smoky mountains wedding

  • The Isles Wedding Photographer | Roberta & Jeremy

    Ocean Isle Beach is already a stunning place for a wedding, and a lot of people choose to book a beach house and get married there, but another option is to find a venue on the island, and my favorite one is absolutely The Isles Beach Club and Tiki Bar. It comes complete with a gorgeous interior reception space, surrounded by windows to show off that beach view, as well as a big outdoor patio facing the ocean for cocktail hour, and of course the WHOLE beach to provide the perfect ceremony spot. I love working at this venue – and it gets even better when you get to work with a couple like Roberta and Jeremy. These two were an absolute joy to be around, and their family and friends were so supportive it was so heartwarming the entire day. And of course my favorite part: they included their ADORABLE dogs in their ceremony, and kept them around to take some photos with us after! Forever suggesting this to any dog parents out there! I LOVE including your fur babies in your big day!! And then fast forward to the reception – one of the most epic, sweaty, and HILARIOUS dance floor ever. Such a great group of people, such a great couple, and such a fun evening. Now check out the highlights from their big day!!!

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography
    Venue: The Isles Beach Club
    Officiant: Modern Ministries
    DJ: Broadway Jake Productions

  • Old Homestead Farm Wedding Photographer | Allisun & Nate

    I had the pleasure of documenting the wedding day of Allisun & Nate at the gorgeous Old Homestead Farm out in Rocky Point, North Carolina. These two tied the knot on the most GORGEOUS beginning-of-Fall kind of day, surrounded by tall trees and all the Spanish Moss you could dream of. That’s my favorite part of this venue – the ceremony spot. A southern dream, honestly. Allisun had the COOLEST vision for her wedding day, with dark moody colors combined with fairy tale vibes. It was DREAMY. I loved the table setups, the flowers, her dress, literally everything. They even had their first dance complete with a fog machine which was absolutely just as epic as it sounds!!!!

    Venue: Old Homestead Farm

    Planner: Garner Love Events

    Florist: Serendipity Floral Designs

    Videographer: Heartline Films

    Bar: Mister Bartender

    Dress: Camilles

    Hair Stylist: Haley Cavenaugh

    Makeup Artist: Danielle Forte

    DJ/Band: Eyecon Entertainment

    Catering: A Thyme Savor

    Ring: James Allen

  • Fort Fisher Aquarium Wedding Photographer | Autumn & Duncan

    I’ve been to Fort Fisher Aquarium many times in my lifetime, but this was my first time getting to work there! I photographed Autumn & Duncan’s wedding at this awesome spot, surrounded by all the sea creatures we could dream of! It was so fun getting to watch them dance in front of the giant tank while sharks swam by in the background. And of course, watch their wedding ceremony while the gator’s watched in the background, too. Autumn and Duncan are the kind of people who make everyone feel welcome and part of the group, and their friends and family were the same. So kind and pleasant to be around – and everyone was so happy to be there to celebrate their love! Congratulations, you two!!! So grateful I got a chance to be a part of your big day.

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    Venue: North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

    Florist: Fiore Design House

    Cake: Imaginary Cakes

    Rentals: L&L Tent and Party Rentals

    Dress: David’s Bridal

    DJ: Weddings & Events by Steve

    Catering: ART Catering

    Officiant: Angela Kelly

  • Bakery 105 Wedding Photographer | Jenna & Lakota

    Bakery 105 is easily one of my favorite venues in Wilmington, NC. The location is right on Front St, which is in the BEST area (the historic district) to walk around for portrait locations, as well as the venue itself just being absolutely gorgeous. The courtyard is a beautiful brick covered in ivy, with the perfect spot for ceremonies and cocktail hours, along with the exposed brick interior to host receptions. I love Bakery 105, so I was SO happy when Jenna reached out to me about photographing her special day! She and Lakota had an intimate wedding ceremony about 5 months prior, and this was their opportunity to host a wedding reception with everyone they love most! The setup was stunning – florals everywhere, candles everywhere, it was perfect. Now I’ll stop rambling and get to the good part – the photo highlights of the day!

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    Videographer: Heartline Films

    Venue: Bakery 105

    Planner: Lauren from Bakery 105

    Florist: Design Perfection

    Cake: One Belle Bakery

    Dress: AMAZON!!!!

