Driving Directions (If You Are Not Carpooling)

These directions are for people who are not going to be carpooling to the wedding and will be driving straight through from out of town or from Unicoi TN. If you are going to be carpooling I will make another set of directions that will be mostly the same but will send you to the reception hall FIRST, where you can be picked up for carpooling since there is limited parking at the wedding site.

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WILL BE DRIVING TO THE SITE OR CARPOOLING.

 

Important Points to Remember:

Once you reach HWY-107 you will lose cell phone service and GPS until you reach the wedding site (approximately 1 hour). Therefore you will need to PRINT THESE DIRECTIONS.

Have a full tank of gas, or at least enough for 1 hour of driving. There are no gas stations beyond Unicoi until you reach Bakersville (45 minutes away).

Your last bathroom break is at The Pit Stop on HWY-107.

Please take Dramamine before beginning this trip if you are not accustomed to driving mountains.

Watch the roads for Black bear, Deer and other wildlife. Assume they will cross your path.

Stay within the lines on the roads. The edge of the road is often a straight drop down a cliff or bank.

Wave at all the locals.

Note: These Directions assume you are driving toward Unicoi, TN coming from Asheville, NC. If you are headed this direction from Knoxville, TN you will still arrive at Unicoi using Exit: 32. Use your GPS to arrive at Unicoi, then refer to these directions.

 

When you turn left at Jones Hardware you will then be on E-107 and you will continue straight on this road all the way up Iron Mountain and down the other side.

 

 

Once you pass The Pit Stop you will shortly begin heading up Iron Mountain. On the other side of Iron Mountain is the North Carolina state line. At this point E-107 becomes called 226.

 

 

Once you have passed the North Carolina state line you will still continue straight. You will pass through a town called Buladean, formerly known as "Magnetic City" due to it's abundance of magnetite.

 

Eventually you will reach a detour caused by a bridge collapse during a flood this year. Follow the detour and...

 

 

You will continue on Fork Mountain Rd straight (which is a road that travels across the side of Fork Mountain) until you reach the end of the road at the stoplight pictured below.

 

 

After you have turned Right to follow the 226 detour you will head down some curvy roads until you reach Bakersville (shown below). If you need gas or a restroom break, you may do so here though it's best to wait another 15 minutes straight down the road.

 

Once you have driven through Bakersville and are nearing Spruce Pine you will find this Valero station (pictured below) on your left. It is also called the P&R station which (for people who drive the Iron often) is an acronym for Piss and Rest.

 

Once you have taken care of your business here, continue straight on 226 as if you had never stopped. If you can't remember which direction you were headed when you stopped, just know you need to turn left out of the Valero (the opposite direction of the high school).

 

Eventually you will come across a sign that points toward downtown Spruce Pine. Don't turn off! But celebrate that your journey is nearly over. Continue straight.

 

At the end of 226 you will see a set of traffic lights. BEFORE you reach those traffic lights there will be a road on your right with a small sign that reads "Deer Park Rd". Turn Right here if you are driving to the Wedding Ceremony. I will provide a different set of directions later if you are driving straight to the reception hall.

 

Drive slowly down this road because many animals and children like to play on it and there are several blind curves. Beware of a very cute seemingly suicidal dog who will take a seat in your lane as you're driving through. Eventually, on your right, you will reach a cove that opens up to the lake...

Meet the Brides Court!

(written by Jacqueline)

Maid of Honor: Taylor Hill
(Her bio written by herself)

 

I am Taylor, Jacqui's sister. I am mom to a beautiful one year old named Kennedi Rae. She is the sweetest and funniest little girl. I am a hair stylist, but for now I stay at home with my daughter. My boyfriend's name is Dan and we have been together for three years. We live in Greenville Texas but we are both from Michigan. I am so excited for my sister and Jimmy, and feel quite blessed to have Jimmy as my brother in law. I am so happy to have Jimmy and Ocean added to our family! Can't wait to see you all at the wedding!

Bridesmaid: Stephanie Hudson Cooley

 

Stephanie is the beautiful wife of Jake Cooley (our officiator) and mother of two very cute, wild boys. She has always welcomed us into her home and when Jimmy is out of town for work and stays with her and her husband I know they take care of him and feed him great Pinterest recipes.  :) Thank you Stephanie for everything you've done for us and for being such a generous, kind person all the time!

