Ashlyn and Cole were married at the gorgeous Pretty Place Chapel back in June. We were so excited to get to capture this day having already met and hung out with them last year.
This wedding was so full of joy and happy tears. You can tell this couple is truly loved by their friends and family. Now, enough from us! Here is a bit more from Ashlyn and Cole!
A bit about Ashlyn: Ashlyn was raised on her family farm in a small North Carolina town where she lived until she moved to Elon, North Carolina for college. She is a graduate of Elon University with a double major in Accounting and Finance. If that wasn’t enough to keep her hands full she was also a Cheerleader for the Football and Basketball teams during her 4 years there. Ashlyn enjoys singing in the worship team at her church and currently works in Greensboro, North Carolina for a public accounting firm as an Auditor.
A bit about Cole: Cole was born in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia where he lived until he moved to North Carolina for college. Cole is a graduate of Elon University with a BA in Communications. He is currently employed by Elon University in the Advancement Department working closely with other Alumni as the Coordinator of Annual Giving. He is a sports fanatic, especially the Philadelphia Eagles, is the drummer in his church worship team, and an avid fly fisherman.
How did you meet? We were introduced to each other by a mutual friend, Lexi, at Elon University in January of 2015. Initially, neither of us was too interested in the idea of a relationship. At that time Cole was a student worker for Athletics and I was cheering for the basketball team. After seeing me from a distance at the basketball game, lots of Facebook stalking, and persistence from Lexi, he decided he would make a move!
Describe your first date? Our first date was at a local coffee shop in Elon called The Oak house. Cole was about 20 minutes late, which knowing him now, is very typical. We chatted for so long over coffee that our coffee date turned into a dinner date. I guess you could say we hit it off from the start.
How long have you been together? 2 and a half years
What are your favorite hobbies and activities to do as a couple? We both love music so one of our favorite things to do together is play music. We are both self-taught guitarists. Cole plays the drums and I sing and so its fun to just hang out and make music together. We actually did this on our second date. We also love to play tennis together. We can get pretty competitive but its fun and it keeps us active. We are also adventurists so we love to go hiking, take a picnic lunch to the park, or just hang out in our eno hammocks enjoying God’s creation.
Who popped the question and HOW? Cole popped the question in July of 2016. Cole’s Nana lives outside of Asheville in a small town called Mills River, NC. Throughout college it was always one of our favorite places to “get away” so when Cole asked if I wanted to spend a weekend there before I started my job I thought nothing of it and said “Of Course!” He had told me that we would drive up on Wednesday, we would go to his Uncle’s art show in Brevard on Thursday and then go hiking on Friday. Sounded like a plan to me. Well our drive up didn’t quite go as planned as we had some car trouble and ended up having to get a rental car, but nonetheless, we made it. On Thursday morning I got up to get ready for the art show. Cole suggested we stop by Looking Glass Falls on our way to the art show because we always go and see it when we are in the area and may not have another chance on this trip. I agreed that that would be a great idea. So, we arrived at Looking Glass Falls, proceeded to walk down onto the rocks and in less than a minute, Cole was down on one knee and popped the question!!! I was so shocked and quickly answered YES!!!! His photographer uncle, who’s “art show” we were supposedly going to, popped out of the bushes snapping pictures like crazy. It was a special moment neither of us will ever forget. But, if that wasn’t enough, the following day we drove back to Richmond, VA where Cole’s parents live to be surprised with an engagement party where we could celebrate with so many of our friends and family. It was truly an incredible weekend and a perfect start to our new adventure.
Why did you pick Pretty Place? We fell in love in the mountains of North Carolina so we knew that we wanted to get married there. The first time we stepped into Pretty Place, which was before we were even engaged, we both just gasped. There are simply no words for the view other than it literally took our breath away. We could feel God’s presence as we gazed over the rolling hills and we immediately knew that one day we would say our I do’s at the center of that wooden cross looking out over God’s beautiful creation.
What adjective best describes your spouse on your wedding day?
Cole’s response: precious
Ashlyn’s response: joyful
What tangible detail of your wedding day did you love the most?
