Three-Day Wedding Celebration Near The Blue Ridge Mountains
Morgan and Drew opted for a romantic and intimate wedding experience amongst the Blue Ridge mountains together with a handful of family and friends. Instead of spending all of their budget on only a couple hours, these two extended their wedding to a 3-day adventure. Get all the details below.
Are you ready to elope in North Carolina? Explore our North Carolina elopement pacakges.
About This Elopement
Photography by Elopements by Erin
“In the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Morgan and Drew had a three-day wedding celebration with their closest friends and family, mixing the scenes of downtown Asheville with the beautiful mountain landscape.” [Erin, the photographer]
Day 1: Downtown Photos & Welcome Dinner
The weekend kicked off with a walk through downtown Asheville to visit their favorite cocktail bar, La Bodega. As guests arrived in Asheville, they were greeted with a warm welcome celebration in a quaint book exchange and champagne bar.
Day 2: Jump off Rock Ceremony
Morgan and Drew exchanged vows under the golden autumn trees at Jump Off Rock in front of their close friends and family. Their intimate ceremony was followed by a candlelit dinner at Posana, where guests enjoyed local food and custom cocktails.
Day 3: Post-Ceremony Hike
The last day was all about experiencing the magic of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Morgan and Drew wore their wedding attire again for a second day and hiked up through pine trees to a 360-degree view. In the evening, everyone gathered for a relaxed dinner and craft beers in Asheville, the perfect ending to their weekend Asheville experience.
Deciding to Elope
“Drew and I originally started to plan a traditional wedding in our small south Georgia town. However, we struggled to find a venue that matched our tastes. We reluctantly narrowed our local search down but felt unenthusiastic, especially about sacrificing our love for food and cocktails to fit mediocre offerings. Additionally, as someone who prefers to avoid the spotlight, the thought of a large wedding was daunting. I yearned for intimacy. We had made a pact at the beginning of wedding planning that the second things started to get stressful and no longer fun, we would consider eloping. So low and behold, that day had arrived after another depressing visit to a venue that, yet again, did not feel like ‘us.’
Enter Asheville. We visited Asheville every November for our yearly getaway, drawn to its mountain scenery, amazing restaurants, and breweries. It felt like the perfect place to elope. It truly offers everything we love and ticks all our boxes. Researching elopement options in Asheville reignited our excitement. We discovered many possibilities with various elopement companies, which allowed us to tailor our day exactly as we envisioned. We wanted our immediate family and closest friends to share in our celebration, totaling about 16 guests. This intimate gathering felt right for us — a destination wedding that wasn’t too far for our Georgia-based loved ones.” [The couple]
Planning Their Elopement
“Navigating Asheville’s elopement options initially posed challenges, particularly finding venues accommodating our guest count (who knew some secluded mountain spots had guest limits!) However, a fortuitous Instagram scroll led me to Erin at Elopements by Erin. I went to her website and fell in love with her work and her approach to elopements. Her expertise and flexibility were invaluable in selecting a location for our ceremony – she had thorough guides on all the various location spots for a ceremony including photos. We were worried about the accessibility for some of our more elderly guests, so a lot of hiking was off the table.
Planning involved thorough research and contacting vendors ourselves. We did end up hiring a day-of coordinator, Cassie from Beth Ryan Company, to ensure everything ran smoothly. Her attention to detail was a game-changer, overseeing setup at both ceremony and dinner locations, allowing us to focus on enjoying every moment. Once we had our photographer and day-of coordinator, we started to check everything else off our list. Since we had been to Asheville so many times before, we already had a good idea of our favorite spots and knew we wanted to incorporate them into the weekend. We did make a few visits to Asheville to check them out again in person and help us narrow our options down.” [The couple]
Estimated Elopement Cost
“Our unique three-day extravaganza cost us around $27k – more than planned, but worth every penny for the unforgettable memories. It might be more than your average elopement but at the end of the day we got three full days of exactly everything we wanted – things that we valued and were important to us!” [The couple]
- 3-day photographer, Elopements by Erin – $6,800
- Accommodations for 4 nights, Elevation Lofts – $3,000
- Welcome Reception, Battery Park Book Exchange (venue, food, drinks, jazz band, tip) – $3,000
- Ceremony Location, Jump Off Rock – $500
- Private Dinner Reception, Posana (venue, food, drinks, tip) – $4,500
- Cake, Old Europe – $200
- Dinner Reception Florals, Springvine Design – $900
- Brewery Tour for 16, New Belgium Brewing – $375
- Bouquet, Corsages, Boutinnieres, The Faux Bouqets – $297
- Hair and Makeup, Powder Me Pretty (they did my makeup for both the ceremony and the portrait photoshoot) – $600
- Dress and Veil, Whimsy on Main – $1,900
- Groom Suit, Shirt, Tie, Nordstrom – $1,200
- Day-of Coordinator, Beth Ryan Company – $1,300
- Invitation Suite, minted.com – $650
- Misc. (signage, welcome bags, gifts for family members, etc.) – $2,000
Permits and LNT During This Elopement
“Their ceremony on day 2 took place at Jump Off Rock, a town-owned overlook in Hendersonville, North Carolina. A permit is required to have your ceremony here, and parking is limited, so it’s important to follow the rules implemented by the park.
