antler hill village and winery

I think every wedding photographer has an unspoken wish list of venues we’d love to photograph, and for me, a wedding the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina was on my top five for sure! Nate and I have wanted to make a visit to the Biltmore for years- Back in the day when we were planning our wedding, our Christmas honeymoon was going to be going there and seeing the house for the first time all decorated. When we decided to elope, the honeymoon was canceled and we just never got around to making that trip.

Enter Kelley and Tom. :) Kelley found us the way many of our brides find us, through the fabulous Carrie and Patrick. Kelley and Tom are big Disney fans, but her family takes trips to the Biltmore Estate all the time, so they ended up with the best of both worlds: A wedding at the Biltmore, and honeymoon at Disney’s Aulani in Hawaii! :)

The day before their wedding, Kelley, Tom, and all of their wedding guests (us too!) were treated to a private tour of the Biltmore. We all broke off into small groups and felt incredibly VIP being shown the house after it closed to the public. No photos are allowed in the house at all, so you’ll just have to use your imagination if you haven’t been, but basically it’s a ginormous house with 250 rooms and 43 bathrooms. I was embarrassed how many times I told Nate that various parts of the house were “just like on Downton Abbey!” and I enjoyed walking around the estate picturing a white-haired toddler Anderson Cooper frolicking in the grass and sitting on the pool tables, though I’m 99% sure that’s not even close to being historically accurate.

After the fancy private tours, we headed over to Antler Hill Village and Winery for their candlelight rehearsal dinner. I love their reaction to their cake being brought in after dinner!! :)

Love this shot Nate grabbed of the Inn on Biltmore Estate at night. :)

One of my favorite getting ready photos. :)

First look time is my favorite. Ps- If we ever do another wedding at the Biltmore Estate, first looks are required. We loved having soooooooooo much wonderful photo time around an amazing property!