The Ridge & The Venue Wedding | Asheville, NC | Dustin and James

wedding

Dec 27

Anyone who has planned a wedding over the last three years knows how hard it is (COVID has been a real pain in the ass) and how flexible and patient you need to be. Dustin and James had to move their Asheville wedding day several times, and through it all, they kept moving forward, perhaps sometimes with a wonderful adult libation, but forward is forward, am I right? Honestly, looking back on it now, and I realize I am biased, I think it allowed them to be more intentional and that by the time the wedding day was here, there was nothing to worry about.

So what do you do with three years to plan a wedding? You get to talk with your vendors…a lot. You meet up when you can. You laugh because otherwise, you’ll cry. You do your engagement photos in the Colorado Rockies (you must see these). But mostly, you take deep breaths.

With all of the weddings I photograph in Asheville or otherwise, I get to know the couple. Most of the time, we have maybe a few months or a year to do so. And in that time, I feel, and my couples would agree, that we get to know each other well. But with James and Dustin, I feel we got to lean in a little more, and I loved it! Every few months was another zoom, sometimes with a cocktail and sometimes without. Sometimes with more facial hair and sometimes with less. With the guys having family in the Asheville area, I got to link up with them in person more than once as well. We really got to see all of us grow a bit during this time. Plus I got to learn a new term that I hope catches on “groomsmaids”!

The same intentionality that James and Dustin brought to our calls and get-togethers was the same I witnessed on their wedding day.

From the laughs with friends, the awesome custom cufflinks they got as wedding gifts for one another (James with his Winston the dog cufflinks and Dustin with his cocktail shakers), to their toast to their guests after their ceremony, and to the conversations, I witnessed all night long. Looking back, it is obvious that there was an abundance of care for everyone there, and from everyone back to Dustin and James. Whether it was polaroids being made at their ceremony venue at The Ridge or the all-out dancing during their reception at The Venue in downtown Asheville - it was dialed in, it was fun, it was perfectly them (shout out to Nicole of Wedding Connections for her amazing work!).

What I think Dustin and James really focused on with the time they were handed to create their wedding was to decide what they wanted, with whom they wanted to spend it with, and eventually when it would be best for everyone without any major risk. In my book, I call that freedom. Was it perfect? I’d say so, but maybe you ask them. Was it perfectly them? I think they’d even agree with me on this with a resounding yes.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t give some love to Chef Paul and Deandra of the Venue and the Ridge coordinators Bree and Darien - Dustin and James were so grateful to you all!