Douglas Ellington's Asheville City Building, tile detail.

My new commercial and personal photography blog:  http://michael-oppenheim.blogspot.com/

Look Up Asheville book website:  http://www.lookupasheville.com/default.asp

Look Up Asheville book blog:  http://lookupasheville.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/look-up-asheville/

I had an amazing crew for the eight hours or so that we shot the day of the wedding.   Kelly Cubbin was my associate shooter, and Jenny Trest and Daniel Taylor assisted us and shot a bit when time permitted.  Kelly got her start as wedding photographer in Chicago working with wedding photographer,  Emily Dewan.  When not behind the camera,  she also does marketing for my good friend Steven McBride and  owns Appalachian Craft Brewery with her husband Andy.  If you need beer for your wedding reception or rehearsal dinner she would be the perfect person to contact.   Daniel is a photographer, McBride’s  first assistant and “studio” manager,  and a Photoshop guru.  He has assisted me and a variety of other photographers over the years.  Jenny is a wonderful photographer specializing in pet photography (especially dogs) and also works as a freelance assistant and is now getting her nursing degree while still doing photography on the side!  Go Jenny!  Cory Barlow, my regular assistant, was out of town the weekend of the wedding, but upon his return was  invaluable in the post-production of the final images.  If you know of anyone in the need of assistance with digital workflow, digital retouching, photo assisting on assignments, someone to build you a computer from bare bones, or are in the market for some incredible fine-art photography feel free to contact him directly or visit his website.  You would be hard-pressed to find such great people to surround yourself with.  Just ask Rachel and Dan!

For the majority of the weddings I shoot I am the exclusive photographer and usually bring one assistant who helps me with lighting, dowloading and managing image files, and every once in awhile provides additional photography.   But there are times when my wedding clients want two photographers to capture their wedding day.  Usually this is requested because of the size and scope of the wedding or because of the logistics of where the bride and groom are getting ready or where they need to be at different times. This was the case with Rachel and Dan.  I was able to provide two photographers and two assistants.    I started photographing Rachel and her contingent at the Residences at Biltmore while Kelly met the guys at a different hotel, stopping in Biltmore Village at one of the fanciest McDonald’s you are likely to see (this McDonald’s has a grand piano and tapestries on the wall), before heading onto the Estate.  When I arrived at the hotel, Scott Thompson, make-up artist extraordinaire and all-around great guy (check out his new shop called MakeUp in the Grove Arcade and Sante, a  wine bar that he co-owns with some other great folks) was already busy at work!  His work speaks for itself.

Nicole Riley, wedding coordinator at Verge Events and Nicole Bloom, Senior Catering Sales Manager at the Biltmore Estate, did an amazing job bringing all the design elements together for both the ceremony and  the reception at Deerpark.  They were exceptionally organized and professional as their wedding coordinators.  I know that Rachel and Dan were so grateful that Nicole Riley encouraged them to get away during the cocktail hour to get shots in front of the Biltmore House.  As strange as it may sound, even though I was there snapping away with my camera, the mini-portrait session during the cocktail hour afforded them time to be with one another and catch a breather before rejoining the guests for the reception back at Deerpark.   I think their personalities and love for one another really shine in those photos!

Audrey Kirsch and her team from Blossoms at Biltmore Park created exquisite bouquets, flower arrangements, table arrangements, and other décor details.  Green Kangaroo provided the stationery that was used on all the tables (table cards, menu, invitations, etc.).  Again, you can see more samples of the flowers and stationery on the SMP Little Black Book blog that I provided a link to earlier.

If I’ve overlooked the efforts of other vendors please don’t hesitate to email me and I’ll give you a shout out!

Again, thanks to everyone!  If you are planning a large, complex wedding at the Biltmore Estate or anywhere else for that matter, be assured that I have the experience, the resources, and the “team” to get the best images possible at your wedding!

Brooke provided a beautiful lace wedding dress for the fashion show and it was worn by model Morgan Purdy who also works with Brooke at Ship to Shore.  The dress is a handmade wedding gown in crotchet lace and teastained silks and retails for $3,800.

Fashion show at Doubletree Biltmore Hotel grand ballroom

Morgan making grand entrance in Brooke Priddy dress

Morgan looking stunning in Ship to Shore dress by Brooke Priddy

Morgan's hair was done by Adorn Salon and Boutique

Brooke Priddy Lace Dress Detail of Bodice

Brooke was also kind enough to lend two other dresses to my wife, Muriel and my good friend Jesse Kitt who wore them as they handed out some of my promotional material to prospective brides at the Party.  They were all stunning!

Three dresses by Brooke Priddy/Ship to Shore Clothiers

Beth provided all the flowers for the fashion show.  Beth’s shop is located in the historic Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville.  If you have any questions about these flowers you can contact her directly.

