elopement photographer

Alex and Jasper said they wanted one thing in their photos for their wedding day: Spanish moss! Good thing they chose Wilmington to host their intimate wedding. We met up at Greenfield Lake which is the BEST SPOT in town for giant trees, waterfront views, and endless Spanish moss. We did a first look with just us, walked around the lake for photos, and then headed over to Long Leaf Park to meet their immediate family and closest friends there for their ceremony. They found a small shaded spot, brought some chairs and flowers, and they said “I do!” I love a small wedding day like this one. It’s perfect for people who want to have their day with only the closest humans to them, and it makes it so personal and so perfect. It was relaxed, it was fun, and it was gorgeous! Congratulations to Alex and Jasper and their families!

Okay, we aren’t supposed to have favorites in the wedding industry, but The Atrium is my favorite. LOL. Can you really beat an outdoor venue that has ivy climbing up all of the walls and an open air ceiling? It has the prettiest golden hour, and you can even see the sun setting above you. Just, vibes.

Rachel and David got married on a beautiful April day, surrounded by their closest people, and their dog even made an appearance for portrait time! So here are my top favorite things that they did for their wedding. First, their seating chart for the reception was dog-themed. Tables were named after guests’ dogs, the seating chart said “Sit. Stay. Par-tay.” Not only did the tables have framed photos of guests’ dogs, but so did the inside area, AND EVEN MY DOG WAS FRAMED AS DECOR! Like, how personal and how adorable. Aside from the epic dog-theme, their wedding favor for each guest to take home was a propagated plant. I love plants and I love dogs so this was pretty much my dream.

Just, excellent humans, excellent vibes all night. I had the best time with you two! My other favorite: they booked me for my film photo package, too, which ended up producing some of my favorite images of the day. The greens of the Atrium really pop on film. It just looks so classic and so vibrant on film. Okay now go look at all my favorite photos!!!!!

35mm Film Photos

Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

Venue: The Atrium

Coordinator: Laura Horton

Florist: Serendipity Floral Designs

Cake: Imaginary Cakes

Rentals: Party Suppliers

Draping: Design Perfection

Dress: Coastal Knot

Hair & Makeup: Sammie McGee Port City Pretty

DJ: Active DJ – Mike

Violinist: Lucas Gerbe

Catering: SpoonFed

Ring: East West Gem Co

Okay, I’ve lived in Wilmington, North Carolina for nearly 9 years now, and somehow, this was my very first wedding to photograph at Carolina Yacht Club in Wrightsville Beach! I’m not sure how that’s possible (probably because I tend to get hired for the same places over and over once people see my photos at that location) but I’m a FAN. Huge perks of Carolina Yacht Club weddings: first of all, it has its own parking lot. This is nearly impossible to find at Wrightsville Beach. Second of all – it has a covered patio facing the beach, which is perfect for ceremonies that are still facing the beach, but gives you a bit of separation from the elements (like the WIND at the beach) as well as the perfect backup plan in case of rain on your wedding day. Third of all, a quick little walk out to the beach is perfect for all of your portraits. It was a great spot!

Alexandria and Luke picked such a beautiful day in April to get married. We had gorgeous weather, perfect temperatures, we got to do all their couple’s portraits on the beach at sunset, AS a storm was rolling in, so it provided for some of the coolest skies ever. They had the most fun wedding party there to support them – a fun and silly wedding party is KEY to getting the best photos. And my favorite part? Just how HYPED they were to marry each other. Their love was so fun to be around. Alexandria literally kept bouncing up and down all day, it made me laugh, but it was like she was so full of joy to marry her best friend that she couldn’t contain herself. The little details were so perfect and so personal, even the way Alexandria designed Luke’s wedding ring – it included a guitar string in the center?! WHAT!? Literally so unique. Super grateful I got to work with a couple like this, they really liked the artistic photo vibe I have going, and they trusted me to capture their day in a fun and unique and artistic way. When people do that – I get the best photos. When you don’t hand me a list of 50 different images you’re requesting, I actually have time to get creative and candid and get the most authentic and natural photos. So, thank you for doing that, y’all. Some of the 35mm film photos are my absolute favorite I’ve ever taken at a wedding. Okay I’ll stop blabbing – check out the highlights from Alexandria and Luke’s wedding day!!!

