Victoria & Thomas Marry in Asheville

I have been traveling since I was little, so I’m very used to, and in fact, love road trips. I especially love being called for mountain weddings, as they always invoke memories of trips to the Poconos of Pennsylvania decades ago. At the very top of the list of places I love to shoot is Asheville – such a wonderful city.

As I’ve shared before, my fiancée and I got engaged in Asheville, so that city will always hold a special place in my heart. Asheville, NC is one of the most breathtaking pieces of land that the entire Southern region of the USA has to offer the world, and Victoria & Thomas chose it as the backdrop for their wedding story. Selecting the stony-and-storied historic Omni Hotel, they picked the perfect Asheville venue to wed in.

An extremely large facility, with lots of space, and many events going on simultaneously, it can be a bit hectic, but the Omni does everything they can to accommodate any needs. For engaged brides in the planning stages, one thing you definitely want to think carefully about is how much you want to walk on your wedding day.

Victoria and Thomas are a very fit couple, and really enjoys walking – it was nothing for them to walk from spot-to-spot, nor me. But this is what happens when you have a large venue like the Omni. Victoria did one heck of a job!

Their early September morning was just right for a wedding, with a scenic mountains sunrise giving way to partial cloud cover and a nice blue hue in the skies. I made sure to pop my flash even outdoors so I could expose for and bring out that blue in the sky well – little known trick!

This couple’s two dogs are mainstays in their lives, so it was important to them to have them present on their wedding day. In my experience, this happens best when one or two people are dedicated to ‘dog duty,’ since even the best behaved of dogs have needs, like food, drink, and walking. Their two dogs were model citizens on their wedding day, and posed like models during the post-ceremony photoshoot for Victoria and Thomas. It always blows my mind to see this!

Being your typical guy, I’m generally not one to “swoon” over flowers. In all of the weddings I’ve shot, maybe a handful of times I’ve gotten excited over the floral arrangements.

But I must say, and with full gusto, I might add: that shade of red! I really enjoyed Victoria & Thomas’ taste, and sprinkling of deep red color throughout the bridal bouquet. They kept the gentlemen’s grey suits a light, summery color, and keeping the surrounding shades more muted-but-creamy, with the ties and pocket squares pulling out a rich maroon, mirrored in the bridesmaid’s dresses.

But they didn’t stop with the bridal party – their table arrangements were fully decked out as well. The neutral peaches and nude pinks in the flowers anchored everything, as did the light shimmery gold in the table linens, with a dusky muted maroon providing the occasional pop of color, perfectly in sync with the red of the roses.

Put another way: they did it right! As a photographer, I’m huge on color, and it just makes it so much easier when all of the shades and tones are in sync.

There was plenty of time to enjoy the jaw-dropping scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background, and please believe we took a few moments just to soak it all in. We then documented their love story through photos, blue skies, mountainous backdrop, and loving couple surrounded by friends and family – what better way to do it?

The crisp September weather was perfect for a twang in the air. Bringing in West End-based acoustic guitar duo Melonbelly to play their reception, they heard, sang and danced to originals and covers alike.

Victoria and Thomas’ wedding was a first-class affair, and it was an event enjoyed by all attended. I love the bold red they selected for their wedding colors, the overall attention-to-detail without going overboard (it’s easy to go overboard on coordinating every little bit of your wedding), and how easy they were to work with on their big day.

Thank you kindly to Victoria & Thomas for allowing me to be a part of your special day. I enjoyed every moment of it, and I wish you both happiness and prosperity for a lifetime.