We recently had the opportunity to head to Florida to enjoy some warmer weather, good times with friends, and to capture the magic that was Chenoa and AJ! Jenny and I were excited as this was our first destination wedding of the year! Living in Asheville which is a destination wedding area, we don’t have to travel too much, but the region is also central to Greenville, SC (another super popular wedding area) and Tennessee so we make trips out of state all the time but this one was our first of considerable distance!
Our journey started when we met Chenoa and AJ for the first time in January of this year! They were coming to Asheville to stay at the Biltmore and they wanted to get engagement pictures. Considering there are tons of amazing photographers in Asheville, we were so blessed that they chose us to have this opportunity to showcase their love. Initially we were a little stressed as we had just gotten approximately 13 inches of snow literally the day before their engagement and we weren’t even sure if we could make it, let alone if they would want to take pictures! Luckily they still wanted photos and our prius had just enough under the hood to get us there (barely lol). When we arrived we went up to meet them for the first time, I can say this now because we are all good friends, but AJ was mean mugging (lol), as if to say “who the heck are these guys?” After our brief encounter we plotted out the spots we were going to go to and we were off. Soon after, AJ noticed my bike rack and asked if we rode and boom! Instant friendship! I soon learned he was an accomplished triathlete and we hit it off! While we discussed carbon parts and power meters (bike nerd stuff) the ladies talked about the different spots around the area for beautiful photos and on our way we went! The snow that day made for an awesome light wintery feel to the photos and we couldn’t have been happier with how they turned out. To our delight, I think the only people who loved them more than we did were Chenoa and AJ.
Soon after their engagement they contacted us and asked if we would be interested in coming to Florida to shoot their wedding, to which we responded “heck yea!” Over the next few months we would have the opportunity to hangout with Chenoa and AJ again as they came up with their family to visit one time, and for his bachelor party, of course Aj, myself, and his closest friends made time to go shred some of the local mountain bike trails! Once the weekend of their wedding arrived, we were excited to get down there and meet the rest of their families, hang out, and of course document their wedding day from beginning to end! Our Journey took us to Tucker’s Farmhouse in Cove Springs, FL. It was perfectly quaint venue with plenty of rustic charm. Don’t believe us? Just check out some of the pictures and see the beauty that this place had to offer.
The little details of the wedding day did not go unnoticed either. From dresses and flowers, to ties and shoes. AJ and Chenoa’s wedding was so them! As the ladies got ready, there was plenty of fun and excited nerves to go around, but nothing that Chenoa and AJ’s fur baby Cole couldn’t help. The guys were a bit more relaxed but they definitely had a little extra help.
Once they were ready we soon made our way to the ceremony site. Chenoa was the epitome of beauty and AJ couldn’t have been more excited as his soon to be wife made her way down the aisle. The rest is history!
We are pretty sure the pictures do them justice, but these two were simply meant for each other! Look at those smiles :)
As the reception started not even a little rain could stop the fun that would soon ensue this evening and thanks to our new friend DJ Mark with Platinum Entertainment DJ Services, the dance floor was hopping!
At the end of the night, Jenny and I were exhausted (which is always a good sign for us!). An amazing time was had by all present and everyone from the bride and groom’s family to all of their friends graced the dance floor at least once and some all night! The night was capped off with a spectacular sparkler exit and I think the thing we liked most about it was the expression on Chenoa and AJ’s faces. We can tell you from firsthand experience that they were going all day, and going hard, but you would never know it by the look on their faces! Always a pleasure working with couples this excited about their future and I think their exit from the wedding was symbolic of this and the beginning of their next chapter together!
We enjoyed every minute of Chenoa and AJ’s wedding and as they enjoy their honeymoon in Italy, we look forward to seeing them again on their next trip up to Asheville!
-Joe & Jenny