35mm Film Photographs

Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

Venue: Carolina Yacht Club, Wrightsville Beach, NC

Catering: K38

Coordinator: Honey I Do Wedding Creations

Hair: Carly Stermon

DJ: Bill Deyoe

Ice Cream Truck: Sprinkle’s by Boombalatti’s 

Shell Island is a beach resort located at the verrrrrry North End of Wrightsville Beach, in Wilmington, North Carolina. It’s a GREAT location, for a lot of reasons. The beach itself is typically a bit less crowded on this end of the island, because unless you’re staying at this hotel, most people don’t venture all the way to the very end of the island for a beach day. It is located right across the street from a marsh access, which isn’t available anywhere else on the island! Their indoor space is pretty much just a blank space, with a wall full floor-to-ceiling windows that face the ocean, with a nice little tropical patio for sitting and socializing, too.

Rachel and Walt picked a beautiful day in April to tie the knot. They decided on a brunch wedding – which, in my opinion, is literally the best idea in the world. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve gotten the privilege of photographing a brunch wedding. 1) Breakfast food at a wedding!? Say less. 2) All the coffee you want at a reasonable time of day?! 3) They were done for the day by 3:30 PM and everyone went upstairs to their rooms, changed into their bathing suits, and spent the rest of the day casually hanging at the beach. I actually cannot think of a better and more relaxing way to spend your wedding day. So they already started out so strong, and then they went and hired all the best vendors in town, and then on TOP of that, they turned out to be two of the most incredible humans we’ve all ever had the pleasure of working with. Rachel and I bonded a long time ago, over our initial emails, I cannot even explain how many exclamation points were exchanged between us and probably anyone else reading our emails would think we’re crazy, but we’re both just really bright, happy, sunshine-y people with big joyful personalities, so we really hyped each other up, before, during, and after the wedding. And Walt, he was so unique in the way that he actually understood our camera gear, and while he works in video, he never once tried to tell any of us how to do our jobs, he hired professionals that he trusted and he let us do our thing. Upon delivering their photos (literally two days ago LOL) his responses were so personal to me because he actually understood the process and he valued it more than the average person does. This couple is just the dream couple that everyone wishes they got to spend every weekend with forever.

We ended the day by running off with just Rachel and Walt into the marshes, where we did all their portraits, in the beautiful sunshine, with the tall grasses and the water, and Rachel never once feeling concerned about dirtying up her wedding dress. I wrote about this on instagram but I have to mention it on my website, too. Another thing about Rachel: she fully understood that the beach is a windy place, and she never worried about the way her hair looked, she never cared if every little detail was perfect, she went with the flow, she accepted the day exactly as it unfolded, and I think it really shows in the photos. Being photographed at the beach can be really difficult between the sun and the wind, but because of their trust and not sweating the small stuff, Rachel and Walt were able to enjoy and fully participate and I truly believe that makes for the absolute best photos you can get. I will never forget this day, this couple, and this amazing experience. Shout out to the amazing vendors, the amazing wedding party, the sweet sweet families, and of course, Rachel and Walt. Y’all deserve every little moment of happiness that the world brings you.

Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

Second Photographer: Neal Lewis, Cavalry Film Company

Venue: Shell Island

Coordinator: Meg Henson Events

Catering: MOI

DJ: Active DJ – Jesse

Videographer: Heartline Films

Florist: Harris Teeter

Dessert: Cinnaholic & Lexie’s Layers

Officiant: Sherri Crawford

Hair: Valerie Dunn

This one is one for the books. Chelsea and Corey chose to get married at the GORGEOUS Brooklyn Arts Center, located in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. It’s a huge, historic old church in the Brooklyn Arts District. The space itself is so pretty, it’s not hard to transform it into the wedding space of your dreams. And that is exactly what they did. Black and white flooring, huge tropical greenery, personal touches, and oh man, that dance party.