 

Bridesmaid: Wendy Whitehead

 

 

Wendy is the former wife of Jimmy and is the mother of Ocean Hinshaw. She is a river guide in the summers and a seamstress all the time. She is eccentric and lives her life without compromise or apology. She has always accepted me completely, has always been open and honest and has never sat in judgment of me. There are very few people in the world in whom you can find unfettered acceptance and open-heartedness so I am very thankful for her presence in our lives and wish only great things for her life and future.

Bridesman: Ryan Sullivan

I met Ryan Sullivan when I was 19 years old. He was my ToShinDo instructor and I think he hated me because we argued a lot and he was always wrong (lol). For reasons I could never pin down, we have become good friends over the years no matter how much time passes between speaking or how much distance there is between us.

Everyone is better for having met Ryan Sullivan.

When Jimmy broke his ankle and we couldn't afford to put him in a cast, Ryan sent us cast building materials. When I couldn't do leg exercises because it hurt my knees, he mailed me low impact exercise equipment. He is like a brother to me and I can only hope I can repay his generosity over the years. He is one of the very few people in my life who call me specifically to know how I am doing.

Side note: He is a bad ass at everything he does.

He demanded I attend his wedding (pictured above) so I thought I would one up him and ask him to be IN my wedding. Thank you Ryan for being you. I'm honored to have you as a friend.

Meet Our Groomsmen!

(written by Jimmy Hinshaw)


Officiator: Jake Cooley



 
Jake and I fought on the trenches of Unified Technologies. He hired me to work under him with our current employer. We have dragged boats up a mountain just to fish out of a lake on the other side.  Jake is thorough, witty, cunning, and talented. Jake catches everything that most people miss. He is deliberate and careful (a very stark contrast to me flying by the seat of pants at 100mph with my hair on fire). But there is the key...

He shines where I fail. He helps me find and fix my flaws. Where I am weak, he has strength. We are like different sides of the same coin. He’s heads, and unfortunately for me I am tails.

(editor note: the Bride thinks this sounds like the Groom is marrying his officiator)

Best Man: Mike Riportella

 

 

Mike Riportella is from Ohio. He was my boss for 6 years and became my best friend. He has 4 daughters and he and his wife have always treated me like a brother. Mike and I have been on many, many misadventures. When we get together and tell our stories everyone listening thinks there is no way this is true, or that it when down like we say. But I’m here to tell you the stories are not only true, it was probably much bigger, crazier, and unbelievable than we described.

 

Mike is that guy. The guy I call when I have no one to call. If I were stranded on a desert island somewhere he would drive to the ocean, jump in and start swimming. And when he got to the island, he would have beer, and we would kick back and watch the sun go by-- then figure out how to get our families there.

 

Side note: he can cook his ass off. 

Groomsman: Edward Burleson

Edward, what can I say about Ed. We have been friends since way back in high school. We are heavy metal. From Camaros, Trucks, Motley Crue, Long Hair, Skipping School, Jolt cola we were the wild ones. Edward and I have had many an adventure as well. From being snowed in for days watching Lethal Weapon, to late night homemade heavy metal videos that never need mentioned again.

Edward is my tie to home. He is the one who reminds to be proud I'm from the mountains (as he lives damn near the top of the Roan). Edward I hope every year I am on this earth we get at least one day up on the bluff. Hopefully though, no more changing carburetors on S-10s and stinky fingers.  

Groomsman: Ken Hinshaw

 

My brother, you have known me longer than anyone. For that I must say I’m sorry. Ken has thrown me off of houses, knocked me unconscious, told me about myself, slapped me silly, and even tried once to eat me. I deserved every bit of it if not more.

Ken also has always answered my calls, always come to hang out with me, beat people into the ground for me, saved my life, supported my craziness, and treated me like a friend. Even in times when I wasn’t a friend to him. Ken makes me want to be a kinder person. He reminds me what strength is, and when you should and should not use it. That said if I was his size, someone would have put me down years ago...

Groomsman: Justin Graves

Justin has the best smile in the world. He is Jacqui's brother, and now he will be mine. I could not be more honored. Justin is extremely smart, talented, and hilarious. Justin reminds me about perseverance. He never gives up and he rarely loses because of that. No matter what odds are against him, he smiles, stands strong, and tells the world, “Bring it on, but you better hope you're ready”. That’s the fight we all need, as long as it’s not against him. LOL

Wedding Lodging: Part Two (Affording Leaf Season)

 

When will you need a hotel? 

