MacKenzie Bennett andGavin Stevens were marriedin the Swannanoa Valley onMay 22, 2010. The ceremo-ny took place at St. MargaretMary Catholic Church inSwannanoa, and the recep-tion took place at the BellaLuna Inn in Black Mountain.

MacKenzie (originallyfrom the south) and Gavinlive in California but chosethe Black Mountain area astheir wedding destinationbecause of their love forWestern North Carolina andits outdoor beauty.

MacKenzie, an art histo-rian, had at one time com-pleted a research project onBlack Mountain College,which familiarized her withthe town’s deep and rich his-tory and sparked her appre-ciation of the area.

The couple first metabout nine years ago as hou-semates, which led to friend-ship and grew into romance.

While packing for a vaca-tion together in Kauai, Ha-waii, and over Thai takeoutin their apartment, Gavinsurprised MacKenzie with aproposal. MacKenzie saysthe vacation that followedwas more fun than she’d

imagined as they celebratedtheir engagement.

MacKenzie, Gavin, andtheir friends and family ar-rived in Black Mountain sev-eral days before the weddingto enjoy all the area has to of-fer. The bride and groom andfamily members all stayed atthe Bella Luna Inn whileothers stayed at Tree HavenBed and Breakfast and vari-ous vacation homes through-out the area. Many of thecouples’ friends came fromNew York and Californiaand had never been to theSouth. “We were thrilled that

A southernwedding

By Gretchen HowardSPECIAL TO THE

BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS

Photo by Mary Hayes

MacKenzie Bennett and Gavin Stevens were married in the Swannanoa Valley on May 22, 2010.

■ See Southern onpage D4

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PAGE D2 ● THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2011 BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS ● WWW.BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS.COM

Mountain Weddings

Food! The food at a wed-ding reception and rehearsaldinner is indeed a focalpoint. Several local caterersenlightened us on weddingcuisine and current trends.

Black-Eyed Susan Cater-ing owner Cynthia Brashersays her clients love a south-ern flair as the distinct foodsof the region becomes a de-sired theme in wedding re-ception cuisine.

“Our clients come fromall over the country to getmarried in the splendor ofthe mountains, and they lovesharing southern food withtheir friends and family –whether or not they are fromthe south. Dishes like shrimpand grits, pork loin with figreduction, au gratin sweetpotatoes, pimento cheesebruschetta, feta and sundriedtomato strata, and pecan-crusted mountain trout areamong some of the favor-ites.”

Black-Eyed Susan Cater-ing says people go crazy overtheir “grits bar” with top-pings like shrimp, lobster,green Tabasco chili sauce,roasted vegetables, sausage,ham, cheese, and flavoredbutters.

“Patrons are also request-ing that local products beused as often as possible.This region has a bounty oflocal meats, fish, beers, andwine, and seasonal pro-duce.”

■ Black-Eyed Susan Ca-tering: 99 Terry EstateDrive, Black Mountain.(828) 712-6314, www.blackeyedsusancatering.com.)

Jennifer Arnold-Mohr, ofBrown Bag Gourmet, saysshe’s seeing more heavyhors’ d’oeuvres as peoplewant to mingle with thegroup rather than be con-fined to a sit-down dinner.One popular item she offersis a potato bar with mashedand sweet potatoes served inmartini glasses with an arrayof toppings.

“Overall, it seems like

our clients prefer more casu-al events at outdoor loca-tions instead of formal eventspaces. We’re also gettinglots of requests for healthyand fresh options like toma-to and mozzarella, fresh pes-to dishes, sundried tomatoesand olives - all pleasing toboth the palate and the eyes.”

She also says she’s get-ting requests for dessert barswith cupcakes, mini cheese-cakes, or sundaes. Couplesare choosing to go this routefor desserts while still hav-ing a small traditional wed-ding cake for cutting.

■ Brown Bag Gourmet,669-5735 or (828) 712-7743, www.brownbaggourmet.biz.