My favorite thing about Chelsea and Corey was the way that they made everyone around them feel so comfortable and so welcome and they were just overjoyed to be there, to be saying “I do,” and to be surrounded by all the people they love most. They never stopped smiling and laughing. They made me feel like I was their oldest friend, and they trusted me to capture the day effortlessly. Some couples get nervous and don’t trust their photographer and end up telling them what to do all day, but not these two. They just trusted me to do what I do best, and that is when I truly shine. I was able to capture all the portraits that I needed to, but I also had time to get the best artistic and natural moments that happened, because I wasn’t working off of a lengthy list of requests for the day. The vendors all showed UP and absolutely nailed their jobs, and that also made for a really smooth day, shout out Social Butterfly for being the amazing planners and handling, well, everything.

And my favorite part? An entire section of the dance party was turned into “emo throwbacks” which is where my heart truly lies – and maybe some people didn’t get it (lookin’ at anyone over 50 here), but you bet I was out on that dance floor with them the entire time, screaming the words along with them. I wish every weekend was Chelsea & Corey’s wedding weekend.

Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

Venue: Brooklyn Arts Center

Planner: Social Butterfly Events

HMUA: Bridal Artistry

Catering & Dessert: A Thyme Savor

Bakery: Publix

Florist: Eco Chic Blossoms

DJ: Active DJ

Rentals: Party Suppliers & DP Etc

Transportation: Azalea Limo

The Atrium is a GORGEOUS tropical outdoor venue located right in the heart of historic Downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. It’s no secret that downtown weddings are my personal favorite, but there’s just something extra magical about the Atrium. I love greenery and I love outdoor weddings and I love being walking distance to all my favorite photo spots downtown… and the Atrium has it all. I always call it a secret garden, and that’s exactly what it is.

I’ve known Tabbi for a long time now – she used to work at the apartment complex I moved into when I FIRST moved to Wilmington…. almost 9 years ago now! I just remember her always having the best attitude and bright shiny personality. I hadn’t seen her for a long time and then I finally ran into her one day after she had just gotten engaged – and then fast forward to me getting to photograph her wedding day!!!!!

Tabbi and Cameron are two really incredible humans. Their energies were SO contagious – the pure joy of getting to marry each other was so contagious. I couldn’t stop smiling all day. The details and decor were SO PRETTY and the most fun part of the day was that they ended up having this big “snowstorm” (according to coastal NC standards) the week of the wedding, which left lots of snow and ice still all over the ground for their big day. Tabbi couldn’t have been happier – so we sought out photo spots that included snow in the background! This is my very first Wilmington wedding where there is SNOW in the photos!!!! Okay, and don’t even get me STARTED on the dance party.

One of my favorite things I got to do at this wedding, aside from getting to love on their dog, Goose, was Tabbi’s idea to do a night-time end of the night flat lay instead of a pre-ceremony one. These are usually done in the beginning of the day, with invitations, jewelry, perfume, that kind of thing. But instead, I got to set aside time at the end of my day, and she let me have full creative control and I went and found a bunch of fun items so it was more of a PARTY flat lay. I loved it so much! Also: my favorite part about a winter wedding is the amount of fuzzy jackets that show up – there were a few that kept rotating between the guests and made for some really excellent photo moments.

They also booked me for my 35mm film package, which, again, is always my favorite thing. It works so well with outdoor venues, too. I’ll include some of those photos at the end of the gallery, too! Shout out to the BEST couple, and congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! Can we do it all over again???

35mm Film Photos:

Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

Venue: The Atrium

Coordinator: Laura Horton

Florist: Mother of  Wild

Dessert: Salt and Charm

Rentals: The Perfect Touch Rentals

Dress: Coastal Knot

Hair & Makeup: Beauty Crew Mobile 

DJ: Active DJ

Catering: Salt and Charm

Officiant: Sherri Crawford

Invitations: Zola

Ring: Perry’s Emporium 

Finding the right photographer for your wedding day is SO important. There are sooooooooooooooooooo many photographers out there, it can feel overwhelming and most people don’t even know where to begin. Everyone does things SO differently. It’s a huge job, and it is high risk, it leaves very little room for error. So after spending the last 15 years photographing weddings, I’ve put together a helpful list to help you as you start to look into hiring a photographer for your wedding! Here are 5 things to look for when hiring a wedding photographer:

1) A personality that you vibe with, a wedding photographer is one of the people that you actually spend the MOST time with on your wedding day. Choose someone who makes you feel good/confident/who makes you laugh… they are often right next to you during a lot of highly emotional and highly stressful moments of the day. Someone that you TRUST is essential. Trust is huge in the world of artists. You can never predict how every image is going to turn out, because every moment is unique to your day. So trusting the process, trusting your photographer, is everything. Knowing that they are the professional and not having to micromanage them is huge.

