We recently had the opportunity to shoot our first wedding at the Cliffs at Glassy Chapel in Landrum, SC. If you are unfamiliar with this site, it’s about 35 minutes outside of Asheville, NC and it is perfect for a wedding! The setting is high above town on a mountainside cliff, fully living up to it's name. Glassy Chapel is known for it's breathtaking views but it is also an amazing chapel itself. The inside is perfect for wedding photography as Glassy Chapel provides plenty of natural light from its large windows all around the interior of the venue. Not to mention the staff is helpful and they allowed us to adjust the lighting as needed as well as the blinds, to get just the right look. This was perfect because with Lucia’s dress and Chris’ white suit, we had to tone down the light a touch to make sure they didn’t turn yellow! For us it’s always a blessing to be able to have some control over lighting!
The day started out with a small gathering of friends and family. As the chapel started to fill up, you could feel the anticipation. Chris was excited and the happiness was written all over his face. As family and friends started getting seated and awaiting the arrival of Chris’ beautiful bride Lucia, Chris decided to share a little more of the story behind their relationship. Without sharing too much of Chris and Lucia’s personal information, the story was moving and symbolic as one of their first dates was right in the very chapel where their two souls would soon become one. Shortly after Chris finished speaking, there was a buzz of excitement that arose from the emotional story that had just been told as word got around that his bride had just arrived.
Escorted by her father Lucia made her way from the parking lot to the chapel and just managed to keep her hat on in spite of the sudden pick up of wind.
As Lucia made her way down the aisle, an emotional Chris awaited her arrival.
Each of them read scriptures as the other and their families and friends listened on. Shortly after they would soon be joined together hand and hand, looking into each other’s eyes. Moments later Chris & Lucia said their I do's and made it official with a passionate kiss.
As they exited Glassy Chapel, the excitement was apparent! Family & friends cheered, flower petals flew and Chris and Lucia never looked more excited! From there, we had time for a few family photos, but the real joy was getting to take Chris and Lucia off by themselves for some intimate photos of just them. The passion between Chris & Lucia was so evident. They had the kind of chemistry on camera that we as wedding photographers live for and getting to work with them was such a blessing, but this is only half of the story.
From there we headed off to lovely Lake Lure where they had rented a luxurious lake house to spend the day with their loved ones. The hospitality was amazing and the food was plentiful (and delicious!). The good vibes continued as family and friends continued to mingle with the newly married couple and we had some time to scope out plenty of cool spots for more couples photos later as the sun started to go down. Our day ended with Chris and Lucia down at one of Lucia’s favorite spots. Between the mountain backdrops, lush green surroundings, and of course the water, what was not to love!?
We talked about the day non-stop on our way home to Asheville. We simply could not wait to get the moments we captured uploaded to our computers so we could start reliving the journey with this sweet couple and we are glad we get to share it with you all!
Joe & Jenny