Savanah & Derek~ Inn on Biltmore Estate & Champagne Cellar

I choose you, and I’ll keep choosing you, over and over, without a pause, without a doubt, in a heart beat, I’ll keep choosing you.

Derek is from a small town in Maine and I’m from a small town in Mississippi. Due to job relocations, our families moved to South Carolina. When I was 13 and he was 15 we became next door neighbors. Derek and I became best friends, we played outside together and continued to grow our friendship throughout middle and high school. Once graduated, Derek shipped off to Germany after joining the Military and I continued my education at Clemson University. Two years later, Derek came home and we went on our first date!

5 Favorite Moments~

The most glorious rainbow!

Being completely drenched in a heavy satin wedding dress and a little girl walking by while we were taking pictures and shouted: “You look like a princess!”

The Venue & Reception was stunning! Sitting down at dinner and being able to talk with the whole wedding party and our lovely guests!

Simply Running in the rain together!

Everything was just so intimate, so unique and just exceeded all of our expectations!

We chose Asheville because the location made it easy for all our family and friends to join us in celebrating our special day. Between the beautiful foothills of North Carolina and the gorgeous wine cellars of Biltmore the location was everything we had hoped for and fit us perfectly!

Venue: Inn on Biltmore Estate and Champagne Cellar | Hair & Makeup: Wendy Ballace w/ Blush Asheville | Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Musician: Corinne Gooden | Photographer: Jill Schwarzkopf w/ Realities Photography | Videographer: Jana w/ A Thousand Cranes |

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Kelly & Brian~ The Ridge & Omni Grove Park Inn Pavilion

October 27, 2017 Brian popped the question with a little help from our dog, Banks. Brian and I decided to go to Jump Off Rock located in Hendersonville, NC like we have done so many times before to catch the sunset. We usually pack a blanket, bottle of wine and my canon camera. We were walking up to the lookout spot when Brian bent down to “fix” Banks leash. I didn’t think anything of it because that dog gets tangled up all the time! To my surprise, and to say I was surprised is a total understatement, Brian did not stop there! After the engagement we headed to Asheville for a celebratory drink. Of course, I called my parents and sister immediately on the way, but little did I know, they were already in Asheville. Brian arranged for both our families to come up for the weekend to celebrate with us.

Brian and I are both Appalachian State graduates, so the mountains have always held a special place in our hearts. We wanted to gather our family and close friends in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina so they could catch a glimpse into an important piece of our love story. We wanted to share with them the trails and mountains that we’ve explored during our time together. It is where we met and fell in love, so it only seemed fitting to make it the backdrop of our special day!

Five Favorite Moments-

1. The weather on our special day completely transformed! As our wedding day was vastly approaching, I constantly checked the weather report hoping for the best and to my dismay the radar reported rain all week long. Having an outdoor ceremony, you always run the risk, but you still somehow contemplate your special day is invincible. I watched the rain fall all morning as I was getting ready. I’ll never forget the moment my mom and I were looking out the window, watching the guests arrive. I noticed the rain had stopped and the sun began to peak through. In that moment, it felt truly magical. I felt the presence of our loved ones that had passed, shining down on us, sending us their love from Heaven. To top it all off, the evening ended with the most spectacular sunset we have ever seen over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

2. My sister had the most amazing maid of honor speech! I will never be able to top her when it’s her turn to get married and I will leave it at that!

3. Writing and professing our own vows to each other in front of all of our loved ones. It was such an intimate moment that we will cherish forever.

4. The party bus on the way to the reception was wild! It was the first moment where we felt we could finally relax and that it was time to party!

5. The entire reception was simply memorable. We had THE BEST, wedding band, Cashmere! From my Uncle Pete leading the conga line to my friends yelling “encore” at the end of the night. The dancing never stopped! I will never forget the moment on the dance floor when my dad turned to me and asked “Are the cameras gone?” I responded: “Yes dad, the photographers are gone.” Next thing you know he grabs the tambourine from one of the band member and he shakes it like there is no tomorrow as a crowd gathered around and started cheering! It was just awesome seeing the most important people, from all different stages of our lives, come together and have a great time.