2) A style of work that speaks to you. Don’t just look at one photo and pick your photographer. Check out their entire body of work. Look at whole weddings. Ask them to see a gallery of a full wedding day. Check out what the family photos look like, what the photos look like during different times of day in different lighting. Indoor vs. outdoor. Flash vs. no flash. Can you see the sky in their photos? Do they shoot mostly up close images or can they do beautiful landscapes too? Are they good at candids AND posed photos? Do you like their posing? Do you think people look flattering in their photos? Can they capture sunset colors? No two photographers do the same thing. Make sure you LOVE what they do. You don’t hire a professional and then ask them to do it a different way. You hire one based on the way that they already do it.

3) Experience. While there are an ENDLESS supply of new photographers in the world just WAITING for the moment that someone trusts them enough to photograph their first wedding, is that really what you want to do with one of the biggest days of your life? Working with a professional in the industry will provide you with the best service. Someone who knows what to do when things go wrong on a wedding day, someone who has seen it all an knows how to handle problems that arise, someone who can work in EVERY kind of light, not just outdoors. Someone with the proper gear, backup gear, insurance, etc. Someone who can manage a group of people and the chaos of wedding parties and big family photos. Someone who works with the same vendors frequently is even more helpful, they already have working relationships with these people and they know how to work together.

4) A price point that works in your budget. As much as we hate to admit it, price plays a HUGE ROLE in this decision. While all photographers charge different rates, and we so don’t want the reason we don’t get booked to be because of price, it’s just a fact: not everyone will be able to afford their dream photographer. But also, as you begin your search, just know that photography is NOT cheap. It’s the ONLY vendor that provides you with something tangible that you get to keep the rest of your life. They are freezing your memories forever, for you to always look back on. Find a photographer who you think is worth every penny! In my opinion, I’d rather splurge on the things that are the MOST important to me, so think about that! What is the most important thing to you?To give you a more updated price point to understand (since Google often doesn’t update that question for years at a time), amateur photographers are the ones charging $1000-$3000 for a wedding. $4000+ is a very regular starting rate for seasoned professionals. (I’m speaking specifically in my market in coastal North Carolina). If you fell in love with a photographer and you can’t make it work with their price point – ask if they have any smaller package options like an hourly rate, and see if you could get coverage for a smaller portion of your day! Sometimes I’ve worked 3-4 hour wedding days capturing all the BIGGEST moments for a couple who wasn’t able to pay for my regular packages!

5) Turnaround time – I keep realizing that a lot of couples hire a photographer and have ABSOLUTELY no idea when they are supposed to expect to get their photos back. Some photographers (and definitely videographers – no shade, video takes a LOT more time to edit) take an entire year to edit and get you the gallery. Are you willing to wait that long? I work as a full time wedding photographer and my turnaround is 3 weeks. Which for some reason is unheard of in this industry. But I know first hand how doable that is. Make sure you know that information before you book, so you know what to expect. Another side note to this category: actually read your contract. Will you receive a print release from your photographer which allows you the rights to print your photos anytime, forever? Or will you not retain any printing rights, and be forced to order prints through the photographer ONLY? These prints are usually marked WAY up in price, and can be extra thousands of dollars unexpectedly after a wedding.

My first wedding of 2025 was at St Thomas Preservation Hall in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. I knew I was going to love working with Olivia and Andy after meeting them for their engagement photos last year. We clicked so well, and Olivia and I have very similar vibes. These two have been together since high school – a true rarity these days! And I am being totally honest when I’m saying Andy had some of the best vows I’ve ever heard, in my entire life. The love that this man has for Olivia, is WILD. Like, I wish this kinda love on EVERY ONE. I also loved their black and white decor, it was elegant, gorgeous, and classy. Followed by a multiple hour dance party that was anything BUT those words. Hahahaha, and I mean that as a huge compliment. Their friends showed up to have a good time, and they sure did. I was laughing all night. Glad I got to meet and befriend a couple like these two, and CONGRATSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

