Rachael Mcintosh Photography
Non-stop smiles from this pair! I can't wait to photograph their wedding tomorrow at The Fields of Blackberry Cove.
Photographing a couple's wedding is a real honor for me. It's monumental, albeit a little stressful and well, a really big deal that my clients completely trust me to capture this massive moment in their lives. The morning that I wake up and don't feel a little nervous to rise and accomplish this task I think is the day I will stop shooting weddings.
Laura and Brian's wedding day was no exception to this rule especially given that they are both two highly creative and accomplished artists themselves (no pressure). The biggest compliment someone can give me as a wedding photographer is to be told to be myself and encouraged to be creative. Laura and Brian did just that and we had a wonderful time in the Butterfly garden on the Biltmore Estate.
Here are just a couple of images from their first look amongst the roses.
Wedding Venue: Butterfly Garden, Biltmore Estate
Hair & Makeup: Blush: Asheville Makeup Artists
Lis and Wes both serve in the US Army and their red, white and blue wedding was planned beautifully by Kiersa Holy of Events by Kiersa. The love and support from these two families was indescribable and I was beyond honored to document their wedding.
My day began following a trail of balloons to The Rivers Ridge Lodge and I continued to be inspired at ever turn after that. The property is tucked privately away in a wooded area of Old Fort and encircled by the river. The trees provided just the amount of shade on that gorgeous hot day and guests played lawn games and threw rocks in the water. My absolute favorite moment was witnessing Wes present Lis's daughter Lilli with a ring and make his promises to her also during the ceremony; there wasn't a dry eye to be found. Guests were invited to wear red, white and blue and encouraged to embrace the holiday, while the creative use of color and river rocks made for a fun tablescape. The truffles from French Broad Chocolates was a major hit along with the rest of the awesome food and of course the banging sounds of Bright Light DJ.
Congratulations Lis & Wes and thank you for everything you sacrifice every day to serve our country.
Event Planning : Kiersa Holy from Events by Kiersa
Hair & Make-up : Upper Cut Salon
Venue : Rivers Ridge Lodge, Old Fort NC
Officiant: Family Friend
Ceremony Music : Natalya Weinstein
Flowers : Urban Farm Girl
DJ : Jacob of Bright Light DJ
Catering : Mamma Dukes
Cake : Short Street Cakes
Truffles : French Broad Chocolates
I first met Ginny and Jarrod in South Carolina a couple of weeks prior to their big day to take some Bridal portraits with they horses and dogs as they were unable to attend the actual wedding. I loved them immediately (the couple and the animals) and I knew their Biltmore wedding was going to be amazing! Unlike most weddings I'd photographed on the Estate there were no plans to visit the house or gardens. The Antler Hill barn holds a special place in Ginny's heart as it was one of the last places she visited with her Father before he passed away. After spending time with Ginny and her four-legged friends I also couldn't imagine her and Jarrod tying the knot anywhere else. To top the day off Ginny enlisted Tamara from Belle Soiree to plan and co-ordinate the day and I was so excited to work with some of Asheville's best wedding vendors again. The Bloom Room just never fails to amaze me and this Spring floral design was no exception. They also incorporated some of Ginny's Guinea fowl feathers into her bouquet and I loved the charm attached with a picture of her Father. This was my first experience with a dance floor full of glow sticks and glasses which were major crowd pleaser's along with the bonfire and s'mores.
Thank you Ginny & Jarrod for inviting me to photograph your beautiful wedding!
Event Planning : Tamara Heston from Belle Soiree Wedding & Event Consultants
Hair : Laura and Madison at Canvas Studio for hair
Makeup : Joanna Ferree at Powder me Pretty
Venue : Antler Hill Barn, Biltmore Estate
Officiant: Family Friend
Ceremony Music : James Barr
Floral Design : The Bloom Room
Tent & Rentals : Classic Event Rental
DJ : Spintastic Sounds
Catering & Cake : Biltmore Estate
Additional Photography : Abby Moore (Thank You Abby!)
This intimate destination wedding on Biltmore Estate was simply lovely! Here's a handful of my favorite images. Click Here to see more.
Venue, Food & Floral: Biltmore Estate
Rentals: Classic Event Rental
Ceremony Music: Braidstream
Officiant: Howard Hanger
Veering away from weddings here for a second to share some images from our weekend at Blackberry farm. My husband and I had dreamed about visiting for a couple of years and I finally made reservations for Bryan's Christmas gift last year. It seemed a much better idea to gift an experience over something material, and more importantly to have a couple of days to ourselves. So with the help of my amazing Mother-in-law, we escaped the every day craziness and enjoyed a weekend of relaxing, riding bikes, and completing sentences without interruptions. I immediatly fell in love with the property, and the food and service was incredible! Blackberry farm was truly a treat and everything we had hoped it would be. Now I just have to find a client who wants me to photograph their wedding there so I can return one day.
One of the benefits of shooting in the rain.
The Champagne Cellar at the Winery on Biltmore Estate is the absolute perfect place for an intimate destination wedding. Ainslie and Adrian treated their friends and family to quite the experience! It was such an escape for their wedding guests while they joined together with them to celebrate their love and commitment to each other. The cellar was decorated beautifully by The Flower Gallery and the food and service from the Biltmore staff was impeccable as always. Ainslie and Adrian chose to do a first look at the Inn which allowed us to take advantage of the estate and make some portraits before the festivities began. I think my favorite moment of the day has to be the epic 'cake smash' there at the end! I wasn't expecting that from these too ;)
I think that there's something terribly romantic about eloping and Jen & Jon's wedding was exactly that! I was honored to be their only guest and thoroughly enjoyed sharing this special time with them.
This equestrian bridal session in Landrum, South Carolina was nothing short of gorgeous! Who doesn't love a bridal session in the country with beautiful light, a fantastic couple, four horses, a great dane and a grey hound RIGHT?
I photographed Ginny and Jarrod's wedding in Asheville yesterday and even though Ginny was wearing a different dress I thought I should wait to post these until after their big day. Ginny loves her animals so much and I (who have never rode a horse bedsides you know a donkey at the beach) really enjoyed learning how to care for horses and what amazing temperaments they have. Ginny and Jarrod’s love for each other is so sweet and I am honored to have been their wedding photographer.
Carolyn and Josh are so much fun to be around and we had such a great time talking about our families and their upcoming wedding plans! Spring was just starting to appear at Biltmore and we were grateful the rain held off for an hour while we took some quick portraits in the Walled Garden.
I need to warn you, there are probably too many images in this blog post, but I really have to share this wedding in its entiretity with you. This day was more than beautiful, and fun, and Erin and Brian planned so much time for photography - it was amazing! The mountain views, the people, the floral design everything!
So there's your warning and now I'm going to let the photographs tell the story. Oh and don't forget to check out the amazing vendor line up at the end of the post.
Event Planning : Tamara & Virginia from Belle Soiree Wedding & Event Consultants
Hair : Bella Chic Salon Makeup : Amanda Carter
Ceremony Site : Dry Cow Hill, Biltmore Estate
Officiant: Family Friend
Ceremony Transportation : Biltmore Estate Shuttles & Land Rover
Ceremony Music : James Barr
Floral Design : The Bloom Room
Reception Venue : The Crest Center
DJ : Spintastic Sounds (You're the absolute best Pat Lance)
Catering : M7 Events
Thumb Tree : Illustrated by Mom (a sketch of the tree that they got married under - incredible)
Transportation : Asheville Historic Trolly Tours
Additional Photography : Abby Moore (Thanks so much Abby I could not have done this without you)
Erin & Brian met and fell in love while working in some of the restaurants at Biltmore and couldn't imagine tying the knot anywhere else! They planned their wedding weekend perfectly with the help of Tamara from Belle Soiree Weddings. Celebrations kicked off with their rehearsal on dry cow hill followed by dinner at Deerpark and s'mores by the fire. The Biltmore floral team decorated their tables with vintage crates and lace and the twinkle lights made for a cozy atmosphere. I can't wait to share more images with you all from this amazing Biltmore wedding! The ceremony behind the house and mountain backdrop was just incredible.
Zetty & Greg planned such a lovely winter wedding at Lioncrest on Biltmore Estate. Greg enlisted the help of his college roommate and good friend Joel from Curly Willow Designs of SC. Joel took Zetty's idea of bringing the outside in and incorporated Christmas trees, drapery and decorated the tables with greens and white roses. Their guests traveled far and wide for this destination wedding and the Biltmore team as always exceeded every expectation. I was excited when the rain let up just long enough for us to venture up to the Biltmore House for some quick portraits, and so happy that Zetty and Greg chose me to photograph their beautiful wedding!
Super excited to see Elaine & Chris's wedding featured in Jacksonville's Bride magazine this Fall! Their wedding and the entire trip to Florida last Spring was so much fun.
I was honored to photograph this beautiful night for Biltmore.
