Have we ever told you how much we love to travel for weddings? Taking the journey with cameras in hand to Nevada City, CA was no exception.  Some of the kindest, most genuine people inhabit this beautiful little town nestled in the foothills of Gold Country. Jen and Mike’s family and friends surrounded them as they prepared for their day at two historic inns set in the small town of Nevada City. Jen prepared for the wedding in the lovely Parsonage bed and breakfast while Mike got ready just down the street at The Outside Inn. Nevada City has such a fascinating history which is evident every where you go, including the chapel where they said their vows, St. Canice. After witnessing the heart-warming ceremony, the guests split up to eat lunch and reconvene later that evening for the reception. The portraits that followed lunch was at the awe inspiring Crystal Hermitage Gardens at Ananda Village. Can you imagine a more lovely spot to take your wedding day portraits? Tulips, cherry trees and mountain views were just a part of the recipe that made this beautiful couple so easy to photograph. Jen looked absolutely stunning in her dress which was reborn from her Mother’s own wedding dress. Doesn’t she look like an angel in that first photo?

The reception took place at an old Gold Foundry in the center of Nevada City which is now the Miners Foundry Cultural Center. An old-timey group of musicians played bluegrass and mountain music as the guests danced the contra while whooping and hollering into the night. Delicious appetizer dishes, drinks and desserts adorned the hall on all sides making it one tasty evening. It was an absolute pleasure traveling to California to capture their wedding photography!

The next day we spent a lovely sunny afternoon in the Wedding Orchard. What is a wedding orchard you ask? We just love this idea! You get your closest friends and family together and plant fruit trees. Everyone chose which variety of fruit they wanted to be represented by, and then planted the trees with help from the resident botanical expert, Michael Many Blessings.  As you can probably see from the photos, this was no easy task but worth every bead of sweat in the end. What fruit tree are you?

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Tags: California, california wedding, california wedding photography, Crystal Hermitage Gardens at Ananda Village, gold country, Miners Foundry Cultural Center, nevada city, nevada city wedding, photographer, Photography, wedding, wedding day, wedding dresses, wedding orchard, wedding photo, wedding photography

We absolutely love doing bridal photography shoots with the bride before her wedding day. It’s all about her looking fabulous in her wedding dress with out the stress of the big day. We do take photos of the bride on her actual wedding day too, but a bridal shoot is concentrated and allows us to dedicate a few hours to different locations, lighting, and above all else, making the bride look awesome!

The downside to these bridal shoots – and believe us, it’s the only one – is having to wait to publish them on our blog so the groom won’t see them. Yes, it’s selfish, but we are a tad obsessive as photographers and can’t help getting excited about a shoot. This particular bridal shoot with Falon was especially tough for us to keep from the public. She is a charming bride, we were at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, and her wedding was a whole month away.

So when is this lovely bride getting married? … Today! We scheduled this blog post to go live minutes after the couple’s first look at the Inn on Biltmore Estate. That’s how anxious we were to share these photos with the world. We timed this just right in case the groom is checking our blog from an iPhone. You never know…

Asheville make-up artist Blush by Wendy did a wonderful job with Falon’s make-up for this shoot, Suraj Spa & Salon did her hair, and the Bloom Room provided a gorgeous bouquet. And of course thanks to the bride’s mother, Nancy, for coming along with us. Enjoy our bridal photography and send your well wishes and congrats to the newlyweds, Falon and Clay! We know their wedding is going to be amazing and we will be posting a sneak peek of it next week.

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Tags: Asheville, Asheville photographers, Asheville wedding, Biltmore Estate, biltmore estate photography, bridal, bridal photography, bridal photos, bridal shoot, bride, clothing, culture, fashion, North Carolina, photographer, photographers, wedding, wedding day, wedding dresses

We had an exceptionally marvelous time at this Biltmore Estate wedding with Heather and Ben and all their wonderful guests. The wedding took place on Saturday at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina and this perfect day started with everyone getting ready at the Inn on Biltmore Estate. E. Scott Thompson and his crew with Makeup at Grove Arcade did a fantastic job with the ladies’ makeup, while the gents prepared for the ceremony in their stylish suits just one room over. The wedding ceremony was on the Vista at the Inn on Biltmore with breathtaking mountain scenery. It wasn’t our first time photographing a ceremony here but it’s still amazing every time we see it!

Following the ceremony guests headed to the Lioncrest venue to party all night long at the reception. And let me tell you, these folks knew how to get down and dance! K2 out of Greensboro took care of the DJ’ing and the dance floor was full during every song. Tunes ranging from the Twist to the Macarena (yes, people still know it) to Outkast got the guests on their feet to celebrate this joyous occasion with Heather and Ben. Several of our teaser photos from this Biltmore Estate wedding feature the work of Link Johnsten from Eau Gallie Florist. He is a long time friend of the bride’s family and traveled from Florida with all his arrangements to decorate the venues. Quite lovely! We want to give a huge thank you to Nicole and the entire Biltmore catering staff for all their help. Things ran so smoothly and that is just what a happy couple-in-love deserves on their big day! The chemistry between Heather and Ben causes sparks and we are blessed to be their photographers.

Enjoy the photography from their wedding, and as always feel free to leave a comment.

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Tags: Asheville, ben, biltmore, Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Estate wedding, biltmore estate wedding photography, Biltmore Estate weddings, biltmore wedding venues, heather, inn on biltmore, Lioncrest, NC, North Carolina, vista, wedding, wedding cakes, wedding ceremonies, wedding dresses, wedding photography