Discover This Beautiful Asheville Wedding Venue: Homewood

When you picture your wedding day do you imagine yourself in a venue that has a castle-like charm, exudes timeless elegance, and is nestled in Asheville’s historic Montford district? 

If that sounds like what you’re looking for then Homewood might be the wedding venue of your dreams. 

I recently had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful wedding at Homewood and as a North Carolina wedding photographer, I have to admit this is one of my favorite venues to photograph in Asheville. 

I’m sharing with you more about Homewood as a wedding venue, giving you a behind-the-lens view of the recent wedding I photographed there, and also sharing with you some wedding pro tips about how to make your wedding day exactly how you want it to be, how to include time for portraits of you and your partner and more! 

This blog is filled with a ton of helpful information I know you’ll love so let’s dive in! 

Homewood Wedding Venue in Asheville, North Carolina

Homewood provides a bunch of features and amenities as a wedding venue and is a truly unique venue. 

Some of the reasons that I personally love this venue are that it’s located in the historic Montford neighborhood right outside downtown Asheville which means that it is super accessible for you and your guests to get from your hotel / Airbnb to the venue. 

It also has a gorgeous garden for outdoor ceremonies, a great hall for your reception, a suite upstairs for getting ready, a lush courtyard for your outdoor cocktail, and a fabulous in-house team of professionals that ensure your wedding day goes smoothly. 

A few other features I have to mention so you can have the full picture of what this venue entails are this venue also boasts beautiful hardwood floors, stone fireplaces, and iron chandeliers. It is perfect if you’re planning a grand celebration or an intimate gathering as it’s versatile and accommodating for all kinds of weddings. 

With Homewood being so versatile it’s the perfect place to curate your wedding exactly how you always dreamed it would be. 

Make Your Wedding Day Exactly How You Want It to Be

Everyone who plans their wedding day has a vision for how they want it to be. 

From the florals, what you want to wear, who you invite, the venue, the flowers – everything has to be planned and play a role in how you want your wedding day to go. 

Alex and Ryan wanted to honor their love, their friends at the wedding party, and their family.   

They exchanged personalized gifts for their wedding party to show how much they meant to them and how special it was to celebrate their love with their close friends and family 

They also took time out of their wedding day before the ceremony to get ready together, have portraits taken around Homewood and Montford Park, and get photos with their respective wedding parties before the ceremony. 

For your own wedding, I encourage you and your partner to incorporate what you both enjoy and spend as much time as possible doing what you both love during your wedding day – after all this day is about the two of you! 

Additionally, another tip for making your wedding day exactly how you want it to be is to get your vendors involved early in your planning process. This ensures everyone is on the same page as you and allows you and your partner to truly just focus on enjoying your day because you know everything is already taken care of. 

How to Include Time for Portraits of You and Your Partner

Of course, during every wedding day, there’s a lot to photograph and a lot to do. 

It’s normal to wonder how you’re going to fit all the necessary photos you want into your wedding timeline. 

When photographing weddings I make sure that the couple and I have a consultation call a month before their wedding to go over the wedding timeline and their photo timeline. A photo timeline makes sure that the photographer and the couple know when photos are taking place, where, and how long. 

I also make sure to capture a good amount of formal photos with your wedding party and immediate family, ensuring that you and your partner can fully enjoy cocktail hour with your guests. And I always include time for you and your partner to have some quiet moments together before the ceremony, giving you a chance to relax before seeing your guests and getting married.

Bonus photographer tip – having a first look is great to make the most of your time and to have plenty of necessary photos taken before the ceremony and the rest of your wedding day goes by so fast. 

Wedding Details 

One of my favorite parts of wedding photography is capturing the intricate details that make each wedding truly unique and as many candid moments as possible. 

With every wedding I photograph I love to see the little details that couples pick and choose for their wedding day and how those details represent them as a couple. 

 For Alex and Ryan, their wedding reflected their love for Western North Carolina / Asheville. From the florals they chose to their suits to the venue itself, their wedding day reflected their journey as a couple and was a nod to their love for Western North Carolina. 

Adding these personal touches helps personalize your wedding day and makes it truly unique to you as a couple and each small element tells your story and who you are as a couple. 

My passion is to highlight these details alongside your candid moments to tell the beautiful story of your wedding day and to also make sure that your love story is told in its truest form. 

Ceremony in the Garden

One of Homewood’s more beautiful locations is their outdoor ceremony location. Tucked away on the side of the venue, surrounded by trees and a landscaped garden, their outdoor ceremony spot is a perfect, quaint location for your ceremony. I love the juxtaposition of their indoor great hall to their outdoor ceremony location.

Alex and Ryan adorned the ceremony space with gorgeous floral arrangements on the arbor and the entrance of the ceremony. They also had personalized fans for their guests that included information about their ceremony. It’s always a good idea to include something personalized (and useful) for your guests at your ceremony if they might be sitting in the sun or in the heat. Fans, sunglasses, visors or cozies are good examples of useful favors that you can personalize and give your guests.

Great Hall Reception Space

After your ceremony in the garden and cocktail hour in the courtyard your guests will make their way in the reception space located inside Homewood. The great hall can accommodate up to 120 guests for a sit down dinner, after that couples are advised to provide a cocktail service for their dinner. I’ve seen the reception space transformed many ways and it never disappoints! The best thing about Homewood’s reception space is that it’s beautiful as is or can be easily dressed up and transformed into the wedding reception of your dreams!

Alex and Ryan had a beautiful first dance together at the beginning of their reception. One of my favorite moments during any wedding day is the first dance between the married couple. Something about it always captures my heart and every couple tends to get lost in each other during their song and dance. Capturing that intimate moment between the couple while their guests are “cheering” them on during the dance makes for a magical photo.

Followed by a delicious dinner catered by Sage and Spice, speeches given by their respective mothers and parent dances, Alex and Ryan danced the night away (literally)with their friends and family. A Bride’s DJ always does an excellent job of Emcee’ing weddings and getting the party started!

Final Thoughts

I know that was a lot of information, but I hope after reading this not only that you learned more about Homewood as a wedding venue and also how to make your wedding uniquely yours. 

Remember your wedding day is a celebration of you and your partner’s journey together, and it should be filled with moments and details that authentically reflect you and your partner. 

If are still looking for the perfect photographer to capture your dream wedding here in North Carolina You can click here to learn more about my wedding photography services or you can head over here to get in touch and start planning your dream wedding!