How To Plan The Perfect Asheville Elopement By: Andrew May
So you have chosen Asheville North Carolina as your elopement destination and now you need an Asheville elopement photographer with an adventurous spirit. There are numerous Asheville elopement locations like Craggy Gardens, Black Balsam, or Max Patch. You have decided Asheville is a dope place for your elopement. Perhaps you are feeling more adventurous and realize that your options are wide open. You can elope anywhere in the world and you can bring me with you. You can check out a Yosemite elopement I did HERE. The sky is the limit, but Asheville is truly an amazing place to have the perfect elopement.
Find An Amazing Asheville Elopement Photographer
The search is over. Allegory and Elm Photography have photographed over 100 elopements in the Asheville area. I hate to disseminate the goods this early, but you are busy trying to plan so I will boil this down to one simple question. What do you love to do? This is all that matters. This is your wedding day, this is your moment and you decided to elope because you don’t want the traditional wedding day that often times becomes about what others want rather than what the couple wants.
Do you love adventure on a mountainside, do you love coffee or craft beer? Are you a foodie, or do you just enjoy cuddling by the fire with your lover? These are the real questions to ask yourself and to start there. There are no hard and fast rules for your elopement. You can make it as chill and intimate as you like. You don’t have to do what everyone else wants. This is your love story, so make it a good one.
A First Look For Your Asheville Elopement
I recommend starting the elopement with a first reveal or first look, which is basically having me capture the first time you see each other on your wedding day. This creates some real and intimate moments that are truly genuine and it is great to have captured to remember how you felt in that moment. If you don’t want to deal with the charade of driving separately to a location for the first look, then don’t. Just show each other the goods, hop in a car together, and bounce.
Have A Contingency Plan In Place For Your Asheville Elopement
Have a contingency plan in place and be willing to adjust on the fly. The weather may not cooperate, and if it doesn’t you will want to have a solid back up plan in place. My suggestion is to find a nice covered space and then embrace the rain. Yeah, the hair and make-up wasn’t cheap, but neither was your photographer, and if you want good photos, the move is to let loose and just have fun. Additionally, you can stay in Asheville for a few extra days and if the weather is awful, you may be able to reschedule. I have had hair and makeup artists not charge for a rescheduling fee. Flawless and Anarie are some of my favorites.
Amanda and Robbie decided to bump tradition and to do things their own way. They chose to do things they knew they would enjoy. Both of them love craft beer so they decided to start their elopement at a local brewery that specializes in wild and sour beer. They hit up The Funkatorium which is Wicked Weed Brewing’s sour pub in the South slope of Asheville.
Robbie is a brewer at Devil’s Backbone Brewing in Virginia, so he has a passion for finding the best craft beer around. Rather than spending an inordinate amount of time planning, a ton of money, and much of their wedding day apart, Amanda and Robbie decided to drink beer, play corn hole, and spend intimate and meaningful time together.
I’m Your Asheville Elopement Guide
I don’t need to convince you why you need to elope or give you reasons why you might want to elope. I am not just a photographer, I am your Asheville elopement guide. My main goal is to guide you in having the most baller Asheville elopement possible. I can actually help you with some of the planning as I was born and raised in Asheville and I know the area quite well.
You can select the location you want and have me scout. I can explore where will work best photographically. Or you can go in advance, scout on your own, and decide where you would like to say your “I do’s.” I will have you fill out a questionnaire that can help me to determine what exactly you are looking for. Planning ahead makes the elopement day so much more chill and fun. Finding a photographer you vibe with is also key so go with someone who’s work and personality you connect with.
When Is The Best Time Of Year For Your Asheville Elopement?
So when is the best time of year for an elopement in the Asheville area? Well this somewhat depends on where you are looking to do the elopement. If you are wanting to hit up somewhere at a higher elevation (6,000 ft) like Black Balsam, Graveyard Fields, or Craggy Gardens, late May to early October is best. A lot of people opt for late September or early October to get the beautiful autumn color that the Asheville North Carolina mountains provide.
It is really hit or miss as to how the weather will be. Leaves also peak a bit earlier at the higher elevations. Leaves sometimes peak the last couple weeks of September or the first 2 weeks of October. If you are planning a mountainside elopement, late September is the best choice in my opinion. Basically the dude won’t get crazy sweaty in his suit and the bride won’t freeze her buns off. It is the perfect medium in terms of temperature and nature peacocking it’s glorious color.
