SML Wedding Profile: Jennifer & Jerry

ByAndie Gibson
UpdatedDec 3, 2025

This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read our full disclosure policy.

The Sassers spent more than a decade dreaming of their wedding celebration, and Smith Mountain Manor proved the perfect place to make it happen.

Photography by Amative Creative

In 2011, the Jerry and Jennifer Sasser had a simple courthouse ceremony, quietly making their marriage official without fanfare but promising themselves a “real wedding” when the time felt right. They settled in Florida, focusing on raising their children as their love deepened over the years.

Fourteen years later, that long-awaited moment finally arrived. On a snowy trip to Alaska in February 2025, Jerry “properly” proposed inside an igloo, and the two began planning the celebration they had always dreamed of.

“We did things completely out of order,” Jennifer said, laughing. “But the time was finally right.”

Smith Mountain Manor: The Ideal Wedding Venue

Smith Mountain Lake was a natural choice. Jennifer’s Virginia roots run deep, and her close-knit cousins—now spread across states with families of their own—had always dreamed of gathering again at the lake.

When Brittany and Briana Salyers, twins and Jennifer’s cousins who own Smith Mountain Manor, heard the Sassers were renewing their vows, they invited them to consider the venue. The stately brick manor with tall columns, wide lawns and mountain views won the couple over instantly.

“It was more than I could have hoped for, so we booked our date,” Jennifer said. “This was going to be a wedding and a family reunion in one.” Before plans took shape, their story already carried deep meaning. Both Jerry and Jennifer served in the U.S. military and built a blended family grounded in service, steadiness and care.

A Dream Ceremony at Smith Mountain Lake

Jerry was awarded the Purple Heart for his heroic actions during the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. Jennifer channels her passion for fitness into helping women and other moms regain strength and confidence. On the morning of the wedding, Jennifer and Jerry drove in from their vacation rental beneath a canopy of green.

“I remember coming out of this ‘tunnel’ of trees and seeing this huge manor appear. It was truly storybook, like emerging from the shadow into a painting. The green hills and bright blue sky were breathtaking.”

— Jennifer Sasser

When the ceremony music began, Jennifer stood out of sight in the bridal suite. The moment she had been waiting for finally arrived.

“It felt a little surreal,” she said. “And then it was my turn. The doors opened and I felt a rush. All I could see was my husband.”

As the sun set and music filled the air, Jennifer said, the celebration felt just as the couple had hoped—joyful, relaxed and centered on family. Surrounded by the beauty of Smith Mountain Lake and the warmth of those they love most, they finally experienced the wedding they had dreamed of for so many years.