Our wedding couple opted for a breakfast basket this morning, which they said they’ll enjoy in their bathrobes in front of the fireplace. What a perfect spring morning to do so! And the lemon mousse came out perfectly, if I do say so myself. Larry just returned from Florida and brought me Plant City strawberries from the strawberry festival there, and the sweet red berries were the perfect topping for the mousse. Herbed mushroom eggs, sage sausage, apple and pomegranate juices, and the best thing… Last night, I baked them some 7-grain bread with wheat berries and bulgar, and coriander seeds I harvested and dried from the last of the cilantro. Crushing the coriander with a mortar and pestle just made me feel sooooo Suzie Homemaker, and made my kitchen smell heavenly! The bread? Divine. I tucked a little bowl of my peach butter in the basket, too.
(ACK! I just saw the typo in the menu! I typed ‘cardomom’ instead of ‘coriander’. What was I thinking??!? Ah, those late-night creations. Good grief. Well. The bread’s good, and hopefully that’s enough. !!)
The bride asked for an autumn bouquet – she was pretty happy about it! She had asked to include light orange roses – I was tickled to be able to find some… Although I almost bought the deep orange ones at the florist, just because they were so pretty, ha!
Today we had breakfast for four, then it was time to clear the dining room, clean the kitchen, and set the table for a wedding reception. I picked up the cake and bought flowers yesterday, so I was making the bouquet and boutonniere while Rhonda the Wedding Fairy was clipping and washing ivy leaves to trim out the cake.
We were getting the cameras ready and Nick was finishing up the kitchen and setting up the massage table for guests in the Curve of the Creek Suite, who had reserved the Splendid Indulgence package.
Rhonda set the table outside for the mini-reception while I printed up the wedding vows and marriage certificate and got dressed for the wedding. I brought the flowers over and we started photographing the table.
…and getting all those pretty ‘artsy’ shots I like so much…
Finally the groom appeared, I pinned on his boutonniere and took the bouquet to the bride in the Timberwolf Retreat. She had broken the strap on her dress and was sewing! Got her into her wedding gown and off we went –a very nice couple and a second wedding for both.
Meanwhile, we were taking pictures and the massage therapist arrived to give massages to our Curve of the Creek Suite couple. Rhonda packed up the wedding cake and champagne flutes and all the paperwork and delivered it to the wedding couple’s suite while we were doing the photo shoot. The masseuse finished the first massage and Rhonda changed out the linens to get ready for ’round two’. We finished the pictures, gathered the ‘debris’ to take back to my house, and off we went – just in time for the masseuse to finish the second massage. So, we put away the massage table and presented the dinner package. The Wedding Fairy worked hard, I can tell you. Oh! I forgot! In the middle of all this, guests arrived to check into the Woodland Room. Rhonda the Wedding Fairy got them started while I was finished up with the bride and groom, getting them their dinner certificate and a map to get to the restaurant. Then I schmoozed a while with the new arrivals while Rhonda ran over and opened up their room and gift-wrapped their keepsake mugs and hurried over to get the gift into the room before the guests meandered on back to the Woodland Room. Then she went home.
Probably to have a nap.
Meanwhile, I went back home and grabbed a sandwich. I made some chocolate covered strawberries and walked back to the Creek House to turn down the Timberwolf Retreat with our Signature Silver Turndown Service and the strawberries and a nice card from the groom’s parents.
Then you’d better believe I came home to put on my PAJAMAS. When I got back home, I had to sit down and write this note to the groom’s sister, who arranged for those chocolate dipped berries:
“Dear Donna, this is all your fault. I can’t stop eating these damn strawberries. It’s a good thing I already did the silver turndown with Alan & Dana’s berries before tasting them, or I’d be saying, “oh, they won’t miss just one more… ” Gorgeous berries so sweet they didn’t even need the candy, I dipped them in Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate (heaven help us) and topped each with a white chocolate ‘button’. Then dusted my grandmother’s pink crystal footed cake plate with powdered sugar, arranged the strawberries and ringed it all with baby’s breath. Three white daisies (same as used in the bride’s bouquet) and voila’. They probably won’t even notice the truffles (which are from the Chocolate Bear, which carries truly marvelous chocolates). I am certain, however, that they will notice the champagne. 🙂 ”
Of course, I was busily cleaning chocolate off the keyboard (since I couldn’t stop nibbling on the strawberries). That’s Donna’s fault, too.
Have been busy with paperwork ever since, but now Larry’s come into the living room while I was typing this, and put on a movie, so I’m going to go pour a glass of wine and join him.
<snooty>Ahem. It was my distinct pleasure to dine with granddaughter of Maggie Mae Setzer, after whom our fair town was named. Sniff.<end snooty>
Reality? Dee Dee got in touch with me, hoping for a repeat of our first encounter. She was not disappointed, nor was I.
One of the first people to cross my threshold at Timberwolf Creek was Patty Kosier. Patty is Maggie’s daughter -THE Maggie of “Maggie Valley”. I was scared to death and Patty and her husband Claude couldn’t have been kinder and more genuine. By the time they left, we were fast friends. They came every year -and then Claude passed away. Patty got in touch with me from Texas, where she lives, and told me that she wanted to come stay with me for her annual visit to Maggie Valley, but she was nervous about traveling without Claude. Her niece would come with her, just to get her settled in. Enter niece Dee Dee.
