NC High Country Wedding Planner

About The Whole Shebang

The Whole Shebang continually strives to help you create a one-of-a-kind, beautiful, and creative wedding in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

I absolutely love what I do and there is a real joy in the process of creating a relaxed and fun environment that allows a bride to create her own unique vision of a perfect wedding day. My job is to pull together every aspect of your vision and handle all of the details so that your wedding day is beautiful, memorable, stress-free, and uniquely YOURS! Whatever your dream, I will help you find innovative ways to make it happen, and guide you every step of the way.

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If you're looking to tie the knot in the Boone, Blowing Rock, Valle Crucis or Banner Elk areas, Congratulations!!! The Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina offer endless possibilities for a once in a lifetime destination wedding.

Relax and enjoy your High Country Wedding in style.
Whether you're interested in a "Day Of" package or want us to take care of the details from start to finish The Whole Shebang! will create a planning package that suits your unique needs. We can create simple flexible packages depending on how much or how little assistance you need.
Just call and tell me a little about your wedding for an estimate.

Good luck with your BIG DAY!

Client Testimonials

"Meris was amazing to work with. She was professional. flexible, had a lot of ideas, and made our special day just perfect. I didn't have to worry about a thing on the day of my wedding, because I knew she had it under control. She advised my husband and I to take "5 minutes together" after the ceremony, which was great advice. I will cherish that memory forever. Meris is an experienced, talented, and ambitious planner whom I would highly recommend to any bride. If you are getting married, especially in the High Country, you need to book The Whole Shebang! It is worth every penny!"
-Erin Hankins

"Meris was very easy to work with and did a great job as our "weekend of" wedding coordinator. She got to know us and helped make sure everything was how we wanted it. A freak snow storm threw our outdoor wedding a little bit out of whack but Meris made sure everything looked as if it was planned to be inside."
-Jillian Todd

"Thanks for making our day perfect. Everything went better than we could have hoped for and we thank you very much for making that happen. :)"
-Julie Allen

"Wow, so thank you sooo much for a truly wonderful wedding, I know we could not have put it all together without you. All the work you did that day allowed us to enjoy the moment. So many of our guests had a wonderful time. Thank you thank you thank you!!!"
-Becki Battista

"Just wanted to thank you for all that you did for Becki and Travis' wedding this past weekend. I certainly would not have been able to enjoy the festivities had you not been there to take care of everything! The weekend was successful because of the ease with which you attended to every aspect of the rehearsal and all of the minute details of the wedding day events. Thank you again for your help!"

-Rose Ann Battista "

Thank you so so much for everything! The wedding was PERFECT!!!! You've definitely found your calling in wedding planning!
-Melissa Edwards Boone

"Meris had a very calming confidence about her that allowed me to kick back and really relax on my wedding day. She took care of all the little details that I wouldn't have ever thought of! We couldn't have done it without her!"
- Reese Roca Meisenheimer

"Meris gave us lots of leads for vendors which was essential since this was a destination wedding and we didn't have contacts in the area. Meris really helped us on the wedding day from setup to coordinating the event, to clean up and made sure everything went off seamlessly. We recommend using her as a wedding coordinator!"
- Leland and Sarah Dingman

"Thanks Meris! The wedding went perfectly and the venue was the perfect place to have the wedding for us. Thanks for all that you did recommending vendors, everyone was great and it made everything so much easier."
- Elizabeth Brandenburg

"Meris did the make-up for me (mother of the bride) and my daughter (the bride). It was a wonderful experience. I would recommend her work above anyone! It was natural looking and make me feel very special. I plan to hire her when my two other daughters get married as well."
- Beth Rippey

13 Things to Remember When Tying the Knot in the High Country

1) Bring a sweater or shawl, it gets chilly in the NC Mountains at night no matter what season it is.

2) In addition to summer, peak season in the High Country is also the "leaf season" in October. Appalachian State's University's Homecoming game, the Woolly Worm Festival and other various events and Fall Festivals happen around that time so make sure you block off rooms for your guests well in advance.

3) The ground can be rocky so keep that in mind for your outdoor ceremony/reception when you're putting a runner, shepherds hooks or anything else in the ground...bring a hammer and some nails. I've definitely put down a runner with bobby pins and a blunt object before.

4) The weather in general can be very unpredictable in the Boone/Blowing Rock/Banner Elk areas, make sure you have a indoor back up plan just in case. A good local site to check out is Ray's Weather

5) We don't usually have too much trouble with mosquitoes or no-see-ems in general but wait until the last minute to bring the cake out if you're having an outdoor ceremony so no bugs get stuck to the cake. By the same token (and this might be obvious but I've seen it happen) don't put the cake in the sun, it will melt!

6) Yes it is possible to get married somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the North Carolina Mountains. How it works is that you figure out where you want to get married and apply for a special use permit through the National Park Service.

"Activities such as sporting events, pageants, public spectator attractions, entertainment, wedding ceremonies, or large group gatherings require a permit. A $60 application fee is required and an additional $135 administrative fee is due upon issuance of the permit. A $60/hour monitoring permit is also charged during the event. Call park headquarters at (828) 271 4779 ext 246 for more information.

** Fees are subject to change.

If you want to get married on the Parkway and do not wish to have a large ceremony, then you may not need to have a permit. The permits are required for event gatherings of “many” people that would cause interference with the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway for other travelers."

-Information thanks to blueridgeparkwayblog.com

7)There are lots of local farms in the area. Ask your caterer if they can incorporate some local and or organic foods or flowers into your reception.

8) Rhododendrons mostly bloom in June but sometimes a little later in the higher elevations.

9) Not necessarily a regional thing but...wedges instead of spiky heels are best if you're going to be outside (especially if you're in the wedding party, you don't want to sink into the ground going down the aisle).

10) The High Country can be windy! Take that into consideration with table decorations and make sure to bring double sided tape. Taping the tablecloth to the table in a few strategic places will help to ensure that your table decorations stay down. My advice is to use a little bit of double sided tape in the middle of the table once you have the table cloth straight and then 4 small pieces on the edge of the table.

11) Duct Tape, pens, bobby pins, safety pins, floral wire and tape, bleach pen, twine/rope, mints, a sense of humor.

12) Use the natural scenery of the area and the current season and let it flow into your decorating theme.

13) Don't stress!!!! Little mishaps happen there and there but that's what makes everyone's special day memorable and different. Focus on the positive and just have fun with your friends and family. The rest will work itself out.

828.719.9171

highcountryweddings@gmail.com

9.22.2011

Lana+Mark–Sugar Hollow Retreat