With an amazing venue like The Lodge at Bear River it was easy to be inspired to plan a wedding shoot. Nestled among the mountains and right by the riverside, it is Asheville Style at it’s best.

We actually started the plans with a string quartet from Carolina Music Planner. With this elegant ceremony element we continued to build the rest of the day with classic elements. Kathy at Mitchell’s Tuxedos helped Brandon pick out a deep blue tux with pink accents. And Gee Gee, loving all thing glam, loved the exquisite bead work on the Martina Liana dress from Wedding Inspirations Boutique. Shawnte and Julie, the store owner, are masterful at helping pick out the perfect dress. They knew what accentuated her shape the best and also paired the dress with the style of the day. With the two most important outfits chosen we now knew our color scheme. We picked out a place setting, and spoke with Natalie at Mountain Life Services about flowers. She grows most of her own flowers, which is amazing!! And after we told her about our plans and style choices, she knew exactly what to do. The whole venue was transformed after she affixed buckets and buckets of fresh flowers everywhere; the arbor outside, the fireplace mantle and table settings, and some small decorative vases of flowers to place around. Also, a key to any good wedding day is food! Fresh As Can Be Catering provided us with a few platters for the tables. I love this new trend of “grazing” since hunger doesn’t always wait for the main course at a wedding. It’s always nice to snack! And then of course desert from Gateaux Cakes and Pastries. Lindsay is a genius and her shop smells amazing!! Makes you want to buy like 10 pies. Her experience and expertise with cakes and confections is quite impressive.

On the morning of the big day, Whitley and Lindsey from Hair and MU were magical. It’s so important to have a beauty team that knows their stuff!! Lindsey checked the bride’s makeup outside in the natural light and I was amazed. Our fabulous musicians showed up and we began to get the ceremony site set up. Once Gee Gee and Brandon got dressed we were on. It’s a shame that, only after about 10-15 shots or so, a wall of rain came at a fast clip towards down the mountain headed right for us. Crystal gave a holler and off we ran. It was a cool blessing in disguise though because I loved the shots inside so much more. After that, dancing, table settings, and cake!!

The elements of the day all came together in a magical way and we had a blast doing it. For me the highlight of the day is when Gee Gee and Brandon shared a dance in front of the fireplace, as the music from the string quartet echoed through Lodge and touched the hearts of everyone there. It was truly a beautiful and romantic event.

VENDORS I LOVE WHO MADE IT HAPPEN

Photography- Studio Misha Photography

Venue- The Lodge at Bear River

MUA- Lindsey Rourke, Crafted Beauty Asheville

Hair Stylist- Whitley Hunter, Beauty by Whitssworld

Ceremony Musicians- Carolina Music Planner

Bridal Fashions- Wedding Inspirations Boutique

Groom’s Fashion- Mitchell’s Tuxedos

Flowers- Mountain Life Services

Cake- Gateaux Cakes & Pastries

Catering- Fresh As Can Bee Catering

Bride- Gee Gee Palmore