Getting Married at Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, NC: A Complete Guide

If you are planning a wedding at Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina, you have already done something right. This is one of those venues that just has it. The bones are incredible, the energy is right, and the fact that it is Asheville’s original brewery gives the whole place a kind of credibility that newer venues spend years trying to earn. We have photographed a lot of weddings here over the years and it genuinely never gets old.

This guide covers everything you need to know about what a Highland Brewing wedding actually looks and feels like, from the spaces themselves to the logistics, the seasons, and how to get the most out of every part of the property on your day.

The Spaces

Highland Brewing Company has three distinct event areas and knowing the difference between them matters a lot when you are planning your day.

The Event Center and Rooftop

This is the one most couples are picturing when they book here. The Event Center is a large, tri-level indoor reception space with soaring ceilings and these massive clerestory windows that let natural light pour across the whole room. There are live-edge wood bar tops, a full stage with professional sound and lighting equipment, an elevator, a wedding suite, and a catering prep kitchen. It seats up to 300 for a dinner reception and can handle up to 450 for a cocktail-style event.

Above it is the Rooftop. This is 3,000 square feet of open-air space with 360-degree views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a shipping container bar, and some of the most beautiful ceremony light we have ever worked in. It is seasonally available, typically spring through fall, and it is where Highland’s most memorable ceremony photos happen.

The Barrel Room at Highland Brewing Company

This one tends to surprise couples who discover it later in their planning process, and honestly it is worth giving it serious attention from the start. The Barrel Room accommodates up to 80 guests for a wedding reception and up to 100 for a rehearsal dinner or welcome party. It has skylights, floor-to-ceiling barrel racks lining the walls, hanging live greenery, a barrel-stave bar, and a private front patio. The whole room has a quieter, more intimate energy than the Event Center and it photographs beautifully.

If your guest count is on the smaller side or you are hosting a rehearsal dinner the night before your wedding, the Barrel Room is absolutely worth considering.

Combining the Spaces

Plenty of couples use all three areas across their wedding day. A ceremony on the Rooftop, cocktail hour in the Barrel Room, reception in the Event Center. When it flows like that your guests move through three completely different environments in one evening, which keeps the energy alive and gives your gallery real variety.

What Is Included in Your Rental

Highland is not a blank warehouse you rent and walk away from. When you book the venue you receive a furniture package that covers setup and breakdown of tables, chairs, and benches, a dedicated venue coordinator, bar staff, an audio-visual technician to work with your DJ or band, access to the house sound system, a one-hour rehearsal the day before your event, discounts on Highland merchandise, access to rentable decor, and glassware for all beverages.

The detail that couples and guests tend to love most is the signature small-batch beer. Highland brews a custom batch just for your wedding, you get to name it, and it is served at your event. It is a small thing that ends up being a really meaningful one, especially for couples who chose this venue partly because of their love for craft beer.

Food and Beverage

Highland holds a beer, wine, and cider license. The main bar and the Rooftop bar feature all nine of their year-round brews plus whatever is seasonal at the time of your event. You can also bring in your own wine for a corkage fee. For spirits, you would need to apply for a one-time liquor permit, which comes with its own insurance requirements and fees.

Highland does not do food service, which is actually a good thing for most couples. You have full freedom to hire whatever caterer reflects your taste, whether that is a high-end local restaurant, a food truck, a barbecue setup, or anything in between. Asheville has genuinely excellent catering options and having the flexibility to choose is worth something.

Pricing

Venue rental fees typically range from around $1,500 to $6,500 for four to six hours of event time, with variation based on the season, day of week, and which spaces you are booking. Additional hours can be added.

The Event Center and Rooftop combination comes with a nine-hour block total: three hours of setup, five hours of event time, one hour of cleanup. The Barrel Room comes with a seven-hour block: two hours of setup, four hours of event time, one hour of cleanup.

For the most accurate quote, reach out to Highland directly with your date options and approximate guest count. Deposits and booking fees are non-refundable, so it is worth having your dates and guest count fairly solid before you put money down.

When to Get Married Here

Every season at Highland has something going for it and we genuinely mean that rather than just saying it to be polite.

Spring is bright and green. The mountains are coming alive, the light through those big Event Center windows is soft and clean, and the Rooftop ceremony backdrop is beautiful without the visual drama of fall.

Summer works well for evening events. Midday on the Rooftop can get warm, so if you are planning a summer outdoor ceremony it is worth timing it for late afternoon. Evening summer light in Asheville is extraordinary.

Fall is what most people picture when they think of a mountain wedding in Asheville, and it earns the hype. The mountain backdrop behind the Rooftop turns gold and red and the warm tones of the foliage play perfectly against the industrial-chic interior of the venue. If you are set on fall, book early because these dates go fast.

Winter is quieter and more intimate. You likely will not have the Rooftop for an outdoor ceremony, but the Event Center and Barrel Room are fully operational and there is a different, warmer, more focused energy to winter weddings here that we have come to genuinely love.

What Your Photos Will Look Like

We want to be real about this because it is one of the main reasons couples reach out to us specifically about Highland Brewing.

This venue gives photographers a lot to work with. The clerestory windows in the Event Center mean you almost never have to fight flat or harsh light during the reception, which is more rare than you would think. The Rooftop gives you a ceremony backdrop that can hold its own against almost anything in the region. The Barrel Room is one of the most distinct interior spaces in Asheville, with that skylight and the barrel-lined walls creating something that does not look like any other venue photo you have seen.

Outside, the meadow adjacent to the property is worth planning around. Especially in late afternoon when the light goes warm and low, it creates portraits with a completely different mood from the industrial interior and adds real variety to the final gallery. It does not get used nearly enough.

Our approach is documentary, which means we are following what is actually happening rather than directing a photoshoot. The couples who tend to get the most out of a Highland Brewing gallery are the ones who chose this venue because it actually sounds like them, because that energy shows up in every frame.

A Few Practical Things Worth Knowing

Ask Highland about nearby events when finalizing your timeline. The venue is occasionally affected by local races and events in the area. They are excellent at working with couples when this comes up, but knowing in advance gives you more options.

Plan your caterer early. Because Highland does not provide food service, catering is one of the first vendors to lock in. Good Asheville caterers book up quickly, especially in fall.

Think about the Barrel Room for portraits even if your reception is in the Event Center. Popping in for ten minutes of couple portraits in the Barrel Room adds a completely different visual register to your gallery without adding any travel time or logistics. Worth mentioning to your photographer before the day.

The meadow. Seriously, plan for it. Late afternoon, even fifteen minutes, is worth it.

Ready to Talk?

If you are planning a Highland Brewing wedding and want to see full galleries from past events there, we would love to share them with you. Reach out through our contact page and tell us a little about your date and your vision.