Flowers by Beth Hohensee at Studio Flora Diva

Morgan with flowers by Studio Flora Diva

I love this bouquet!

Bryan and Stacy chose The Farm in Candler for their wedding ceremony and reception venue.  I have photographed several weddings there and this was yet again another great wedding with wonderful families and friends and a rustic setting.  I was very impressed with the new cabins that they have built on the premises that the wedding party can rent.  Very nice details throughout.   Definitely check them out if you get a chance.  The Farm is only ten minutes from downtown Asheville.  So you can enjoy a rustic wedding experience and yet be well within striking distance to  Asheville’s vibrant arts, music, and restaurant scene as well.

I just wanted to show a few of my favorite images from their wedding.  It was a beautiful day for a wedding and they added a lot of personal touches.

Venue:  The Farm Party Barn (http://thefarmpartybarn.com/)

Flowers: Spotted Dog Farm (http://www.spotteddogfarm.net/)

Catering: Colorful Palate (http://www.colorfulpalate.com)

Wedding Cake & Cupcakes (http://www.shortstreetcakes.com/)

Music:  Cary Fridley and the Down South

Robin and Sue rent out a variety of cabins creek-side and in the higher elevations with views of the Nantahala National Park and Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  They are located near tons of outdoor activities including rafting, tubing, hiking, fishing, and golf.  And if you are musician they also own and operate Land Creek Studios, a recording studio that you can rent on-site.  Talk about a great place for a couple to make beautiful music together, figuratively and literally!

Carmen wore a beautiful dress by Galina.  The officiant was Reverend David Russell.  He also performed music during the ceremony and reception with his band Bean Sidhe (pronounced bah-shee) Celtic Ensemble.   Food for the reception was catered by Pasqualino’s Italian Restaurant.  The cake was made by Samantha Parris.   Robin and Sue will be happy to provide referrals to local vendors in the Bryson City area.

Reverend David Russell officiated a beautiful ceremony

Carmen was gorgeous in her wedding dress by Galina.

Rev. Russell also provided music with his Celtic band, Bean Sidhe Celtic Ensemble.

I had a great time photographing this very beautiful and laid back wedding!  Thanks to everyone who contributed!

As a brief aside, Homewood is one of Montford’s more unusual buildings.  Its castle-like appearance is complete with a stone tower and arches and is reminiscent of English Norman architecture.  To the best of my knowledge it boasts Asheville’s only flying buttress; you’ll find it on the south side of the building.  And if you don’t know what a flying buttress is you will  have to read about and see images in my forthcoming book on Asheville architecture called Look Up Asheville to be published in 2010 by Grateful Steps Publishing.  You can also read about the history of the building on Homewood’s website.

The ceremony details were simple, natural, and elegant.  Beth Hohensee from Studio Flora Diva created beautiful wedding bouquets, boutonnieres, and other arrangements that brought to life exactly what Erin had envisioned for her wedding day.  Rachael Schendel designed their invitations and programs and is an art director at redpepper, the advertising agency where both she and Erin work in Nashville. You can find more of her invites and designs on Etsy at Raspberry Creations – http://www.etsy.com/shop/rasideas.  The beautiful ceremony music was provided by violinist Ruben Orengo and guitarist Robert Anders.  And the minister was Tim Lolley of Blue Mountain Weddings.

Homewood, Asheville, NC

Floral arrangement by Studio Flora Diva

Ruben Orengo, violinist

The Glen at Homewood

I love the way Erin is looking at her dad

Tim Lolley, wedding officiant

Now that's a kiss!

You can find wedding programs like this at http://www.etsy.com/shop/rasideas

Wedding bouquet by Studio Flora Diva

Newly married at Homewood

Following the ceremony and post-ceremony portraits they headed downtown and ducked into the New French Bar for a beer. When I first met Erin and Corey my studio was right next to the Green Man Ale tasting room.  This is where Jack of the Wood brews all of their signature beers. With pints in hand we discussed the vision they had for their wedding.  We forged a great rapport with one another and I’m thrilled that they chose me as their wedding photographer!

From the New French Bar we walked over to Fiore’s.  After speaking with owner Anthony Cerrato during one of their previous trips to Asheville and tasting the food, they knew it was the perfect place for their intimate wedding reception.  Being included in the meal I can attest that the food was stellar!  The cake was made by Sarah Resnick, pastry chef at City Bakery, and she made all Corey’s chocolate dreams come true!  Fiore’s provided the should-be-famous Tiramisu.  And as a finishing touch Erin and Corey provided a little box of chocolate from French Broad Chocolate Lounge for each of their guests!

