Maggie Valley Weddings

Lilies! It must be summer!

2011-06-04T13:41:00.000-04:00

I spend my springtime in two happy pursuits: enjoying the balmy weather, and watching the the lily plants grow. And then, it happens - sometimes all at once - Lilies!

And of course, there's Spring Cleaning. Check out the blog at Timberwolf Creek for more on that...
http://www.timberwolfcreek.com/blog/2011/06/kitchen-organization-reorganization-and-treasures/

--Sandee
The Wedding Fairygodmother

Smoky Mountain Elopement - Wedding for Two

2010-10-10T12:55:00.000-04:00

Each wedding is so unique and special, and we get the most wonderful folks at Timberwolf Creek! You'd think it would start seeming ho-hum after a while, but it doesn't. Instead, we get excited as every wedding day approaches. There's always a special story, or new vows, or some wonderful spin each couple puts on their ceremony. New friends to make, laughter to share... and cake. Oh yeah. We do like the cake. :)

I think we laughed more with Ricky and Jessie than with any other wedding couple, yet! What a great day.

Head Over Heels in Love

2010-06-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

These two folks took their time finding each other. Once they did, it was just a matter of finding the perfect place for their wedding. We are SO glad they chose to be married here! What a gloriously happy day.

April Weddings in Maggie Valley!

2010-04-24T20:31:00.000-04:00

Loving how elopements photograph in the springtime afternoon...

Smoky Mountain Outdoor Wedding Chapel

2010-03-28T13:21:00.009-04:00

The Primrose Path

Yes, I know, it's too early to plant in the Smokies, and we're supposed to wait until after Mother's Day. I've never been good at waiting... So, assured by the folks at Painter's Greenhouse that the pansies and primroses were hardened off and ready to go in the ground, I buzzed over there and bought all I could stuff into the car and get home! The brides officially have a Primrose Path now, all the way to the chapel.

As soon as I got back to Maggie Valley, I started planting... no time left in daylight for pictures! But all those flats of primrose and pansies went into that half-acre of ground. Today -in the pouring rain- I ventured back to get some snapshots. Mind you, I'd never have attempted this with the big fancy wedding camera equipment! Nope, it was my handy little Pentax. Not quite a disposable, but if the rain destroyed it, I wouldn't have to cry myself to sleep. Off I went!

Stepped under the shelter of the little garden shed's porch when the rain kicked in.

I love how the Great Rhododendrons encircle the wedding cove.

When the downpour subsided, it was time to peek at how the plants had fared. The pansies were eating it up. And the Japanese Maple is in bud-- Hooray, spring! Loved finding raindrops suspended on every budding branch...

And how's this for beautiful: the creek is really racing in the rain storm - gorgeous whitewater!

What an incredible setting for a spring wedding. Next one's in six days! Sigh -wonderful.

Ah, Winter Weddings in the Smokies!

2010-03-23T15:31:00.001-04:00

Top Ten Reasons Maggie Valley Brides Elope

2010-03-18T10:39:00.001-04:00

1. Want to get married outdoors in the mountains

2. Just want a meaningful, intimate ceremony

3. Her mother

4. It's romantic to keep the wedding their special secret

5. Too many people telling them what their wedding should be

6. Not all the family on both sides could attend

7. All the family on both sides could attend

8. Rather spend the budget on the honeymoon

9. His mother

10. Nothing more breathtaking than a bride emerging from the forest

A stolen streamside kiss

2009-10-13T00:41:00.001-04:00

Why yes, we *are* deep in the forest.

Timberwolf Creek
Maggie Valley Weddings
Maggie Valley, North Carolina

Gotta love the boots. Gotta.

2009-10-13T00:31:00.003-04:00

Absolutely have to love the boots. The boots ROCK. I love it when the wedding couple has a sense of humor. These two are going to laugh together their whole lives. I wish they lived right next door. Don't you?

Timberwolf Creek
Maggie Valley Weddings
Maggie Valley, North Carolina

Makes YOU smile, too, doesn't it!

2009-10-13T00:24:00.001-04:00

Nothing better than True Love. :)

Timberwolf Creek
Maggie Valley, North Carolina

A breathtakingly beautiful bridal portrait

2009-10-13T00:12:00.002-04:00

Sometimes, it just all comes together - even without a studio! A beautiful bride, an exquisite gown, and a gently removed background. She was simply aglow, and deserved to be the only thing in the portrait.

Timberwolf Creek
Maggie Valley Weddings

Outdoor Wedding with Five Bridesmaids

2009-09-29T13:21:00.005-04:00

If there were a prize for Most Attendants in our little outdoor wedding chapel, this one would win --hands down. Ten! Imagine! In our tiny chapel!

