Product: ASHBrd
PubDate: 02-14-2013 Zone: BMN
Edition: 1 Page: Features-B User: mmudd Time: 02-12-2013 16:42 Color: C K Y M
BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS • WWW.BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS.COM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 • PAGE B3
Wedding Days
A FIESTA WEDDING Couple marry on Cinco de Mayo
By Barbara Hootman Staff writer
Jenifer Gregg and Joe Baker said their vows on Cinco de Mayo, adding a touch of festivities to the formal occasion. The couple met on Plentyoffish.com, an online dating service. They saw many similarities in each other’s profiles. She is a sound technician at Lifeway Conference Center in Ridgecrest, and when they met, Joe was a youth minister in Old Fort. “He saw that I worked at Ridgecrest and my mentor/father figure, Kevin Auman, grew up with him,” Jenifer said. “Also, Joe’s dad and mom used to work at Ridgecrest. One of their biggest attractions was their love of southern gospel music.” Joe asked Jenifer to marry him on October 1, 2011, and she immediately left for a two week missionary trip. “I had said yes before I left and started planning the wedding immediately when I got back,” Jenifer said. “I was my own wedding planner. Since both of my parents died when I was a senior in high school, Joe and I paid for our own wedding. We had a budget of $10,000 and that included the honeymoon. We stayed within our budget.” Jenifer says selecting her wedding dress was the most fun part of her wedding. “I went to David’s Bridal in Asheville, and several friends went with me,” she said. “Every dress I tried on, I didn’t like. Finally I found the right one. I really fell in love with the dress. It had a modern vintage look. My friends agreed that it was the one.” She wore blue Converse tennis shoes with the dress, because she doesn’t like heels. One of Jenifer’s favorite parts of her wedding was when Joe sang “Just a Kiss Goodnight,” to her. It was their song. The song list for the service included “River Flows In You,” by Yiriuma. The grandmothers were seated while “Arrival of the Birds,” by the Cinematic Orchestra played, and the flower girls and ring bearers walked down the aisle to “Christmas Canon Rock,” which the bride edited, by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. “You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart,” by Love Handel Phineas and Ferb, played as the couple left the chapel. “Joe sang me the song, ‘Just a Kiss,’ by Lady Antebellum, and the song we danced to at our reception, was ‘Unchained Melody,’ by The Righteous Brothers. “It took a few dates before I let him kiss me good night,” she said. Jenifer and Joe included special members of their families who had passed. “I had a picture made including my mom, dad, and grandfather,” Jenifer said. “I placed a single rose in front of the picture. On Joe’s side of the family, his sister had two little boys who died at childbirth. I used two toy dump trucks filled with flowers to remember them.” A sentimental touch to the wedding
Jenifer and Joe Baker leave the chapel wearing items to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Joe wore a large sombrero, and she wore oversize sun glasses, as did the bridesmaids. PHOTO BY MEGAN LEE PHOTOGRAPHY
Jenifer and Joe Baker, along with their wedding party, celebrate the wedding and Cinco de Mayo. PHOTO BY MEGAN LEE PHOTOGRAPHY
came with Jenifer wearing her mom’s engagement and wedding ring. Grace Jewelers in Black Mountain reset the stones for the bride. “It took Joe a three hour meeting with my Aunt Betty before she was sure we were making the right decision to marry,” Jenifer said. “He texted me and asked me to come and rescue him from Aunt Betty.” Joe’s father, the Rev. John Baker,
married his son and Jenifer. Although the wedding went as planned, the two young flower girls gave a moment of pause. “I wasn’t aware of the situation at the time so I wasn’t worried,” Jenifer said. “Both little flower girls were under the age of two, so they weren’t too sure that they wanted to walk down the aisle. In fact, one didn’t want to leave her daddy. Of course, they were show stealers, so it
didn’t really matter.” The flowers for the wedding were from It Can Be Arranged in Marion. “They were half silk and half fresh flowers,” Jenifer said. Jenifer designed and made all the invitations and programs for her wedding. The reception accommodated 70 people. “We didn’t have a traditional wedding cake,” Jenifer said. “Instead, a friend of mine made cupcakes for us. They carried out my color theme of wine-blackcream and ivory. There was a white or colored button on top of each cupcake. There was also carved beef and shrimp which is Joe’s favorite.” “I gave my bridesmaids necklaces, chocolate, and huge sunglasses to wear to celebrate Cinco de Mayo as we were leaving the chapel at Ridgecrest. Megan Bannerman Bowman, (mega nbannerman@gmail.com), a local photographer, provided the wedding pictures.
The PERFECT PLACE for a LOVE STORY to begin (right) A spectacular wedding day kiss! PHOTOS BY JON MULLEN
(far right) Megan and Andrew's wedding was held at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, with the reception following at the White Horse Black Mountain.
By Megan Bowman Special To The Black Mountain News
Black Mountain is a wonderful place to grow up, and it proved just as enjoyable to plan a wedding here. Andrew and I were married on June 9, 2012,at my home church, Black Mountain Presbyterian. This church raised me, and it seemed natural that it
should take me to this next chapter in my life. Bill and Aimee Buchanan were our pastors. They did a wonderful job personalizing the service and making the space very intimate. Precision Graphics printed our wedding invites and programs were designed by my dad, See LOVE, Page B4