A Wedding in Mount Pilot!?! (Well, Almost!)

Recently my daughter got married in Pinnacle, North Carolina with the beautiful Pilot Mountain as a backdrop.  

The venue was a winery, Pilot Mountain Vineyards.  It was absolutely beautiful! 

When we were there in early June, the grapes were not yet ripe, 

but the vines were still stunning. 

This was the backdrop for the ceremony. 

The aisle that the wedding party processed down (down which the wedding party processed?) 

The reception was held here with the most gracious hosts! The patio looks over another scenic view of Pilot Mountain. 

And my husband and I actually stayed nearby in a log cabin but that is a story for another day! 

Of course, you know me- any family event has to come with plenty of craftiness! This wedding was no exception! 

In the short version of the story, my daughter met her now husband at Starbucks and coffee has been an important part of their relationship ever since.  She gave coffee cups and mugs to the guests as favors as a meaningful gift reflective of their beginnings.  She mainly thrifted the mugs and cups and each one was different.  The guests got to pick which one they liked best to take home.   

Inside of each mug was a small bag of coffee. I bought the bags on Amazon and put enough coffee grounds for two cups of coffee in each bag and then sealed it with this personalized sticker.  You know I love to make stickers!

We made various signs to place throughout the venue.  My other daughter used Canva (an amazing site- even when using the free version!) to find the background image which I downloaded to my Cricut and added the text to print and cut the signed we needed.  She also used Canva to create the wedding programs. 

Apparently game tables are now popular additions to wedding receptions. They create an activity for guests during the cocktail hour or if they do not want to dance.  Among the games she  chose were checkers, Jenga, Connect Four and dominoes. I am not sure how many people actually played a full game, but I will tell you that the building blocks set I found on clearance from Target were a big hit (and so cute!) 

I think one of the most helpful things a hostess can do when planning an event is to put a basket of necessaries in the restrooms.  I usually include such things as stain wipes, mints, sanitary supplies, band-aids, aspirin, safety pins, Lysol and other little items that can help to resolve those minor issues that can arise when people gather.  I have even begun doing this in my home when we have parties.  Most of these items can be purchased in the travel section of the drugstore or grocery store and make things easier for guests and hosts alike.  Of course, you know I had to craft signs to let the guests know they are welcome to use the items! The one in the men’s room said “Hello Handsome!” The signs were displayed in little place setting frames and placed on a little shelf in each bathroom.  

After the dinner and dancing, the fire pit was lit and guests were able to make their own s’mores- another popular activity! We placed marshmallows, chocolate bars (I used Favorite Day Milk Chocolate Bars from Target, highly recommended and very good!) and graham crackers in individual treat bags and once again sealed with a personalized sticker.  We ordered long wooden skewers from Amazon (although I later saw them at the dollar store) to cut down on cleanup later. That way, if a guest did not want a s’more at the event, they could take a treat home for later.  

Now, we crafters need to remember that just because we can do something does not mean that we necessarily should.  When it came to designing a cake topper, my daughter showed me a picture of what she wanted.  I could have made something similar with my Cricut maker (it is made of wood) but I was very nervous about creating such a delicate design for such an important occasion.  Ultimately we decided that it would be less expensive and certainly less stressful if we ordered it from another crafter on Etsy.  We factored in the costs of the materials and time in reaching these decisions.  We creators need to remember the value of our time! 

A last minute detail that we added (and a surprise for the couple!) is an anniversary card on each table at the reception.  Guests at table one were asked to sign a card and write a message for the first anniversary, the guests at table two for the second, etc.  This was another Cricut project with a SVG cut purchased on Etsy that can be converted for each anniversary.  I can’t wait for the couple to receive their first surprise card on their first anniversary next June! 

All in all, the wedding was amazing, my daughter was absolutely beautiful and most importantly she and her husband are happy, in love and surrounded by love.  I will leave it up to her to share pictures of the wedding party and guests, but suffice it to say- it was wonderful and a great time was had by all! 

Now, I mentioned something about a wedding in Mt. Pilot.  You may remember the Andy Griffith show, which originally aired in the 1960s and is often seen on cable even today. This show took place in a fictional town called Mayberry which was purportedly modeled after Griffith’s hometown of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. (I am more familiar with his home in later years, on Roanoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  Check out the Brad Paisley video “Waiting on a Woman”, starring Andy Griffith and filmed in OBX). Anyway, in the show they often refer to Mt. Pilot and Mt. Airy.  We had a couple of hours before the rehearsal dinner so we decided to take a little ride over to Mt. Airy to check out the little town we had grown up hearing so much about on television. 

You can take a Squad Car tour of the town in a vehicle similar to Andy’s. 

There is a Mayberry Courthouse where you can sit at a replica of Andy’s desk or in the replica jail cell. 

A replica of Wally's Service Station is actually a gift shop.  I bought a couple of postcards there and had my first sip of Cheerwine. 

We did not have time to do the museum and see a lot of the attractions, but if you would like to read more about the town, here is an interesting article from Southern Living that I wish I had read before going: Escape to Andy Griffith's World in Mt. Airy, NC

And yes, it has been about ten months since I last posted here- actually from the beginning of the school year to the end. I have a lighter summer semester and I am finally freed, at least temporarily, from major projects at work, I plan to spend a lot more time on creativity, travel, family and you guess it- blogging. I hope to share more soon! 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

~Cynthia