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Axios
3 days ago
- Axios
Carolina Wedding Confessionals: Hurricane Helene changed everything except the "I do's"
Last September, Charlotteans Lauren and Stephen Dye set out for an adventurous elopement in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. But a catastrophic hurricane changed nearly all of their plans. Context: This is the latest edition of Carolina Wedding Confessionals, where we highlight the stories (and breakdown the budgets) behind weddings in the Carolinas. Catch up quick: Lauren and Stephen, who had their first date at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in 2020, got engaged in August 2024. Originally, they planned an intimate elopement weekend in Brevard, N.C., filled with outdoor excursions and celebrations with family. Instead, the couple had to pivot their timeline three times in 48 hours, ultimately getting married on the patio of their Airbnb as Hurricane Helene loomed. The original timeline A week out from their ceremony, set for Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, Lauren says the weather wasn't looking great. "Nothing could have prepared us for the devastation that would occur," she adds. The big day was supposed to begin with a sunrise hike, followed by a ceremony on the Blue Ridge Parkway and lunch at the Pisgah Inn. Their family, who planned to travel from Charlotte and Knoxville, Tennessee, would join them for dinner later that night. A series of pivots As the big day drew closer, the forecast became more grim. 48 hours ahead of the big day, they decided to move the ceremony timing earlier, and if possible, have their hike and photoshoot afterward. As they drove to Brevard, plans for the hike and a Blue Ridge ceremony were dropped altogether — a decision that was partially made for them as the section of the parkway had already closed. Plan B turned to Plan C. They would get married at the Airbnb and have lunch at nearby Brevard Brewing. Reality check: On the day, it was clear that the weekend they had imagined was no longer happening. The Biltmore House, which the two planned to visit, emailed to say they would be closed for the weekend. The restaurant where they planned to have dinner also canceled their reservation. "At this point, we did not know what was going to happen next, but we were going with the flow to get married," Lauren says. The downpour stopped for just enough time for them to marry on the back patio of the Airbnb. "We even saw a famous Brevard white squirrel at the end of the ceremony," says Lauren. After a quick Champagne toast, cookies and lunch, the couple quickly drove home to Charlotte. Stephen's parents, who stayed in their hotel, were stuck in Brevard for a few days until they could safely drive back to Knoxville. One day later, Helene struck western North Carolina as a tropical storm, leaving behind widespread devastation that the region is still recovering from. A full-circle reception This past March, roughly six months after their elopement weekend, Lauren and Stephen hosted a reception with friends and family at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery — the spot of their first date. Because their elopement was limited to immediate family, the two threw a much larger reception with around 80 guests. "It felt like a full-circle moment," Lauren says. The budget breakdown Lauren and Stephen were just under their $15,000 budget. Here's the financial breakdown, combining both the ceremony and reception. Venue (Airbnb): $500 Bridal dress and accessories: $500 The dress was $85 from Lulu's, and the alterations were the bulk of the cost. Groom's outfit: $250 Lauren rewore her wedding dress and Stephen donned the same suit at the reception. Wedding hair and makeup: $750 Lauren says this was a splurge. Elopement accessories: $80 A ring box, Champagne and custom coffee mugs. Officiant: $0 Stephen's great-uncle married them. Florals: $190 Fake flowers were reused at the reception. Elopement lunch: $0 Covered by family. Custom cookies: $450 Instead of a wedding cake, they ordered custom sugar cookies from Mayhem Confections in Rock Hill. Photographer: $3,950 Asheville-based wedding photographers Wilder Wedding Co. took photos for both the elopement and reception. Reception venue and food/beverages (OMB): $6,600. Appetizers, a buffet dinner and an open bar for roughly 80 guests. Reception hair and makeup: $225 Reception DJ: $0 Covered by family. Reception decor: $250 Lauren spent approximately $500 on decor but says she has recouped about half of the cost from selling most of the items. Total cost: $13,745. The takeaways I chatted with Lauren about what she learned from the experience and what advice she has for other brides planning adventurous elopements or outdoor ceremonies. Editor's note: Answers have been lightly edited for brevity. Work with vendors who know how to pivot. " Our photographer specializes in outdoor elopements and helped us rearrange our plans. She had already photographed several couples who moved their ceremony to an Airbnb due to weather." Don't be afraid to ask for help. "We reached out to Brevard Brewing at 9pm asking if they could host us for lunch the next day. ... The owner, Kyle, was beyond welcoming and even offered to open early for us." Weddings come with a lot of opinions. Remember, it's your big day. "I always tell people to do what you want to do. Your family will have a blast just getting to celebrate with you." What's next: Lauren says she and Stephen are planning to return to Brevard for their anniversary this year. And this time, they're planning to stay the whole weekend.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Blue Ridge Parkway in your plans this summer? Helene closures may change them.
The mountains of Western North Carolina are greening up again and soon the rhododendron blooms will herald the arrival of summer along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But this year, most of the parkway remains closed in North Carolina, as crews continue to repair the devastation left by the remnants of Hurricane Helene seven months ago. Of the 252 miles of parkway in North Carolina, from Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the Virginia state line, only 95 have been reopened since the storm. There's no timetable for when the rest will be safe for cars and cyclists again, said Tracy Swartout, the parkway superintendent. 'The recovery is going to be long,' Swartout said during a status report posted online in early April. 'It's not going to be a sprint; it's going to be a marathon. The projects are going to take time.' The closures are spread over five separate sections, mostly north of Asheville. The ferocious winds and torrential rains from Helene were worst at higher elevations, bringing down countless trees and causing landslides both above and underneath the road. Many trails, campgrounds and the Linville Falls visitors center were destroyed. Near Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, wind gusts topped 100 mph and more than 30 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours, according to the National Weather Service. Mount Mitchell State Park remains inaccessible, and the National Park Service has counted 45 landslides along a 50-mile stretch of the parkway between Mount Mitchell and Linville Falls. Crews are initially concentrating on a dozen landslides at eight places along the parkway, said Andy Otten, project manager for the park service.. They're also removing tons of earth that filled or buried drainage pipes and culverts in those areas, Otten said. 'Some of these are buried 10 to 12 feet in mud and rock,' he said. 'This initial effort is removing 30,000 cubic yards of material alone. And this is just the first pass at addressing some of the more significant locations.' The park service expects these repairs will allow it to open more of the parkway by fall, Swartout said, though it's not clear how much of the road will be ready. She noted that crews and their equipment still can't access some of the damaged areas and landslides. 'In order to be able to get in there and do the central slides, a lot of times we need to repair the slides on the outside, as we work our way in,' she said. 'So some of the recovery is going to take years.' In the meantime, Swartout encouraged people to consider visiting the parkway and the nearby businesses and communities that rely on visitors. She noted, for example, that the Pisgah Inn, a hotel with a restaurant and country store, has reopened on a section of parkway south of Asheville. 'There's lots of damage, it's true,' she said. 'But we have a path forward, and there are lots of things to do. I want people to include the parkway in their planning.' The 157 miles of the parkway that remain closed in North Carolina includes a 25-mile stretch near Virginia that was closed before Helene for long-term repairs. Meanwhile, the park service was able to reopen the Virginia section of the parkway last fall. But a severe ice storm brought down so many trees this winter that a 17-mile stretch just north of the state line remains closed. For the latest road conditions and closures along the Blue Ridge Parkway, go to In the Spotlight designates ongoing topics of high interest that are driven by The News & Observer's focus on accountability reporting.