And I have to say, it was beautiful, it was wondrous, it was magical - to see the forest adrift in women in lovely gowns accompanied by tuxedoed gentlemen. They each emerged from the top of the clearing, floated along the stone path by the pond, down the steps, and followed the curving pathway to the altar. One would be approaching the alter, as the next was in the middle, just coming down the stairs, and another appearing from deep within the forest. Again, and again, and again.

Like a dream.

Sunny day in Maggie Valley

2009-09-28T01:01:00.002-04:00

We had to move this couple's wedding to their reception site because it was raining like mad. The ceremony was still lovely, the friends and family and celebration just as warm, but OH how wonderful that they wanted to come the next day for their photo shoot on the property! All the guests at Timberwolf Creek had checked out, and we had access to everything. The bride and groom were so happy to be in the sunshine, that they climbed right down to the edge of the creek for the shot of the year. Doesn't this one just take your breath away?! And they had lots of fun coming up with innovative ideas, like the bride up in the balcony of the upstairs gazebo, with the groom standing on the ground below. "What light through yonder window breaks? Tis the East, and Juliet is the sun." Sigh! Such romance.

Getting her complete attention

2009-09-24T17:23:00.000-04:00

Wow.

Handsome Groom in Smoky Mountain Wedding

2009-09-19T09:29:00.001-04:00

Well, of COURSE all our grooms are handsome men, and we do enjoy taking their pictures. But there was no way I was going to let this one get away without a tip of the hat. I do wish all our grooms would wear hats, sigh! This one is timeless.

Mountain Elopement filled with Laughter

2009-09-19T09:19:00.003-04:00

We never laughed so much with a wedding at Timberwolf Creek. Ever. This entire event was wreathed in smiles and overflowing with the sound of laughter! My very favorite moment? When the somewhat nervous bride murmured to her new husband that she wasn't sure how to cut the cake. The groom was overheard quietly reassuring her that she could slice it any way she liked, and it would be just fine... Until she actually touched the knife to the cake and he cried out, "No! Not there!"

What a great day. What a wonderful, warm, fun-filled beginning to a lifetime together. Congratulations, y'all

Our Wedding at Timberwolf Creek

2009-09-19T09:19:00.001-04:00

The picture just says it all. Ah, true love!

What a GLORIOUS day for a wedding!

2009-08-07T12:22:00.000-04:00

Now, I knew it was a spectacularly beautiful summer day in the mountains. But when I saw this photo, I asked asked Larry, "Is this retouched?" Because just look at that sky. But he just smiled and said, "Nope. We live in paradise." And surely heaven smiled on this wedding day. Glorious is exactly the right word.

Facebook Friends get married at Timberwolf Creek!

2009-07-10T10:41:00.000-04:00

This was more fun for me than I can tell you. Ok, it's not like I had a facebook friend who decided to get married here. Instead, it was a bride who had booked her wedding at Timberwolf Creek, and then became my facebook friend. By the time the wedding day came around, it was like we'd known each other forever. What a fabulous treat to be able to perform your friend's wedding! I hope to see lots more of Mike & Kathy, and also the great friends they brought with them. It was a great bunch of warm, loving people and plenty of laughter to go around. What a pleasure!

Wedding Cake under Towering Trees

2009-07-10T10:29:00.001-04:00

The weather has been so cooperative that we've been able to set up the wedding cake table right here in Brigadoon Cove. How sweet is this? What a spectacular setting to toast your marriage!

By Request - a cream, white, and green bouquet

2009-07-10T10:24:00.001-04:00

Our English bride sent a request for a bouquet of green, white and cream colors. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to do this! But it came out so pretty, she said she wished she could keep it always. Music to my heart. :) And it is a really lovely bouquet - this won't be the last time I use that combination of colors.

Brides Breeze in this Summer!

2009-07-10T10:18:00.000-04:00

It is an amazing summer full of wedding couples, from all over.

Starting with our first summer bride, in June, everything has been picture perfect. And I have to tell you, when Michelle burst into song while reading her vows to BJ, every eye was misty.

Napkin Folding 101: The Pocket

2009-05-21T11:40:00.009-04:00

I had a special request from a June bride for the reception napkins to use a pocket fold. She wants to put little menu cards in the pocket – charming! I was so surprised when the hotel restaurant asked me if there were instructions on this particular fold. I thought it was so simple, it's like cheating.  You will never want to fold the napkins any other way. It's the absolute easiest!

Place the napkin face down...

Fold the bottom half up, to cover the top half...

Fold the right half over the left half (the napkin is now in quarters – yours probably start out this way)

Now, take the top left corner, and fold two layers to the bottom right corner...
(The idea is that only the pretty side of the material shows.)

Turn the napkin over, so it's laying in a diamond shape...

Fold the bottom corner up, 1/3 of the way...