The wedding will take place at dusk on Saturday, October 19th, 2013. If you are coming in from out of state you have the option of either staying Friday-Sunday or for those with budget and time constraints you can drive in on Saturday, get a room for that night only and drive back home on Sunday.

Where can you stay?

This post on lodging is going to be focused on affordability and booking rooms during the mountain leafer season. While many scenic cabins and chalet-style lodging may be booked and/or too expensive for many of us on short notice, Jimmy and I know of a couple other secondary hotels that are more affordable though they are a bit further distance from the wedding itself (we are planning to likely drive a wedding convoy leading parties over the mountain to the location).

For those who think they might still want to try their luck with scenic mountain lodging, you can visit our original lodging post. Otherwise, read on!

1. Erwin TN Mountain Inn & Suites

Rates: $65.00/night
Availability: Great. Book ASAP to be safe.
Distance from Event: 1 Hour
Transportation: Personal Vehicle or Possible Wedding Shuttle.
Amenities: WI-FI, Breakfast Buffett + Typical Hotel features (alarm clock/tv/microwave/laundry)

2. Erwin TN Super 8

Rates: $59.00/night
Availability: Great. Book ASAP to be safe.
Distance from Event: 1 Hour
Transportation: Personal Vehicle or Possible Wedding Shuttle.
Amenities: Close to McDonalds. Caramel Amazing Shakes.


For all those who will be staying in hotels and will need to be either led through the mountains to the wedding destination or will be needing possible transportation, please let us know as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly! Reservation cut off date is September 14th, 2013!

Wedding Registry

Spoiler: We're not going to have one!

In keeping with the spirit of our wedding being focused on family and friendship, we do not expect/ask any one of our attendees to bring us gifts other than their presence and a potluck dish. Should anyone feel like bringing:

• a keepsake from their home
•  hand-me-downs
• something handmade
• a photo of their family for us to hang in our home

... those will be welcomed but there is nothing from the store that we require.



Gag gifts will be accepted by Jimmy and will be opened with unsuspecting delight.


.

Coming Soon: Itinerary

Wedding Date

Wedding Lodging: Part One

The mountains of east Tennessee and western North Carolina are exceptionally beautiful during the fall season and it's a sight we'd like to share with everyone. There are numerous cabins and mountainside motels where you can find lodging, but for those who want some end of the year adventure there are also campgrounds!

Here I will list some of the lodging/camping options and their rates, as well as what you might expect to experience there. There will be a future post outlining wild animal precautions for campers unfamiliar with the mountain bears and wild boar.

**For GROUP LODGING please see #4. Call or facebook us if you're interested in this option.**
 

 **Get your reservation in ASAP because many locations fill up quickly for leaf season!**

1.The Switzerland Inn and Chalet

Main Lodge Rate: $119/night
Chanticleer: $159/night
Heidi & Alpine: $169/night
Diamondback: $69/night
Individual Cottages: $159-$199/night

What to expect: This chalet is located in Little Switzerland, NC and is about 15 minutes from Spruce Pine, NC off the Blueridge Parkway. It is honestly probably the nicest lodging you can get in this area for the money if you're wanting to experience the mountain views. Note: the restaurant there (while amazing) is medium to high pricing, ie. $30/person seafood buffet. The owners names are Gary and Jackie Jenson.

Another passing note: The Diamondback rates do not have the same view as the other cottages and the bikers who travel the Blueridge during the season typically stay there. If you don't mind the bikers, this could be a great option!

2. The Richmond Inn Bed and Breakfast

Rates: $95-$140

What to expect: Jimmy would describe this Bed and Breakfast as "quaint" and is located directly in the town of Spruce Pine, NC.

3. Springmaid Mountain Cabins & Camping

Tent Camping: $25/night
RV Camping: $35/night
Primitive Camping: $40/night --for what it's worth, I think charging MORE for a "rustic hike in the woods" is ridiculous and opportunistic.
Cabins: Call for rates.

What to expect: Horseback Riding, Hayrides, Hiking and Fishing. They're going for a family experience there.

Note: The last time Jimmy and I were there was about 4 years ago. Jimmy tried to hop a fence in super classy bedazzled jeans to go fishing and got his thigh staked by the fence. It was hilarious. He was hollering, "Help! I'm hurt!" Keep that image close to your heart if you choose to stay here.

4. Bear Den Camping and Cabins

Rates: There are way too many options to list here. For camping and individual room rates, go to their website. What's really cool about Bear Den is that you can get rates for rooms that house up to 10 people so if anyone would like to group reserve rooms with us that could really save everyone a lot of money and be fun.