Darth Vader makes a surprise appearance

I love meeting with couples early in their wedding planning stage and then seeing all the fruits of their efforts come to life on their wedding day.  They pulled off a great wedding that really reflected their personalities.  It was awesome being a part of it!  Congratulations Erin and Corey! And it was nice to get this message from Erin:

“Michael, you were awesome! Thank you so much for making our day so special. We would recommend you to anyone.”

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/09/22/north-carolina-wedding-at-the-biltmore/.

Started by Abby Larson, Style Me Pretty is a great resource for brides looking for inspiration and ideas while planning their weddings. As Abby states on her website:

“Simply put, I write about all things beautiful. All things wedding. Everyday, I post my favorite finds, my latest loves!  I try to create a place where creativity and ideas thrive, where you can find weddings that eliminate the walls of tradition and focus instead on the unique personalities of brides and grooms everywhere. And in the midst of all the beautiful pictures and the beautiful weddings, my only hope is that I will inspire you in some small way, to translate that perfect picture in your head into a day that will make you smile for years to come.”

Abby, Eddye, Michelle, and Tait do an amazing job bringing Style Me Pretty and Little Black Book blog to life. They have just made some pretty nifty improvements that will definitely assist brides (and grooms) in organizing their thoughts, their ideas, and their visions as they plan their own unique wedding day.  They added such features as an Inspiration Board, Color Palettes, Photo Galleries, and a Look Book.  They also created a Style Circle where brides, grooms, and wedding connoisseurs can share creative ideas.  The Style Circle enables individuals to create their own blogs as a tool in shaping the look of their weddings.  Pretty cool stuff!

I was invited to join Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book back in May.  Little Black Book is:

“A highly edited collection of wedding service providers from mom and pop boutiques to A-Listers. Personally recommended by our closest girlfriends, industry insiders and Style Me Pretty readers, there are a few hand-picked listings per category. Brace yourself, though, it’s that good!  It is awesome to be a part of such a talented group of creative wedding professionals!”

I photographed this particular wedding for Rachel Mertz and Daniel King and it was great collaborating with them throughout their wedding day. I will be posting my own perspective of what it was like photographing their wedding and sharing some of my favorite images as well in the days to come!  In the meantime here is one of my favorite images from their wedding!

Rachel and Dan at the lagoon with Biltmore House in background

One of the many things I loved about photographing this wedding was the fact that this was the fourth wedding I’ve done for this extended family. Caroline Cort is Elaine’s cousin and I was the photographer for three of her daughters’ (Lisa, Heidi, and Gretchen) weddings. Two were in Burnsville, NC and the other was at the Graylyn Conference Center in Winston-Salem, NC. It is very satisfying when a rapport and a trust is established with a family and exciting to know that the images I make will be cherished by their families for years to come.

Also of note, Elaine ordered a gallery wrap of her favorite image of Hailey from the portrait session and displayed it at the wedding. Gallery wraps, which are images printed on canvas and wrapped around wooden strecther bars, give the photos a painterly feel and also add a three-dimensional quality that I really like.   I have used this technique for my Look Up Asheville book project photo exhibits and will be doing more of these in the future.  There are also a variety of other enlargement and framing options available.  Just contact me for ideas.

Anyway, these are just a few images Hailey and Dan’s portrait session and wedding.  I will be adding a more complete collection of their final wedding images soon.  In the meantime I hope you enjoy these teasers!

Portrait of Hailey and Daniel in early April 2009  at Mountain Air Country Club overlooking Burnsville, NC.  This shot was taken just to the left of MACC’s private runway and it was a few weeks before the flowers started blooming since the elevation is at 4900 feet.  In fact, Mountain Air Country Club has the highest elevation for any private runway East of the Mississippi River.  It’s a gorgeous place with spectacular views.

Hailey and Daniel with their new pocket beagle.  It slept in Daniel’s pocket for part of this portrait session.  Ridiculously cute!

Old Cabin at Mountain Air Country Club

Hailey and Dan at Ocean Isle Beach on their wedding day!

A groomsman overcome with emotion…and gracefulness!

I never get tired of the wedding day jump shot.  Check out this link to a masterful photographer, Philippe Halsman, who popularized the jump portrait in his book “Philippe Halsmans’s Jump Book“.  He coined the term “jumpology” and thought that individuals in the act of jumping revealed more of their true personality than in a static portrait.  At the very least it allows for expression, lightheartedness, and a bit of stress release which is crucial for any wedding day!

Hailey and Dan just married!

For the fashionistas out there, Hailey is wearing a dress by Maggie Soturo and Daniel is wearing a suit by Perry Ellis.

First dances at the beach house

Hailey dancing with her dad, Daniel dancing with his mom, and Elaine dancing with a guest. I love the emotion in this shot.

Let the party begin!

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