17 Bridal Party | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com
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Tying The Knot Rock Climbing Style at Roan Mountain

1 Details Invitations Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com
This rock climbing duo love the mountains! In fact, John Michael and Lexie chose Roan Mountain because John Michael grew up visiting Roan with his grandparents every year. John Michael comes from solid mountain conservation stock: his grandparents are part of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and have spent many hours volunteering their time to keep the AT and Roan Mountain beautiful. So it made perfect sense that all of their friends and family would join them at Roan Mountain to celebrate their marriage.

2 Bouquet Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com Bride 3 Bridal River | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 4 Bride | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 4a Rings Tree | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 5 First Look Groom | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 6 Groom Boutonniere | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 7 Groomsmen | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 8 First Look Chacos | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 9 Groom Tattoo | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 10 Ceremony Bride Aisle | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 11 Ceremony Bride Aisle | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 12 Ceremony Bride Ring | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 13 Ceremony Full | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 14 Ceremony High Five | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 15 Ceremony Kiss Landscape | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 16 Ceremony Kiss Portrait | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 17 Bridal Party | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 18 Couple Mountain | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 19 Couple Rock Landscape | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 20 Couple Kiss | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 21 Couple Walk Trail | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 22 Reception Location | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 23 Reception Reserved Sign | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 24 Reception Cupcakes | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 25 Reception Map | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 26 Reception Map | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 27 Reception Bible | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 28 Reception Candles | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 29 Reception Events | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 30 Reception First Dance | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 31 Reception First Dance | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com 32 Reception Sign | Roan Mountain Wedding | Katy Sergent |via MountainsideBride.com

Alexis + John
Roan Mountain, TN
June 24, 2017

Wedding day weather: PERFECT! Cool & sunny with beautiful puffy clouds!
Number of guests: 23 people and 1 dog
Your budget: $5,000
Biggest splurge: Wedding Dress
Biggest savings: Venue

Why did you choose the Mountains for your wedding?

My husband and I are avid rock climbers, so naturally, we love spending time in the mountains. We specifically chose Roan Mountain because he grew up visiting Roan with his grandparents every year, and his grandparents are part of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and have spent many hours volunteering their time to keep the AT and Roan Mountain beautiful. Roan is a very special place to us.

Wedding day theme:

We mostly stuck to a rustic, natural style and used spring-inspired blues, greens, and pinks.

Where did you find your inspiration?

We wanted our wedding to be very laid back and natural. Most of our inspiration came from nature. I turned to Pinterest for some ideas, too.

How did you choose to personalize your wedding?

Instead of traditional floral boutonnieres, we used cordelette tied into a rock climbing knot.

What was your favorite part of the reception?

Having the people I love together in one place to celebrate was so special. My best friend even flew down from Alaska to be there!

What are three things you’re super glad you did?

  • Kept our numbers small
  • Hiked up Roan Mountain to have the reception on top of the balds
  • Wore my Chacos!

Anything you wished you hadn’t worried about?

Honestly, I don’t think I would do anything differently. I didn’t worry about anything. I guess I just figured, no one is going to look back at our wedding and think, “They really should had chosen ivory tablecloths instead of white.” At the end of the day, all that mattered was that we got married and that our loved ones were there with us.

What was the biggest challenge in planning your mountain wedding and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge for me was food. I have numerous food allergies, so I wanted to make the food for the reception myself to ensure that I could eat everything without getting sick. Because we live in Georgia, I had to figure out how to store and transport all of the food to Tennessee 5 hours away without anything going bad. And then once we got there I had to be able to store it properly so it wouldn’t go bad. The hotel that everyone was staying at didn’t have a fridge available, but fortunately, John Michael and his groomsmen were staying in a cabin on Roan Mountain that did have a fridge. I gave all of the food to them to store until the next day. We used a lot of coolers and ice that weekend :)

How did you find and choose your vendors?

When we started brainstorming locations for the wedding, we mentioned to John Michael’s parents that we thought it would be awesome to have it on Roan Mountain. The next day his mom texted me a photo from a wedding on Roan Mountain. I thought, “Wow! That photographer is really good! I wonder who it is?” I looked it up and found Katy! She was our first vendor, and she helped us find more vendors in the Tennessee area. Because we had such a small wedding, we really didn’t need to find many vendors. We did most of the work ourselves.

What is your best piece of advice to other mountain brides who are planning their weddings?

People are going to question your choice to have a mountain wedding, especially if it is an outdoor wedding, and most especially if you are keeping it very small. Do what makes YOU happy. It is your wedding and at the end of the day, all that matters is that you enjoyed it and that you are married.

Roan Mountain Wedding Vendors

PhotographerKaty Sergent | FloristSusan Liles | Baker: Little CakeOfficiant: Pastor Maggie Garred (no website) | Venue: Carver’s Gap/Appalachian Trail on Roan Mountain, Roan Mountain State Park (pavilion)  | Musicians: | DJ: | Catering: | Calligrapher: | Invitations / Stationery: | Officiant: Pastor Maggie Garred | Hairstylist: Anna Grace Brown (sister to groom) Makeup: DIY by the Bride | Bride’s Dress Designer: Carrie’s Bridal Collection | Bridesmaid’s Attire:  CharmingDIY on Etsy | Bride’s ringShane Co | Groom’s ring: Groove Rings | Florist: Susan Liles | Cake & pies: DIY by family members | Cupcakes: Little Cake | Save-the-dates: Vistaprint | Invitations: DIY by friend of bride