Though October is usually a bustling and joyful month here in WNC - particularly for the wedding industry - this year has, for obvious reasons, been both quieter and much more uncertain. So, it was with even more excitement than usual (is that possible?) that Anna and Andrew’s family, friends, and wedding vendors came together to create what was one of the most relaxed, seamless, and happy celebrations that I’ve ever been a part of in my 12 years of photographing weddings.
Read MoreMeredith, Jordan, and their family and friends made my team’s work feel effortless; everyone was relaxed, all smiles, and definitely ready to celebrate. And, while we’d spent their rehearsal the day before hiding under awnings and umbrellas, their wedding day dawned bright and sunny, becoming even more stunning as the sun set behind the ridge.
Thank you so much to everyone whose hard work and great energy made this a wonderful celebration of love!
Read MoreOctober 14, 2023: beautiful day with the very sweetest family. The meticulously hand-stitched wedding gown designed by the bride’s sister, the ceremony officiated by her parents, the pages worth of tear-inducing vows from both partners, the first dance set against the just-changing leaves, the exceptional toasts, and the happy couple even taking the time out of their special day to congratulate all of the recently married and engaged couples. We had the most perfect October day in the mountains possible - first cozy under a blanket of fog and then brilliantly colorful once the festivities began - and it was such an honor to get to document a day full of love like this one.
Read MoreIf we gave out superlatives for wedding couples rather than vendors,Laura and Gabe would definitely get “most welcoming.” Certainly from their loved ones - it seemed like everywhere they turned they threw their arms up excited to hug another guest, almost all of whom traveled quite a distance to attend. In every single photo, I caught both Laura and Gabe with huge grins on their faces, making sure each person knew just how much their attendance meant to them.
Read MoreAnd as always with this kind of theme, their wedding day dawned with the sure promise of rain right at the time of their first look. As their photographer, this was disappointing for me as well because I’d scouted what I knew to be an epic selection of first look and portrait locations amongst the River Arts District studios, but Mother Nature had other plans. Not only were Mike and Lexi exceptionally relaxed as we changed plans on a dime, but they graciously trusted me to guide them through their first look, wedding party portraits and couple’s photos in a location they’d never seen, simply happy to be together.
Read MoreBringing together large groups of people can be daunting, particularly when planning a wedding in the middle of Covid not knowing what everyone’s exact circumstances might be. But when Amanda and Harrison’s families and friends came together for their wedding last month, I was struck by just how amiable every single guest and vendor was. Amanda’s bridal attendants especially were completely devoted to ensuring that the happy couple have the best (and smoothest) day ever. So I have to give a shoutout to that exceptional group of ladies for helping me to round up people for photos, for being conscious of time so that we remained on time to the minute all day long, and for putting together a really sweet getting ready playlist!
Read MoreSeeing their faces light up, eyes shining, as they saw each other for the first time in their wedding finery, it was like no one and nothing else in the world mattered at that moment. I love first looks for that reason, but particularly because even in the middle of a hectic day, the instant they were together they both breathed easier, seemed so much more at peace.
After an engagement session, a bridal portrait shoot and several hours spent planning, I felt like I really knew these two, so watching them exchange vows left me just as teary-eyed. To get to celebrate two people who are unendingly caring and sweet to all they encounter was such an honor!
Read MoreI’ve been doing things differently this year simply offering coverage of the entire wedding day rather than trying to condense it into one smaller packaged set of hours. And this especially came in handy when we decided to drive separately up to the Blue Ridge Parkway 25 minutes away for their first look! The first look is almost always my favorite part of the day anyways, but getting to coordinate one with the sunlit mountains in the background, no one else in attendance and only the sounds of birds chirping and breeze blowing? Absolutely perfect.
Read MoreBut most of all, to document their commitment ceremony precisely two years to the minute from the start time of their first date - an evening when each realized that the other was something very special - may have been the most meaningful piece of all. Particularly since Nick’s vows left every single one of us in tears.
Reliving this wedding, I still can’t believe how quickly these two pulled together such a beautiful and flawless event. I’m honored that we not only got to document the occasion, but that we could also live stream their intimate ceremony so that her parents and other family and friends back home still got to very much be a part of their day.
Read MoreFal and Richard had quite the week leading up to their wedding: medical boards on Tuesday, moving on Wednesday and driving to Asheville on Thursday. So, come Saturday, it seemed almost surreal that they’d been able to pull everything off. As they were sitting on the floral sofa under the twinkle lights taking their couple’s photos, in the middle of gazing lovingly at each other Richard suddenly gasped and threw up his hands, “We really did it!”
Read MoreNot often do I get to say this, but I actually knew the groom before the bride did! Q and I both came to Asheville in 2011 as student athletes, and since my freshman roommates were all on the women’s soccer team, I befriended many on the men’s side as well. I photographed both Q’s soccer matches and his graduation photos, so when I got a text from an unknown number while I was working in NYC saying “Hey! Are you free June 22, 2019? Tara and I would love for you to shoot our wedding.” I was understandably thrilled! Well, first I had to figure out whose number it was, then I was thrilled.
Read MoreMy absolute favorite thing about being a wedding photographer is getting to see families work together to make their bride and groom’s day the most special possible. For Lauren and Alex, while the weather wasn’t what we’d hoped and several plans had to change, we got to see just how loved and appreciated these two are by all their family and friends. Even better, the rain stopped just enough for us to run outside for photos against the perfectly misty mountains. It was such an honor getting to spend the day capturing the new Mr. and Mrs. Wall’s love for each other.
Read MoreWedding days are often a great metaphor for life: you can plan for months or years to have that “perfect day,” but no matter how foolproof your strategy, things will never happen quite that way in real time. The beauty of wedding photography is that when things go off course (and timelines go out the window!) we’re there to document families, friends and our fantastic wedding industry colleagues working together to help make each couple’s day, as Emmaleigh says, “perfectly imperfect.”
Read MoreI loved giving people gifts. I love even more getting to make said gifts. From age 5 onward, whenever I could, I handmade all family Christmas gifts, starting as early as June to ensure that everyone’s was completed on time.
So, to be able to incorporate gift giving into my business has been a real pleasure. My favorite product that I started offering last year was a parent album, a smaller version of each couple’s photo album showcasing almost exclusively the images that the couple, the parents and siblings are in. This way, each parent gets their own commemorative album tailored to them, highlighting the moments that they were a part of.
Read MoreOne of the reasons I love participating in styled shoots is getting to see the amazing creativity that comes out of vendors directly working together to create a concept. For instance, not only did Emmaleigh help me to style the provided attire for detail shots, but she even brought in her own crystals and antiques to add character and depth to the photos!
Read MoreMelissa 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, even the wedding cake. 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.
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