Emily + Ryan

A Love Story Years in the Making

Some love stories begin with a spark. Emily Hunt and Ryan Banks began with a lifetime. Sweethearts since High School, these two grew up side by side — and on April 12, 2026, they became husband and wife beside the shimmering lake at Aerial Mountain Springs.

Emily was a vision in a romantic off-the-shoulder lace gown from Victoria Grace, her waves styled by Madison Wright of Renown Artistry and makeup by Caitlynn Emfinger. Rather than a traditional first look, she and Ryan — dapper in his navy suit from Barry’s Menswear — stood back to back before our glowing stained-glass doors and read private vows meant for no one but each other. It was breathless, tender, pure magic. With Ryan’s grandfather, Pastor Phil Parks, officiating, they later met at the end of the aisle beneath our arbor, the lake glittering behind them.

Inside our semi-open-air venue, the celebration unfolded in a palette of dusty blue and sage green with warm gold accents. Crisp white linens, gauzy runners, gold flatware, and rustic wood-slice centerpieces set each table, while lush garden florals from L&D Florist — blue hydrangea, coral snapdragons, and butter-yellow ranunculus — brought every corner to life. Guests gathered around a lakeside buffet catered by Food Factory on Main before dancing the night away to music by Phillip Kimbrell.

But what will stay with us long after this day is the love that surrounded this couple. Just days before the wedding, the father of the bride underwent emergency surgery — yet you would never have known it. Both families rose to the moment with a grace and joy that moved our entire team to tears, letting nothing dim the day’s sparkle. The most beautiful weddings, after all, are the ones held up by love.

That same spirit showed up in the details, too. The stunning ceremony florals were lovingly handmade by Emily’s mom — and rather than keep them, the couple gifted them to us to pay forward to a future bride. It’s the kind of quiet, giving gesture that told us everything about who Emily, Ryan and their families are.

Weddings like this — captured so beautifully by Xena Marie Photography — are exactly why we do what we do. If you’re dreaming of a day that feels wholly, unforgettably yours, we’d love to help you write your own happily ever after beside the water at Aerial Mountain Springs.