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Hailey & Ross~ Omni Grove Park Inn

Ross and I grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same elementary school, middle school, and high school. However, through all that, it was vague that one another truly existed. Through mutual friends, we finally met in college. Timing is absolutely everything!

Ross and I dated for a few years before he popped the question. The day he asked me to marry him was huge because that same day we finally closed on our first house together. The minute we walked inside our newly purchased home, Ross got down on one knee. That was one of our very first conversations to ever have inside our brand new home together. I was in complete shock, I had absolutely no idea it was coming and it was so amazingly special. All our friends and family did a great job keeping the proposal a secret!

Deciding on a wedding location was one of the easiest decisions! Ross and I knew immediately that we wanted to have a destination wedding but not too far from home, so our grandparents could attend. Having an indoor ceremony with spectacular views was at the top of our list and Asheville seemed like the perfect place! After a few venue tours, the Omni Grove Park Inn won our hearts.

Picking only 5 favorite moments is next to impossible because the day was unquestionably perfect, thanks to Mary Bell and her amazing team!

1. The ceremony is my utmost favorite moment because it was the moment Ross and I said “I Do.”

2. As a special twist, we decided to have a painter at our ceremony, Brittany Rawls. The painting Brittany did is breathtaking. Having the painting is a constant reminder of how incredible our wedding day was.

3. Our first dance together as husband and wife was to the song “This Is It” by Scotty McCreery. What topped it off was having our ceremony musician, Brandon Crocker perform it live. Wow, he was great!

4. Let’s not forget about the food and cake! It couldn’t have been better!

5. Last but not least, another treasured moment was simply walking down the aisle and seeing my husband’s face. He looked so happy and anxious! Every time I ask him what his favorite moment was he says: “watching my beautiful bride walk down the aisle.”

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Chelsea & Daniel's Biltmore Wedding

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams” –Dr. Seuss

Daniel and I became engaged July 17, 2017 at Lake Lure just outside of Asheville, NC where we were taking a summer holiday. Daniel proposed on this beautiful flowering bridge overlooking the lake. To our surprise, my mom and dad flew into Asheville to congratulate us on our engagement! Daniel and I drove from Lake Lure to the Inn on Biltmore estate to meet up with my parents and it was such an unexpected treat to be able to share such a milestone in my life with my dear loved ones. As we were all enjoying a glass of wine on the veranda, a comment was made about what a beautiful location for a wedding it would be. My father was always so adamant that we get married in Oklahoma, but to my dismay- he agreed! As a more perfect spot could not be replicated anywhere else. My father was always so proud of what a gentleman Daniel’s parents raised and was pretty impressed when Daniel drove all the way from Charleston, SC to Raleigh, NC simply for a lunch meeting and to ask for my hand in marriage!

5 Favorite Moments

1 Of course the “First Look” is always magical, especially overlooking the vista at the Inn on Biltmore Estate. Ultimately, my favorite was when I was walking down the aisle and seeing Daniel choke up.

2 When it was discovered at the Inn, that the groomsmen could see the bride from their first floor patio into the bride’s third story window! My soon to be mother in law started playing charades with the boys from the window trying to get them to scurry. It was hilarious!

3 During the ceremony, Daniel interrupted the officiant several times, jumping the gun and shouted: “I DO” before the officiant was even ready! He was so excited!

4 Daniel loved stomping on the chuppah. To his dismay- that was the last time he ever gets to put his foot down!

5 As soon as it was time for the garter toss my brother went running!

*Bonus: Mary Bell stole bean bags from a completely oblivious couple playing corn-hole and making a racket during the ceremony. Mary was amazing and we couldn’t have asked for a better companion for our special day.