Johnnie Whisnant, ofJohnnie’s Catering Com-pany, says that today’s wed-ding reception is all colorsand textures with “wonder-ful crushed fabrics and me-tallics and cool shimmeringgreys.” Johnnie says thereare also ways to infuse colorinto the menus.

“Recent food trends in-clude trimming the fat andgoing green,” Whisnantsaid. “As more organic andsustainable foods becomeavailable, many coupleswant more green on theirmenus. This could be any-thing from free range chick-en to organic green beanbundles wrapped with roast-ed red pepper rings.”

Whisnant also sees thathors’ d’oeuvres receptionsare becoming increasinglypopular as many brides findthis fits well within theirbudgets. It’s also a very ele-gant way to treat guests to avariety of wonderful foods.

■ Johnnie’s CateringCompany, 310 Griggs Roadin Old Fort. (828) 712-9525,www.johnniescateringco.com.

Kim Gilliland, of Freshas Can Bee Catering, saysbuffet-style service is ex-tremely popular in the southwith even the fanciest ofweddings. The type of foodasked for by most of her lo-cal and out-of-town couplesis southern comfort foods

like baked hams, carvedroast beef, roasted chicken,mac-and-cheese, and butterpotatoes.

■ Fresh as Can Bee Ca-tering, 828-545-0969,www.freshestcatering.com.

Many couples who arelooking for a relaxed recep-tion or rehearsal dinner turnto Phil’s Bar-B-Que Pit. Lo-cated in Black Mountain,they offer catering for asmall group to your largestevent.

■ Phil’s Bar-B-Que Pit,669-3606, www.philsbar-quepit.com.

The Madison Inn andRestaurant is no stranger tospecial events, having ca-tered to everything from cor-porate parties to rehearsaldinners and wedding recep-tions. They are a one stopshop with their eclectic andcharming full service restau-rant on the ground floor andaccommodations for thewedding party and guestsupstairs.

Outdoor seating is alsoavailable on the large patio,including a bar area, and wa-ter features. Illuminatedwith hundreds of twinklelights, this space really setsthe mood. Visit ExecutiveChef Jason DeBlaere and hiswife, Rhea Busick, and seehow The Madison Inn andRestaurant can make yourevent unique and worry free.

■ The Madison Inn and

Restaurant, 15 Dixon Drive,Black Mountain, 669-4785.www.madisoninn-nc.com.

For the chocolate lover,Kilwin’s Chocolates inBlack Mountain offers cater-ing options for the bride andgroom including sweet ta-bles, wedding favors, andbaskets for out-of-townguests.

Kilwin’s Chocolates IceCream Fudge, 669-6119,www.kilwins.com/Black-Mountain.

And as for wines – ScottCounce, from the MerryWine Market, says they havea Spanish Grenache and aFrench Colombard that areboth very popular for springand summer weddings. Healso recommends a FrenchChardonnay that’s a greatvalue wine and a ChileanCarmenere that works wellfor all-season events andgreat-priced French and Cal-ifornia sparkling wines for alittle celebratory bubbly.

“We encourage couplesto buy wine that they like todrink,” Counce said.

There are many menuchoices available in our areafor even the most discrimi-nating couples. Tapping thecreative talent of our localcaterers is all that is needed.

Wedding food trends in the ValleyBy Gretchen HowardSPECIAL TO THE

BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS

Photo provided by Fresh As Can Bee Catering

Local caterers not only provide delicious food, but a beautiful and elegant presenta-tion.

Photo provided by Fresh As Can Bee Catering

An ice sculpture is a classy edition to any reception.

Photo provided by Black-Eyed Susan Catering

Lavender-scented pound cake with strawberries andwhipped cream by Black-Eyed Susan Catering.

Photo provided by Black-Eyed Susan Catering

A delicious buffet by Black-Eyed Susan Catering.

Photo provided by Black-Eyed Susan Catering

Vivid tableclothes and fresh flowers set the scene at this reception.