Fold the top corner down, 1/3 of the way...

Turn the napkin over. Voila – you have a pocket!

You can put silverware in the pocket, or menu cards, or place cards, or a flower...

Tada!

Another magical day!

2009-05-09T16:13:00.000-04:00

Storms blew up and started raining about noon – with a wedding planned for 1:00! The storm was predicted to hit full force just after noon. Instead, it all just *stopped* and we had an absolutely beautiful wedding. The couple asked for pictures in the Cove (like the one below) and we agreed. Just as we were finishing up and leaving the Cove, the sky just opened up and poured. The light could not have been prettier. The couple could not have been happier. Sigh! Love is in the air.

Married in December

2008-12-15T15:38:00.002-05:00

Our December brides are kind and gracious, and the charming grooms are all those Strong Silent types. There is something special about the couples who choose to be married here in the winter, when Mother Nature is quiet and at rest. I love winter in the mountains - you can see the backbone of the hills, when all the leaves are gone. The branches spread their architecture against the sky in stark relief and the snow softens everything and brings the world in close. These couples have a serenity about them, and December is the perfect setting for their vows.

November Weddings

2008-11-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

November is that misty in-between time, when autumn is fading and winter has not begun. It is an achingly romantic time for a weddings.

Ah, October!

2008-10-30T15:03:00.000-04:00

I call this one the Ballerina Bride.
Isn't she just the portrait of grace?

The bridesmaids called this one a Julie Sandwich. :)

I love my job. I mean, if you have to have a job,
it should be one you love.

Some people I just wish lived next door to me.
In this case, it was the whole darned wedding party
and every single guest.
What a romp. Lots of silliness and much fun.

--Sandee

2008-09-30T18:27:00.000-04:00

Why yes, that is a kilt. And yes, that most certainly is a fairy princess, as well. Mark & Niamh came to us from Scotland and Ireland and made all my dreams of fairytale weddings come true.

Mark looked brilliant in his formal black kilt and Prince Charlie jacket, and -a stroke of luck- his gold boutonniere precisely matched his gold satin ruche tie. His sporran and skene dhu in place, shod in ghillies and flashes on his hose, the man was picture perfect, right out of a magazine. (Being ridiculously handsome didn't hurt anything.)

Niamh nearly took my breath away. She explained to me that her name (pronounce Niev, rhymes with Chicken Kiev) does indeed come from a fairytale. In the tale, Niamh, a fairy princess (told ya) falls in love with a mortal man. That part of the story has certainly been reenacted here. She's such a rare beauty and in her exquisite gown, as she emerged into the clearing... I fully expected a unicorn to follow her.

The couple was charming, everything was very relaxed, in spite of the formal attire, lots of laughter and True Love in the air.

They told me that our place reminded them of the chapel at Gougane Barra, in Ireland. High praise, indeed. And to find out that place was second choice, oh be still my heart. (And my puffed up ego! Compliments like that go straight to my head.)

It was a real pleasure to be part of such a beautiful ceremony. Thank you, Mark & Niamh.

Silliness

2008-09-22T17:28:00.000-04:00

We have so much fun with some of our wedding couples. They just get zany. We love it, and many times, it gets caught on camera. Here's a few of my favorites from this year so far...

Sweet August Weddings...

2008-08-31T17:16:00.011-04:00

Our August couples were so charming. Michael & Jaime were married on the footbridge that crosses the creek, right at the little waterfalls. They asked for some of their photos to be sepia toned, and this one of the ceremony really captured the spirit of the day.

Next, David & Kellie asked for some black-and-whites. Surprise for us, to have two such requests back to back! We love the artsy photography, though, so no hardships there. (And I do love playing with the filters.) So, here are David & Kellie on the aforementioned bridge, and I wanted to include the champagne toasting flutes because I love what the filter set did to the ribbons and all the sparklies on Kellie's wedding dress! ('Sparklies' is a word, right?)

2008-07-31T16:32:00.000-04:00

Our Marines got married!

It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful wedding we've ever had here. First of all, the bride is just a knockout. All those men in full dress uniforms -with swords!- aren't bad, either. :) The bridesmaids were all lovely and were all also Marines. Ranking officer of the whole bunch? The bride.

It was so spectacular. First, the two sergeants posted, left and right of the aisle. Then I walked down with the groom, best man, and two lieutenants. From all the way back by the pond, one at a time, came each bridesmaid and then the little flower girl and ring bearer, following by the bride. At the beginning of the aisle down at the chapel, she was joined by both her parents, who walked her down the aisle and gave her hand to her groom. The parents were seated and the ceremony continued in the traditional manner, with two notable departures: the Lazo and Arras ceremonies. From the vows:

At this time, we honor Jeniffer’s heritage with two traditional ceremonies, the Lazo and Arras.

