The relationship included multiple meetings with Parton and a chance to help create some of her signature sparkly looks.
Zachary Wood said he admired Parton from an early age.
"I admire Dolly Parton because she was such a fascinating person," Wood said.
Growing up in Moore County, Wood said he looked up to Parton and her journey to success from a small town in Tennessee.
"She built herself from rags to riches and created an empire for the world and I admired her for the love she shared for everyone," he said.
Years later, Wood got the opportunity to meet Parton during a tour stop in Charleston. Wanting to make the occasion special, he brought her a rhinestone-covered planter decorated with her signature butterflies.
"I was finally getting to meet my idol, so the least I could do was bring her something beautiful," Wood said.
According to Wood, the planter eventually found a place on Parton's tour bus. Months later, another opportunity came when Wood helped add rhinestones by hand to one of Parton's dresses.
"I could feel my body shaking because there was a dress of Dolly's that I was rhinestoning by hand," he said.
Wood said he also helped create wings for an outfit worn at Dollywood following the wildfires that devastated Gatlinburg.
The project led to another meeting with Parton, who wanted to show him the completed outfit.
"I still remember the moment I laid eyes on her she lit up the entire room," Wood said.
Despite being starstruck, Wood said Parton quickly put him at ease.
"It honestly felt like being with someone I had known a lifetime," he said.
"Just two old friends catching up."
Wood said Parton's public image matched the person he encountered behind the scenes.
"Dolly was a what you saw in public is what you got in private type of person," he said.
The dress featuring the wings Wood helped create was later included in Parton's backstage book, "Behind the Seams," which showcases some of her favorite outfits.
For Wood, the experience exceeded anything he imagined growing up in Moore County.
"Dolly has always said that dreams can come true, and mine did, and it meant the world to me," he said.
Wood also recalled Parton's sense of humor.
After spending about 15 minutes with her on the bus while she showed off the outfit, he said she jokingly told visitors it was time to leave so everyone could head into Dollywood, drawing laughter from those aboard.
For Wood, the memories offered a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of his lifelong heroes.
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