Photo provided by Johnnie’s Catering Company

A beautiful display of fresh fruits and vegetables by Johnnie’s Catering Company.

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BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS ● WWW.BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS.COM THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2011 ● PAGE D3

Mountain Weddings

Reid Clonts and ChrisHaslup were married on Oc-tober 23, 2010 - a beautifulautumn day in the moun-tains. The couple met onlinethrough a dating Web site,emailed back and forth, andeventually met up for coffee.

After coffee, they went todinner. A second date at anart museum soon followed,then more coffee, a movie -and the rest, Reid says, is his-tory.

Reid’s mother, Janet, wasinstrumental in planning thewedding.

“My mom and I are veryclose, which is why I didn’thave any problems lettingher plan most of the wed-ding,” Reid said. “I’m anonly child, and my fatherpassed away when I wasabout 18 months old. She’smy best friend (besides myhusband), and we share justabout everything.”

“It’s been the two of us allthese years,” echoes Janet.“We enjoy shopping, goodfood, museums, and theBlue Ridge Mountains. Welove the culture, scenery, an-imals, food, and the music ofthe mountains. That’s whywe chose to have the wed-ding in Black Mountain. Wespent the week before thewedding in the area visitingplaces we’d never been, run-ning last minute wedding er-rands, practicing weddinghair and make-up, and fin-ishing wedding projects.”

Some of Janet and Reid’sfavorite places they visitedwhile here for the weddingweek were Ole Guaca-mole’s, FRESH Wood-firedPizza and Pasta, An Apple aDay Depot, Dynamite Cof-fee, the Dripolator andMorning Glory Cafe. Theywere thrilled to discoverBlack Mountain Yarn Shopwhere Reid bought somebeautiful yarn to knit Janet ascarf.

“All our Black Mountainexperiences were top-notch,” Janet said. “We evensaw a black bear andsnapped a picture of a doublerainbow.”

Most of the weddingguests stayed at RidgecrestConference Center, whereall the wedding events tookplace. The family waspleased with the care and at-tention to detail they re-ceived from the Ridgecreststaff, not to mention the ex-ceptional autumn scenery.(Lifeway Ridgecrest Confe-rence Center, 1598 Old US70, 669-8022, www.ridgecrestconferencecenter.org.)

The ceremony took placeat Ridgecrest’s beautifulRutland Chapel. Reid wore atraditionally vintage sleeksatin gown with embroi-dered and scalloped cap-sleeves. It had a sleek satinA-line skirt trimmed withscalloped lace appliqués thatwere beaded and embroi-dered.

She wore pearl and dia-mond earrings that hermother gave her for highschool graduation and apearl necklace that hergrandmother gave her whenshe graduated from N.C.State. She also wore a pearlbracelet that was borrowedfrom Chris’ mother, Irene.

Janet made her veil,which was replaced with achic feather hairpiece for thereception. The bridesmaidswore black knee-lengthdresses, and the groomsmenwore black tuxedos with bur-gundy accents.

A special part of the cere-mony included a “Blessingof the Rings,” where a leafbowl holding the rings,

made by Janet, was passedthrough the pews. Eachguest had the opportunity tooffer their blessing to thecouple over the rings.

Reid found a beautifullocket on Etsy and inserted aphoto of her father holdingher as an infant in one sideand a baby picture of Chrison the other side. MeredithMcKissick, of Sweet EarthFlower Farm, incorporatedthe locket into the bouquetfor the ceremony, and Reidremoved the locket and woreit at the reception.

“I had a great time plan-ning flowers with Janet,”McKissick said. “This wed-ding was a big deal for both

Reid and Janet, and the mag-nitude of the event in theirlives was encapsulated per-fectly by the lovely locketthat Reid had me incorporateinto her bouquet. Aside fromthe great fun I had with Ja-net’s vision for the flowers, Ireally learned a lot from thisfamily about love, gracious-ness, and perseverance.”