The Mexican wedding tradition of the Lariat, or Lazo, binds the bride and groom together, symbolizing their unity. Scott & Jeniffer will be bound by Jeniffer's grandparents, Jesse & Paula. The lazo, symbolic of the rosary, encircles them with God’s love and protection, as we join together to ask God’s blessing on this marriage, and also represents Scott & Jeniffer’s love for each other, which will bind the couple together every day of their lives. The gift of the Lasso is an expression of honor and hope and love from Jesse & Paula for Scott & Jeniffer.

The ceremony of the Arras is a presentation of 13 coins, the number of coins representing Christ and his apostles. In times past, this was the dowry from the bride’s family to the groom, and the groom placed the coins in the brides hands, pledging to support her and entrust all his wealth into her care and safekeeping, with full confidence.Acceptance by the bride meant taking that trust and confidence unconditionally, and with total dedication and prudence.

Today, Jeniffer's godparents, Ben & Gloria, will present the Arras, which have been blessed by Jeniffer’s priest, Father James.

Scott, as you pass the coins to Jeniffer, repeat after me: Lo mio es tuyo y lo tuyo es mio -What is mine is yours and what is yours is mine

Jeniffer, as you return the coins to Scott, repeat after me:Lo mio es tuyo y lo tuyo es mio -What is mine is yours and what is yours is mine
Jeniffer's grandparents both move with difficulty, but they were determined to make the trip down the aisle not once, but twice: first to place the lazo around the shoulders of the couple, and then to remove it at the end of the ceremony. It was an especially beautiful double rosary, of gold chain with jewels. The arras were gold coins (about the size of dimes) in a small gold carriage reminiscent of Cinderella.

Once the wedding service was complete, the wedding party filed out, and the lieutenants joined the two Marines standing guard. Two small girls (Desiree & Martinique) ran up the aisle to the lieutenants and then solemnly presented them with their hats ('covers'). The men put on their hats and came to attention. Then it was time for the newlyweds to walk back up the aisle. The Marines all drew their swords and crossed them overhead for the couple to pass under. And of course, as they went through the last arch, one of the fellows smacked the bride's butt with his sword. :)

Here's one picture, where all the fellows looked away so their boss could steal a kiss from her new hubby!

Ok, the heartbreaker: This is the couple who found us from Iraq and made their reservations from there. The bride has recently been rotated back to the States. The groom, however, is on leave. They'll be with us all week for their honeymoon, and then the groom leaves again for Iraq. At least one of the groomsmen you see in this photo will also return to Iraq by the end of the month. One has *asked* to return, as has the bride.

They didn't get all those medals for nothing. (Check out Joe, on the right - he has so many medals they hang in TWO rows!)

Ok, the fun part: at the end of the reception, the groom's mother put on 'Duke of Earl' and the groom gave a hilarious lip-synch rendition to his new bride.

Sigh. Does it get any better than this? I want to do weddings always, always, always.

June Brides!

2008-06-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

June was a month for memorable weddings.

We started out with Ed & Edwina. It was all about family. They all gathered together at the altar and by golly everybody got married. His kids were there. His parents were there. Her nephew, all the way from Ireland, was there. And eldest son produced his blackberry and held it out by the couple during the ceremony - he had phoned Dublin and reached the bride's parents, so don't you know they were there, too. Lots of happy tears.

Next were Jerry and Jennifer. By the time this gentleman finished reading his vows - written especially for his bride - I was ready to marry him myself. They were just beautiful. As was the bride. These folks are the kind of people that make our work so fulfilling! We've made new friends, and I'm thrilled they are coming back this winter to visit some more.

What do you do when a wedding photographer gets married?
Well! You provide him with the most exquisite setting and let him work. :)

Ok, we did take a couple hundred pictures and portraits of Jacob & Jessica, but this is certainly one of my favorites.

All those springtime weddings!

2008-05-30T15:22:00.000-04:00

Lots of brides this April and May, and don't you agree the creek is just glorious! Balmy weather and soft breezes make for a really lovely afternoon wedding ceremony by the stream. All our April and May couples were eloping. It is such an honor to be a part of their special day.

Spring Weddings

2008-04-01T15:00:00.000-04:00

It has been one busy spring here at Timberwolf Creek!

It all started around Easter, when Clayton & Casey, Chip & Micheala, Ray & Lori, and Mike & Beth all got married here the same week. The spring weather held for all four, amazingly enough.

Snow was predicted each day -yikes!- and we had weddings on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. Don't you know, it was snowy and cold on Monday only.

The other four days were spectacularly beautiful, clear skies, sunny, and a balmy 70 degrees.

My brides are so blessed.

And yes, they are all my brides.

Forever. That's just how it is.