August 30, 2024

Mountain Elopement Adventure in Asheville : Gracie + Rob

There’s something magical about waking up before the sun, especially when it’s for a mountain elopement like this one.

These two adventurers chose a quiet mountain top as the perfect place to begin their journey together, surrounded by the stillness of the early morning and a soft blanket of fog that made the moment feel even more intimate. As they exchanged vows in the misty light, the world around them felt both vast and close-knit.

Afterward, they took their time exploring the trails, letting the beauty of the mountains sink in. The fog eventually lifted, revealing breathtaking views just in time for their first dance with nature as their backdrop. And while the morning was all about the quiet, the afternoon brought warmth and laughter with a cozy dinner party, sweet toasts, and the company of their closest loved ones. It was a day that balanced adventure and comfort, wrapped in the beauty of the mountains from start to finish.

Scroll on to see more of their story… (and don’t miss their film at the bottom!)

Hiking The Mountain Before Dawn

A couples is getting ready for a hike in the dark with only the car lights and a headlamp to help them see. One person is smiling and excited, holding hiking poles while the other is strapping on a backpack.
A couple stands in the dense fog of a forest during a mountain elopement hike. They are looking into the trees and lighting up the landscape with their headlamps.
A couple stands in the dense fog of a forest during a mountain elopement hike. They are looking into the trees and lighting up the landscape with their headlamps.
A couple stands facing each other in the fog of an early morning on a trail during their mountain elopement. The trees are silhouetted and they are lit by their headlamps.
A couple hikes through spring trees in the dense fog of an early morning during a mountain elopement.
A couple stands side by side with backpacks on at the top of a viewpoint covered in fog during their mountain elopement. They are on a rocky ledge with small bushes around them.

We made it to the pinnacle of the hike expecting fog – and fog was what we got! It was totally socked in but Gracie & Rob were total troopers. They found the beauty in the fog and embraced the experience fully.

At this point we took a short break to rest, re-group, drink some water, and find a good spot for getting ready!

Getting Ready

A couple gets dressed in wedding clothes in the middle of a trail during their mountain elopement. It is foggy and green all around them.
A bride puts on the tie of her groom in a foggy forest during a mountain elopement. The groom has a big red beard and a floral tie and is smiling at his bride.
A bride is holder her dress to her front as her partner helps her get ready for their mountain elopement in the woods. She is smiling and laughing.
A groom zips up the back of his brides dress while they get ready for their mountain elopement in the foggy forest.
A bride and groom stand beside each other on a trail surrounded by craggly trees during their mountain elopement. It is foggy and moody.

The Sharing of Vows

They took some time together to take it in once they were dressed. Then it was time to share vows. As avid hikers, they had purchased these bright yellow Field Note journals to write their vows in.

Field Notes journals sit on the ground in a natural setting, serving as vow books for a mountain elopement.
Two rings for a mountain elopement sit in a mossy section of woods.
A couple stands on a rocky bald surrounded by evergreens, small bushes, and dense fog. They are sharing their vows for their mountain elopement and emotional.
A groom slips a wedding ring on the finger of his bride for their mountain elopement, surrounded by dense fog and green bushes.

Picnic Breakfast in The Clouds

Once vows were shared, they pulled out a blanket and started prepping a mountain elopement meal!

A couple sits on a blanket getting ready for a picnic for their mountain elopement. It is very foggy and the groom is getting their boiler ready to make tea for breakfast.
A couple sits on a blanket kissing and cheersing their tea for their mountain elopement.
A couple sits on a blanket hugging in their wedding clothes surrounded by fog and forest.
A couple sits on a blanket hugging in their wedding clothes surrounded by fog and forest and holding tea mugs.
A couple sits on a blanket eating their snack breakfast and laughing while in their wedding clothes for a mountain elopement.

Time to Explore!

A wedding day should have plenty of time to explore and enjoy the place you are. I love this about elopements.
Gracie and Rob spent some time noting their coordinates to put into their vow books. They looked and the plants in bloom and ran their hands through moss. They kissed and giggled their way through the forest to reach another viewpoint down the trail.

