Some of you may think this is an unlikely couple and you’d be wrong. I am here to tell you that after witnessing them together, and hearing the testimonials given by her two sons, his two sons, and their friends and family, I am learning that there is no rule book when it comes to love. And these two people have a beautiful love for each other.
For moment junkies and detail junkies there really isn’t a more perfect wedding than Renee and Michael’s wedding at the Omni Grove Park Inn. Their enthusiasm to be getting married after being together for 10 years was palpable. There was so much joyous laughter and happy tears that my “moment junkie heart” was full. From the moment they saw each other for the first time, to the ceremony moments, to when they serenaded each other during the reception, this wedding had us laughing and tearing up.
So grab a cup of coffee, a tissue or two, and enjoy looking back on this incredible wedding.
Shout out to these professionals that made this wedding amazing
Venue: Omni Grove Park Inn – Asheville-NC
Wedding Design and Planner: QE3 Synergies
Wedding Coordinator: Marie Yoho with PRI Productions
Venue Coordinator: Isabel Pope
Musicians: Dean’s Duets
DJ – DJ Ben Felton with East Coast Entertainment
Rentals & Florist: PRI Productions
Videographers: Fesiuk Films
Social Media Film: Jono Kirk
Officiant: Lakisha Thomas
Hair: El with El Salon Hair
Makeup Artist: Kianna Blocker
Cake: Omni Pastry Department
Carriage: Priceless Carriage
Live Painter: Ben Keys Fine Art
Dancers and aerial artists: Elevate
Here is a bit more from Renee and Michael about themselves and their big day.
A bit about Michael: Michael is an amazingly talented human being who plays the guitar & keyboard by ear, shares sobering wisdom & funny anecdotes that fit every situation and also manages one of USA Today’s 2023 best financial advisory firms. He’s so effective at identifying appropriate solutions that resolve the myriad of life challenges that he’s referred to as a Financial Caregiver of sorts.
A bit about Renée: Renée freely exudes a love of life, an over-comer’s spirit and positivity that is simply infectious! Her innate desire to connect with other people and lift their entire countenance is evident in her love of singing, as well as her passionate pursuits as life coach, event planner, speaker and author.
How did you meet? After a friend sprained her wrist, Renée helped to pack up her home ahead of movers, who were scheduled to arrive after the home was sold. The friend left Renée a piece of furniture, as a thank you. When Renée arrived to pick it up, Michael was the new owner who opened the door. The rest, as they say, is history…
Describe your first date? Michael took me to dinner at an incredible venue for an amazing first date. I was treated like a princess! We were the only couple to be seated on the stage, just opposite the musicians, who seemed to play to us for the remainder of the evening. We were offered the best of everything and were treated like the king & queen of the ball all night by everybody there. We laughed all night, thoroughly enjoyed each other and, by the end of the evening, had tentative plans for our very first international trip together… to Costa Rica!
How long have you been together? Our wedding was just three days shy of our tenth anniversary of meeting each other! It’s been ten incredible years, committed together in friendship & love.
What are your favorite hobbies and activities to do as a couple? As a couple, we adore entertaining our family & friends with a dinner party or a soirée! What’s funny is that our FAV is celebrating ‘date night’ almost every evening, which is dinner side-by-side watching a movie, a sports event or our favorite TV series. We also love traveling together internationally about twice a year.
Who popped the question and HOW? Michael completely put all the details together and surprised me with a trip to St. Barths this past January. He secured the most beautiful villa that had just three sides, with the fourth being open to the heavens above, breathtaking mountains all around, and the Caribbean Sea below! Each day was a delightful adventure, but on one of the days, a personal chef, bartender, musicians and a server showed up and Michael popped the question at the end of the evening! Unbeknownst to me, he had eighty of our family and friends on Zoom, sharing the evening with us. It was quite unforgettable!
Why did you pick Asheville and your venue? Ummm… because it was cheaper than flying our family and friends to Italy! Lol! I dreamed of hosting our wedding in Italy, but Michael wasn’t on board … Seriously, the Grove Park Inn in Asheville is breathtakingly beautiful and had all the ‘feels!’ It truly was the next best thing! Lol!
What tangible detail of your wedding day did you love the most? (Cake, dress, special item?) The pastry team at the Grove Park Inn created my dream cake and it was beautiful! After spending way too much (!) with a designer who did NOT deliver my dream gown, the wedding dress Michael & I found two days before saying ‘I Do’ will always be special to me. But my favorite tangible detail was, surprisingly, my live painting by Ben Keys Fine Art! Ben was able to capture the incredible rare appearance of a double rainbow that showed up instead of the rain and clouds that were forecast. We were all amazed with the oddity, but I was ecstatic! I knew GOD was sharing HIS delight!
How many guests attended the wedding? We had 135 guests physically with us at the venue, almost 100 guests on Zoom and about 50 or so that caught us via several live broadcasts on our social media pages!
What did you and your guests eat at the reception? Poached Pear & Candied Pecan Salad, Filet Mignon & Sea Bass, wild Mushroom Ragout, fennel with Orange Relish & Parsnip Puree, and roasted root vegetables
What were the flavors of your wedding cake? Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Vanilla Cake with White Mousseline Cream, all with Vanilla Buttercream Icing
What is the one of the funniest things that happened on your wedding day? Michael & I normally try to surprise one another. Sometimes — okay, often — Michael outdoes me and completely bursts my bubble, taking away my ability to surprise him. On our wedding day, I succeeded! I delighted in watching a series of expressions cross his face when the doors opened and out came dancing ballerinas instead of his precious bride-to-be! I howled! (It’s a wonder no one heard me!) And with my track record of being able to surprise Michael? This little coup will have to redeliver satisfaction for quite some time!
What was your first dance song and why did you pick it? Our first song was Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion. We chose it because the words give perfect rise to the incredible impact our individual lives have had on each other – seeing the absolute best in each other, inspiring each other’s dreams, believing in each other’s potential, helping each other push thru difficulty, pointing the way to joy, and supporting each other (no matter what we’re facing).
What stood out to you the most when you think of your wedding? How the dream all came together in just eight weeks! Of course, Michael & I both had weddings before & loved to plan parties together. However, I was determined that it would be an experience unlike the typical “wedding” for our family & friends because we had the audacity to ask them to drop everything, in eight weeks’ time, to love on us at our destination wedding! So this had to be memorable!
As an event planner, I decided to bring the very same concept I inject into planning all of my events into this nuptial exchange celebration experience. I wanted each guest to walk away FEELING the very real elements of our dynamic love — a fairytale enchantment, with awe and a “royal” type of majesty. It was a labor of love as I considered the takeaway at each level of the guest engagement! The team at the Grove Park Inn was absolutely genius in bringing my vision to life! Our guests tell me we achieved exactly what was planned. And I’m so thankful to the GPI team for that!
What is on your “bucket list” to do together as a married couple? For more than a year now, we have been in the process of founding a nonprofit that assists teachers with funding all of the needed course materials, resources, equipment, projects, supplies, training, basic necessities and other items they are in lack of, in order to affect the scholastic outcomes hoped for in our students today. We will expedite our efforts and launch in GA and look at other ideal areas after successfully doing so!
