Elope Outdoors ~ Asheville, Inside scoop on this mountaintop elopement

A: We chose to have the ceremony around the time of sunset so that the scene would have a golden quality to it. Since the ceremony was outdoors in a national forest, the only decorations were those that we brought with us, which was perfect- no decorations could ever compete with the beauty of the mountains surrounding Max Patch. Our families were almost speechless, having never been there before. We did bring our rings in a moss terrarium. The theme for our reception in St. Louis was lush greenery and moss, so some aspects were shared between the two events.

A: After we took our vows, we just took in the landscape with our families and spent time together, watching the sunset. We did bring some sparkling wine and Fuzzy’s tacos to enjoy after our vows were complete. Our wedding was like a dream come true. It came after a really difficult and stressful year for me, and was kind of the light at the end of the tunnel that I was counting down to, so when it was finally real, with us standing in one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been, committing to spending the rest of our lives together, it was unreal

A: We met while working together at a craft brewery in St. Louis. We were good friends for a long time before we started dating- we would always high five each other as we passed while serving our tables on the restaurant side of the business, and he was the first person that I would seek out to tell about my day. Around the time that we started our relationship, Chris got a job on the bottling line of the brewery, so we didn’t see each other as much. We started hanging out outside of work and never really stopped; we never stopped missing each other when we were apart, even if it was only for a short time. I have a deep love of nature and a strong desire to explore as much of the protected lands in this world as possible, so Chris knew that he would propose outside somewhere beautiful. He planned to ask me to marry him on an epic roadtrip that we took, making a large loop through Colorado and New Mexico with lots of camping and hiking. Poor Chris, though—nature wasn’t always cooperative, and he got thwarted twice on nights he planned to propose! We had planned on spending a night in White Sands National Monument, a place of otherworldly beauty that I had been wanting to see for years. He had planned on proposing there, under the starry sky, but after looking over weather forecasts, we decided that we were not prepared to backpack in to the campsite with the very hot temperatures that the planned evening would bring. Instead, we spent part of a day exploring the dunes.  Later, we ended up camping in Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in a campground nestled into the mountains with sweeping views for miles and miles. The setting sun was dramatically beautiful behind the mountains as we were finishing setting up camp, and Chris says he planned to propose there underneath the mountains. Instead, a massive storm suddenly rolled in with high winds that forced us to scramble for our supplies and ended up damaging our tent. Chris finally got his chance later in the trip, when we camped in Santa Fe National Forest. I had read that there was a pretty big waterfall that was very near our campsite, and Chris agreed to walk down to see it with me. I should have known that something was up, because he was wearing flip flops, and the path turned out to be steep and gravelly—not suitable for his shoes. Still, he kept urging me on, saying he was fine. Once we arrived at Jemez Falls, Chris got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. Exactly one year later, we got married at Max Patch.

A: I chose a somewhat casual, free-spirited look for the ceremony. It gave me a chance to choose something that was really “me” and still have a formal look for the reception. I did all of my dress shopping on Etsy and fell in love with vintage and handmade dresses. I ended up choosing a handmade crochet viscose dress with crochet flower details on the bust, which was made by user CrochetDressTalita. It had straps that crossed over the open back and wrapped around the waist to tie in back. I wore keen hiking sandals for my shoes, since we would be walking up a steep path to the top of Max Patch and because I love hiking. When I got chilly in the mountain air, I wore a blue-gray wool shawl. My hair was another favorite part of my wedding look. It was wrapped in a crown around my head with a large and small braid, and the rest of my hair was curled but left long and loose. It was really special to me that it was so long: In my early 20s, I lost a lot of my hair after having to take a harsh medicine to deal with a digestive problem, and I decided to have it buzzed off and start over. When Chris and I got together, I was still in the process of growing out my hair, and after it seemed like we might be together for the long haul, I decided that I would not get more than a trim cut off of it until our wedding day. I love how pretty my long hair looked and how it complemented my dress, but it also made me grateful for the health and strength that I currently have. Chris opted for a more traditional, though somewhat casual, look. He chose a slim-fitted suit with suspenders and did not wear a tie for the ceremony. He trimmed his long beard and had his hair cut, as well. He did wear hiking sandals to match mine.

A: The flowers in our wedding were really simple.  I had a flower crown nestled into my braid crown, which was made by Etsy shop . My maid of honor, Julie, had a matching hair pin from the same shop. My bouquet of flowers was one of my favorite parts of the wedding–it was not extravagant, but it had such a variety of colors and types of flowers. I bought it earlier in the day from a stall at the River Arts District farmer’s market in Asheville.

A: Chris says seeing me for the first time in my dress after being apart for most of the day was the most anticipated part of the day for him.  For me, I think the most special moment was being there on the mountain together, surrounded by so much beauty.  Also, saying my vows, which I wrote myself and poured my heart and soul into, and hearing Chris’s in return, was the most powerful part of the evening.  Although we wrote our own vows, they ended up having similar themes.

A: Firstly, don’t be afraid to make your wedding individual to you.  Making our wedding such an expression of who we are as people ended up making it more of a powerful ceremony to us.  Also, this does not have to break the bank! Secondly, I will pass along the advice of a family friend who helped tremendously in the wedding planning process- some things are not going to go the way you hope, because that’s how life works, and a wedding can be a massive undertaking with many elements.  Go with the flow.  When all is said and done, you will hardly remember the things that might have stressed you out leading up to the day or at the wedding.  Also, once you get to the big day, stop stressing and stop planning.  You have done it all already, and everything is going to unfold as it will.  Enjoy every moment, because it will be over before you know it.Lastly, above all else, what really matters is the two of you.  Steal moments alone with each other, even though you will be surrounded by family and friends.  Support each other through any stress.  And once it is all over, take a long, deep, calm breath and relax into married life.