McKissick grew theflowers and designed a beau-tiful landscape for the cere-mony and the reception. Theflowers were arrangementsof Naomi calla lilies, comboroses, Viking mums, cotton,eucalyptus, hydrangea,chocolate dahlia, and othersin an array of fall colors -red, burgundy, brown, yel-low, cream, and green.

The end result was aunique combination of boldhues with brighter accents.Janet commented that sheheard more praise about thegorgeous flowers than she’dever heard at a wedding.(Sweet Earth Flower Farm,788 Mt. Hebron Road, OldFort. (828) 582-5039,www.sweetearthflowers.com).

The wedding receptionmenu, designed and provid-ed by Ridgecrest’s cateringdepartment, was a pasta buf-fet with an assortment ofmeats and seafoods, sauces,and vegetables. Plus severalsalads, bread, and a cheese-cake assortment for dessertin addition to a beautiful

cake made by SistersMcMullen in Asheville.(840 Merrimon Avenue,(828) 252-9330, and 1 N.Pack Square, (828) 252-9454, www.thesistersmcmullen.com)

“Our vendors formed theperfect team for our family,”Janet said. “Our event coor-dinator, Gretchen Howard,was remarkable in thinkingof every detail and guidingthe big day with ease. Wenever felt any stress or anxi-ety about anything.”(Gretchen Howard PR andEvents, www.ghprandevents.com.)

Sarah Whitmeyer, ofAsheville, was the photogra-

pher, and the family felt shecaptured the joy and happi-ness that epitomizes the lovebetween the couple. (SarahWhitmeyer Photography,(828) 277-6213, whitmeyerphotography.com.)

Kevin Johnston, from Li-veSound Entertainment,provided music and enter-tainment for the reception.Although the reception wasmid-afternoon, it had an eve-ning-like feeling of elegantdancing.

“Kevin’s special touch atgetting all the guests on thedance floor avoided theusual awkward delay mostDJs use to beg people todance,” Janet said. (Live-sound Entertainment, (828)231-2993, www.livesoundentertainment1.com.)

Janet made the thank-yougifts for the guests herself:giclée prints of an autumnscene from the Blue RidgeParkway. The guests werethrilled to have such a spe-cial keepsake of this WesternNorth Carolina weekend.

“We would highly recom-mend our event team and theBlack Mountain location forany destination wedding,”Janet said. “We had a greattime and we were notstressed about anything! Itwas more fun than I everdreamed or hoped.”

A Ridgecrest weddingBy Gretchen HowardSPECIAL TO THE

BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS

Reid Clonts and Chris Haslup were married on October 23, 2010 - a beautiful autumnday in the mountains.

Photos by Sarah Whitmeyer

Reid found a beautiful locket on Etsy and inserted aphoto of her father holding her as an infant in one sideand a baby picture of Chris on the other side. MeredithMcKissick, of Sweet Earth Flower Farm, incorporatedthe locket into the bouquet for the ceremony, and Reidremoved the locket and wore it at the reception.

The happy couple after the ceremony.Mother of the bride, Janet Clonts, has fun at the recep-tion.

The happy couple shares a laugh at the reception, held at Ridgecrest ConferenceCenter.

Reid Clonts and Chris Haslup were married at Ridgecrest Conference Center.

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PAGE D4 ● THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2011 BLACK MOUNTAIN NEWS ● WWW.BLACKMOUNTAINNEWS.COM

Mountain Weddings

so many of our friends couldexperience the South at ourwedding – from the locationto the food and the people,New York and CaliforniaNew York and Californiaand had never been to thesouth.

“We were thrilled that somany of our friends couldexperience the South at ourwedding – from the locationto the food and the people,the event truly had southernwarmth and hospitality,”MacKenzie said. “Cynthiaand Brad Brasher, of BellaLuna Inn/ Black-Eyed SusanCatering, were a big part ofthis - they were extremelyprofessional and polishedyet relaxed and stress-free.”

