I first met these two at Sarah’s sister’s wedding last June here in Columbus. I had been given a heads up that Kristy + Sarah were recently engaged, and my client wanted plenty of photos of them. When a rainbow appeared at the reception, I threw them in front of it for what became the perfect engagement photo! A conversation then followed, with the question posed to me – would I come to Asheville for their wedding? I believe my answer was some version of “hell yes!” though I doubted how serious they were. Well, they meant it, and this September I flew to Asheville for their big day!
Their weekend festivities actually began with a rehearsal dinner Friday evening, at a Brewery in downtown Asheville. The town is known for their breweries so it was an appropriate location! I did sneak the two outside for a couple quick portraits with their beers. The evening was a great way to catch up with everyone!
The next day we boarded a bus for their wedding venue, which was actually about a 40 minute drive outside Asheville. Their venue Inn at Tranquility Farm, is situated in the Smoky Mountains, with the most picturesque backdrop. (Living in very flat central Ohio, these scene is such a treat!) Once both brides were dressed, I staged their first look in the back garden for just the two of them. Afterwards we invited wedding party and family to join for portraits, and completed all pictures before their ceremony.
Their ceremony took place in a Gazebo on the very edge of the overlook, and there were plenty of tears and tissues to go around! The officiant read a passage from a queer author that moved me especially – I’ll need to find out the details from the couple and then update this blog post accordingly because it is worth sharing! Once married, the celebration continued with dinner, sunset pictures, cornhole, dessert, dancing and not one, but two epic exits – one sparkler (in a smaller group because technically it was against the venue’s policies :)) and a bigger one with glow sticks!
I literally couldn’t have been more grateful to have been a part of this amazing wedding day. More than just “perfect” – it was a dream! The couple went out of their way to take care of me at every opportunity. Or maybe I’m just not used to that Southern hospitality 😉 Congrats, ladies!!
REHEARSAL DINNER:
ONTO THE WEDDING DAY…
