Oh, you guys… It’s that time of year – okay okay, I’m 23 days late, but Happy New Year!!! This is one of my favorite posts of the year! 2016 was such a fantastic year -it marked AMW Studios first full wedding season here in Asheville, NC – and boy are we thrilled to be here! We traveled to beautiful places – including some pretty fantastic wedding venues – documented amazing love stories and met a whole slew of talented wedding industry people who we are so thankful to know!!! We are immensely grateful to all our amazing couples who chose to have us tell their stories – every one of the amazing weddings, adventurous engagement sessions and more!!! Thank you… From the bottom of our hearts! In all the years I lived here in the Asheville area as a kid and all the days I spent adventuring in the surrounding mountains, I cannot believe I never made it to Max Patch. Wow! Well, when fellow adventurers, Megan and Will, mentioned an interest in capturing some beautiful mountain scenery in the background of their post wedding day session – Max Patch immediately came to mind! A trend that seems more common here in the South is bridal portrait sessions!! I shot more pre-wedding bridal portraits this year than I ever did in the northeast… Let me just say – I adore it!!! I had so much fun with Jordan at Brown Mountain Beach Resort a few weeks before her wedding! It gave me a chance to scout out this gorgeous venue – and what bride wouldn’t want to get dressed up for some pre-wedding fun! Khristy and Andy’s beautiful wedding at Laurel Ridge Country Club was a highlight of our season! Kelly and Mark’s wedding at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston was the wedding that kicked off our 2016 season and man… It set the bar pretty high!!! I love these two images from their beautiful wedding in the Carriage House at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens! We got to photograph some pretty incredible, fun, adventurous engagement sessions this year! The cool thing about moving here to Asheville is that while it is new territory professionally, I actually grew up here… It has been so fun to revisit these amazing places where I spent time as a kid… This image from Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest is from a fall adventure session! Getting ready is one of my favorite parts of the wedding day! In July we traveled up to our old stomping grounds in the Northeast to photograph Jordan and Joe’s wedding. We made a family adventure out of the trip and visited some special places along the way! One of our favorite stops was Chincoteague Island, VA where we explored the national seashore, spotted wild ponies, played on the beach and visited the awesome Assateague Lighthouse! I think we all fell in love with the charm of this section of the Virginia Coast! We can’t wait to return. Janet and Bryan’s adventure engagement session was such a blast! Alyssa and German’s Biltmore Estate engagement session was awesome (I mean really… look at these two!!!!). We cannot wait for their wedding this June at Biltmore Estate’s Lioncrest! Abby and Tripp’s adventure engagement session started in the forest exploring the gorgeous waterfalls of Dupont Forest and ended with a gorgeous sunset on top of Jump Off Rock in Hendersonville! Claire and Nathan’s Lake Eden Events wedding was stunning and I adore this image Matt took of the guys at one of the Lake Eden cabins! With peacocks and spanish moss Kelly and Mark’s Magnolia Plantation Wedding was a highlight of our season! Beer and photos?! Yes please! Wicked Weeds Funkatorium in Asheville was the site of Megan and Will’s day-after session! Janet and Bryan’s Black Balsam engagement session at sunset was so fun and beautiful! The view from the Biltmore Estate is simply spectacular! Matt and his guys playing some impromptu croquet before his Old Edwards Inn Wedding! First looks with dad are always sweet! Who doesn’t love a little wedding day goofiness! Allison and Graham’s wedding at The Venue – Asheville was awesome!! Check out our full wedding post from their day! Because who doesn’t love good dance moves?!! Heidi and Andrew’s first look in Grand Central Station was amazing!!! Check out our full summary of their NYC wedding here and here! Amy and Colin’s asheville farm wedding had it all! What a ball we had with Heidi and Andrew in NYC! Their wedding reception took place on a Yacht that cruised the New York harbor! This is one of my favorite images from the evening… In the background is the Brooklyn Bridge, where Andrew had proposed to Heidi! Megan and Will’s wedding at The Crest Center and Pavillion was quite gorgeous – the sunset for their ceremony was stunning!! Sparklers are always a big hit amongst the little ones at weddings!! It’s enchanting! Well, thanks for hanging in there… Whewww, that was a long one!! We’re so excited to see what 2017 has in store. So far it’s looking pretty awesome! We hope that if you know anyone getting married in 2017 or 2018 you’ll share this post… Help spread the word about AMW Studios!!! We are based here in the Asheville area but travel often and are always seeking out our next adventure! Let us know where you’re getting married… I bet we’ll go there too! In addition to weddings, we offer lifestyle family portraiture, adventure engagement sessions and more!