    Hair Stylist: Sarah Vaughn

    Makeup: Makeup by Amy

    DJ: Active DJ – Mike

    Catering: 128 South

    Ring: Diamonds Direct & Etsy

  • Hunstville Golf Club Wedding Photographer | Lily & Hunter

    I traveled alllllll the way to the Scranton, Pennsylvania area in September for Lily and Hunter’s wedding. I met these two in Wilmington, where they had initially asked me if I’d do their engagement photos, but they were planning an out-of-state wedding so they didn’t even think about asking me to travel there. Then we got to talking, and of course we LOVED each other, and long story short, I ended up going to PA for their wedding! And I’m SO GLAD I DID – these two sure know how to throw a party. Not only are they SO much fun to work with, so easy to take photos of because they’re just two genuine humans who started out as best friends, they had this closeness to them that I can’t even describe. I’m so glad I got to be there for these two to say “I do.” And also – I had no idea how much they could DANCE. Honestly, I could not stop laughing all night. We may have had rain for the entire weekend, but that never stopped the huge smiles across both of their faces, and they were SO easy going about back up photo plans, and they even went out in golf carts with me to take photos in the rain. Shout out to Lily and Hunter for being the real VIPs – and for letting me come to PA for the party!!!! Can’t wait to force them to be my real friends back in Wilmington now!

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    Ceremony Venue: St. Therese’s Church

    Reception Venue: Huntsville Golf Club

    Florist: Petals de Fleur

    Cake: Janes Sugar Magnolia

    Rentals: Chippy White Table

    Dress: Exclusively You

    Hair & Makeup: Beauty by Laurie Ann

    DJ: Scott Steven’s Production 

    Catering: Huntsville Golf Club

    Invitations: Minted

    Ring: Perry’s Emporium 

  • Airlie Gardens Wedding Photographer | Lauren & Ian

    Lauren & Ian had a small, intimate wedding ceremony at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina. I had the pleasure of being invited to photograph it, and PHEW did we have a gorgeous day. These two were so wonderful to work with, and so easy to take photos of because they were so comfortable with each other, and so excited to say “I do”! After their ceremony, we walked around the gardens and took beautiful photos, and then headed downtown for a small dinner down on the River walk. I’m so happy for you two, and can’t wait to watch you guys grow together!

  • Airlie Gardens Wedding Photographer | Irais & Erik

    Airlie Gardens is easily one of the most stunning places that we have in Wilmington. Located a short drive away from Wrighstville Beach, this spot is absolutely full of well-groomed greenery, tall oak trees, Spanish moss, flowers, and even a butterfly house! You can’t go wrong choosing Airlie Gardens for your wedding, no matter the size. You can do elopements, intimate weddings, or a full blown event. Irais and Erik chose this location for their small wedding with just their immediate family members and their sweet son in attendance. We were able to walk around and get portraits done in the gardens, and celebrate their love and their brand new marriage! Congratulations to these two!!!! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!

  • The Elia Wedding Photographer | Amber & Nico

    For my first time photographing a wedding at the new venue in downtown Wilmington, The Elia, I’d say it was a pretty epic experience. Amber & Nico were kind, welcoming, and incredibly passionately in love. I always describe my ideal client as “loudly in love” and “not afraid to be themselves around each other” and these two nailed that description perfectly. The deep belly laughs, the way they always gravitated to each other all day long, the support from their closest family and friends, it was all amazing. Not only that, but every piece of decor and every little detail was just so stunning, it was such a blast to photograph. The Elia is the perfect venue for those of you who love a downtown setting – hellooooo proximity to the river walk for sunset photos – a gorgeous brick building, with a bridal suite and a groom’s suite, with SO much decor already included with the venue as well. You can tell a wedding planner created this space because everything is already so well thought out, you truly have everything you need all in one space. One of my favorite moments was when they busted out lots of glow-wands and light-up cowboy hats during the dance party, it was so much fun to see everyone really get into it and enjoy the evening! Grateful for clients like these ones, and for an incredible team of wedding vendors who helped bring this day together!

