Jess and Tyler were married at the upper level of the Crest Center on a gorgeous day in early November! One of the things that stood out to me about this couple is their genuine kindness. After the wedding was over Michael and I were packing up and I was at my car. Jess went out of her way to hunt me down found me at my car just to say thank you to Michael and I. It was precious. She truly is one of the kindest brides I have ever had. She and Tyler had SUCH good chemistry.
As she mentions below we had extra time to hang out together after the ceremony. We walked around the grounds of the Crest Center and had a blast hanging out and taking photos. (Always good when you have extra time to take the bride and groom photos!) It was such a beautiful evening and Jess and Tyler had time to soak it all in. And Michael and I had a minute to get a little creative! 🙂
More from us later. Now lets hear from Jess and Tyler!
A bit about Jess: Born and raised a North Carolina girl in Charlotte, she attended East Carolina University majoring in Health Fitness and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for her Master’s in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Her (gymnast) athletic background led her down the path she now walks, working as an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac Rehabilitation.
A bit about Tyler: Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, he attended East Carolina University majoring in Accounting and also received his MBA from East Carolina University. He also grew up an athlete as an avid football player and has a big place in his heart for his Philadelphia Eagles football team. He now works in Charlotte for Wells Fargo.
How did you meet? Fittingly, we met on a football field! It was my senior year of college, Ty’s junior year, and I played for my sorority’s intramural flag football team. Tyler and one of his best friends (also a groomsman) were our coaches.
Describe your first date? An event we always laugh about when we reminisce about it! It was at O’Charley’s in Greenville, NC and while we did actually order dinner, we only ate a few bites each because we were so wrapped up in conversation. What is so distinct about it is we both remember what we were each wearing vividly and the small details that otherwise wouldn’t be noticeable.
How long have you been together? 5 years!
What are your favorite hobbies and activities to do as a couple? We love to be active and go hiking, go to our favorite Gold’s Gym in uptown Charlotte, watch movies/shows together, watch ECU football, and of course play with and care for our rescued furry kitty family member, Coop.
Who popped the question and HOW? Tyler popped the question on a beautiful Sunday spring afternoon April 12th, 2015 at the top of Crowder’s Mountain just outside of Charlotte! I had a small suspicion it would come somewhat soon, but no clue when. We were in the car a few weeks prior to this day on our way to do our normal weekend errands when Ty made the comment “we should go hiking before it gets too hot/summer time hits.” I of course agreed and didn’t think much of it, but given that Ty isn’t normally the planner in our house I did find it somewhat odd that he was wanting to plan something. We had loosely thrown the idea of going for a few weekends after the conversation in the car, and any suspicion I had had gone away. We chose one Sunday to go, and once we reached the top I had my phone in my hand taking pictures. Behind me, I heard Tyler rustling around in his backpack which I found to be odd since we both already had our bottles of water by our side. But before I had time to process that, he called my name and I turned around when he was down on one knee. After the ‘YES of course’, my very next question was “wait, did you ask my dad!?”
Why did you pick Asheville and Crest? Asheville felt like an extension of our engagement. We knew we wanted to be away from Charlotte and wanted a place that felt more isolated and removed from the hectic area we call home in Charlotte. Asheville was the perfect distance away from Charlotte, and felt far enough removed that it would always remain a special place in our hearts. Crest embodied this vision perfectly, and being able to see most of Asheville from the peak of a mountain surrounded by all of our closest friends and family was exactly what we wanted.
What adjective best describes your spouse on your wedding day?
From Tyler: Indescribable and surreal!
From Jessica: True happiness. I remember when I saw him for the first time walking down the isle I could see his eyes filled with happiness I could literally feel from what felt like a mile away.
What tangible detail of your wedding day did you love the most?
From Jess: I was in love with my shoes and of course my dress. I’ve never worn anything like either of those two things and for me, each of those things helped me feel like I was truly one of a kind. And I can speak for both of us when we say our wedding bands, seeing a ring on Ty’s finger was definitely an ‘ah hah’ moment; it visually helped everything happening that day sink in.
From Ty: It was all about her details for me; her dress was by far my favorite part because it was breathtaking and beautiful, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her!
How many guests attended the wedding? 180 were invited, I believe we had about 150 attend.
What did you and your guests eat at the reception? We had a few passed appetizers: Feta cheese stuffed mushrooms, pigs in a blanket (our favorite), fried green tomato biscuits. For dinner we had shrimp and grits, roast beef, italian chicken skewers, and roasted root vegetables. It was all so delicious!
What was the flavor of your wedding cake? We had 3 flavors in 3 tiers: The bottom tier was a marble cake, the middle tier was an almond pound cake, and the top tier was a strawberry cake, all covered in a vanilla buttercream.
What is the one of the funniest things that happened on your wedding day? During our sorority ritual when we all took sips out of our huge silver “loving cup” with Ty sitting in the middle, at the end we made him finish what was left of the champagne in the cup and it spilled all over his shirt! Good thing it dried pretty clear!!
What was your first dance song and why did you pick it? ‘Whatever It Is’ by Zac Brown Band. The first concert we ever went to together was a ZBB concert in Raleigh a few years ago, and since then their lyrics have always resonated with us. When this song first came out, we both thought of each other.
What stood out to you the most when you think of your wedding? Other than how we felt, it was the atmosphere: the happiness, love, sunshine, and mountains we were blessed with and surrounded by that day. It’s not every day you get to walk barefoot in a wedding dress on a fall day in Asheville with your new husband and two wonderful photographers, to capture our love in a place we so dearly love and that is so incredibly beautiful.
What is on your “bucket list” to do together as a married couple? Travel, travel, travel! We have a list of places we want to venture to that we started back when we first started dating five years ago.
Now lets back up to the beginning of the day! Here are a few more of our favorite moments from Jess and Tyler’s wedding. Shout out to Dollobox Productions for the amazing hair and makeup!
Special moments with “the moms”
I love this moment when Jessica gave her bridesmaids their presents. It was personalized wraps and earrings!
Due to a late fall here in the mountains the color was still fantastic even in to November!
The ceremony was on the upper level deck of the Crest Center. This was our first time shooting a ceremony up there. The view was spectacular!
Because if I looked that cute I would be looking at my self in the reflection of the windows too!
From the inside out.
Family and friends and beautiful moments. These are our favorite things to capture.
Shout out to Shady Grove Floral for the beautiful flowers!
Reception time!
The sunsets at Crest never disappoint.
Introducing the Mr and Mrs!
This photo tells how much Tyler loves his mamma. And you know what they say… “A man who loves his mamma and treats her well makes a good husband”
The toast were full of great laughs!
The bouquet and garter toss were super fun and a bit on the competitive side!
Congrats Jess and Tyler! It was a pleasure to share in your special day.
Wedding coordinator – M7 Events (with the Crest Center)
Venue coordinator – M7 Events (with the Crest Center)
Dress Designer – Maggie Sottero
Where you purchased your dress – Poffie Girls in Gastonia, NC
Makeup artist – Doll Box Productions
Hair designer – Doll Box Productions
Floral designer – Shady Grove Flowers
Caterer – M7 Events (with the Crest Center)
DJ – Sound Extreme Entertainment
Officiant – Randall Boggs of Mills River Presbyterian Church
Cake designer – Short Street Cakes
Limo or car service – Carolina Limousine
To view more of our Crest weddings click on this link!— Crest Wedding Photographers
Rosalie SchackMost beautiful wedding pictures i have ever seen.