Elopements · Blue Ridge Mountains
For two people, a view, and a promise. Planned slowly, photographed like a film.
Tell me your storyAn elopement is not a smaller wedding. It's a different kind of day, one built around the two of you instead of a guest list. You get to choose the mountain, the hour and the people, if any, who stand there with you.
I live in the mountains outside Asheville, so these places are my backyard: grassy balds above the clouds, rhododendron tunnels, waterfalls, and overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway where the ridgelines fade into blue.
I'll help you plan the whole thing, not just show up with a camera.
We start with a conversation. What do you picture? A sunrise ceremony with nobody else around, or a long afternoon with your parents and a picnic? Hiking boots or heels?
From there I'll suggest a few locations that fit, check the rules for each one, and help you with timing so the light is on our side. On the day, we take our time: getting ready, the vows, a walk somewhere quiet, and the in-between moments where the real photos happen.
Every spot has a personality, and its own rules. Here are a few I'd look at first, each with its own guide:
A note on two famous spots: the Forest Service has asked people not to hold weddings or photo sessions at Max Patch or Black Balsam Knob, because of parking and safety. I'd rather take you somewhere we're welcome, and there are plenty of places that feel just as wild.
Many public lands around Asheville ask for a permit for a ceremony, and some have rules for photographers, group sizes or seasonal closures. These rules change, so I always check the official source for the place we choose before you book anything. Each location guide on this site lists what the agency says and links to it.
You'll also need a North Carolina marriage license and someone to legally marry you. We'll put both on the planning list early, so the day itself is only about the two of you.
A lot of the couples who elope in these mountains drive up from Charlotte. It's about two hours to Asheville, which makes a weekend elopement easy: arrive Friday, marry at Saturday's sunrise, and sleep in after. I wrote a whole guide to Charlotte couples eloping in the mountains.
Questions
Sunrise or the hour before sunset. Sunrise means quiet trails and soft, low light, sometimes with clouds sitting in the valleys below you. Sunset is warmer and easier on the alarm clock, but popular overlooks are busier.
The Parkway handles ceremonies through special use permits from the National Park Service. Requirements can change, so check the Parkway's official permits page, which I link from my Blue Ridge Parkway guide, and I'll help you through it.
Of course. Some couples elope completely alone, some bring parents and a dog. Some locations limit group size, so tell me who's coming and I'll suggest places that fit.
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Contact
Tell me who you are, what you love, and the season you're in. I read every word.
Based in Asheville. Coming from Charlotte or further? Tell me where you are, and travel details come with your collections.
Prefer Instagram? Message me at @storiesbyesi.
