Creating Magical Moments at Homewood in Asheville, North Carolina Meghan and Paul 5.6.23

Vendors Involved:

Venue: Homewood

Florals: Shady Grove

Planning / Coordinating: Carolina Love Events (in-house for Homewood)

Catering: Carolina Allured Catering

DJ: Snap!

Hair: Lola Salon

Makeup: Lola Salon

ONe of my favorite wedding venues to photograph in ASheville North carolina is homewood…

Just a few minutes outside of downtown Asheville, in a cute neighborhood lined with gorgeous homes and beautifully aged scenery, lies one of Asheville’s hidden gems for wedding venues. Homewood has a striking appearance that sets it apart from other venues in the area. The castle-like facade completes your wedding fantasy along with tucked away gardens for your ceremony and guests to enjoy during cocktail hour. I love Homewood so much because no matter what no two weddings there look the same, the backbone of Homewood is like the perfect canvas to build off of to create your unique wedding day. Meghan and Paul dressed the venue with an array of white flowers nestled with deep greenery that showcased what makes Homewood a stand-out venue while also embellishing a little

unsure if you should do a first look or not at your wedding?

Over the years of photographing weddings more and more couples are choosing to do a first look on their wedding day as opposed to seeing each other for the first time during the ceremony. Goes without saying that the decision to do either is a very personal one and some couples are cemented in their choice from the beginning — however there are plenty of other couples that are completely undecided and like the many other decisions to be to be made for your wedding day it orbits around as a possibility.

Most couples see having a first look as a very intimate time together and want to share that experience only with their partner (and photographer of course) to make it more special. Some couples exchange gifts or recite personal vows during the first look as well. I think it’s a great option to be able to have that time together before the ceremony and reception when it all truly becomes a blur of greeting guests and taking photos. Plus, it certainly makes the couple way less stressed after seeing each other!

Doing a first look on your wedding day also allows you to have photos taken together before the ceremony which in turn allows you to skip formal shots together post-ceremony and enjoy cocktail hour with your friends and family! As a wedding photographer I understand the importance of being able to spend time with your invited guests and family and try to not spend all your free time taking photos.

Meghan and Paul decided to do a first look on their wedding day at Homewood in Asheville, North Carolina. With the gorgeous venue nestled in the background and under the shade of trees, they shared an intimate moment together before becoming husband and wife. I love these moments so much because here is when we get the real emotions of the day and I get to step back and just photograph what’s unfolding in front of me. This is when having a photojournalistic eye comes in handy and wedding photographers get to play a different role and be more of a fly on the wall.

First looks always capture the true joy of the couple being together for the first time and when it all comes together — after months of planning you are standing in front of your future partner dressed to the nines about to marry each other! oh! The feels!!

Some of my favorite photos from their wedding day were taken right after the first look!

Ceremony

The great thing about Homewood is that they offer beautiful indoor and outdoor locations for your ceremony! Their indoor location is in the great room where the reception is typically held (this means the room will be flipped after the ceremony is done) the second location is outside in the gardens. Meagan and Paul held their ceremony outside with friends and family, many who had travelled to Asheville, and even had their close friend officiate their ceremony! I love it when couples personalize their wedding ceremony with less formalities and more about them, what they’ve been through and what got them where they are now: holding hands at the altar about to say “I do”.

Emphasis on the friends and family

Probably the best thing about your wedding is getting celebrate with your close friends and family! This was super important for Meghan and Paul and practically any couple on their wedding day. I like to make sure that get enough candid and posed photos of the married couple with their friends and family outside of the formal ones that take place after the ceremony during cocktail hour.

I like to work into my photo schedule down time for myself and the couple to not to have to worry about photos and indulge in their special day. You’ve spent so much time, money and energy making sure your wedding day is perfect and enjoyable for all your guests! It’s so important to work with the couple to make sure they have plenty of time to have photos taken and enjoy themselves. Like I mentioned earlier, them having a first look earlier in the day allows you more time with your guests.

Now it’s time to have fun!

Receptions are great and so much fun to photograph! Meghan and Paul got to do photos with every table at their reception to ensure that everyone felt included in the photo-taking process. They also hired a live band for their reception which is always so, so much fun! Homewood’s great room is a perfect space for your reception! Ample room for 6-7 tables, a dancefloor, DJ booth or live band, and a gorgeous hearth fireplace to add florals and decorations to.

Some of my favorite moments to photograph during a wedding day happen during the reception. For starters, the first dance is a great way to capture genuine emotion from the bride and groom while incorporating the guests and their reaction and the venue as well. So many great moments and interactions between the couple and the guests take place during the reception so often I find myself shooting in a more documentary style with a photojournalistic eye.

Sunset photos

I’m really saving the best photos for last because OH MY GOSH! I get to shoot at Homewood often and this year I wanted to approach couples’ photos differently, adding an element or something to the photos that set it apart from the other weddings I’ve shot at Homewood in Asheville, North Carolina. I had already done a flower petal toss and late night sparklers in the courtyard earlier in the season, I had a vision of a couple sitting in chairs in the road or with Homewood in the background. I was lucky enough to have some at my disposal (shoutout to my partner for bringing them by and taking them home) and I found myself completely inspired by it all! Meghan and Paul were fantastic in trusting me with my vision and eventually we were able to work together to some of these absolutely amazing photos!!