Shannon and John were married at the beautiful Walled Gardens on the ground of The Biltmore Estate this past September.  After the ceremony, the guests attended an enchanting and fun reception at the Antler Hill Barn.  The brilliant and artistic Parker J Pfister photographed this happy occasion, and as always, I am in awe of his work.  Thank you to Tere for helping me out on this one!

Their first look! 

One of my favorite pictures of all time!

Gorgeous floral by The Purple Iris…

I am so excited to blog this wedding…Katie and Ryan are an amazing couple, and I feel blessed to have been able to get to know them and to share in all the planning of their special day.  Katie and Ryan have been together for over 10 years, so needless to say, they are perfect for each other.  They are both spunky, fun, and full of joy.  I adore them!  New Year’s Eve was a perfect time for this couple to get married, and what a party it was!  The ceremony and reception were held under the veranda at the Lioncrest on the Biltmore Estate, and it was magical. Tracy Turpen Photography did a brilliant job capturing Katie and Ryan’s wedding day, and it was a delight to work with them.  The pictures are so good, that I could not narrow them down so prepare yourself to look at lots and lots of photographs!  Enjoy!

Ryan waiting to see his bride for their ‘first look’

Floral by The Purple Iris…perfect!

Lighting by Get Lit

Calligraphy by Sarah Hanna

Nothing better than getting a hug from a bride after she sees her vision come to life!

Ryan’s sweet parents…

All the men got down on their knees and sang to the lovely Katie…so fun!

Not only was this a celebration of Katie and Ryan’s marriage, but also the guests were able to ring in the new year together.  So, what do you need?  A television to watch the countdown in the Big Apple!

Happy New Year!!!

The wedding between Caitlin and Trevor was extra special to me because Caitlin’s family are very dear to my heart!  I have known them for a while now, and to see Caitlin and her parents so happy brought me so much joy!  Caitlin and Trevor’s wedding took place at the lovely Claxton Farm, surrounded by North Carolina’s stunning mountains.  Meriah Mozingo did an outstanding job with photographs as you will see below.  Thank you to Liz with The Purple Iris for creating the perfect floral floral design for Caitlin and Trevor.  I had so much fun working with Denise and Fred (Caitlin’s parents), and I thank them for asking me to be a part of this very special occasion in their lives.

A special thank you to Tere for all of your help with this event!

So sweet and adorable…lots and lots of flower girls!

Caitlin’s sister played the flute for the prelude…I love this.

I love that they have a dinner bell that the bride and groom can ring at Claxton…

Tiffany’s cakes are always so amazing.  Her work is perfection!

This picture makes me teary…just like her daddy!

Meriah set a photo center for the guests…and you will see they loved it!

Natalie and Jeff were married at the Grove Park Inn in August, and the day was beautiful.   They were so full of joy, and it was so much fun to be part of this perfect union.  Natalie is originally from the Asheville area, and her parents still live here in the mountains.   Natalie’s parents were married at the Grove Park Inn, so this was the perfect spot for their dream wedding!  The Purple Iris, did awesome work with the floral design, and that was no surprise!  Thank you, Liz.  And to capture it all, was the infamous Corey McNabb…fabulous job as always, Corey!  First of all, I want you to take a glimpse at Natalie and Jeff’s rehearsal dinner at the Riverbend Barn on the Biltmore Estate.  I love this venue!

Natalie’s sweet mama…

Jeff sang a song to Natalie, and it was so precious!  Below is Natalie watching as she gets serenaded… 

And now for the wedding day!

Natalie and Jeff named each table after places they have traveled together

So let me explain…Jeff and Natalie wanted to make their introductions just like a Chicago Bulls lineup, and it was great.  We had the spotlight, the announcer, the music, and the jerseys!  The groomsmen jerseys said G-Men, and the bridemaids said B-Maids.  I loved it!

Natalie and Jeff wanted the Smoochbooth at their wedding, and it was a hit!  As guests had their picture taken, they would put them in a book and write notes to the bride and groom.

Yvette and Lou were married on a gorgeous summer day at the Biltmore Estate.  The whole weekend was filled with activities on the Estate for their guests…a Thursday night dinner at the Riverbend Barn, a Friday night dinner at the Conservatory, and then the wedding and reception on Saturday.  The ceremony was held on the front lawn of the Biltmore House, followed by a dinner reception in the Italian Gardens.  It was an amazing weekend for all!!  I absolutely adored this couple, as they were so genuinely sweet and tenderhearted.  You could see in their eyes and the way the cherished each other, that they were totally meant to be husband and wife.  You can read more about this couple at this link: Yvette and Lou

A huge thank you to Woodward + Rick for the exquisite photographs they captured of Yvette and Lou’s special day.   I just love working with Brian and Gry, and you can see their talent in the tons of photographs below!

