Allyson & Jon Wedding

Allyson & Jon Wedding - October 19, 2024

Venue: Wonderlust Acres

Photography: Adam Pflederer Photography

Flowers & Design: Allyson Murphy Art (the bride)

Coordinator / 2nd shooter (getting ready & reception): Wooded Wilds Events

Appetizers & Desserts: Stickboy Catering 

Cake: Layers of Loved

We go waaay back…

I met Allyson when I first attempted to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail back in 2021. We immediately clicked on Day 2 of our hike and continued to walk and suffer together through the desert of Southern California for the next few weeks…

We dealt with intense winds, heat, drought, dodging rattlesnakes and tarantulas as we walked and talked for hundreds of miles. She told me all about Boone and successfully convinced us to move here once we got off the trail. So she is 100% the reason why I ended up here in Western North Carolina.

When we first met, she told me all about Jon on the trail. I was surprised that it was such a new and fresh relationship when she got on the PCT. I think her and Jon and been together for just a few months but they knew they had something special and Jon was nothing but supportive throughout the entirety of Allyson’s thru-hike.

Her trail name was “Sunshine” and I was “Peach” and those are the names we still call each other to this day. Fast forward to 2021, we started to get involved in the local Farmers Market together where she would sell her watercolor paintings and I would sell my pressed plant jewelry.

And then she was my biggest cheerleader as I went back to finish what I set out to do when I first met her back in 2021 - I went on to finish the PCT in 2023 and she was such a source of support and encouragement the entire 5 months I was out on the trail.

I was in the middle of Oregon battling smoke from the wildfires and hiking through some pretty bad burn areas when I got a beautiful text from Sunshine…JON PROPOSED!!! Over the next few months on the trail, I got to talking to her about my idea to start a wedding planning business when I got home and I asked if she would allow me to use her and Jon as my “guinea pigs”. They immediately said yes.

So seeing her and Jon get married 2 weeks ago was incredible to say the least. I have seen their relationship grow through so many different chapters and seasons. My heart is SO full knowing that they will have each others love for the rest of their lives.

Since Allyson and her parents are all artists, this was the most fun, creative, beautiful DIY wedding ever. It seemed like everyone involved in the wedding played a special role in making their big day happen which was challenging for me as a planner navigating so many volunteers, but we did it and we did it perfectly!

Allyson created all of the bouquets with dyed wooden flowers, arranged all of her own table settings, and even provided stickers and magnets of her beautiful paintings for her guests to take home as party favors. Her Mom sewed all the napkins, and her sister did Allyson’s hair while one of her bridesmaids did her make-up. And then her sister-in-law officiated the wedding while her Uncle’s played music during the ceremony.

And then Jon, a master in the kitchen, catered not only the rehearsal dinner, but their wedding dinner as well! He serves as the Dining Hall chef at App State and rallied all of his friends and co-workers to assist with serving, cleaning and bussing. And then his Dad even built their arbor! It takes a village to plan a wedding, and they had some pretty awesome friends and family that all volunteered to make the day happen.

We spent the entire weekend at Wonderlust Acres where guests were able to stay in the cabins, tiny house, glamping sites, or people camped in their tents and RV’s. It felt like an intimate music festival with Allyson & Jon headlining. It was honestly one of the most incredible weddings I’ve been a part of, and it was truly an honor.