Last weekend, Epic Events and Entertainment hosted the Epic June Wedding convention in Covington, Georgia. If you’re a Vampire Diaries fan, you know where this comes from, but if you’re not, check out the clip below!
It was so cool getting to be a part of something so monumental in the Vampire Diaries universe and I’m so grateful I was able to be at the event!
I flew into Atlanta on Thursday morning, my friend picked me up, and we headed straight to Covington! It was a full-blown Georgia summer with high temps and even higher humidity, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
My friend Kayla and I spent the early part of the afternoon in the Covington Square. The Square is where all the main Vampire Diaries tourist spots are like the Mystic Grill, the iconic clocktower plus Scoops, The Alley gift shop, Vampire Stalkers, and Main Street Trolley. It’s also only a short walk away from the Lockwood Mansion and Elena’s and Caroline’s houses.
The Square’s newest attraction is Mystic Mercantile, a shop with a replica of the Salvatore Boarding House living room, including some of the original furniture from set! I didn’t do an official tour of the space, but I had a meet and greet with Chris Brochu in the shop and it’s eery how identical the spaces look! Check out a photo below of Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) and Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) in the living room.
Some other places I love in the Square are Wild Art, Your Pie, Woven Boutique, Bread and Butter Bakery, @Local Coffee House & Study Lounge, Social Goat, Town Square Olive Oil, Roots, Soap Box, and Ridge Avenue.
We spent the later part of the day selling merchandise at pre-registration for the convention and setting up Kayla and her mom’s merch booth at the convention venue. Kayla and her parents started a company called Superstar Designs where they create fandom merch that they sell at conventions. Check out their website! They have clothing, stunning lanterns, keychains, ornaments, and tons more!
I have so much of their clothing and I LOVE every piece that I have. Check out my favorite one I have from them.
The convention started on Friday morning and we met Claire Holt (Rebekah Mikaelson), Phoebe Tonkin (Hayley Marshall), Andrew Lees (Lucian Castle), Sebastian Roche (Mikael Mikaelson), Joseph Morgan (Klaus Mikaelson), Persia White (Abby Bennett Wilson), and Jedediah Goodacre (Roman Sienna).
Check out our photos from Friday!
Then I ended my day at Chris Brochu’s meet and greet, one of the highlights of the whole weekend! Chris has always been one of my favorite cast members so being able to just sit and chat for an hour was so fun – not to mention Mystic Mercantile was such a cool place to have a meet and greet AND I made a friend while we were there!
Chris had us go around the circle and say our names and where we were from, saying maybe we’d meet our new best friend, and there was another girl in the group from Massachusetts and we became friends and were coincidentally on the same flight home!
Check out our meet and greet photos.
We ended our night on Friday at Lucky Day Taco and then Scoops for ice cream. I had never been to Lucky Day before but it was so!good! Their tacos were delicious and their chips were homemade and to dieeeee for! I also got a Moonstone Margarita which was as pretty as it was delicious. It was the perfect shade of light purple and had triple sec, lime, tequila, lavender, and luster dust.
On Saturday morning, Kayla had a meet and greet in the town square, so she and I got breakfast at Bread and Butter and while she was in her M&G, I hung around Bread and Butter and then found an empty bench in the Square and relaxed until it was time to head to the con.
I’ve been to Covington several times over the years, but those few minutes I had on my own before meting back up with Kayla and before the area was swarmed by crowds were so peaceful and tranquil. I haven’t seen Covington that quiet in years and I can’t even begin to think of how to recreate the bliss I felt while sitting in one of my favorite places in the world with the beautiful backdrop of the clocktower and the Covington Square.
Back at the convention, we got photos with Leo Howard (Ethan Machado), Micah Parker (Adrian), Nathaniel Buzolic (Kol Mikaelson), Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood), Melise Jow (Anna), and Chord Overstreet. We also met Omono Okojie (Cleo), Allison Scagliotti (Georgie), Ben Levin (Jed), Courtney Bandeko (Finch), and Kayla Ewell (Vicki Donovan).