35mm Film Photos:

Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

Second Photographer: Neal Lewis, Cavalry Film Company

Venue: St. Thomas Preservation Hall

Planner: Meg Henson

Florist: Dianne Lynch (aunt)

Videographer: Heartline Films

Cake: Apple Annies

Rentals: Party Suppliers and L&L

Dress: Coastal Knot

Hair Stylist: Ashley Horrell & Brinley Rice – Uptown Salon & Dry Bar

Makeup Artist: Molly Ingraham

DJ: Martin – Active DJ 

Catering: MOI

Officiant: Jackson Norvell

Transportation: Azalea Limo

Invitations: Arzberger Stationers – Fisherman’s Wife

Being a full time wedding photographer is no joke. I don’t leave a wedding day without being covered in blood, sweat, and tears sometimes. LOL. But really. Ask the brides who I’ve bled for. They know. I’m pretty lucky to call Wilmington, North Carolina my home base. We’re surrounded by (typically) warm weather, lots of sunshine, ocean views, a charming downtown, and a LOT of beautiful venue to choose from. I love working weddings because no two weddings are the same. Everyone puts their own unique spin on it and makes it their own, and I love documenting all of it. I love the natural moments full of authenticity and emotion, I love the look on the groom’s face when his bride walks down the aisle, I love the feeling at a same-sex wedding when you’re in a room full of family who is SO supportive, it warms your heart. I love couples who just can’t seem to get enough of each other, and their smiles are so big they actually complain about their face hurting that day. I love your love. So much. Thank you to every single one of you who I had the pleasure of working with this year. Every couple, every vendor, we all came together as a team to make these gorgeous wedding days happen. I’m so grateful for this life I’m living, for the ability to share my vision with the world, and to do this for my whole job. Literally, I get to take pretty pictures for a living and freeze your favorite memories in time. It’s a pleasure to be trusted with such special moments.

2024 was wild. And a TOTAL blast. So please enjoy some highlights from the WHOLE year.

Let’s get it, 2025.

To wrap up my 2024 season, I finished off the year photographing the wedding of Callie and Seth at the end of December. They chose Bakery 105 in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina to host their wedding, and it’s one of my top favorite venues to work in, so I was happy to be back again. I initially had closed off my bookings for the rest of the year when Callie reached out, and I told them I was fully booked for the year, but then the way they spoke about my work made me feel like they totally GOT ME, and valued my work, and that is literally what I look for in an ideal client. I couldn’t help but want to work with these two, and then when I met with them for engagement photos, I knew I made the right choice. Sometimes you just bond with a couple and your energies work so well together. Callie and Seth are so fun to be around, and they threw one heck of a wedding. I LOOOOOVED the winter decor, it just so happened to be a freakishly warm day at the end of December, which no one anticipated, but we got a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day, for their “winter wonderland” themed wedding! It was gorgeous. One thing I always get so grump about at Bakery 105 is when a couple has to rent a huge tent to cover the patio if it looks like there’s any chance of rain in the forecast. But when I showed up to see the huge, clear tent complete with twinkle lights and a chandelier, I was over the moon. A clear tent lets in all the natural light, a photographer’s dream, and it doesn’t hide the gorgeous ivy covered brick walls at Bakery! It looked SO GOOD – especially at night ones everything was all lit up! This dance party quite literally never stopped, to the point of everyone just being totally soaked with sweat, and it was so much fun. Thankful I accepted this wedding when I almost didn’t, and thankful I had such a blast with these two at the end of a busy season. Congrats to Callie and Seth!!!!!!!!

Lead Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

Second Photographer: Neal Lewis, Atlas Film & Photo

Ceremony Venue: Grace United Methodist Church

Reception Venue: Bakery 105

Planner: Meg Henson

Florist: Verzaal’s

Videographer: Heartline Films

Cake: April Dowless

Rentals: Martha My Dear & Party Suppliers & Rentals

Dress: Coastal Knot

Hair Stylist: Frankee Williams

Makeup Artist: Danielle Forte

DJ/Band: The Embers featuring Craig Woolard

Catering: 128 South

Officiant: Pastor Benny Oakes

Transportation: Azalea Limo

Invitations: Minted

Ring: Rex Jewelers