TARYN AND BRIAN - Sophie Magazine →
Asheville has had our hearts for years and we escape to the little slice of paradise every chance we get, so choosing the perfect place for our destination wedding was a piece of cake. My Mom and I made two trips to Asheville and with the help of Mary Bell from Mary Bell Events the planning process was easy! We chose to get married over July 4th weekend so our guests could get the true Asheville experience and be able to have a nice long weekend in our favorite city. Friends and family started arriving as early as Wednesday and we treated them to what we felt was a true Asheville experience. We visited Sky Bar, went on a private brewery and historic Asheville tour, had an amazing rehearsal dinner at Asheville Brewing Co., a bachelorette party downtown, and had a bridesmaid’s brunch at Mayfel’s.
Our wedding day was truly the most remarkable day. Marta and Jon at The Venue and Mary Bell took care of absolutely everything. I can truly say I had zero stress on the wedding day and I was 100% focused on marrying the man of my dreams that evening. We wanted our ceremony to be intimate and genuine and our party to be a true celebration. Mission accomplished! I’ll never forget walking in to The Venue to see it filled with soft candle light and our closest friends and family, hanging on to my Dad’s arm, kissing my Mom at the end of the aisle, and then making the most special promise. We spent the day with the most cherished people in our lives and the next morning, when we woke up, we were married! We feel so blessed that everyday marriage continues to make our life sweeter and sweeter.
Our Top 5 Moments
1 Our First Look. This is hands down the most sensational memory of our day! We were back and forth, not wanting to break the tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding, but ultimately we decided to go for it. It was the best decision we ever made. My Dad walked me to the center of the bridge at the botanical gardens and left me with my groom. Brian’s parents and my parent’s stood at the end of the bridge when I spun Brian around and we got our first glimpse of each other. The intimate moment and hour of time we spent together with just each other and our parents, toasting glasses of Biltmore champagne, is a moment that can never be recreated.
2 Our First Dance. Brian isn’t a dancer so when he came home from work one day and said that he had the perfect song for our first dance I was pretty blown away. He suggested Babel, by Mumford and Sons, which speaks to our hearts but isn’t the easiest to dance to. We discussed choreographing but time slipped away and we decided to wing it. Brian took the lead and had our guests (and me!) laughing so hard they were crying.
3 My letter. At the end of the night, when we got back to the hotel room, Brian handed me an envelope and said, “I think you should read this”. I opened it and it was a handwritten letter from him, on stationary he found at the Mast General Store, that he had written early in the morning over coffee and had been carrying around in his coat pocket. They were the sweetest words. What a perfect way to end the night!
4 Seeing our parent’s faces after we said “I Do”. After we shared a pretty awesome kiss, we turned around to face our guests. The band started playing Wagon Wheel and we got to see our parents in the front row. They looked so genuinely happy and to know that they were sitting behind us when we said “I Do” and will be standing behind us throughout our marriage is something we will be eternally grateful for.
5 Hanging out with our guests. There are very few times in life that you get to have all of your family and best friends in the same place at the same time. We spent the morning separately with the very best bridesmaids and groomsmen, had some time away to celebrate with just each other and our parents, and then partied the night away with our guests. Though our vendors were all sensational, it was having our friends and family there that made the night!
Bride: Taryn ANDRICKS
Groom: Brian Kendrick
Wedding Coordinator: Mary Bell Events
Venue: The Venue
Cake: Tiffany’s Baking Co.
Photography: Captured by Clark Photography
Flowers: The Flower Gallery
Makeup: Wendy Balance, Blush
Band: Melonbelly
Videography: Grae Skye Studio
Trolley: Gray Line Trolley Tours of Asheville
Hotel: The Renaissance
Pastor: Fred Werhan