Katie & Jonathan Wedding

Katie & Jonathan Haycox - January 4, 2025

Venue: The Mill at Rock Creek

Photography: Kaytelyn Hice Photography

Florals: It Can Be Arranged

Coordinator: Wooded Wilds Events

Catering: Gadabouts Catering

Entertainment: Mohr Fun Events

Cake: Coyote Kitchen

Beauty: Carla Ann Durbin

The perfect winter wedding …

I found myself checking the forecast several times during the week leading up to Katie and Jonathan’s big day. Hosting a wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains this time of year can be an adventure for sure. We do live in the mountains after all, which means the weather often times has a mind of it’s own up here…and in some cases, these mountains display some pretty intense mood swings.

But we were all hoping for a beautiful dusting of snow…and boy did we get what we asked for…and then some. On the day of the rehearsal, I began to head down the mountain to the Mill at Rock Creek located just a few miles away from the heart of Boone. Literally their couldn’t be a more perfect location.

It took me about 20 minutes to arrive to the venue where we would have an hour and a half to conduct rehearsal as well as set up as much as we can for the next day within that timeframe. Well rehearsal went perfectly and we were able to set-up the welcome table as well as the memory table without a hitch with everything else organized on the floor to ensure a smooth set-up process early the next day. All the while, it was absolutely DUMPING outside.

It felt like we were trapped in a snow globe in the best way possible. We were giddy since we knew we would at least have a beautiful blanket of snow for their wedding the next day.

We left the venue feeling SO good about what we accomplished and while the bridal party was on their way to Banner Elk for their dinner reservation, I began the 20 minute drive back home to get some much needed rest so I can be on my A-game the next day for Katie & Jonathan’s wedding.

Well we got a whole 2 minutes down the road when all of the sudden - we were stuck in stand-still traffic. A car had slipped off the road and flipped over into a creek (they were okay!) but there was no way out. It was the only way to get to the main road so we found ourselves sitting in our cars until while they worked on getting the road cleared.

So we waited…and waited…and waited…

Eventually the bridal party got out of their cars and began to play in the snow. I can tell this was going to be such a fun group to work alongside with. Anyone who can make lemonade out of lemons are my type of people! Even though they were more than 2 hours late to their rehearsal dinner - they still had the best attitudes. But it was definitely a source of concern for everyone to arrive safely to the venue the next day.

The roads were in ROUGH conditions. It took me over 2.5 hours to get home that night. I began to worry as well but I kept reminding myself - our town takes SUCH great care of our roads and they will work tirelessly all night to ensure safe travel for everyone the next day. I told that to my couple as well to calm their nerves. And sure enough the next morning, our roads were crystal clear.

I got to the venue in 20 minutes (thank GOD) and quickly began to access the situation. The snow wasn’t the problem we were dealing with anymore…it was the WIND. Literally the entire building was shaking with wind gusts slamming into the side of the venue. At one point, the flower arrangements on the fireplace mantle flew off the shelf and I believe the wind shook the wall so hard that it was the culprit of this mishap. But our florist (Kara!) was absolutely on top of it and fixed it within just a few minutes.

Kara and I weren’t the only ones dealing with the wind. Alexis and Cole, the Mills venue managers, were literal super-heros braving the weather outside as they were trying to chain their porch heaters to the ground to see if we would still be able to host cocktail hour outside. It was pretty crucial since we would need to flip the ceremony space for the reception as soon as cocktail hour began.

But unfortunately the wind was so strong, it busted two of their porch heaters and we finally had to make the tough decision to host cocktail hour inside while we flipped the space. We put our heads together and came up with a solid gameplan to ensure a VERY quick flip so people could still enjoy cocktail hour inside and away from the bitter cold and gale force winds.

The day couldn’t have gone any better. Katie and Jonathan’s relationship and the love they shared with each other was eminent to all of the guests and vendors who had the privilege and honor to be there. To witness such a beautiful union of love had us all teary eyed. Katie and her Mom had thought of so many little details that brought an incredible amount of magic to their day.

I don’t typically cry at weddings but their personal vows they had written had me boo-hoo-ing in the back. It reminded me so much of my husband and I’s love when we were their age. Young and absolutely head over heels in love with each other.