Leanne + Roderick: An Intimate Mountain Wedding at the Lodge on Lake Lure

“We Met in Yellowstone National Park on a Photography Workshop in late February 2014. We captured much more than stunning photographs. We fell in love. I kissed her in the snow in Bozeman, Montana a week later.”

— As told by Leanne + Roderick

“We met up the following month visiting Asheville and Lake Lure. It was, in essence, our first date. And I knew immediately we had magic between us. It was somewhere in our driving a curvy road over the mountains that we decided to make our relationship work.”

“We Engaged in September 2015 on a return trip to the Greater Yellowstone area including the National Park and the neighboring Grand Tetons. It was romantic exploring and seeing the same sites where we met and fell in love.”

“We spent the second half of our trip in the Grand Tetons. After a run-in with the local weasel, we switched rooms to one overlooking the lake and the three Tetons. We cleaned up for dinner and hoped to have a more calm evening (after said weasel encounter). Before leaving, I got down on one knee and popped the question. She said YES.”

“The National Parks have a special place in our hearts mainly because it is where we met. And secondly because of the grand beauty they provide both to wildlife and us visitors.”

“We Live in Johnson City, Tennessee with our two dogs, Matti and Hudson, a closet full of camera equipment, and a home full of love.”

“The wedding day was stretched to a long weekend starting on Wednesday night and ending Sunday morning. ”

“We had an intimate affair welcoming our out of town guests to the Asheville experience. We rented out the top balcony of Sovereign Remedies and so it felt we had our own Speak Easy of sorts. Nobody was expecting the delicacies of the Indian Fare and how nicely it complemented the Classic Cocktails. We dressed the occasion.”

“The rehearsal dinner was memorable for the brightness and excitement it brought us knowing our wedding was another day away. We rented a space in Rhubarb that allowed again our own seclusion and sharing of the experience. The exposed brick, the short ribs, pimento cheese, and brussel sprouts filled our appetites after negotiating the rituals on the following day.”

“Mother of the bride stole the show with her rehearsal speech on Steel Magnolias, she supported our directing guests on which places to be, dressing to her best, and being a flower girl.”

“The style was meant as Mountain Formal as a mixture of elegant, intimate and romantic. We wanted an essence of Fall. We kept the size of our wedding small allowing for guests to connect with each other and creating that intimate environment. Our families and closest friends pride themselves on being storytellers and artistic types so we wanted our wedding group to interact as old friends.”

“The wedding ceremony was memorable for the closeness of Leanne and I standing at our alter. Dar suggested that I put my arm around Leanne’s waist and doing so allowed me to feel her closeness as I was hearing Dar’s words about a relationship, a marriage, and a union of two souls. My friend, Louis, filled in as a reader as we had a last minute change. His humor and personality came out in his reading the special lyrics of our favorite songwriters. My brother-in-law, Tim, read Sonnet 116 which happens to be Leanne’s favorite. He mistakenly thought he was reading a poem dark and dreary. We are grateful that my brother had him double-check the details.”

“The cocktail hour gave our guests a chance to mingle and get acquainted. We served a Lake Lure Mule which was our version of the standard Moscow Mule only served with local ingredients and less sweet. It was divine and thoroughly enjoyed by our guests.”

“Our two groomsmen shared speeches using completely different styles. Michael started and had a well planned and prepared speech printing a copy for reference. He spoke of past memories, introductions, and the love shared with his new sister-in-law. Jeremy spoke from the heart. He planned themes and allowed his thoughts to emerge organically. He shared his experiences with Leanne getting to know her as his best friend, his new experiences with meeting and welcoming me into the Squirrel Friends, and his well wishes for our relationship.”

“The reception dinner was meant to be a farm to table experience shared family style. We had one long thin table with smaller flower arrangements and food served in large platters. The intent was to create a shared experience where our guests would mingle and share stories of their experiences. Leanne and I sat at the head of the table and knew our vision was reached hearing the chatter of conversations throughout the meal.”

“The post dinner dancing was mixed with friends kicking up their feet, Leanne and Weston singing their hearts, and a special tribute to Leanne’s father with the sparkler march. It was a party.”

Any advice for future brides + grooms?

“My advice would be communication to family, the wedding planner, each other and to your guests. The communication is important to express love, details, or a reminder to be on time. The communication is critical. We created a shared Google Drive to work independently on details and be able to share those details with the needed stakeholder (e.g. or each other). The bride emailed several times to our guests on important dates, tasks (e.g. booking a hotel room early), and an overall expectation on the day(s) leading up to the event. Doing so helped to formulate her vision for the “big day” and helped our guests anticipate and coordinate their efforts.”

“The other thing is to believe in magic and let the day unfold. Leanne relaxed once she changed into her second wedding dress (less formal, more comfortable). She allowed herself to transition from the formality of the rituals to the intimacy of the party. Afterall it was our day.”