Allison and Karen's Wedding at Overlook Barn

Oh my goodness. I feel like I know these two almost as much as they know each other!

I met them when Allison wanted to propose to Karen at a Treehouse AirBnb in Asheville… I was only TOO excited to drive down there first to see the space and make sure everything was perfect before their arrival. Karen’s mom and best friend were there too, to set up all the fun extras.

When I realized there was no place for me to hide in the bushes, I called Allison, on the road with Karen, and pretended to be the AirBnB host and told her “I would be there to greet them and show them the house.” She rolled with it and when they arrived, of course Karen started asking me questions about when we built the space and I made up all kinds of nonsense. Until of course we reached the bridge, when Allison knew she’d pop the question and I snagged my camera out of the bushes! Never a dull moment in the surprise wedding proposal world!

Fast forward a few months and Karen contacted me to capture HER surprise proposal to Allison at the Linville Falls Winery Christmas Tree Farm! I was so happy there were actually trees to hide behind and could not wait to pop out and show Allison I was there to capture her moment too! Her mom had set up the cutest Christmas tree in the middle of the farm with ornaments and presents, hot chocolate, and of course the ring!

The build up for this weekend made everything flow seamlessly. It didn’t matter that it rained literally 100% of the day without so much as a 5 minute break for photos. They were surrounded by their loved ones and more importantly these two love each other more than I can possibly describe.

Inside or out, their heartfelt vows had everyone (including me!) in tears so no one even noticed the weather. They had every guest fill out well wishes and place a pebble in the bag while they etched their names in their own pebbles. All piled together, every stone brought them to where they are today on their journey and will help blaze the path ahead.

There was never a moment where it wasn’t raining as least a little, so we played with umbrellas for a bit and they just decided to let the rain fall for some as well. Never without a smile on their face, and always filled with love.

That said, we still decided to meet up again over the weekend when the weather broke so they could get the mountain backdrop they were hoping for from Overlook Barn. It was no less special a couple days later, and in fact, more so because there was no wedding day pressure or timeline, just love. While I will always be sure to capture your day no matter what happens with the weather, if you have the option to meet up again the next day with better weather… it never hurts ;)

I have been so honored to be a part of your journey you guys and cannot wait to see what the future holds!

The Vendors who made the day possible:

Photographer: Cynthia Viola Photography

Coordinator: Miranda with Simply Bliss Weddings

Venue : Overlook Barn

Florist: Thistle and Twig

Officiant: Amanda Kerr

Hair: Myan Littleton

Band: Courtney Lynn and Quinn

Catering: Sage and Spice

Bartending: Happy Trailers Beer Truck

Dessert Truck: Blue Deer Cookies

Cake: Sunflower Baking Company

Elopements on the Blue Ridge Parkway

For Earth Day, it seemed appropriate to highlight the beauty of our Blue Ridge Mountains with all the magical elopements I’ve had the honor of capturing lately. There’s just something about the rolling land and vast sky that draws so many to make their commitments here.

Sha’Lanika and Mike drove up from Florida, seeing mountains for the first time on this trip, and while a little nervous on the roads, were overwhelmed by the beauty surrounding them. We chose Thunder Hill both due to its ease of access for hiking and also because it happened to snow and ice just the day before closing off the rest of the parkway to access by vehicle. You never know what kind of weather you’re going to get up here!

Keith and Rebecca drove down from Illinois and chose Carvers Gap on the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain State Park because they are newly avid backpackers who met during covid and fell in love with backpacking and each other! We swapped hiking stories while we walked as Roan Mountain is still, in my opinion, the most beautiful section of the Appalachian Trail I’ve seen to date and I frequent the balds both for shoots and for camping! We were freezing in the 38 degree temps of course but Rebecca was such a trooper, you’d never even know her teeth were chattering.

Oh my goodness, when Claire told me they were driving down to Blowing Rock from Ohio and their big day would be more of a “private affair,” I knew exactly what she meant and my heart broke into a million pieces. Sometimes these elopements can have a bittersweet feel to them, however, the love these two share, CANNOT, be denied. They were so precious to witness all day. The friends and family who came to support them were all they needed to feel loved and adored. Tears flowed from each of us all day but the flood gates came when Claire got down on her knees to promise to love and honor Erica’s kids as well. I know this little family will be there to support each other for life.

And just yesterday Jon and Kristianna said their “I dos” at The Blowing Rock. Their kiddos couldn’t have been happier to participate and celebrate with them and the weather was Carolina perfection. I can’t believe I’ve never been to The Blowing Rock before… in all the years I grew up and built my business in these mountains, for whatever reason had simply never made it. So grateful to know what I’ve been missing though! I’ll be back very soon! All Kristianna wanted was a photo standing on the edge of the rock and she walked up there like a damn queen. I am really beginning to love these intimate affairs. The freedom of the schedule to adjust with the weather and wind or an upset child or delayed friend. There are no rules, just overwhelming love and support from those present.

I am grateful to each of you for including me! Can’t wait to see all that is to come!

Anne and Rachel's Elopement in Asheville

It’s hard to explain how you can have such a connection with a couple through text messaging, and I wouldn’t normally choose it or recommend it, but dang, if I didn’t know these two were perfect for me within our first couple messages back and forth.

I chatted with Rachel for several weeks via text making sure we were on the same page with all their elopement plans and then both she and Anne as their engagement session approached. There was zero anxiety as I pulled up to the lake, I knew we were already besties. Of course the shoot went amazing…

And I could not wait for their big day. They spent the weekend at Rachel’s family’s farm, and it suited them perfectly. Complete with super friendly animals of all shapes and sizes and of course their closest friends and family, the whole day was filled with happy tears as they shared their vows and created new memories.

I was overcome with emotion myself as they shared their vows to never give up on each other and to be the best versions of themselves for each other. Their love is deep and to see them celebrated wholeheartedly by their loved ones as we all joined in the happy tears was incredibly moving.

Ladies, thank you so much for inviting me to celebrate with you on this happy day! Love you both!

The Vendors who made the day possible:

Photographer: Cynthia Viola

Venue: Out in Jupiter Farm

Hair: Donovan at Atlas Beauty

Anne’s Ring: Jared

Rachel’s Ring: Modern Wedding Ring

Officiant: Luanne Carmichael

Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes