A summer mountain wedding with two dads and their son, a food truck and rainbow smoke bombs in Asheville, North Carolina

Chris (he/him) and David (he/him) have always loved the mountains, and the Smokies hold a special place in their hearts. As one of their first shared adventure spots and the site of their engagement, it was only fitting to have a mountain wedding just outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

The grooms wanted their summer wedding to be minimalistic and blend the landscape of their venue with a rainbow color scheme. Against a backdrop of trees, the ceremony arch was bare, and the aisle was lined with ferns. Chris and David’s bowties incorporated both sage from the groomsmaid’s dresses and light blue from the groomsmen’s suits, while their bespectacled three-year-old son Jasper wore a matching blue suit like his dads, a white shirt and a white bowtie. The groomsmaids carried loose florals and greenery to compliment their dresses.

We caught up with the new husbands to learn more about their story.

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

We had mutual friends in Charlotte and connected online in late 2018. Like most couples that met around that time, our love really grew during the course of COVID-19. We became best friends and fell deeper in love, even as the world felt like it was spiraling out of control. In February 2021, David popped the question on top of a mountain in Nantahala National Forest. When we drove down the mountain, David had arranged for all of our mutual friends, Chris’ family and Chris’ two best friends from Breckenridge and Indiana to be waiting there to celebrate. Thank God he said yes…

How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception?

We wanted to be minimalistic and blend in as much with the beautiful landscape as we could. The ceremony arch was bare, but the aisle was lined with ferns. Twisty Maple’s clear-topped tent allowed us and our guests to see the stars, and the tablescapes were lined with greenery garlands, with subtle pops of color. We sprinkled in some gold throughout–the silverware and name placards were a perfect spot for that. We added an Edison bulb chandelier to try to make it feel like a mountain lodge, which is very us, and we mix-matched rounds and farm tables throughout.

For the reception, a food truck was on Chris’ “must-have” list from day one. A formal plated dinner didn’t feel like us, but neither did a taco bar. We found the perfect medium with a food truck that has rustic Italian food, with fresh pasta. Chris is a flight attendant, and David surprised him with a travel-themed cake from Gateaux. If you look closely, you’ll see that the cake is lined with little golden airplanes.

What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding day?

For Chris, having his two sisters there to walk him down the aisle was incredibly special. Having broken away from his Catholic upbringing, having this family support was incredibly overwhelming. As gay men, we do not take that sort of love for granted. David’s mom performed the ceremony. David’s dad passed away from cancer in 2015. He never got to meet Chris or their son. Having her perform the ceremony, to instill some of the lessons she learned from their 31 years of marriage was so important. David and his mom’s dance was to “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” which was his mom and dad’s first dance at their wedding.

Also, the smoke bombs!! From day one, Chris insisted on this picture. It was THE shot he knew he wanted for the entire day. And it almost didn’t happen! The package was a day late. David’s best woman’s wife, Chelsea, spent hours the morning of the wedding tracking down the FedEx truck, and our friend Travis heroically arrived with the package after driving 30 minutes to find it in a warehouse. They were delivered to us minutes before the ceremony started. It was worth all the effort. They were amazing. It felt like we’d cast some sort of super-queer spell over the entire venue. Like, truly. Magical.

And of course, having our son, Jasper, walk down the aisle with David was a moment the three of us will hold in our hearts forever. He was the star, just like he is in our lives.