Nicole’s Wedding Weekend!

Full Photo Album: Linky!

June 5th, we headed up to Snowshoe West Virginia (State Motto: Wild and Wonderful ) for Virginia’s Friend Nicole’s Wedding. It was a wonderful weekend to be in the mountains. Weather was mostly nice, there was a bit of rain Friday night, and a bit of fog Saturday morning, but by the time for the wedding rolled around, the day had gotten gorgeous and sunny!

There were a bunch of deer all over the mountain, and since it was “off season” we almost had the whole mountain to ourselves. Friday night was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner, and that all wet very well! The food at the rehearsal was outstanding, service was great, and we all had a good time.

The above isn’t the most flattering picture, but from left to right we have: Leah(In Blue), Ramey(The Groom in the pink-ish shirt), Nicole(The Bride in the white and pastel dress), and with the back of her head to the camera, we have Virginia. So, now you know the Bride, Groom, and 2 Maids of Honor.

After the rehearsal dinner, we got back to our room at the Soaring Eagle Lodge and sat around with Leah and Brian and enjoyed some card games and a few drinks. We then wandered downstairs to visit the Lodge’s Bar which was having a Guitar Hero competition. Can’t beat that, dinner and a show. While Guitar Hero may be fun to play, it is quite possibly more fun to watch. Next Up, the Wedding Day!

Nicole’s Wedding Day!

So, after the events of Friday night, we slept in a bit on Saturday, and then wandered down the mountain for some breakfast. We found a pizza place that was actually open for breakfast, and enjoyed some oatmeal, and some breakfast type egg and meat filled pastries. From there, it was time for the girls to start getting ready for the Ceremony.

Here, Virginia and Leah are ready to head down to help Nicole get ready, after they got their Bridesmaid’s dresses on. Meanwhile, I kicked back turned on the flat screen TV and watched some Aladdin.

This is the Chapel on Snowshoe Mountain where the wedding took place. It was all “done up” with flowers, and was decorated really well. The inside of the chapel was all wood timber-frame construction, so it really fit in with the surrounding mountains and forest areas.

Here are the happy Bride and Groom. The ceremony was lovely, instead of a unity candle, they did something similar with different colors of sand. I thought that was neat, as you can blow out a unity candle, but good luck separating two different colors of sand. Yeah, that’s a small detail, but those of you that know me, know how much I get hung up on the small details.

Here are Leah and Virginia in the chapel. Next Up – Reception!

Nicole’s Reception!

The Reception was held at the Soaring Eagle Lodge, where we were all staying (Awesomely convenient! Forget your extra camera memory card in the room? No big deal! Go get it, and come back down!)

Here’s the view off of the back of the reception area. What you don’t see : out of the picture to the left are 3 hot tubs… awesome. To the right, a few houses, and some awesome trails to take a Dune Buggy tour on.

Here’s the topper on the wedding cake, the cake was gorgeous.

Soon, the wedding party arrived and dinner started. Dinner was amazing. There were three choices for dinner: salmon, chicken, or steak. You really couldn’t go wrong with any of the choices. They were all outstanding.

During dinner service, we decided to take the time to get a few pictures, above is Leah and her boyfriend Brian. They were a good time. While the girls were having pictures taken down at the church, Brian and I got some good time to talk, and drink a few long-necks. That was a good time, and I really wish that Leah and Brian lived closer to us in Boone.

Virginia and I were also in fine form, so we had to get a picture of ourselves as well. Soon after dinner ended, the reception came into full swing. The father/daughter and mother/son dances started things off, then followed by the Bride and Groom’s first dance.

Ain’t they so cute? After these obligatory dances were done, the dancing really went into full swing. Nicole and Ramey cut loose, and kept people on the dance floor, while somehow managing to make the rounds and talk to everyone there… that’s a skill that I guess Virginia and I will have to learn how to master pretty soon.

The wedding was a great time, and it served as a nice little vacation for Virginia and I as well. As it gets closer to our wedding, it’s nice to see how everything comes together on the wedding day, and everything runs smoothly.

Congratulations to Nicole and Ramey! We wish you many happy years in the future! Can’t wait to see you guys again in September!