share your wedding in

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Sealed With A Kiss EMMA & KEATON WRIGHT

Photo by Audrey Goforth

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