Hillary & Jacob Micro-Wedding
Hillary & Jacob Wedding - June 5th, 2025
Venue: Whiskey Rock Vacation Rental (Barnardsville, NC)
Photography: Cynthia Viola
Coordinator: Wooded Wilds Events
Private Chef: Andreas Guenthner
Rentals: Professional Party Rentals
Cake: Old Europe Pastries
Beauty: Beautiful Bride on Location
Entertainment: Mountain Peak Sounds
Ziplining: Navitat Canopy Adventures
Yoga: Spectrum Yoga (w/ Nina Marie Collins)
Portrait: RainCity Doodles (Baleigh Newton)
Through Thick and Thin
I first met Hillary and Jacob at the “Married in the Mountains” showcase where they also met most of the other vendors they ended up moving forward with. We immediately clicked and they ended up hiring me with my Full-planning services which meant I helped them do everything from start to finish. We collaborated together over the course of a year, planning the wedding weekend of their dreams (and mine too - this was the type of wedding I wish we had!). We worked closely with one another and became fast friends as we spent many hours together, both virtually and in person.
We bonded over our passion of traveling, the outdoors, and our love for our dogs. Leo, their golden retriever, was a part of every meeting, venue walkthrough, and was heavily involved in the wedding planning process. He quite literally left his stamp on every invitation they sent out, played a big role in the ceremony, and was basically the theme of their entire wedding as he was SO important to this sweet couple. We ended up moving forward with the venue, a beautiful Airbnb up in the mountains in Barnardsville, NC, because it’s where Leo seemed to beam with approval.
About 6 months into planning this wedding, I received some terrible news from Hillary and Jacob. Leo was suddenly diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer; he had only a couple of weeks to live. I was absolutely gutted for them. They were heartbroken, we cried together, and we put the planning fully on hold so they could focus being there for Leo. They sacrificed their jobs so that they could be there in the days leading up to his death, and the months after as they grieved the loss of their beloved Leo. I was so worried on how I could still make their wedding weekend special as their dog was a HUGE part of it all. How could we honor his memory and still make him an integral part of their big day? He played such a big role in their lives and their relationship, and I knew there would be a giant hole left behind in their hearts once he was gone. He ended up passing away a few weeks later.
In the months after Leo’s death, Hillary and Jacob desperately needed a change of scenery. So, they ended up buying a one-way ticket to Europe and spent the next few months traveling, grieving, and healing from their loss. Eventually, we were able to start talking about the wedding again, and I promised them I would still make their wedding weekend special. I ended up having a portrait painted by my best friend Baleigh who owns her own little business (Raincity Doodles) and created a few Leo charms for Hillary to wrap around her bouquet and Jacob to tuck into his suit pocket.
Fast forward to a few months before the wedding. During a video call while they were in Europe, I met their newest surprise addition, Getty. The sweetest, silliest little puppy. I asked how on earth they were going to get him back to the states and they launched into their elaborate plan to smuggle him back to the U.S, which I am happy to report they did successfully!
We kicked off the wedding weekend that Thursday with a Pizza & Tie-dye party on the back porch. Unfortunately some ominous looking clouds rolled in so we all frantically gathered everything and moved the party inside to keep away from the rain. We all had so much fun creating our custom tie-dyed t-shirts while listening to some of Hillary and Jacob’s favorite tunes and eating some incredible local pizzas provided by Blue Mountain Pizza's. At the end of the evening, I presented Hillary and Jacob the gifts I had in honor of Leo and shared a few words with their wedding guests. We then invited them to a bonfire to celebrate their beloved dog’s spirit where everyone shared stories and honored his memory.
The next morning, we kicked off their wedding day with breakfast (local goodies and pastries provided by Well Bred Bakery) and yoga. Nina led us in a wonderful morning flow and that ended up having everyone begging her to come back the next morning to do it again! (I HIGHLY recommend Nina w/ Spectrum Yoga to anyone looking to hire a private instructor in the Asheville area - she was wonderful!!!) Afterwards, Beautiful Bride on Location arrived and began doing what they do best, hair and makeup! All while Hillary’s favorite movie, Mama Mia, was being projected on the wall while she and her gals got ready.
All day we were looking at the weather, there were strong chances of scattered thunderstorms throughout the entire day, but the radar showed we were in the clear for the ceremony and dinner to take place outside. Mountain Peak Sounds arrived and provided an incredible atmosphere as all the wedding guests began to take their seats in the ceremony area.
After the ceremony, I had created several charcuterie trays for cocktail hour while Hillary’s Dad served up specialty cocktails. One in honor of Hillary, Jacob, Leo, and Getty. They were such a hit! And then as we transitioned to dinner, Chef Andreas, a private chef in the Asheville area, came out to share a few words of what he had prepared for us. The food was DEVINE to say the least. And then it was onto the cake cutting (Old Europe Pastries baked one of the most beautiful cakes I had ever seen) and live entertainment was provided by Mountain Peak Sounds. Hillary and Jacob had warned me that their guests may not be the dancing type…well that was a lie. Matthew and his band had everyone busting a move on the dancefloor. It definitely helped that everyone has that magical “Leo juice” flowing through their veins all while it was torrential downpouring. It forced everyone into the “party barn” and they truly had the best time as they danced the night away. It couldn’t have been a better day.
The next morning, everyone slept in until it was time for the next adventure, ziplining through the Blue Ridge Mountains with Navitat Canopy Adventures. They all had an absolute BLAST as they soared through the hills in their new tie-dye t-shirts. We wrapped up the weekend with a delicious cookout at the Airbnb. I had so much fun planning this wedding weekend with Hillary and Jacob. Through the ups and downs, highs and lows, I am happy to call them my friends and genuinely so excited for them to embark on this next chapter in their lives as husband and wife. Love you guys <3
