Autumn Olive Photography had the opportunity to photograph a wedding in St. Joseph, Michigan (which is very different from the mountains of Asheville, NC)!  It was so beautiful though and the weather held out the whole time!  The amazing wedding planner, JODY VANBOGELEN, of The Organized Partner made sure the whole day went off with out a hitch! The details were perfect and Matt and Sandy even surprised their guest with a special “first dance”! I have no idea how they had time to go to dance lessons with Sandy being in med school, planning a wedding, and training for a marathon!!  Makes me exhausted even thinking about it!

Thanks Matt and Sandy for allowing us to be part of your wedding day and I hope you enjoyed your honeymoon to Europe!

This couple came from Texas to get married at the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC which  is such a great place to have a wedding. I was truely honored to be the Photographer!  The details were perfect and the couple could not have been more in love!  The wedding actually took place on the flower carpet which was so unique and beautiful!  

A sweet note from the bride:

“They are wonderful, Cristen!  It’s like I’m reliving the moment when I look at them!  You captured everything so wonderfully.  My dad kept saying how wonderful you were.  He was like you will never find a photographer as patient as she is. I agree.  You were so wonderful and patient.  Thank you for capturing everything so perfectly.”

Sally’s dad seeing her for the first time…it was so sweet!

Asheville, NC Wedding Photographer/Autumn Olive Photography/Renaissance Asheville Hotel

Nathan and Sara are such a beautiful couple and had a perfect wedding! The wedding took place at the Merrimon Avenue Baptist Church in Asheville and the reception was at the Renaissance Hotel. Here are so details from their special day! I hope you all enjoy!  A special thanks to Kaelee for all her help!

Family session/Rumbling Bald Resort/Lake Lure Photographer/Autumn Olive Photography

What a great family! They all came together for a long weekend at the Rumbling Bald Resort in Lake Lure for their parents 40th Anniversary!  The kiddos were adorable too!!  The Rumbling Bald Resort especially holds a place in my heart since that is where I got married over 3 years ago! Love this place!!

Marion, NC Wedding Photography/Autumn Olive Photography

Here are a few more pictures of Jessica and Nic’s wedding in Marion, NC! :) 

I must say, the colors in this wedding POPPED!  So many little details made it all come together perfectly!!  Jessica and Nic are so in love!  They got married at the beautiful The Court Yard at Little Acres. Here is a quick sneak peak….more to come! I hope you are settling in while in Germany!

Autumn Olive Photography/ Asheville, NC Photographer/Elopement and Destination Wedding Photography

Ben and Vicki had an amazing day for an elopement in Western North Carolina!  The elopement took place at The Inn on Mill Creek which is an adorable Bed and Breakfast near Asheville.  Both Ben and Vikki came from the UK for their elopement and I felt honored to capture their special day!  Their marriage was just the start of their 3 week vacation to the states!  They had their good friends Andrew and Richard join them to witness the ceremony and they were all a blast to hang out with (I mean take pictures of)!!

The Inn on Mill Creek

I love the look on Vicki’s face!

It was an inside joke…you had to be there!

What a beautiful location for a brunch! I am telling you, if you have never visited this Inn, it is a must!

Hope you had safe travels back and had a great time in the states!

Here are some more pictures from Chris and Meredith’s Big day!!  Enjoy!!  

This picture cracks me up! Chris is so hot, and all Meredith can do is laugh ..

Yep, that is the DJ on the floor getting the crowd going!!

What a good sport huh?

So, what exactly is a Bridal Portrait?  I like to explain it as a “stress-free time to get as many images taken as possible in a location (or couple locations) of your choice in your wedding dress!”  The wedding day can be sooo busy and a day filled with many emotions.  Some brides choose to not concentrate on pictures of just them self on that day and decide to do a separate session with just them and the dress!  Most of the times a good friend or the mom of the bride will come along as well (which makes for such a fun session).   Majority of brides will get a 16×20 images or canvas of their favorite shot from the session and post it at the reception. 

What to remember about Bridal Sessions?  

*Bring props!  Balloons, umbrellas, fun shoes, sunglasses, a bouquet….the sky is the limit!

*It may not always be the best idea to do your “trial run” with your hair on the same day as your bridal session (just incase you don’t like how it turned out).  Instead, consider doing your trial run a week or so before, and then schedule your appointment to do your hair a couple hours before the bridal session

*Do not worry if a bridal session does not fit in your budget…..I promise we will get plenty of images of you on your wedding day!!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with Loretta Bryan.  She is a local artist and hand-makes each bead and pieces the jewelry together by hand as well! I have got to admit, I had to try on some of the bracelets and necklaces myself. I couldn’t help it…they were just screaming to me “try me on!”.  Okay, yes, I am a dork….but I can now say I am a proud owner of a matching necklace, bracelet and earrings!  If you are interested in buying her one of a kind pieces, please email me and I will get you her contact information!  She is the sweetest lady you will ever meet!!