Shem and David opted to have their small but gorgeous wedding at Claxton Farms, located in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains. They were surrounded by 20 of their closest friends and family members. They chose a mix of modern gold details and classic rustic elements to elevate their mountain wedding style. The entire day and all it’s lovely details was captured by Catherine Ann Photography
Zekeshem + David
Claxton Farm, Weaverville, NC
October 14, 2014
Wedding day weather: Cold and windy
Number of guests: 19
Your budget: $10,000 – $12,000
Biggest splurge: Venue (we spent the most here, but it included an amazing brunch!)
Biggest savings: Venue (by choosing a morning ceremony, we saved thousands of dollars!)
Why did you choose the Mountains for your wedding?
We just love the mountains! There’s something exhilarating and refreshing about being surrounded by such majestic beauty. For us, it was the perfect place to begin our lives together as a married couple.
Wedding day theme:
Soft, rustic, and romantic
Where did you find your inspiration?
As a wedding photographer myself, I’ve seen a LOT of wedding inspiration in my everyday work! I pulled from what I knew I liked and browsed Pinterest and a few wedding blogs for additional sources of ideas.
How did you choose to personalize your wedding?
Everything was very personal to us! My dad was the officiant, we wrote our own vows (the day before!), our musician played handpicked songs, and our mothers spoke personal words to us during our ceremony.
What was your favorite part of the reception?
The laughter and sweet fellowship. Having our closest family and friends there with us, all in one room around one table, enjoying good food and music with a crackling fire and gorgeous view beyond the windows filled our hearts with more joy than can be expressed!
After our brunch reception everyone changed clothes and we caravanned up to a local hiking trail. Laughing and talking the whole way, we all hiked up to the top of a 360 degree overlook at about 6,100 ft, where our witnesses signed our marriage certificate. It was the perfect (and chilly!) pinnacle to our perfect day!
What are three things you’re super glad you did?
Can we say we’re glad we did everything?? ;)
Okay, just to name three…
1) First look with our photographer and videographer…BEST part of our day!
2) Hired live musicians (violin & guitar). They added such a beautiful ambiance to our celebration.
3) Had a morning ceremony. Even though waking up early (4:30am) wasn’t so much fun, it allowed us to have an amazing, full day together with each other and our families. We didn’t want the day to end!
What was the biggest challenge in planning your mountain wedding and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was planning long distance with no connections in the area. We visited once to choose our venue, but other than that everything had to be researched and based on reviews. We just kept reading lots of reviews and once we had our venue booked, our coordinators helped us a TON!
How did you find and choose your vendors?
After a not-so-inspiring weekend of venue hunting, we found Claxton Farm on Google as we were literally driving out of town heading back home! They weren’t technically available for a meeting that day, but when we called they were super accommodating and drove out to meet us for a walk-through. We fell in love and ended up booking a morning ceremony to keep our costs down. Once we were all set with Claxton Farm, our coordinators there helped us find the rest of our vendors (cake, flowers, musicians) based on their favorites.
Catherine Ann Photography actually had been based in FL (where we’re from) so I already had a connection with her! It turned out she was moving to the Carolinas and would be within driving distance of our location….even more perfect! :)
Trinity Wedding Cinema is a super talented husband & wife team that I’ve worked with often in FL on other weddings. They are so full of heart and passion for what they do – we were beyond blessed that they were available to capture our wedding day on film!
What is your best piece of advice to other mountain brides who are planning their weddings?
It’s not about the details, it’s about the people who are surrounding you on a day that will end up being one of the most important in your lives! Enjoy the planning process, but remember what you’re planning for…not just one day, but a life with the one you’ve chosen to give your heart to! Soak up the memories and whatever happens during your day…roll with it!! Everything happens for a reason! :)
Claxton Farm Wedding Vendors
Wedding Photographer: Catherine Ann Photography | Floral Designer: Brown’s Floral Design | Event Venue & Catering: Claxton Farms | Wedding Cake: Short Street Cakes | Cinematographer: Trinity Wedding Cinema | Guest Accommodations: Grove Park Inn | Musician: Ruben Orengo | Cake Topper: Better Off Wed | Chair Signs: Host & Toast Studio