A few weeks ago, we attended our friends' wedding at Lake Junaluska. I absolutely loved this wedding because there were only about 40 guests, making it very special and intimate for everyone invited. Also, it wasn't the typical wedding where you show up for the ceremony, enjoy the reception and you're back home in a few hours...this was a full weekend celebration!
Nick and I arrived in Maggie Valley late Friday night and woke up Saturday morning to the cutest little mountain town. The views, cool weather, unique people...within minutes we were talking about buying a vacation home and actually ended up driving around to look at houses with for sale signs in the front yards. haha! I loved how our hotel had 2 rocking chairs to every hotel room. It was chilly and raining and many people were sitting outside, rocking back and forth, talking to each other and enjoying their morning cup of coffee. Doesn't get much better than that.
We all planned to go on an adventure Saturday morning, so after breakfast we caravanned to Soco Falls. It was difficult to find the entrance and we ended up walking on the side of the highway (that was pretty freaky) until we were in the right place to begin the hike. I quickly found that the hike down was steep and slick and although Ironman kept warning me, I still managed to lose my footing and watch my feet fly up from under me. Ouch.
All the men decided to take a quick shower. It was hilarious to watch their different expressions as they hit that ice cold water...Ironman couldn't even smile, but had a pained look the entire time he was under the falls!
After our adventurous morning, we drove over to Waynesville because we were told that there was an adorable downtown that we wouldn't want to miss. They were right. One of our favorite shops was the Spice and Tea Pantry, which is found in the back of the Olde Brick House. There were so many glass jars full of spices and teas that we were able to open and smell. Since we just kicked our coffee habit, Ironman chose a black tea and I chose a vanilla and a lavender to take home and try out. I loved how you could see that the tea was simply made of little pieces of lavender. Once I got home and tried it, I found that it also really did taste like lavender! I was impressed and will remember that little tea shop in the future.
While we were purchasing our teas, the shop owner suggested that we have lunch down the street at The Patio. I had the quiche and it did not disappoint. All the options were fresh and the service was quick. We tried to sit outside and enjoy their cute patio, but it began to pour rain and we had to finish our meal inside. Although we liked the food and feel of the place, sitting inside was just not the same. There wasn't much space between tables and I found myself knocking over chairs as I tried to get to the empty table and take a seat. After lunch, we just had to make one more stop...The Mast General Store. Every time I am in that store, I feel like I can dream of beautiful weather and amazing adventures. All the gear reminds me how badly I want to travel the world and camp and wear comfy clothes. AND I love the old fashioned candy, so we treated ourselves to a few of our favorites and talked about how much Grandma Jackson would have loved it.
Another thing that I loved about this wedding was that it was on a Sunday morning (instead of Saturday night, like most weddings) and was followed by a brunch. The views were beautiful, the ceremony was sweet, the food was delicious, the company was good and the decor was Pinterest worthy. A weekend at Lake Junaluska was not near enough, which means we will just have to make another trip in the future! It's funny that, before this wedding, I had never heard of this place and now it's a new favorite.
Congratulations Steven and Lisa Cote...we love y'all and are glad to have you as friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment