Rehearsal Dinner

The Parker Mill

Wedding Ceremony

Cocktail Hour & Reception

Ceremony

Reception

Spring

Our Wedding

Our story all started when our friends Joe and Olivia decided Austin and I would make a good couple. Although, it wouldn't be that easy to get us to meet; I was focused on school and gymnastics in North Carolina and Austin was in his freshman year of college at UT Dallas. Months of pestering from Joe and Olivia passed until Austin was in North Carolina to visit family for the holidays. Consequently, we were able to met for the first time in person on New Year's Eve. However, I was still pretty stubborn. It wasn't until a couple weeks after Austin had gone back to Texas that we started to talk. More time passed before I had opened up and we found that we had a lot in common. Since then, we continue learning about one another and are working to achieve our dreams together. A couple years later, I ended up choosing to attend Texas A&amp;M University for civil engineering. It wasn't until Austin attended my freshman orientation that he decided he wanted to become an Aggie as well. Transferring and getting into the computer science department was difficult, but he was able to do it. By the time our graduation came in 2020, we both had offers to continue on at A&amp;M for our doctorates. Presently, we are still pursuing our PhDs and lean on each other for support. Thank you for visiting our wedding website and taking time to read our story. We are so exciting to start this new phase of life together! We have been together for quite a long time, but there are still endless adventures we want to experience and more we would like to share. We are so eternally blessed to be surrounded by friends and family that are here to love, support, and celebrate us!

Our Story

Q + A

Watershed Resort is a collection of cabins on its own little mountain, complete with walking trails on site. These range from 1 to 3 bedroom cabins and some even come with hot tubs! Driving distance to the wedding venue from this location is ~22 minutes.

Watershed Resort

This property only has 3 cabins, and they tend to book up fast. 2 of the 3 cabins have 2 bedrooms, 2 baths and a pullout couch. The 3rd cabin is 1 bedroom. The view here is incredible and you are overlooking federally protected land, so it is so peaceful and quiet. The cabins themselves are modern and well kept. Driving distance to the wedding venue from this location is ~30 minutes.

Fontana Lake and Park View Cabins

This is a relaxing place that typically lodges couples. This place does not allow children, but does allow a maximum of 2 pets for a small extra fee (my kind of place). There are treetop soaking tubs you can reserve for extra relaxation, or you can opt to lay by the pool. They've made the area almost resemble a mini European town with the building decor and outdoor seating areas and their room decor is rustic chic. Driving distance to the wedding venue from this location is ~20 minutes.

Lakeview at Fontana Soaking Cabana Resort

Complimentary breakfast, located in downtown Bryson City, and has a rooftop lounge area. This is a quaint historical hotel that is a short ~16 minutes drive from the wedding venue.

The Everett Hotel

Travel

This attraction is only 5 minutes from the wedding venue and about a 2.5 hour trip down the river. There are guided and unguided options for rafting. A lot of fun, but plan to have to paddle and get wet. This isn't exactly a relaxing float down a stream.

Smoky Mountain River Adventures

This hike's trailhead/parking area is 20 minutes from the wedding venue. There are tons of hiking opportunities if you search for them in the area, but this one has a great payoff of wide ranging views at 'the pinnacle'. The hike is up to 7 miles total. Hiking here and parking is free, but you must fill out a permit at the trailhead or online before setting off on the hike.

Pinnacle Park

Poteet Park has plenty of tables and benches for visitors to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. The park features a playground and basketball court, making it a great spot for families to spend an afternoon. This park is ~ 12 minutes away from the wedding venue

Poteet Park

This relatively inexpensive bowling place is only 12 minutes from the venue. In addition to bowling, they have an arcade area featuring air hockey, pool, and more. However, do keep in mind that they are closed on Sundays.

Galaxy Lanes and Games

This is approximately 1 hour from Whittier in Asheville, NC (our home town). The Biltmore Estate is the largest privately owned residential home in the US. You can get a tour of the residence, eat at any one of their restaurants, or get a grounds pass to explore the acres of trails and gardens they have on site.

Biltmore

This is a current art display taking place at the Biltmore Estate about an hour from Whittier. Dale Chihuly’s work has been featured in museums and gardens around the world. "Specially curated for Biltmore, a new experience of the world-renowned artist’s iconic creations awaits your discovery within the intimate gallery setting of Amherst at Deerpark"

Chihuly at Biltmore

If you are flying into the Asheville Airport, the Sierra Nevada Taproom &amp; Restaurant is a great place to grab a meal. Aside from alcohol, they have great food and a nice outdoor space to explore. There are tons of brewing companies and tap rooms in Asheville (aka Beer City, USA), but this is personally my favorite for food and atmosphere.

Izzy & Austin

Izzy & Austin

Registry