Getting to reconnect with Nathaniel meant the world to me and I was so excited to see Trevino, Micah, and Leo again. ALSO – to FINALLY meet Melise was SO COOL. I’ve always wanted to meet her and she was so kind and so happy to be there. I really hope she comes to more cons in the future, I’d love to have the chance to meet her again.
Kayla also remembered me from past events which TOTALLY SURPRISED ME and she got so excited when I told her I had her meet and greet the next morning.
After a long day in the sun, we spent the evening back in the town square for Chord Overstreet’s concert. I’ve been a longtime fan of Chord’s and I’ve met his brother Nash tons of times over the years, so it was super cool to meet him and to be able to hear Hold On – an absolutely ICONIC song on Vampire Diaries – live in the SQUARE was unimaginably cool.
After the show, we got Damon Pancake shots at the Mystic Grill. Even if you don’t like alcohol, I think you’d like this shot. I can’t shoot straight vodka anymore, and even I didn’t have trouble with this one. Plus, you get to take home the shot glass!
Then we went to Social Goat for dinner and we were back up bright and early on Sunday morning for the convention.
I started my morning at @Local for Kayla Ewell’s meet and greet and I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is the thing I was most excited for the entire weekend and it was by far my favorite part of the whole event.
Kayla is one of THE most down to earth, kind humans I have ever met. I’ve met her a few times over the years and she is such a ray of sunshine. Every conversation you have with her feels so special and she’s someone that when you speak to her, it feels like she’s truly present and truly appreciative of the time you’ve dedicated to talking with her.
I attended 9 years worth of conventions before Kayla and I were at the same event, and now, I can’t imagine a convention without seeing her. If you haven’t met Kayla yet, DO IT! Vicki may not be your favorite character, but Kayla will become your new favorite cast member!
After the meet and greet, I met up with (my friend) Kayla and she and I grabbed a quick brunch at the Mystic Grill. Their food is always delicious and being able to sit and eat at a bar that looks nearly identical to the one on the show is so!cool!
When we got to the con, Kayla and I got some of THE MOST ICONIC PHOTOS IN THE WORLD.
We got our photo with Kaylee Kaneshiro, Chris Wood, and Jenny Boyd –
and THEN !!!! We got a Prison World photo op with Ian Somerhalder, Kat Graham, and Chris Wood!!!
Then we got selfies with Sean Farris and Kaylee.
I also got Chord Overstreet’s autograph and I had him sign a hand painted album cover.
Back when it was announced that Chord was coming to the convention, I purchased a photo and autograph with him, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had no idea what I wanted him to sign.
When I started thinking more about it, I remembered that Chord is featured on the song Do The Damn Thing, one of my all time favorite songs by one of my all time favorite bands, Hot Chelle Rae. So naturally, I thought about getting a copy of the single on vinyl, but because it never came out on vinyl, I felt like I had no other option than PAINT IT.
I bought a 12×12 canvas (the same size as a record), I drew the album cover, and then I got to work on painting it. I am beyond proud of how it came out and I was so excited to get Chord to sign it. Take a look at the final product!
I also painted a picture of him from his Glee days and had him sign it for my friend.
At the end of the day, after breaking down the merch booth, me, Kayla, and our friends grabbed dinner at the Mystic Grill again.
The next morning, we packed our things and headed back to the town square for one last meal – yes, at the Mystic Grill again! – before saying a tear filled goodbye 😦
The best thing about conventions is the life long friends you can make at these events. The worst thing is having to say goodbye. We’ve built such a strong friendship from these events, and while meeting the cast of our favorite shows is incredible, the relationships we’ve built is even better.
If you’ve never been to a convention before, GO! You never know the experiences you’re going to have, the friendships you will build, and the connections you could make. If you have any questions about Covington or about conventions, shoot me a message! 🙂
Anchored Musings 