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Preston and Taylor Gregg this week hosted a groundbreaking ceremony officially launching construction on the family property that will soon be home to Chestnut Ridge, a timeless style wedding venue in Canton, North Carolina.

Family, friends, supporters, and community members gathered atop a beautiful knoll just off Turnpike Road to mark the occasion, offering kind, inspiring words and breaking the dirt that will serve as the foundation for the couple’s dream come true.

Speaking to the couple about the occasion, they exude not just excitement, but integrity and humility around a passion project that is coming to fruition. The couple will tell you that the vision for Chestnut Ridge was born from a desire to build a wedding venue that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but one that captures the feel of “home” – wherever home may be for the brides and grooms who say “I do” under the venue’s soon-to-be roof. Breaking ground at the very site Preston and Taylor pledged their lives to one another, the inspiration behind the venue was palpable.

“Today we can feel the love that so many will display here, surrounded by our gorgeous mountains and the rich legacy of home that we’re so excited to share with the world,” said Taylor.

It’s obvious that the Greggs are part of a community that feels the same. The groundbreaking ceremony drew the support of local businesses, tourism agencies, and town and county leaders, all of whom the couple says have poured out their time and energy working toward this day.

Taylor, who has several years’ experience as a freelance wedding planner, began envisioning Chestnut Ridge when she and Preston held their wedding ceremony on the land in 2009. Earlier this year, after drawing up plans and deciding to focus their efforts on beginning the project, the couple entered – and won – Haywood County Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Business Startup Award, earning a $10,000 grant from the Chamber in a neck-and-neck competition to help fund the beginning of Chestnut Ridge. Because of the nature of the wedding business, Chestnut Ridge will benefit many local businesses by employing them as vendors, which makes the Greggs stand out as entrepreneurs.

“Small businesses are not possible without a community of people coming together to make them work,” Preston said. Taylor agreed, adding: “We are forever indebted to those who dedicated their skills, vision, and dollars to this first step in our journey, who also stood alongside us as we broke ground.” 

 

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Pictured (left to right) are:

·       Josh Best, Contractor

·       Dean Cook, Contractor

·       Zeb Smathers, Canton Alderman

·       Josh Brant, Entegra Bank

·       Preston Gregg, Owner, Chestnut Ridge

·       Taylor Gregg, Owner, Chestnut Ridge

·       CeCe Hipps, President, Haywood County Chamber of Commerce

·       Mark Clasby, Executive Director, Haywood Advancement Foundation & Economic Development Council

·       Nyda Bittmann-Neville, TNB Consulting Group Inc. and Board Officer Chair for Haywood Chamber  

·       Kevin Ensley, Haywood County Commissioner

·       Jake Robinson, President & CEO, Champion Credit Union

 

Special thanks to Danny Wingate of Haywood Builders Supply for gold shovels, Nettie’s Bakery for sweet treats, and Becky’s Florist for fall floral décor.