Ashlyn’s response: I got a little creative when choosing my something old and something borrowed. For my old I had two things. First, my Nanee (Grandma) made my garter out of old lace and an old handkerchief that her Mom, my Great-grandma had hand stitched. Second, I used the sleeve from my Mom’s wedding dress to hold around my bouquet. For my borrowed, I wore my Nana’s (my other grandma) beautiful sapphire and diamond ring that she will one day pass down to me. All of those things were very special to me.
Cole’s response: Since we were not doing a first look, Ashlyn and I decided we would write messages to each other, me on the bottom of her shoe and her on the back of my tie and then have them hand delivered to each other by a member of the wedding party. We didn’t talk about what we would write AT ALL and when I got back my tie it said, “We can take the world” which is exactly what I wrote on her shoe and I just thought that was so special.
How many guests attended the wedding? About 140
What did you and your guests eat at the reception? For the entrée we had chicken breasts in an herbed wine sauce and baked salmon. The entrée was served with mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, a broccoli and cauliflower medley drizzled with a cheese sauce, a side garden salad, and mixed fruit.
What was the flavor of your wedding cake? I am not a huge fan of icing so we had my favorite type of cake, pound cake, with just a touch of strawberry icing in between the layers, covered in fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and dusted with powdered sugar. The cake was absolutely delicious.
What is the one of the funniest things that happened on your wedding day? Because the ceremony was about an hour drive from the Inn where the wedding party was staying and the reception was, we had rented a trolley for the wedding party and immediate family to ride to and from the ceremony. Because Cole and I did not want to see each other before the ceremony, I headed to Pretty Place a little earlier than the rest of the wedding party in a separate car with my mom and a close friend. Less than a mile from the Inn where the wedding party was waiting to be picked up, we noticed the trolley parked on the side of the road. My mom jumped out of the car, pretty sure before it was even completely stopped, to find out that it was broken down and it would be about an hour before another trolley could get there. But thankfully the crisis was averted and everyone piled into cars and safely made it to the ceremony in plenty of time. Looking back now, it worked out for the best and it is something we will always laugh about.
What was your first dance song and why did you pick it? Our first dance song was “Forever Like That” by Ben Rector. The first time Cole ever took me to his Nana’s in Mills River, NC right outside of Asheville, we danced to this song on her front porch after dinner in the summertime mountain air and that’s when we knew we wanted to spend forever together. We thought it was only fitting that we chose that song for our first dance as husband and wife.
What stood out to you the most when you think of your wedding? Just everything! It was better than we could have ever dreamed and we would relive the day over and over if we could. We were in the most beautiful place with perfect weather, we had all of the people who are most special to us in one place and we had SO MUCH FUN!!!! What more could you ask for?
What is on your “bucket list” to do together as a married couple? There are so many things we can’t wait to do together but a few of our tops are to go on a mission’s trip that serves orphanages in another country, put our feet in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean in the same day, and hopefully be blessed enough to start a family in a few years.
First look with the bridesmaids!
Cole’s reaction was priceless. He started crying when he walked out even before Ashlyn walked down the aisle.
And then he turned around.
The moms.
Soaking it in.
This was our first time working at Sleepy Hallow Inn and Event Center. Such a great place!
The bridal party had a choreographed dance! They rocked it.
The toast brought on loads of laughter.
The famous shoe game!
The anniversary dance. This couple had been married the longest. 🙂
Shout out to Elon!
Party time!
A twist to the garter toss. 😉
Congrats Ashlyn and Cole!!
Wedding coordinator – Julie Gentry
Wedding Venue- Pretty Place
Reception Venue- Sleepy Hollow Inn and Event Center
Dress Designer – Justin Alexander
Where you purchased your dress – Little White Dress – Myrtle Beach, SC
Makeup artist – Lexi Giering, bridesmaid
Hair designer – Jena Cross
Floral designer – An English Garden
Caterer – Sleepy Hollow
DJ or Band – Dean Campbell
Officiant – Jeremy Pollard
Cake designer – Marcelle’s Cakes du Joir
Videographer – Daniel Loggins
