These two gorgeous people just brought a beautiful baby into the world, so I thought it about time to share photos from our styled shoot almost exactly a year ago!

Melissa of Cakes by Gray reached out to me to photograph a new cake flavor for her - grapefruit and black pepper (it was delicious!) - as we decided that instead of simply sticking with the original in-studio photos that we’d first planned, we would also put together a little styled shoot. Why not, right?

To coordinate with the sensual flavors, Melissa created this stunning black pastry masterpiece accented with gold and thus we had our theme. Design inspiration can come from anywhere, and it’s especially great when it’s tasty! To round out our design team, Melissa brought in vendors all local to Asheville to help us create this moody styled elopement in the brand new Asheville Social Hall Space.

Cake: Cakes by Gray

Dress: Amanda Rose Studios

Flowers: Springvine Design

Hair & Makeup: Andrea with AnaRie

Models: Ali Lawless & Toby Brown

Rentals: East West Venue & Vintage Rentals

Tux: Mitchells Tuxedos

Venue: Asheville Social Hall

Videographer: Erin Dalton

For the photography, my goal was to use each vendor’s details to tell this intimate story of two people so deeply in love that they want to focus their commitment ceremony solely on each other. We put together a little ceremony area perfect also for dancing, a tablescape where Ali (owner of AnaRie) and Toby would share their “first meal” as husband and wife, and an elegant spread for their cake tasting to finish off the night.

For me, the most fun part (aside from capturing Toby and Ali looking adoringly at each other!) was playing with various lighting scenarios to create the mood. We first began photographing while it was still daylight, so the numerous paneled windows allowed me to play with both soft natural light and silhouettes. Then, once it began to get dark outside, I pulled out my speedlights to light up the venue, using only one or two to create a high contrast look. By far, one of my favorite images from this entire shoot was that of Melissa’s cake framed by a gorgeous light fixture that Sara had at the venue.

I love photoshoots that challenge me to think critically about my approach and get creative with my images - that’s why I love starting out each wedding season with these styled shoots. I definitely can’t wait to photograph more at Asheville Social Hall!