A slight update… If you haven’t had a chance to see Heather’s Biltmore Estate Wedding and Reception it can be found by clicking on that bold link.
Heather was initially referred to me from Bridget on The Knot. We never had a chance to meet in person before her wedding weekend but she had told me that she really loved my photography and knew that she could trust that I would do a great job. We’ve kept in touch through facebook for that past year and it was a great way to get to know her and her fiance Jesse. Needless to say I had been looking forward to meeting everyone! They even invited me to their rehearsal dinner even though I wasn’t booked to photograph the evening. It was great to get to know everyone and just chat…
On the day I left, I was a little worried a I made my 4 hour journey to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville North Carolina for Heather’s bridal portrait and her and Jesse’s wedding that Saturday. I was really excited for this weekend to arrive, and now that it was finally here it looked like the entire weekend called for rain and thunderstorms. Sure enough as I drew closer to the Biltmore, it started to downpour and the traffic began backing up. At one point I had to stop because I could barely see the road. Luckily I had decided to come up the night before.
Luck was also on our side when I arrived though. As the tourists and guests left the estate the clouds broke and we had intermittent spurts of sunshine. I’ve been to the Biltmore before, but it was a little eerie having the entire estate to ourselves after closing time. You really can’t explain to someone how much land is there. They just have to experience it for themselves. Surprisingly enough I had a little trouble choosing my backdrop because it turned out to be such a beautiful shoot.
Heather’s mom and sister were on hand to help with some of the dress positioning but as we proceeded I realized how fun and outgoing this family was going to be this weekend. Heather through caution to the wind and was up for any ideas… such as hiking up her wedding gown and doing a little sprint at the end of the day when it started to rain. She could have just bolted for the car but it was much appreciated that she allowed me to take a few photographs before it really started to rain!
The other part of this bridal portrait session that I really liked was Heather’s elegant look. Since the Biltmore Estate holds a sense of sophistication and grandeur I had decided that I didn’t want too many bridal photographs where she was laughing and smiling. I’ve found that it’s been difficult for many of my other subjects to achieve this look without looking bored or upset…But NOT Heather! She rocked these poses out like a professional model and ended up looking stunning! I was so happy that I had her to work with that day.
Obviously not Heather… :) But this statue caught my eye so I snagged a quick photograph of it. I just really liked the color of it and how it complimented the blue sky in the background. Adding the Biltmore house into almost any shot helps too…
Heather was SUCH a trooper she made a little jog uphill with her wedding gown hiked up to help us maximize the sunlight since we were losing it fast.
This is probably my favorite bridal portrait of the day. The Biltmore House in the background is understated and Heather looks amazing!
With some timely wind and some perfect assistance from Heather’s mom I was able to take this one. It’s also one of my favorites. Thanks Jean for all your help!
I wanted to tone these a little darker. I thought it really set the mood for the twisting vines and the almost foreboding corridor in the background. Very elegant… very timeless.
A bridal portrait in front of the Biltmore conservatory…
…adn near the Biltmore Gardens
You can really get a sense of how big the Vanderbilt’s Biltmore home actually is.
I think I might print one of these on a huge canvas for a bridal show.
Sunsets at the Biltmore Estate are amazing! I think that’s the Blue Ridge Parkway mountain range in the distance but I’m not sure.
The rays of sun filtering down on the mountains below were gorgeous! I hope this photograph does the scene partial justice.
Then the sun was setting and the sky turned to a beautiful orange.
It began to rain and Heather was amazingly flexible in letting me grab a few final shots. You can even see the ripples in the fountain’s water.
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