Liz, with The Purple Iris, blew me away with the flowers!

Yvette and her mom (above) own Mira Couture in Chicago.  So they designed the bridesmaids dress, the mother-of-bride dress, and Yvette’s wedding dress…so stunning!

Dana, with A Fine Line, is truly the best calligrapher…look at her amazing work!  Flawless!

Yvette and Lou surprised their guests with a spectacular display of fireworks!

Jenni and Nathan were married in November of last year at the Homewood in Asheville, North Carolina.  Their ceremony took place in front of the fireplace in the grand ballroom, and while guests were enjoying cocktails, the room was transformed for a sit-down dinner.  Jenni looked so classy and elegant.  I loved her unique style, and it was reflected in every detail of the wedding.  Thank you Jenni and Nathan for allowing me to be a part.  Liz with The Purple Iris did an amazing job with the flowers, as always!

Enjoy these photographs by Brett Szemple…

Kati and Patrick were married in June at the Grove Park Country Club overlooking the golf course and Asheville mountains.  It was the perfect day, and Kati and Patrick were giddy about finally calling each other husband and wife!  Kati was so excited to be married, that as soon as she walked down the aisle she updated her facebook/twitter status on her blackberry to let everyone know she just became Patrick’s wife!  Hilarious!    Thank you to Regina Holder for providing these pictures and to Liz with The Purple Iris for her fantabulous blooms!

When Corey McNabb called and asked me to help him throw a party to ‘unveil’ the Smoochbooth, I was very excited! The problem was, we were throwing this party at his office and studio, so we had to totally transform the space into an ‘event’ site! It was so much fun to do and see it all come together. A humongous thank you to Classic Event Rental who let me play and use whatever I needed… furniture, lighting, fabric draping, glassware and linens, etc. Thank you, thank you, thank you! So many people helped out with this event, and we are so grateful for each contribution. Check out the pictures to find out about all the sponsors…

Looks like there is a lot of work to be done! These are obviously the ‘before’ pictures!

The lighted path to the restrooms…very important!

Thank you to Liz, with The Purple Iris, for the funky floral decor!

M7 Catering provided the savory hors d’oeuvres, while The Colorful Palate provided the sweets! Oh my goodness, the food was fantastic! I know that everyone was raving about the food, so thank you to these amazing caterers!

The homemade peanut butter cups were to die for! Yummy!

Corey McNabb provided all the beverages, including the Smoochtinis! The Wine Guy helped out with the wine cost…thanks!

Check out this cake! Yes, it is a cake! And it was lip smacking good…okay that was cheesy, but it was very tasty! Melissa, with Cakes by Jane, is extremely talented as you can see!

I just loved the ice carving Masterpiece Ice created for this event. So perfect! I don’t know how they do it…

There is the man himself…Corey McNabb. I love this shot that my husband took!

Everyone had a good time using all the props that were there for the Smoochbooth!

Having fun in the Smoochbooth…

Now this is what I call an intimate wedding…just the bride, groom, officiant, me and the photographer!I just loved when Jill and Andrew contacted me wanting a simple, romantic wedding in Asheville for just the two of them. I thought Homewood would be the perfect place for a winter wedding in front of their gorgeous (and warm!) fireplace. I love not only being a planner, but getting to sign the marriage license! Thank you, Katy Cook, for capturing this beautiful affair!!

Liz with The Purple Iris created a beautiful bouquet for Jill!

That is Katy signing the marriage license as the other witness…so who is taking the photo?? ME!!! Wonderful work, huh?

I had an amazing New Year’s Eve this year, because I was able to be a part of a wedding of two very special people! Nikki and Allen (who both live in New York) wanted a wedding in the gorgeous Asheville, North Carolina where Allen grew up. They chose to have their ceremony at Homewood where the candlelight bounced off the crystals and dark cherry walls. Then, the guests enjoyed dinner and dancing at sleek and classy Coleman Place. I love that they wanted their wedding on such a fun day, as there is so much to celebrate! Nikki and Allen, and their families, were so wonderful to work with…I just loved them all! One of the ‘events’ I really looked forward to was the couple’s first dance because they are both very talented swing dancers. They did not disappoint! I was very impressed! Because they love dancing and music, we named the tables after their favorite swing/jazz musicians and entertainers. So fun! I love how Katy Cook captured this evening full of sparkle, fun, love and new beginnings!

Nikki and Allen had polaroid cameras for their guests to take pictures of themselves throughout the evening. Once they took the pictures, they placed it in an album and wrote a note to the happy couple!