Aquila and Callie got engaged in this very spot one year ago.
Aquila shares, “Callie and I met in Denver over seven years ago at the only lesbian bar in Colorado, Blush and Blu. Since then, we’ve been unstoppable together. Trying new bars, going to coffee shops to find the best chai and lattes and hitting up the queer scenes. She’s allowed me to be myself and proposed to me in the biggest way, which can be scary for an introvert. Just picture, flash mob, our favorite people, dancing to Whitney, laughs, hugs and happy tears. I adore her and she continues to live up to “never having a boring moment” together.”
Congratulations Aquila and Callie!
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Preparations began at the private cottage on the Biltmore Estate. Katie had help from her mom, bridesmaids and her flower girl, her adorable dog, Lady, the Cavapoo. It was said more than once during the wedding day that Lady knew that John was the one before Katie knew.
John’s watch was a gift from Katie. “Forever 5.11.24” was custom engraved on the back.
John’s cufflinks, displaying the family crest, were a gift from his mom. The groomsmen’s cufflinks were gifts from John.
The Biltmore is an amazing place full of history. George Vanderbilt first visited Asheville, North Carolina, in 1888. Captivated by the area’s natural beauty, he ending up purchasing land for his country estate, which became the Biltmore.
There are over thirty acres of gardens surrounding the Biltmore House, all designed by America’s foremost landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. He is also known for designing New York City’s Central Park in 1857 and Washington DC’s United States Capitol Grounds in 1874. The landscape design of the Vanderbilt estate in 1895 was Olmsted’s crowning achievement.
The Biltmore is full of many gorgeous photo opportunities. We made the most of the Lower High Lawn, the Rampe Douce, the Front of the House, the Library Terrace and South Terrace, the Gardens and the Conservatory.
This wedding was so incredibly special for two reasons: Katie is like a part of our family and shooting at the Biltmore is a photographer’s dream.
Katie was my son’s babysitter in NYC and we became very close. She has come to visit us in Denver and continually quotes some of Ollie’s crazy toddler sayings! Seeing her find her person and have a perfect wedding day was really exciting!
I have been lucky to photograph some destination weddings, but none at quite such a dramatic and gorgeous location. Photographing a wedding at the Biltmore is a highlight of my career. Katie and John, thank you for trusting me with your memories!
Choosing the Biltmore as their wedding venue was an easy decision. The bride shares, “We love Asheville and the Biltmore! John proposed in Asheville and getting married at the Biltmore was a fairytale dream for both of us that became a reality!”
Katie adds, “We had the most perfect day! We were surrounded by so many people who love us, we had the most beautiful venue, the weather was gorgeous, it could not have gone more perfectly. It was truly magical! We want to give a huge thank you to Jessica and Eric. They made everything run so seamlessly and comfortably. And we had so much fun with them! We love you guys!”
Thank you, Katie and John! We love you back!
Sam did a great job as the ring bearer! Sam’s dad, Ezer, is in residency with John at UNC and he and his wife were Katie and John’s first friends when they moved to North Carolina.
The ceremony and reception took place at the Biltmore’s Deerpark Restaurant.
Katie shares, “Our favorite moment was after we said “I do” and walked down the aisle as husband and wife. We had a moment just the two of us in the bridal suite. We were able to take a breath, take it all in and enjoy those first few moments as a married couple!”
To Asheville couples: All of the vendors were wonderful, but I had the pleasure of working alongside Tamara of Belle Soiree and Timm Young of Timm Young Films. They were fantastic and I highly, highly recommend them!
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Hannah and Sam were married on a warm and windy April day in Littleton, Colorado.
The couple shared a first look out in the fields and then read private vows to each other before the ceremony.
Hannah shares, “Where to begin! Our day was everything we ever dreamed it would be. The Manor House was the perfect venue and we got so lucky with a beautiful spring day. It was amazing to be in the mountains to celebrate our love in the sunshine with all of our favorite people!
All of our vendors made the day seamless, so we were able to truly sit back and enjoy.
Our favorite part was probably our first look; we had wavered on doing one, but having that time together before the crazy began was so special and gave us a chance to read some private vows. The happy tears started then and didn’t seem to stop until dancing commenced! We truly had the best day of our lives and couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who made it possible – especially Jess!”
