North Carolina Wedding At The Biltmore
There are SO many things about Rachel & Dan’s North Carolina wedding that strike me as particularly special …
Photographed by Little Black Book photographer, Michael Oppenheim, Rachel and Dan’s wedding is the perfect example of how the special touches added throughout the day ARE what makes your wedding celebration uniquely yours!
from Rachel … The Biltmore was originally just a joke ~ even before Dan and I got engaged … “oh wouldn’t it be incredible if we could get married there?” We hadn’t even seen it in person. However, on our tour up the east coast to search for sites, we realized that Asheville was a perfect meeting point for all the guests, as they came from PA, VA, FL, and nearly every state in between. After we actually saw the Biltmore Estate, the decision was final… the estate was too gorgeous to pass up.
We had a memory candle for all who couldn’t be there. My sister and father passed away 8 years ago, so I made sure they were remembered without letting it override the day. They were also remembered in our ceremony program. My Uncle Jan (my dad’s brother) walked me down the aisle, and my best friend Maggie served as my Maid of Honor, standing for my sister. I also wore a bracelet that had gold from my dad’s wedding ring and a ruby from my sister’s favorite ring in it, serving as my something old. And Dan’s mother embroidered a horseshoe for my bouquet for my something blue!
As for decoration, the Biltmore location was beautiful already, so I didn’t want to compete with huge, bright flower arrangements or giant centerpieces. I wanted everything to flow with the natural aesthetic, but still add elegant touches here and there… I think “elegantly earthy” was the term coined to describe the theme. I love brown & baby blue together, which became our wedding colors, and I wanted to add in some green as well, so Audrey came up with the incredible apples & robin’s eggs theme, adding moss and natural elements along the way. The stationery (from The Green Kangaroo in Cary, NC) was one of my favorite parts of the decor, since we used it everywhere and it helped tie everything together.
We greeted everyone with Arnold Palmers as they arrived for the ceremony. The cocktail hour had a few menu additions as well (being Italian, my mom wanted to make sure our family was well-fed). There were two different cake flavors (chocolate with raspberry, and vanilla with cream) to satisfy both cravings, an ice cream sundae bar for a late-night snack, and a candy bar, which served as the favors, when people left.
The day went perfectly for us, and even though we were late and hectic and battling rain during the cocktail hour, Michael kept his cool, rolled with the punches and helped us relax and enjoy the photo shoots.
Our thanks to you ALL … Rachel & Dan and Michael Oppenheim Photography … for sharing this beautiful wedding celebration with us!
29 Comments about “North Carolina Wedding At The Biltmore”
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I love the idea of a candle to remember those who have passed. What brand are the bride's shoes?
Beautiful! Love the candy!
I bet those shoes are from Walmart, I have seen them there before.
Love the Biltmore house, it's one of my favorites places.
ooohh love the dress. Where is it from?
Amazing photographs of a beautiful wedding. I love how the Biltmore was originally a joke but turned into a reality.
Hi all :) Answers to the questions so far: Shoes are platinum by dyeables, bought them from either zappos.com or shoebuy.com. Dress is Paloma Blanca, bought it at The Collection in Orlando, FL.
EEEeeek!! This is too classy for words!
As an NC native, I wanted to get married at Biltmore, but I can't afford it. Beautiful, though.
The wedding was beautiful, the flowers were incredible!
Beautiful wedding, beautiful bride and photographs. The Green Kangaroo - they are the very best at what they do and make every occasion elegant.
Love the colors, and the venue... wow !
I nearly had a birthday Gala at the Biltmore last year but it ended up being more convenient for my guests to do it here in Washinton DC. One day I must do an event there, it is so dreamy. Perhaps my parent's 40th anniversary in a couple of years. I visited the location on a whim during a cross-country driving trip and then took a tour at Christmas (they really do Christmas right, it's a feast for the eyes) with my sister. This wedding is beautifully photographed and very pretty, thank you for feeding my Biltmore fix!
My sis got engaged at the Biltmore House 7 years ago!! Its beautiful at Christmas time too!!
FYI... some of the vendor names were edited out of our story. The link above to "Audrey" refers to Audrey Kirsch, our florist, from Blossoms at Biltmore Park. She developed the decor details, and our AMAZING wedding planner/coordinator Nicole Riley from Verge Events helped make it and all our other wishes a reality. Couldn't have had this dream wedding without the two of them. Nicole Bloom, catering manager at the Biltmore, was also a joy to work with. Justin Morgan from Mr. C's mobile DJ provided our lively group of friends and family with great music as well. While we had a "guest" minister (family friend of the groom), our legal minister was Tim Lolley... loved him! So nice and caring. Felt like we knew him for years. Just wanted to let any Asheville brides know about the great vendors up there... ;)
I love the colours, such a fresh theme that reminds me of spring or an enchanted garden. Very grand and luxurious without being over the top.
Congratulations Rachel and Dan I hope you have a wonderful marriage.
The Biltmore Estate is as close to a castle asAmerica has. And who would not want to get married at a castle. Add the beautiful North Carolina mountains to the mix, and you have the perfect wedding site. I know that the bride and groom had a wonderful time. These great pictures shows they did.
RC Patton - ReflectiveVideo.com
i love the apple green accents -- so vibrant and lush!
The wedding is beautiful. I love all of the details.
Where are the cake stands from?
we're loving the color palette & the hydrangea.
Rachel, did you use Verge Events as a full service coordinator or just for the day of? We are going to have our wedding at Biltmore fall of 2010 and I know they recommend at least using a Day of Coordinator, but since we too do not live in Asheville, I am not sure if I should go with full service or just day of.
More answers:
Cake stands I think were from Target, and Audrey from Blossoms at Biltmore spray painted them to match the other metal flower stands.
We used Verge Events as full service coordinator. If you do not live in Asheville, I would definitely recommend getting someone for the whole planning process. Verge is very experienced with Biltmore, and can handle all the little things with them so you don't have to worry about it. Nicole, my planner, was also great at running errands up there as we needed - picking up napkins, welcome bag items, candy, etc... The price is so reasonable too! My husband tells anyone getting married that his only piece of advice is to get a wedding planner!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and congratulations! Just a quick couple of questions, which location on Biltmore did you pick for your ceremony and reception? And what kind of a general budget was involved to create such a beautiful event as yours? We are thinking about a ceremony and reception at the Biltmore as well, but also want to stay within a specific budget. Thank you and congrats again!
LOVE this wedding. I did a general search on SMP for Paloma Blanca hoping to see other bride's dresses and I am glad I came across this wedding! My color theme includes chocolate brown and the table cloth with the swirls matches my wedding invitations. Does the bride or coordinator know where I can get the cloths? Dress is beyond stunning & I am glad my dress search is over..Paloma it is!
The wedding looks great!
What a beautiful bride and wedding!!! Does anyone know where the flower girl's basket came from? So adorable!!