Our adventure in the mountains on day 3 was in the Pisgah National Forest. The balds in North Carolina are known for their tall grass and beautiful 360 views. When visiting these locations, it’s important to keep couples on rocky surfaces to avoid trampling the tall grass and vegetation. I’ve seen many photographers directing their couples to run through the grass, and although I completely understand how tempting it is for that beautiful shot, the grass is fragile and easily damaged. When those shots get shared online, it causes others to do the same, and eventually results in long-term damage and photography restrictions from permit offices. Staying on the trail and rocky surfaces will ensure that the land is minimally impacted and that couples & photographers will be able to enjoy it for years to come!” [Erin, the photographer]
Learn more about leaving no trace during your adventure.Â
Top Tips During This Elopement
“Take advantage of all that Asheville has to offer. We have easily accessible ceremony spots for guests, hiking trails, The Blue Ridge Parkway, unique places to stay, and a beautiful downtown with local restaurants and shops to make your entire elopement experience unforgettable.
When you’re deciding when to elope, I would recommend choosing a date in the spring, early summer, or late fall. I would recommend avoiding October if possible due to the increase in tourists to the Asheville area during peak foliage. I also always recommend getting married on a weekday for a more private experience!” [Erin, the photographer]
Details We’re Loving
“Morgan and Drew perfectly blended private time together and time with their friends and family. Every detail was so intentionally planned to make their loved ones feel valued and appreciated. The welcome party, intimate ceremony, luxury wedding day dinner, and brewery celebration made the experience just as special for their guests. And by including a walk downtown to their favorite spots, first look before their ceremony, and morning in the mountains just for them, they also had time to enjoy the magic of their weekend and make memories together as a couple.
Morgan’s attention to detail while planning really made their day extra unique and personal to them. They made custom water bottles and welcome gift bags for all of their guests, created a detailed itinerary for their guests to participate in fun activities throughout the weekend, planned different outfits for each day, had their own custom cocktails at their wedding day dinner, and so much more.” [Erin, the photographer]
Memorable Moments During This Elopement
From the photographer:
“The moments directly following their ceremony. Instead of immediately exiting their ceremony to head to the next location, they stopped to hug each of their guests, celebrate, and soak in the ‘just-married’ bliss. These moments allowed me to capture some really sweet and personal photos of them with their loved ones.”
From the couple:
“We were able to combine our love for the mountains with our love for the city vibe of Asheville’s unique restaurants and bars – truly the best of both worlds for us. We were worried how the weekend would play out since we had so many different things planned logistically but in the end our expectations were exceeded. It was the perfect weekend and to be able to spend it with our nearest and dearest was the icing on the cake.
Our sunset ceremony at Jump Off Rock was magical but I think the highlight of our weekend was the photo session we had with Erin the day after at Black Balsam Knob. We admittedly were hesitant at the idea of doing photos in the morning the day after because we knew we’d be so tired! The thought of putting everything back on and driving an hour to do more photos wasn’t super appealing to us in the moment but once we got there and saw how beautiful it was, it took our breath away. That hesitation immediately melted away and we are so glad we went through with it as planned. It was probably the most fun we had all weekend, and the photos were so worth it!”
Final Words of Advice
From the photographer:
“Eloping with your closest loved ones is such a special experience that I would recommend it to anyone who is dreaming of an adventure elopement without giving up those memorable moments with the people you love. A multi-day elopement in Asheville like Morgan and Drew’s is the perfect way to do this!”
From the couple:
“Follow your hearts. Whether it’s an intimate affair or a small gathering like ours, prioritize what brings you joy. Our journey reminded us to stay true to ourselves, and the result was a wedding weekend we’ll treasure forever.”
Vendors
Photography & Planning Assistance | Elopements By Erin
Cocktail Bar | LaBodega by Curate
Welcome Party Venue| Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar
Day-Of Ceremony Coordinator | Beth Ryan Company
Getting Ready Location: Elevation Lofts Hotel
Reception Venue & Catering | Posana Restaurant
Hair & Makeup | Hannah Pepper at Powder Me Pretty
Dress | Whimsy on Main, Dalton
Morgan’s Bouquet | The Faux Bouquets
Reception Florist | Springvine in Asheville
Cake | Old Europe Asheville
Brewery Dinner Venue | Burial Beer Asheville Forestry Camp
Photos From This Elopement
Are You Ready to Elope?
Search VendorsFree Cash Registry
From dream honeymoons to the foundation of your future home, let your guests, friends, or family contribute to what truly matters to you.
