Jillian + Brent: An Intimate Mountain Destination Wedding at Twickenham House
It was one of those weddings that we just melted over....the colors, the location, the views, the mountain air, the smells and sounds of family working together in the kitchen to prepare a wedding feast....the people.... we are in love with this wedding in so many ways...
Jillian + Brent traveled from Ohio, along with their closest family and friends to enjoy a week long wedding celebration at the Twickenham House in Jefferson, NC. The day could not have been more beautiful...
“It was a process to finally make the decision to have a small, intimate wedding and we are so happy we did! We really wanted something personal, intimate, laid back, comfortable, natural, and outdoors. The setting was so beautiful, we didn’t even need a lot of decoration! We focused on including traditional elements that had meaning and importance and leaving out traditional elements that we felt we would have been doing just because it’s what you do. We also wanted to include our own personal, unique touches to the day!”
“...We love spending time with our families, and we were able to do so for the entire week! It truly was a bringing together of the families. The week was filled with so much laughter, tears, and touching moments and we are so blessed to have such supportive and loving families. Everyone really pulled together to make the day as special as possible. Having an intimate wedding allowed for us to really personalize the day with the ring warming ceremony, the creating of the bouquet, having Brent’s sister play and sing during the ceremony, Jillian’s uncle officiate the wedding, Jillian’s sister cook an amazing vegan feast, etc. We were really able to be ourselves, relax, and fully enjoy the day!”
Jillian and Brent met as freshman at Miami University in Oxford, OH but didn't start dating until their senior year.
“We love doing anything active, as well as finding new and fun things to do together: Skiing, triathlons, backpacking with our dog Phoenix, ice climbing, SCUBA diving, or finding all the vegan eats and the best beer in town!”
WEDDING GOWN:
"My wedding dress was made from my maternal grandmother's dress (that was also worn by her sister). Jules from Jules Joyner Designs in St Clair Shores, MI was so creative in maintaining the integrity of the original dress while modernizing it. Every inch of my dress except the belt is material from the original dress. It was such a fun process watching it all come together, and Jules made the process easy and fun (especially for someone like me that usually struggles to make decisions!). We all felt my grandmother's presence at the wedding, and it was so special to be able to share our day with her." - Jillian
“We ordered buckets of flowers from Shady Groves Gardens and Nursery in Vilas, NC. They give you unarranged buckets of whatever flowers are in season, so it almost ends up looking like a field of wild flowers. We made our own arrangements from the buckets they provided and we are so happy with how beautiful they all were!”
The beautiful wild flowers came from Shady Groves Gardens and Nursery in Vilas, NC
“My family always says that my grandmother (whose dress I was wearing) comes to us in butterflies. There was a butterfly that stuck around for the entire ceremony, and even those present that didn’t know that about my grandmother talked about how special that butterfly was! It was so special to know that she was there with us.”
The ceremony took place high atop the mountain at Twickenham House. The view was incredible!
Jillian + Brent surprised each other by doing something completely outside the box and unique for their wedding vows.
“...Neither of us knew the other was going to be doing something different!”
Jillian read a book called "Your Personal Penguin", which is an adorable and sweet wedding reading that goes along with a little song. The book tells the story of a "slightly bewildered hippo and the loyal penguin who wants nothing more than to be his pal."
Brent played a song with his guitar for Jillian. It was so very special and meaningful.
After the ceremony the newlyweds and their guests celebrated with a "Traditional Zak Family Whisky (or apple juice) Shot"!
After the ceremony, the family enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of lawn games, appetizers, and music on the lawn. An all-vegan feast was prepared by Jillian's sister, Chef Alissa Zak, along with the help of family and friends. After dinner, they enjoyed cocktails, cupcakes, dancing, and bonfire!
FAVORITE MOMENTS OF THE DAY:
- It had been cloudy, misty, and cold all the days leading up to the wedding. The day of the wedding, the skies opened up and it was the most beautiful day while we were there. We could not have asked for more perfect weather!
- Watching everything come together exactly how we had imagined it, I really don't know how that happened! Haha
- Heather and Jason making everything so easy and fun! Not to mention, we had a blast taking those sunset pictures :)
- The worst part about the day was how quickly it all went by! We had a blast and honestly could not have had a more perfect day.
xoxo
Jason + Heather
www.revivalphotography.com