Castle Ladyhawke
By Emma Castleberry
In March, the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (JCTDA) and Bear Lake Reserve announced a dream wedding giveaway contest for engaged couples who had to cancel their wedding plans because of the pandemic. The contest was based on votes from the public, and in June, Kayla Fortner and Jose Barrera learned they had won. Their wedding, valued at $40,600, will be held on November 4 at Castle Ladyhawke at Bear Lake Reserve. “The moment we learned, we were in complete denial,” says Kayla. “I kept telling them, ‘This does not feel real.’ Honestly, it is still sinking in for Jose and I.”
Photo by Jeremy Sasser
Kayla and Jose got engaged in December 2019 and decided on a venue in early March. “COVID had started, but we thought it would be better by October,” says Fortner. “Once we went into full government shutdown, the venue reached out to us and said per the new mandates we would only be allowed 10 people. A couple of weeks later I found out we were expecting.” Kayla, who works as a respiratory therapist in a hospital in Concord, NC, was overwhelmed. “We decided to postpone until we could have all of our family with us,” she says.
Both Jose and Kayla worked through the shut down and their baby Koraline arrived in October, premature at just 26 weeks gestation.
“She stayed in the NICU [Newborn Intensive Care Unit] for 76 days and due to COVID our family could not visit her,” says Kayla. “Our family members would drive three hours one way to peep through the window at her.” When Jose and Kayla finally brought Koraline home in January, a wedding was far from their central focus. The couple considered an elopement in the fall, but never made any firm plans, and when the contest was announced it was perfect timing. “I am super excited to be getting married in the mountains where I am from,” says Fortner. “In my eyes, there is no better backdrop than the Smoky Mountains.”
Jose and Kayla are exactly the type of couple the contest was intended for, says Nick Breedlove, executive director of the JCTDA. “We wanted to find a way to honor those on the front lines who did so much for their communities,” he says. “Last year was a tough time for so many and we wanted to find a heartwarming story to share with others about how a couple persevered and served their community.”
Many partners worked with Bear Lake Reserve and JCTDA to make the wedding possible, including ILDA & Wine Bar & Cellar, The Library Kitchen & Bar and musician Matt Stillwell, among others. “We are so pleased such a worthy couple won this experience,” says Craig Smith, president and general manager of Bear Lake Reserve & Castle Ladyhawke. “Kayla and Jose had an extremely challenging 2020; now it’s our opportunity to give back and give them a dream wedding!”
The JCTDA will share photos and videos of the Dream Wedding in the fall. For more information, visit DiscoverJacksonNC.com and BearLakeReserve.com.