Patty arrived, with Dee Dee and her friend, Michelle. It didn’t take too long to do the math, and figure out that if Dee Dee was Patty’s niece… and Dee Dee’s mother was Patty’s sister… that Dee Dee’s grandmother was none other than Maggie herself. Wow! But that wasn’t where the similarity ended. Dee Dee was just as much fun as her aunt had been that very first day. Patty checked in at 3:00. I walked her group over to the little guest cottage… and at 7:00, Larry had to come find me.
There we were, laughing until we cried, cutting up and telling stories, words falling over each other, lots of, “Yes! Yes! That happened to me the same way!” It was one of those Ya-Ya Sisters afternoons, when the fountain of friendship just bubbles over. We all knew we were sharing something special. Nice chemistry, and good feelings all around.
When Dee Dee and Michelle planned another trip out here this summer, it was with real delight that I made plans to meet with them. We decided to meet for lunch up at the Mountaineer, where you can have a glass of wine on the screened porch -very much a ‘summer camp’ kind of place.
Lunch time. Right. Larry just rolled his eyes and smiled when I headed out the door for ‘lunch’. I got back at almost six. Happy, glowing, wide smiles, effervescent with stories and shared laughs -what a wonderful time!
So here it is, evidence of my brush with celebrity: me and Maggie’s granddaughter. Hoo-ah.
I was surprised to find new reviews on my expired listing at the bedandbreakfast.com directory. (I declined to renew when the price for a listing jumped exponentially, doubtless the result of being bought out by a big conglomerate. $75/month just didn’t float my boat!) Frankly, I don’t agree with having reviews on a paid listing. Here’s my soapbox: if I’m paying for advertising space, I get to write the ad copy. The only guest-written copy appropriate on a paid advertisement is testimonials. Reviews belong on review sites, like TripAdvisor. (End soapbox.)
Mind you, we’ve never gotten anything but glowing reviews at bedandbreakast, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Yahoo, Google, or any other review sites. It sure makes my ego difficult to manage! 😉 Anyway, here are the ones I found on that old listing. Five stars from everybody! I do love a happy ending.
Overall
“Romantic Getaway”
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Dining
We stayed in the Streamsong Room in the Black Bear Cottage on our wedding night, and could not have been happier with our stay. The cottage is a quaint and cozy place full of personal touches from the owners and previous guests. The location is perfect; it is right along a stream and you feel tucked away in the mountains; even though Maggie Valley is just a couple minutes away. The owners went way above and beyond to work with us and helped me plan the stay several weeks in advance. When we arrived, they had even thrown in extras at no cost to us. The breakfast was great, and everything was perfect. I just wish we could have stayed longer. I highly recommend Timberwolf Creek, especially for couples wanting a romantic occasion.
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Overall
“Our Wedding on site”
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Dining
My husband and I live in Florida and were looking for a nice personal mountain wedding. We both LOVE Western North Carolina and have spent many vacations there. It was only normal to want to have our wedding there. We had both been married before so we wanted something extremely simple but very special none the less. I did a lot of research on the internet trying to find our perfect place. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. Right off the bat innkeeper Sandee was wonderful to work with. Immediately you are a bride and groom and not just another “guest”. Everything is customized the way YOU want it and you certainly never feel like you’re putting her out. She really wants your day to be as special as it can be. I never felt like I was just another wedding on site – I felt like I owned the place for the weekend and I called the shots. 🙂 My husband and I couldn’t have asked for a better place. I would highly recommend Maggie Valley Weddings to anyone looking for a Carolina Mountain Wedding. You will NOT be disappointed!
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Overall
“Romance unveils at Timberwolf Creek”
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Dining
My husband and I got married in November at Timberwolf Creek. This was without a doubt the most welcoming and warm place we have ever visited (and we travel ALOT). Romance looms in the air and Sandee, Larry and Nick are the finest innkeepers around. From the moment you arrive to the minute you leave, you feel like you are family. Nick is an excellent chef who will wow you with his breakfasts! Sandee performed the most romantic and wonderful wedding ceremony by their beautiful streamside cabin. Larry is absolutely the best photographer around! And our stay in Timberwolf Retreat was heaven on earth as the stream lulled us to sleep at night.. We love everything about this place and will return as often as possible. If you are engaged and looking for a destination wedding, please let Sandee marry you as she is the most wonderful wedding planner and officiant you will ever find as her delightful husband catches the intricate moments of the best day of your life on camera..
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Overall
“The Perfect Wedding”
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Dining
Thanks to Sandee, Larry and Nick for a wonderful wedding and lovely stay at Timberwolf. Sandee is such a detail person that everything was very meaningful and memorable. The setting was serene and the suite was beautiful. Nick’s expertise and imagination in the kitchen along with engaging conversation made breakfast quite a treat. Thanks to Larry for his help (and patience) with the wedding and pictures. All together it was exactly as we hoped, special in every sense!
So, the groom had a whole section of the vows that he was going to recite
to his new almost-four-year-old stepdaughter.
He gave her a little ring.
Then he got down on one knee to make his promises.
“I promise to always to treat you
with love and respect.
I promise to foster
my relationship with you
and always be there for you
in any way I can.
I promise to support you
in your relationship
with both your mother and father
and I promise always to listen.
I also promise always
to treat your mom with love and respect
and model for you
a healthy, loving and supportive relationship
with the belief that one day
you too will find
such happiness in love.”
So you know, I’m fine with all that. Except that, as soon
as he got down on one knee, she gave him a kiss
and then threw her arms around his neck
…and stayed there!
He read the whole thing with her giving him a big hug.
Just about the sweetest thing ever. It was all I could do
to ‘feed’ him his lines without crying.
Overall
Rooms