Hannah’s two uncles performed the ceremony. They did an amazing job making the ceremony unique and special for the couple.
We had some gorgeous golden hour light seeping into the valley.
Hannah and Sam’s dog, Palmer, couldn’t be there on the day, but he was certainly there in spirit. He got a very special place, on top of the cake!
Hannah and Sam shared their first dance to Beyond by Leon Bridges.
Congratulations Hannah and Sam! What a gorgeous wedding. Thank you for making me a part of your day! Check out their Mount Falcon engagement session here.
I met Hannah and Sam at Mt. Falcon on a beautiful spring day. Their pup, Palmer, was so sweet and loved being on the trails.
Hannah shares, “We met working in Chicago in our early twenties. We often joke that our lives in Chicago were parallel and we have no idea how it took us so long to meet. We lived two blocks away from each other (twice, we both moved to new units and were still the same distance away!), we took the same commute at the same time to work every day… and then, we finally met when we both took a new job at the same company in June 2018. Sam started a few weeks before I did, and our first conversation was at a happy hour for my start class. Sam acted like he had everything figured out and I remember wishing for the day I felt like I knew what I was doing at work. We both remember that conversation vividly, as this was when we realized we would be working on the same client (different project, though, thank goodness!) in LA.
We spent the next year “professionally” – we were colleagues and dating other people, but still friendly. We traveled back and forth from Chicago to LA every week together. Then, the summer of 2019 came around and we started to hang out more and more… Sam started inviting me to non-work events, and finally I had the nerve to text him to meet me on a night out with some friends. It happened to also be my birthday, and now we have an extra reason to celebrate my birthday every year: our “unofficial” anniversary.
We spent the next year continuing to travel to LA together for work, taking advantage of our consulting lifestyles and traveling together on the weekends. When COVID hit in March 2020, we decided to continue our adventures and move to Denver together. The rest is history.
Sam proposed in Beaver Creek in March last year when my parents and brother were visiting for a weekend. He had a beautiful setup at the base of the mountain in the evening where he asked me to marry him, and it was the easiest yes of my life. We’ve known each other as many things – colleague, friend, boyfriend, fiance, dog parent, roommate. We’re most excited to be husband and wife in eleven short months.”
Congratulations Hannah and Sam! The couple will be getting married at the Manor House next spring.
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Danielle and Gabe were married on a beautiful spring day at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
The ceremony took place inside the enchanting Woodland Mosaic.
After the ceremony, we walked around the grounds and enjoyed the Lilac Gardens, Rose Gardens, Romantic Gardens, June’s PlantAsia and more.
Danielle shares, “Gabe and I met on a dating site! Neither of us remember who made the first move. We made it official, after only a few dates. We knew it was true love, and trusted that we would be together forever.
We both sold our houses, and started building a brand new house, after only 11 months together. On our 1-year anniversary, we went to the Ritz Carlton in Tucson to celebrate! We had gotten all dressed up for dinner and were walking to the car, and all of a sudden Gabe made me go out a side door of the hotel to “check out what’s over there.” I was pushy and told him that we had reservations for dinner and we couldn’t be late (my biggest pet peeve – tardiness) and this wasn’t the time to explore the grounds of the resort. He insisted, so I followed him out, huffing and puffing and making comments about being late (LOL). When we got outside and turned the corner, I saw a beautiful private grassy area, set up with a table that had flowers, champagne, and light-up ‘D&G’ signs. Gabe told me what an amazing year it had been together and, with tears in his eyes, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I, of course, said yes, and he gave me the most beautiful ring. After I said yes, his brother and sister-in-law popped out of the bushes to celebrate with us. I’m so grateful they were there because they got pictures and video of the proposal!
Shortly after that, guests at the resort cheered from their balcony, celebrating our engagement with us. It was such a special day for us. Just like our proposal, our wedding was also small and intimate. My favorite part of the day was walking down the aisle, very emotional, and seeing Gabe at the end of the aisle, also crying and emotional. I felt the power of how much we love each other in that moment, both so emotional and overcome with love for each other, knowing that it was the start of our forever. Our day was so perfect (even if I was late because I forgot my veil and bouquet and had to run back to get them)!”
