REBECCA AND BEN - Sophie Magazine →

We live in Dallas, Texas but our families and friends live all over the country, so we knew a lot of our guests would have to travel to attend. Because of that, Ben and I decided early-on that we wanted to have a destination wedding that would offer something special for everyone in attendance. When Ben and I flew out to Asheville to see Biltmore Estate, we were blown away with how gorgeous the house and the countryside were! Needless to say, it didn’t take much convincing for us to commit to having our wedding there.

But the beauty of the Biltmore couldn’t keep the rain away as I awoke to a hard steady rain the morning of my wedding day. As I got my hair and make-up done in the room at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, my anxiety grew: our wedding ceremony was to take place outside at the Butterfly Garden and it had yet to stop raining. I was certain the day was destined for disaster. Luckily, the rain cleared just in time for us to do the “first look” on the lawn of the Inn and stayed away for the remainder of the day. In the end, the clouds provided amazing lighting for all of the great photos and parted for a gorgeous, sun-filled ceremony that evening.

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, as well. A horse-drawn carriage carried my dad and me through the garden to the ceremony and, as I descended the s.jpg, I was able to take in how stunning it had all turned out. Our reception, held inside the conservatory, was absolutely beautiful and I only wish there had been more time to visit with each one of our friends and family.

I really have to thank my mom, Barbara Case, and our wedding consultant, Mary Bell, for taking the lead in planning this wedding. I felt strongly about picking out the location and my dress, but I really wanted help with everything else. They did a fantastic job of taking what vision I did have and turning it into an incredible experience.

Our Top 5 Moments

1 My dress. That thing is the most amazing piece of clothing I’ve ever owned.

2 Spending time with my mom during every step of the process. She is amazingly supportive and surprisingly well-suited to wedding planning. Maybe we should do this every year, Mom?

3 Honestly, my eye-roll was palpable when it was suggested I enter the ceremony on a horse-drawn carriage and it took some convincing for me to come around. As it turned out, the time my dad and I spent sitting in that carriage waiting for our entrance cue was an incredible bonding experience and one of my favorite memories from the day.

4 My Maid of Honor’s toast. I have to give it up to the incomparable Emily Scott for writing a speech on the fly that made me laugh so hard and uncontrollably that all the photos of me from that 5 minutes are basically unusable.

5 Marrying Ben. He’s the smartest and funniest guy I’ve ever known. I love him more than anything and I’m proud to be his wife!

Bride: Rebecca Case
Groom: Ben Redfield
Ceremony Location: The Butterfly Garden at the Biltmore Estate
Reception Location: The Conservatory at the Biltmore Estate
Bride’s Dress: Monique L. huillier
Bridesmaid’s Dress: Monique Lhuillier
Groom’s and Groomsman Attire: Jos A Bank
Planning: Mary Bell Events
Photography: Two Rings Studios
Florist: Flower Gallery of Asheville
Hair: Adorn Salon
Make-Up: Kayce Young
Catering: Biltmore Catering
Ceremony Officiant: Rev. Dusty Rubeck
Transportation: Blue Ridge Limousine; Biltmore Horse and Carriage
Musicians: Ginger Kowal, Nancy Steffa and Frances Doff

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

JUST MARRIED ASHLEIGH AND JONATHAN - Sophie Magazine →

Planning a wedding from 2,000 miles away and not being able to meet any vendors in person before your big day is full of uncertainty. What will my venue really look like…..How will the food actually taste…..a bride could go on and on, but I have to thank the “wedding Gods” for bringing Mary Bell, our bridal consultant and wedding planner, in to my life!

My wedding day began with ordering a room service breakfast at the Biltmore Inn. It smelled and looked so delicious, but I think I only ate a strawberry before my nerves kicked in. Once my hair and make-up were complete and my dress was on (which had a full button up back that was painstakingly buttoned one by one by my sister) I was lead to the lawn of the Biltmore Inn by our photographer, Corey Cagle, to have our first look as soon to be husband and wife. After taking our first look photos overlooking Antler Hill Village, we were taken to the grounds of the beautiful Biltmore House where we took more photos before the ceremony.

While waiting to walk down the hallway into the Biltmore Champagne Cellar for our ceremony, my heart was pounding. Once I saw the Cellar and the beautiful details of the ceremony decor it took my breath away! Our ceremony was officiated by the wonderful Tim Lolley, who worked with us on completely personalizing the vows for our intimate ceremony. After saying “I Do” my husband and I, along with our guests, were led on a tour of the wine cellar so that the Flower Gallery and Mary Bell could transform our ceremony space into our reception space.

Walking into our reception I was in awe. No words could describe the feeling that we felt and no pictures could fully capture how beautiful the venue was. I was speechless then just as I am speechless now. Through the reception we were waited on by the pleasing staff and ate a delicious 5 course dinner that was prepared by the Biltmore, we took in a heartfelt toast from my brother (who shed a few tears) and simply enjoyed the family that surrounded us during the celebration of our wedding.

Every moment of our big day would not have been possible without our wedding planner, Mary Bell. Mary Bell, Corey Cagle, the Biltmore Estate and every vendor turned our wedding into my fairy tale!!
 

Our Top 5 Moments

1 Having my brother walk me down the aisle. It meant everything to me to have my brother by my side and hand me off to my husband on my wedding day.

2 Saying “I Do” to the man of my dreams and my best friend while surrounded by our family in an intimate and stunning venue.

3 Our first look photographs and the preceding photographs taken around the grounds in front of the Biltmore Estate taken by our photographer, Corey Cagle. She captured moments and memories that we will cherish forever!

4 Walking in and seeing the Champagne Cellar beautifully decorated by the Flower Gallery of Asheville for our ceremony and then seeing the transformation for our reception. Words cannot fully express how breathtaking it was!

5 The delicious food that was prepared by the Biltmore for our reception and the beautiful cake that not only looked picture-perfect, but was the best wedding cake I have ever had!
 
 
 

Bride: ASHLEIGH REEVES
Groom: JONATHAN DAVIS
wedding dress: Alfred Angelo
Groom’s tux: Men’s Wearhouse
hair: Rebecca Biggers (of Lola Salon & Gallery)
make-up: Melissa Deboer (Pop of Color)
Venue: Biltmore Estate Champagne Cellar
Bridal Consultant & Wedding Planner: Mary Bell
Photography: Corey Cagle
Flowers: Flower Gallery of Asheville
Officiant: Tim Lolley
Musicians: Braidstream