A couple in wedding clothes walks through low shrubbery on a foggy morning during their mountain elopement.
A close up of hands holding a Garmin and field notes journals. The people holding them are in wedding clothes, a suit and a white dress.
A small little snail climbing across dead leaves and a mossy rock in the forest.
A couple hugs and smiles at each other while the wind blows her wedding dress and fog surrounds them for their mountain elopement.
A couple walks through low rhododendron bushes in their wedding clothes for their mountain elopement.
Dew drops sitting on small green leaves.
A couple in wedding clothes is walking on a trail for their mountain elopement, holding hands and looking at the rocky ground.
An Osprey backpack adorns a grooms back as hi and his wife hike through the foggy forest during their mountain elopement.
A couple hikes along a mossy and rooted trail for their mountain elopement during dense fog in the forest.
A couple stands on a grassy trail kissing and surrounded by gnarly trees. They are wearing backpacks and wedding clothes.
A close up of bluets with a little bit of morning dew on them in the mountain.
A couple hikes along a mossy and rooted trail for their mountain elopement during dense fog in the forest.
Two Trilliums sit side by side in a sea of greenery on the forest floor.
A mass of moss clings to the side of a tree in a foggy forest.
Fiddlehead ferns burst through the forest floor in early spring.
A couple hikes along a grassy and rooted trail for their mountain elopement during dense fog in the forest.

WHEN THE FOG CLEARS

Sometimes a bit of magic seems to happen on an elopement day. It doesn’t happen always, but often, if we are patient, the fog will eventually clear. Gracie and Rob got that beautiful gift as soon as we climbed to this small rock ledge. It was the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing, where little peeks of the mountains kept poking through the dense white. Eventually, the clouds fully lifted and we were left with a gorgeous clear morning on the mountain.

A bride climbs up a rock face while the groom holds her dress and she makes an excited face during their mountain elopement.
A couple stares into a foggy landscape where you can peer through the clouds and into the blue and green mountains in the distance.
A couples embraces for their mountain elopement, looking into the distance where the fog opens up to see the layers of view past the shrubbery around them.
A bride runs across the rocky mountain surface in her wedding dress and hiking boots to get a peek at the view emerging from the fog.
A couple stands small among a mountain landscape for their elopement, wearing wedding clothes and looking out at the view.
A couple stands small among a mountain landscape for their elopement, wearing wedding clothes and looking out at the view.
A couple looks out at a mountain landscape for their elopement, wearing wedding clothes and embracing closely.
A couple stands small among a mountain landscape for their elopement, wearing wedding clothes and looking out at the view.

First Dance

Playing some soft music and dancing in the woods is something I think we should do more often as humans. There is a real magic to this moment – a first dance as life partners on a mountain top.

A couple in wedding clothes walks along a trail with a big mountain view for their elopement.
A couple begins their first dance on a mountain for their elopement. The groom is smiling at his bride.
A couple begins their first dance on a mountain for their elopement. They are moving and swaying to the music, surrounded by rhododendron bushes and layers of blue landscape behind them.
A couple begins their first dance on a mountain for their elopement. They are moving and swaying to the music, surrounded by rhododendron bushes and layers of blue landscape behind them.

Hiking Down For a Mid-Day Break

When over 6 hours had passed, we packed up the bags and made our way back down the trial.
Since we hiked up in the dark, everything looked incredibly different on the way to where we had parked. We stopped to say hello to the little red salamanders that always surprise me at this elevation. We took our time, as always, enjoying the view and noticing every little flora that caught our eye. Gracie and Rob shared stories and talked about what a beautiful, fun morning it had been.

Once we returned to where the day had begun, we hugged, and said our goodbyes for the next few hours. A break, nap, and lunch was in store for everyone before we reconvened at their rental house that afternoon.

A couple hikes through grassy and plant covered landscape on a trail through the forest wearing wedding clothes and backpacks.
A couple hikes through grassy and plant covered landscape on a trail through the forest wearing wedding clothes and backpacks. They are smiling at each other and holding hands.
A small orange salamander walking across leaf littered dirt.

Re-Grouping with Family To Celebrate Together

I drove all the way to the tippy top of a winding mountain road to find the most gorgeous, modern house perched along the edge. Over the next few hours the evening Spring rain came rolling through, so we snuck a few moments to capture family portraits on the porch when a clearing gave us the chance. Afterwards, their siblings gave some sweet speeches to the group while everyone sat around laughing and tearing up. Next, the couple had commissioned a beautiful piece of artwork from a friend that they had everyone sign. They displayed it the rest of the night on an easel, holding physical space for an experience that is hard to make physical.

Afterwards we roamed around the property a bit, enjoying the Mountain Laurel in bright pink bloom and the swinging bench that adorned the porch.

A couple stands on the porch of a fancy house with a big mountain view for their elopement wedding experience. They are in wedding clothes and looking at each other while the storm clouds roll in behind them.
A detail shot of a table set for a mountain wedding dinner party with colorful flowers and modern design.
A simple white wedding cake with pink and green flowers on top.
A couple stands with their loved ones smiling and raising their hands in celebration for their mountain elopement. They are on the porch of a modern house.
A family is gathered in the living room of a modern house for a mountain elopement and giving toasts to the couple holding hands on the couch.
A couple holds hands on a couch in their wedding elopement clothes and reacts to their families toasts.
A couple stands looking at the art they commissioned for their mountain elopement that everyone who attended their dinner party signed.
A couple in wedding clothes sits on a swing on a porch for their mountain elopement. The twinkle lights on the porch railings line the scene and they look out at the view while snuggled close.
A close up of two people holding hands in wedding clothes.
A bride and groom smile at each other among a budding pink mountain laurel for their elopement.