Cabins that house 6-10 people are about $180/night so each person can expect to pay around $18-$20/night if we pool our funds. I'll post later about this to see if we can get 10-20 people in on this and get two adjacent cabins if there is enough interest.

5. Big Lynn Lodge

Rates: $105-$160/night

What to expect: Located in Little Switzerland, NC in the same vicinity as the Little Switzerland Inn, this is another mountain view lodging option for those that would like to experience the parkway.

6. Pine Valley Motel

Rates for 2 people: $80.11
Rates for 3 people: $85.60

What to expect: Located in Downtown Spruce Pine, NC this is exactly what you would expect from a motel as you can see from their website. It has a sprawling, motivational view of a pizza hut and coin laundry and the receptionist in the motel is predictably very unhappy and mean to you. As it happens, the owners are great people though you're unlikely to meet them during your stay.

Mountain Potluck Reception --What to Bring

Instead of providing catering and a limited bar for our guests, we have decided to go with a potluck Thanksgiving style dinner for our reception! This means that many people will be asked to bring a dish for the reception or to provide beverages. Alcohol will be brown bag, with the exception of champagne and possibly a few other local selections.

Don't break your budget to bring a nice dish. If you have a famous macaroni dish or lasagna, that will do just fine. We have a potluck wish list (items that we would really like to have at the wedding) which you will see below and as people sign up or agree to bring an item, their names will be added alongside that dish so everyone will know what is left to bring, or for other items I will write CLOSED beside it so we don't end up with 10 casseroles and no drinks lol. To sign up to bring a particular dish, send us a facebook message or give us a call!

At the reception we will ideally have cards placed in front of dishes labeling who was the cook and the name of the dish. If you'd like to provide recipe cards, that could be cool as well. Feel free to shoot recipe ideas past me. This is really a very basic list but just wanted to see how it went!

**Colored items are for locals to contribute!**
 

POT LUCK WISH LIST

Beverages

1.   Peach/Grape Nehi

              (1) case Peach Nehi -- Jake Cooley

1.   Dr. Enuf
2.   Cheerwine/Diet Cheerwine

             (1) case Cheerwine -- Jake Cooley

1.   Bottled Water
2.   Apple Cider
3.   Jolt Cola

 
Dishes

1. Wild Game (Bear, Venison, Turkey)
2. Carolina BBQ
3. Any number of casseroles and or pasta dishes
4. Any number of vegetable or potato dishes
5. Any number of meat dishes

Desserts

1. Pumpkin Rolls   - Debbie Hill
2. Persimmon Pudding
3. Pecan Pie and Fruit Pies

            Cherry Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie -- Stephanie Cooley

    4. Fall Themed Cupcakes (Apple Crumb, Pumpkin, Red Velvet, Chocolate, etc). If we have multiple people making cupcakes I'd like to combine them on a stand and maybe have each of you put little toothpicks with your signature and flavor on them.
    5. Cake Pops

Anything else you can dream up, post it in the comments or message me on facebook!

What To Wear

If you're planning to attend our wedding you should know that we're going with a casual-but-classy fall themed wedding. Below are some guidelines for how to dress!

BRIDESMAIDS & GROOMSMEN

Ladies: You're welcome to wear any kind of dress you like, but beware that the mountains here in NC can get very chilly in the evenings so plan to wear a shawl or jacket over your dress if you think you'll be cold! I also don't have any length requirements on your dress, though a longer dress will probably keep you warmer. All I ask is that you pick your dress from a fall color palette. See below for color ideas (ignore the chick in the periwinkle dress lol)!

Gentlemen: In keeping with the event being fairly casual, you're welcome to wear jeans with a blazer and button down shirt with a tie. Also see below for color ideas for ties and shirts.


FRIENDS AND FAMILY

You are also welcome to dress according to the fall theme but don't feel the pressure to buy anything special for this occasion. Come as you are, as we have always loved you.

We're Getting Hitched!

Jimmy and I are excited to announce that after over 5 years of dating we have decided to finally tie the knot! Our wedding will take place in the fall of 2013 and we will update soon with dates and other wedding details. If you're interested in an invitation, please facebook us your mailing address!

Follow this blog to keep up with wedding updates like our color theme, pot luck, lodging, driving directions and other helpful tips! We love you all and can't wait to share this event!