I found the one! No, not this one...
Already found him. And not this one either...
I already found that beautiful silk confection. But let's scare a curious groom and tell him it looks just like this one. Seriously though we found this one!
That looks like this on the inside...
And has views like this...
After more than three months of searching, we finally found our venue! As soon as we got engaged, we talked about having a wedding in Asheville because the mountains mean a lot to us individually and as a couple, it's a great weekend destination, and it's just as convenient for most of our guests. We I also envisioned a rustic wedding accented by the beauty of the mountains with a touch of Martha Stewart, particularly since we had our mason jars to incorporate.
When we started searching for venues, we found everything from castles to Deliverance, but nothing that matched our vision. After our first visit to Asheville in March, I came back dejected and panicked that we wouldn't find a venue. The one bright spot of that initial trip was meeting a fantastic caterer who had an event space downtown. It took a little while, but I pretty much came around to the idea of a church ceremony and event space reception. My dear mother then called nearly every Presbyterian church in Western North Carolina to no avail.
John and I planned one last trip for the weekend after graduation to check out a few last ceremony sites when unexpectedly we had to delay our trip due to a friend's death. On the day we were scheduled to leave, I checked facebook at lunch and saw this post from an event planner:
Well, after clicking on that link, in two shakes of a sheep's tail, I dialed the number to see if they could squeeze in an appointment for the next day. Clicking through their pictures, I found myself putting checks next to my mental checklist of our ideal venue.
A venue with a good rain location due to the unpredictable mountain weather. Check!
A way to incorporate local flowers and produce. Major check! Gaining Ground Farm, an organic farm located across the road, raises flowers, produce, and beef. We're planning on using their flowers for the mason jars and other arrangements and working with our caterer to use their produce during the reception.
A place to house the wedding party and facilitate a family atmosphere around the wedding. Double check! Enter the 100-year-old farmhouse that sleeps 14:
Image via Style Me Pretty
And look who lives on the farm... Itsy Bit!
Some girls dream of the princess wedding, and I'm over here dreaming of pictures with farm animals.
I could go on and on about the farm, and, believe me, I will by next May, but after a few sad and stressful weeks, finding Yesterday Spaces felt providential. It is going to be so much fun to design a meaningful ceremony and rocking party surrounded by such beauty.
All pictures of the venue courtesy of Yesterday Spaces.