Private Chef Dinner

They sat down at the table to enjoy a private chef dinner with one of my favorite chefs in the area. They had hand picked each different wine they would all drink with each course as a sweet way to round out the meal with a personal effect.

Parents gave toasts at this point in the night, pulling out handkerchiefs to catch tears and sharing their love for their kids and well wishes for their lives together. It poured outside, water pounding the glass windows and wind whipping the tree branches. But everyone felt safe and cozy and grateful for a warm dry place to celebrate together.

At the end they cut the cake, drank champagne, and capped off the night with laughter and hugs of celebration. Since they were all staying in the house together, nobody had to leave or drive. They just enjoyed the evening as it flowed, cozying into the evening and bringing their full day adventure to a close.

A family has a cheers of glasses around a colorful elopement table during a dinner party with the bride and groom. They are in a modern home with vibrant and bold artwork.
A bride and groom laugh as they sit at a colorful table for their elopement dinner party. They are in a modern home with vibrant and bold artwork.
A mother and father cry and show emotion as they sit at a colorful table for their child's elopement dinner party. They are in a modern home with vibrant and bold artwork.
A bride and groom laugh as they sit at a colorful table for their elopement dinner party. They are in a modern home with vibrant and bold artwork. The chef pours wine
A chef plates food for a small mountain elopement dinner party in multiple colors of East Fork dishes.
A bride smiles at her groom while seated at a table for their elopement dinner party in a modern house.
A bride and groom cut their simple white wedding cake while holding the knife together and smiling.

Their Mountain Elopement Review

“Picking the right photographer was the #1 most important part of our wedding planning process–and, boy, was Kathryn the right choice for us! We knew early on in the planning process that we wanted to elope and, specifically, elope outside. We reached out to photographers first, knowing that we would plan our our vendors and make other decisions around our photographer’s schedule. When we first talked to Kathryn, it was like we’d known her our whole lives–her values aligned with ours and her photos showed exactly what we dreamed of for our wedding day.

Part of our elopement day was just the two of us and part of it included immediate family.

With only 7 guests, it was super important to us that our vendors were the right fit and Kathryn just felt like family (our parents loved her, too). Up to the day of our elopement, she offered so much local knowledge of the area where we wanted to elope and helped us narrow down our vision.

On the week of our elopement, when parkway construction threatened the accessibility of our location, she went out with her dad the day before to make sure that we wouldn’t have any issues.

When it looked like rain or fog might make things challenging, she gave us options to adjust the schedule so that we could capture the moments how we wanted to. When we told her we wanted to aim for sunrise anyway, she braved some of the densest fog I’ve ever encountered in WNC and brought the beauty and moodiness of that weather to life in our photos.

I think one of her greatest strengths is how she helped us stay in the moment and made us feel comfortable. It wasn’t just about being outside on our wedding day, it was about really being in nature and embracing everything that an outdoor elopement means.

Y’all, we got our photos literally within DAYS of our elopement and we got to relive all those sweet moments before we even left WNC and parted ways with our family.

They were everything we hoped they would be and more! We’re the type of people that feel awkward in front of the camera and don’t like photos of ourselves, but Kathryn captured real moments. We’re so glad we chose photo and video because they each captured something different that helps us relive those moments.

If you’re looking for a real outdoor elopement, talk to Kathryn! Get to know her as a person and what her perspective can bring to your wedding day!”

– Gracie + Rob

View Their Mountain Elopement Film

Interested in Your Own Mountain Elopement?

HEY ThERE Y'ALL!

I’M KATHRYN OF EVERGREEN ERA

I CREATE & CAPTURE EXPERIENCE CENTERED ELOPEMENTS
FOR EASY-GOING COUPLES WHO FEEL AT HOME IN NATURE.

I believe everyone deserves a wedding experience that feels genuine to them.
That’s why I help those who value intimate, unique, & adventurous memories
have a celebration they cherish for a lifetime.
If you’re dreaming of an elopement immersed in the natural beauty of Western NC,
get in touch and I’ll help you bring everything to life!

PHOTO, VIDEO, & PLANNING SUPPORT

WOMAN OWNED | BASED IN ASHEVILLE, NC | LIFETIME LOCAL

MORE PLANNING RESOURCES | ASHEVILLE ELOPEMENT GUIDE | PACKAGES & INFO

SHARE THIS POST