Friday evening’s rehears-al dinner was held at 12Bones in Asheville, and theparty continued at the TownPump in Black Mountainafterwards. (The TownPump, 135 Cherry Street.669-4808, www.townpumptavern.com).

May 22 was a gorgeousspring day. The ceremonytook place that afternoon atSt. Margaret Mary CatholicChurch, a beautiful churchserving the Swannanoa Val-ley since 1936 (102 AndrewPlace in Swannanoa, (828)686-8833, www.stmargaretmarycatholic.com).

The bride wore a beauti-ful gown of alternatingtiered fabrics from WeddingInspirations in Asheville anda striking handmade floral-brooch necklace full of col-or. Her bridesmaids woreknee-length peach-coloreddresses from J. Crew, and thegroom and groomsmen worejackets and ties with bluejeans.

Meredith McKissick, ofSweet Earth Flower Farm,did the flowers. (788 Mt. He-bron Road, Old Fort. (828)582-5039, www.sweetearthflowers.com).

“Meredith was so amaz-ing,” MacKenzie raved. “Soprofessional and easy towork with - I described to herwhat I wanted and she ex-ceeded my expectations.”

“I loved Mackenzie’sbouquet,” McKissick said.“Her passions were for vin-tage looks, and to accent herdress and jewelry, her bou-quet of hydrangeas and ra-nunculus in soft creams andpale yellows was flanked bygeometric eucalyptus ber-ries. The overall effect wasethereal and wonderfullyvintage.”

After a beautiful ceremo-ny, the reception followed atBella Luna Inn and made useof the inn’s indoor and out-door spaces. The tent set outback was adorned with whitetree lights, creating a festiveand inviting ambiance. Mu-sic was provided by friendsof the couple and dancingand revelry continued intothe evening.

Cynthia and Brad Brash-er, of Bella Luna Inn, alsoown Black-Eyed Susan Ca-tering and provided the re-ception fare: baked brie encroute, pimento cheese brus-chetta, beet and local goatcheese salad, pecan-crustedtrout with cognac glaze fromSunburst Farms, beef ten-derloin with gorgonzolasauce, lemon and ginger-glazed carrots, and aspara-gus-scented risotto withmushroom ragu.

Beer was served in grow-lers from Pisgah Brewing,wine came from a familyfriend-owned winery in So-noma County, and mint ju-leps served as a specialtydrink to keep in line with thesouthern theme. (Bella LunaInn: 99 Terry Estate Drive,Black Mountain. (828) 664-9714, www.bellalunainn.com. Black-Eyed Susan Ca-tering: 99 Terry EstateDrive, Black Mountain.

(828) 712-6314, www.blackeyedsusancatering.com.)

Party favors were hand-made chocolates from Choc-olate Gems in Black Moun-tain (106 West State Street,669-9105, www.chocgems.com).

Photographer MaryHayes is a friend of the cou-ple’s from Orlando, Fla.

The wedding cake wasmade by Sisters McMullenin Asheville and McKissickadorned the cake with herbeautiful, seasonal flowers.

Black-Eyed Susan Cater-ing served up Sunday brunchat the Bella Luna for all thewedding guests: homemadedrop biscuits; asparagus, fe-ta and sundried tomatostrata; Alabama shrimp andgrits; fruit salad; and laven-der-scented pound cake withstrawberries and whippedcream.

The couple spent theirwedding night at BiltmoreEstate followed by a week-long honeymoon backpack-ing and B&B’ing in upstateCalifornia.

“We just loved our wed-ding in Black Mountain,”MacKenzie said. “All of ourvendors were not only highlyprofessional and respectfulof our budget, but also crea-tive, warm, friendly, and gra-cious.”

Southern, continued from Page D1

Their wedding cake was adorned with fresh flowersfrom Sweet Earth Flower Farm in Old Fort.

Photos by Mary Hayes

The wedding party enjoys the outside space at the Bella Luna Inn.

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