You will need a minimum of 2-3 hours for your Asheville elopement. I recommend 4-6 hours to really get what you are looking for in terms of photography, not feeling rushed, and being able to hit up multiple locations. We offer everything from a bare bones 2 hour package, to a full day dawn until dusk adventure elopement package.
Focus On Your Asheville Elopement Vendors
You don’t have to worry quite as much about making a million decisions, but the ones you do make should be good ones. Here are folks that I have worked with before that I trust and am confident in their work. These are all clickable links, so you don’t have to do a bunch of research.
Make Up – Ali Lawless (Anarie Hair and Make Up), Blush Asheville
Hair – Andrea Boyer (Anarie Hair and Make Up)
Rings – Marthaler Jewelers
Officiant – Asheville Marriages. Their website leaves a little to be desired, but their officiants are top notch!!
Flowers – Two Buds and a Blossom, Shady Grove, Flora Asheville
Make sure to check out the end of this article as there are tons of options and suggestions for accommodations and great places to eat while you are in Asheville. If you are eloping here, hang out for a few days and make the most of your trip. There is so much to do in our city.
This is what Amanda had to say about her Asheville elopement process…
“‘Amazing” doesn’t even begin to describe our experience working with Andrew May! My husband and I had quite the adventure elopement in Asheville. It was so much fun to spend a few hours trekking around downtown Asheville for photos before hopping on the Blue Ridge Parkway for our intimate ceremony at Craggy Gardens. The entire process from start to finish was a breeze. Since we live in Virginia, we had to plan the entire day through emails and a few phone calls – but it couldn’t have been any easier. Andrew was very helpful and answered all of our questions promptly. I would highly recommend him!”
Communicate With Your Asheville Elopement Officiant
There are little tips that are helpful to know. Communicate to the officiant to pop out of the shot for the first kiss and vows so they can be as epic as possible. The shot below was Amanda and Robbie’s actual first kiss as a married couple. You won’t get this type of shot in a church!!
Bring loved ones if you like, but make sure they know that we will get the best photos if they hike to the location on their own. I like to work with the couple on the way up, and shoot until the sun sets. It can be awkward trying to get intimate if Uncle Frank is there peaking over my shoulder making jokes.
Here is a pro tip. If you plan on hiking, bring a backpack and a pair of comfortable shoes to hike in (tennis shoes or hiking boots). Bring water and snacks and some layers in case it gets chilly at higher elevations.
Here are my Favorite Places to Photograph Elopements in the Asheville Area:
Black Balsam: Click HERE To Check Out This Amazing Black Balsam Elopement near Asheville NC
Max Patch: Click HERE To See This Beautiful Max Patch Elopement
Craggy Gardens:
Fun Asheville Digs
If you dig beer and a fun experience to kick things off, here is a list of breweries to hit up (these links are all clickable as well):
Dessert: French Broad Chocolate Lounge
If you love coffee, here are some fun spots:
Summit Coffee (River Arts District)
Where should we eat dinner?
We can do a picnic if the timing necessitates it. Let’s celebrate with some boozy booze.
Curate: Get a reservation at least 2 weeks in advance if you want to eat here. Spanish style tapas, but you will leave full. This is my favorite Asheville Restaurant
The Bull and Beggar: Make that rezzy. Sometimes I feel like I can grill my own steak better than most restaurants, The Bull and Beggar does not fall into the category of “most restaurants.”
Chestnut: Great salads, soup and atmosphere. This place is a staple for us as we have always had a good experience, great food, and amazing service. We even took our 1 and 4 year old one time and they were quite accommodating.
Where Should We Stay During Our Asheville Elopement?
Also, there a ton of fun airbnb’s or you can go glamping somewhere like Paint Rock Farm
More Asheville Eats
Breakfast:
Well Bred (Biltmore Village) outside of the Biltmore Estate
Biscuit Head (West Asheville, Downtown, South Asheville location opening Spring 2018)
King Daddy’s Chicken and Waffle (West Asheville)
Another Broken Egg Cafe (South Asheville)
Tupelo Honey (Downtown or South Asheville)
Lunch:
12 Bones (bbq, ribs, amazing sides). The corn pudding is incredible.
White Duck Taco (Downtown, River Arts, South) Lamb Gyro is the tits!!
Vegetarian/Vegan:
Laughing Seed Cafe (Downtown Asheville)
Rosetta’s Kitchen (Downtown Asheville)
Bean Vegan Cuisine (South Asheville)
Well Bred (Biltmore Village)
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