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    Venue: The Elia 

    Planner: Brittanie Raquel Events – Kinsey

    Florist: Serendipity Floral Design

    Videographer: Heartline Films

    Cake: Pink Baking Company 

    Rentals: White Birch Rentals

    Dress: Elysee Valliere

    Hair Stylist: Smoky Glam

    Makeup Artist: Smoky Glam 

    DJ: Active DJ – Sean

    Catering: Middle of the Island 

    Officiant: Craig Simmons 

    Invitations: Minted 

  • The Atrium Wedding Photographer | Aby & Logan

    Aby & Logan got married in September at the STUNNING venue in downtown Wilmington, The Atrium by Ligon Flynn. This place will forever be one of my favorite places to photograph weddings. I am just obsessed with its lush greenery and secret garden vibes, open ceiling, and of course, the twinkle lights. As an all natural-light photographer, this is easily one of the most gorgeous venues in Wilmington for me to work in. The secret garden vibes bring it all together for the perfect backdrop to your perfect day, and this day was no different. Aby and Logan are two of the kindest, most welcoming people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I knew from my first call with Aby that we were going to get along so well, and that was proven when we met for their engagement photos at the beach! Aby worked so hard to plan this wedding and did SO MUCH DIY work – and I think it came together so beautifully. My favorite part was that Aby wanted to incorporate their dog, Huck, into a LOT of their portraits, which I LOVE, but she also knew that he can get a little anxious, and so she included time in our wedding-day-timeline for me to spend with just Huck. Talk about a crazy dog lady dream – getting to just chill with the cutest pup before photos really got started for the day! Another thing that I thought was so fun and unique, Aby knew that she didn’t want the “traditional” posed portraits of all their bridal party, and instead just wanted to capture natural moments with them. So they all met up in the bridal suite at the Atrium for a group “chambong” and if you don’t know what that is – google it. It was awesome, so non-traditional, and so much fun. And nobody even spilled champagne on their dress!?

    Some of my favorite highlights of the day include: they strapped a Go-Pro to Huck’s back for the ceremony so I kept calling him the videographer for the day, but then when it was his time to shine and record the ceremony, instead of standing up at the altar paying full attention, he decided his job was too much, and he laid down and took a nap. Some of my favorite photos from the ceremony are from that moment, and I can’t wait to see the Go-Pro footage of that moment. LOL. Another highlight was being able to walk over to the local brewery, New Anthem, and enjoy some pre-ceremony portraits with the groomsmen, with some good beers and downtown brewery backgrounds! I also am a huge sucker for sunsets, and was happy to walk down to the river with Aby & Logan for a few extra sunset portraits. Some of those turned out to be my favorites of the whole day. And then when we walked back, Boombalatti’s had finished setting up their ice cream truck, Sprinkles, for the guests’ enjoyment! They created a custom flavor for Aby and Logan, and yes, I tried it, and yes, it was incredible. Also, I can’t NOT mention the food at this wedding. One of my favorite caterers, A Thyme Savor, provided the most awesome food stations ever. I never take photos of the food because it’s usually the same menu every weekend, but this time, they had multiple themed stations and I was over the moon with all the selections. There was an Asian station, a taco bar, and a pasta bar. You could literally build whatever dinner you wanted, and yes I had both sushi AND tacos. And to end the night, they finished up with an epic dance party with some of the best wedding music I’d heard in a long time (shout out Martin at Active DJ), fun colorful heart shaped sunglasses for everyone (turns out it’s hard to take photos while wearing red-tinted sunglasses), and of course light-up glow wands that most people just ended up hitting each other with all night. LOL. I loved this day so much.

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    Venue: The Atrium by Ligon Flynn

    Day-of-Coordinator: Meg Henson Events

    Florist: Bridal Bouquet from Something Borrowed, all other florals DIY

    Ice Cream Truck: Boombalatti’s

    Rentals: Party Suppliers & Design Perfection

    Dress: Jillian’s Bridal Outlet

    Hair & Makeup: Anna-Brooklyn Baxley 

    DJ: Martin, Active DJ

    Catering: A Thyme Savor

    Officiant: Sally Beth Shore

    Ring: Ring Concierge 

  • Smoky Mountains Gatlinburg TN Wedding Photographer | Audra & Chris

    Audra and Chris are big hikers, so they knew when it was time to plan their wedding, they wanted to do it in the mountains surrounded by stunning views and their closest family and friends. They rented the Gatlinburg Mansion that had something along the lines of 14 guest rooms, and could house nearly their entire guest list! How fun – not just to have a wedding in the Smokies, but also to stay in a cabin for a weekend with all those you love most. Gatlinburg was the perfect setting for these two to say “I do” – and they did such a great job putting it all together! I’m the first person to say yes to a gorgeous destination wedding, and packing up my pup and my gear and driving to the mountains was even more fun than I expected. I still can’t get over Audra’s dress, it has to be one of my favorites of all time, and it fit her so perfectly. And the smile on Chris’s face whenever he looked at her.

    And yes, I did encounter bears all weekend. For those keeping track, my final bear count was 12.

    Photographer: Allison Eding, Lightbloom Photography

    Venue: Gatlinburg Mansion

    Florist: Thistle & Lace Florals

    Dress: Camille’s of Wilmington

    Hair Stylist: Wanderlust Salon & Spa

    Catering: El Ranchero Loco

    Officiant: Andrea Watson

    Invitations: Minted

    Ring: Perry’s Emporium of Wilmington

    Jewelry: A Watson Designs