Elizabeth + Brian's Asheville Destination Wedding at Basilica of Saint Lawrence
“There is nothing more magical than standing in front of all of your friends and family in the presence of the Lord and saying, “I DO!” This by far was the most important part of the day, and why we had the people that supported us and shaped us throughout our lives there to celebrate. We were there to begin our covenant with God, and we were blessed to be able to do so in the most beautiful church. From there, we had so much fun dancing, eating, singing, and catching up with all of our loved ones. It was a perfectly beautiful day.”
“On a cold February Friday night, we met outside of one of our favorite bars in Chicago, Bub City (it happened to be Valentine’s Day). I was with my friend, Emily Hanson. We turned around to ask the two friendly guys behind us, Brian and his buddy Dan Niemiec, if they would take our picture. From there, we hit it off pretty quickly. It turns out we were both in the health insurance industry and were supporting different charities that had upcoming events. A few weeks later we danced the night away at the St. Jude Gala in Chicago and quickly fell in love. From there, he turned me in to an avid Pirates baseball fan, and I taught him how to dance “Carolina-shag” style which he showed off on stage at a friend’s wedding.”
“In December 2015, Brian proposed. We were celebrating Christmas together early that year since we were going to be apart with our families on Christmas Day. Brian had 4 gifts lined up by our Christmas Tree. The first gift was tickets to the Nutcracker for that evening. The second gift was reservations to a restaurant we had been wanting to try out, Green River - so the plan was to go there before the show. The third gift was a bottle of champagne and reservations at the JW near the theater. The fourth gift.... was empty, I was so confused! I turned around and he said, “Oh, I must have left it in my jacket pocket.” He pulled out a ring, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.”
“My Dad and I chose Landslide by Fleetwood Mac as our father/daughter song. In one of Stevie Nicks’ live recordings she begins by saying, “this is for you, Daddy”. We also have fond memories as a family singing this song with my Aunt Cappy who is no longer with us. When the band began playing the song, my sister Janie surprised everyone by singing lead vocals. My Dad was in tears, along with most of our friends and family watching. ”
“A few years ago friends of ours, Dan and Kait Niemiec got married in the Pittsburgh area - at their wedding, they had the most decadent cookie table. I had never seen a cookie table until their wedding and was blown away. The tradition grew in popularity during the Great Depression as a way to combat the financial hardship of planning a wedding as the burden was then distributed among close friends and family. We wanted to bring this Pittsburgh tradition down south so Dan’s mom, Mary, and my roommate Marissa helped coordinate the cookie table that we had at our wedding.”
Any advice for future brides + grooms?
“Sit down and talk through the 3 most important things for your wedding day - the non-negotiables. Once you have those, don’t let the little decisions bother you. There will be so many things that you have to decide, that if you know what is most important and those are set, the rest will fall into place.”
Featured Wedding Pros:
Wedding Venue: Basilica of Saint Lawrence // Reception Venue: Biltmore Forest Country Club // Coordinator: Tara Bland, Tara B's Eventful Planning // Hair: Tabatha Hefner, Salon Beyond // Florals: Darleen Haun, Wildflower Florals // Nails: Sharon Frye // Officiant: Father Dan Blout, Our Lady of Grace Church, Greensburg, PA // Director of Events at BFCC: Trish Shand // Make-up: Ann Cockrell, Chanel // Dress Designer: Tara Keely // Shoes: Keds by Kate Spade // Groom Attire: Jos. A. Bank // Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo // Musicians: A Social Function // Cinematographer: Jason Garris // Transportation: Gray Line Asheville // Invitations: Sally Brown, Hen and Chicken Papers // Alterations: Tomie Walker // Cookie Table: Mary Niemiec and Marissa Miles along with countless friends and family bakers // Honeymoon Destination: Kauai, Hawaii // Photography: Jason and Heather Barr, Revival Photography
