Emily and Skyler approached us in February hoping to plan their intimate celebration in the North Carolina mountains in October for peak fall foliage. They envisioned a weekend full of time with their closest friends and family, and plenty of beautiful views and areas to explore. From our first consultation call, we knew that we could help them have exactly the experience they were envisioning, and knew that a celebration at an Airbnb, very laid back, but still fun, could be a great fit for them.

In the peak of fall, Emily and Skyler celebrated their micro wedding deep in the Great Smoky Mountains! It was a day full of laughs, stunning mountain drives, sweet family moments, and the cuddles with their sweet dog, Charlie. They had peak foliage for their weekend and the most amazing Airbnb venue with unreal views for both sunrise and sunset. It couldn’t have gone better if we tried and we’re so excited to share it with you!

Keep reading to hear the full story of their day, how we helped them with their priorities, and see more images from their wedding!

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If you’re planning a micro wedding in the Great Smoky Mountains or Western North Carolina and need inspiration, we also recommend checking out these guides & stories!

Priorities for their micro wedding

Emily and Skyler were focused on a day that emphasized peace, beautiful mountain views, and plenty of time to soak in their new marriage as a couple. They wanted to keep things simple and beautiful, so that their guests could relax, but also wanted time to adventure just the two of them for stunning photos.

A small guest list: They boiled their guest list down to the most essential friends and family. Because their wedding ended up being at a vacation rental, there were strict guest size requirements to adhere to, so they ended up having about 30 guests in total. This guest count kept the day easy because everyone knew everyone, and very intimate- both Emily and Skyler got lots of time to talk and hang with all of their guests over the course of the weekend.
A split experience for private time: Although they wanted the experience to prioritize time with their guests, they still wanted some beautiful photos together as a couple on a separate adventure. We ended up doing a full private adventure drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway between their ceremony and reception to get them photos with the foliage and mountain views. It was a great time for them to truly soak in the fact that they were finally married, and warranted some of our favorite photos of the day.
A low-stress planning process: Finally, as super busy professionals, both Emily and Skyler wanted to keep the vibe of the event and the planning process as stress-free and intentional as possible. They didn't have excess time to plan and work through logistics, so they leaned on us to do most of the heavy lifting, which is exactly what we're here for!

How we helped them with their priorities

Full-Service Planning:

Since they are both super busy, and didn’t even know where to start with the planning process, they opted for a full-service planning experience with Becca, so they could have expert guidance and a clear roadmap for their experience. Becca helped them with everything from finding the perfect airbnb venue, to sending them decor options that Emily ordered immediately and had ready to go on the day! Becca was truly able to help them bring their vision to life, ensuring that they had exactly the type of day they wanted, without any of the stress that tends to come with typical wedding planning.

Day of Coordination:

They also included day-of-coordination services from Becca to keep everything streamlined the day of the wedding. This was pretty essential with a vacation rental as their venue, because without Becca, they would have had to get everything set up themselves, or give tasks to guests/family members. Although DIY can be great in certain circumstances, it wasn’t what they were looking for, because they wanted their guests to get to sit back and enjoy themselves!

Having Becca present day-of allowed both Emily and Skyler and their guests to be fully present with each other and the experience without any stress on their end. No one was worried about the timeline, flow, or logistics, because they trusted Becca to keep everything organized, and she absolutely knocked it out of the park!

6 hrs Photography Coverage:

Photo coverage was a top priority for Emily and Skyler, because they wanted to capture the beauty of the mountains, and candids with their guests throughout the day. They were both excited to have moments from all parts of their day to tell the full story of their experience, and also did not want to miss out on any sunset coverage at the rental, because the views were so good!

They ended up booking 6 hours of coverage, which worked but was a little tight on both ends of the timeline. I’d definitely recommend an 8hr timeline for an experience like theirs to give more breathing space for your separate adventure and sunset during the reception. 8hrs would also give more time for getting ready or evening coverage after the sunset.

Highlights from their Small Wedding in the Great Smoky Mountains

There are so many highlights to mention from this sweet wedding day, but here are a few stand-out memories we have so you can get inspired!

Skyler’s 4-Leaf Clover to Emily & private letters:

Skyler loves to find four leaf clovers, but it was especially special when he gifted one to Emily on their wedding day morning that he found on site of the Airbnb. I happened to take a photo of it before even realizing the sentiment and it’s one of my favorite memories from the day because it was so “them”.

They also opted to write each other private letters to read while getting ready since they didn’t do private vows or personalized vows during the ceremony. This is a great option for couples that still have things they want to share, but aren’t always the people that love to say those things out loud in front of people!

Their Blue Ridge Parkway Drive:

Getting to venture out on the Blue Ridge Parkway after their ceremony was so fun! We frolicked around overlooks and got some super cool photos without seeing too many people, which is pretty unheard of on a Friday during peak fall colors! This was also just a special time because they had just gotten married and were able to spend the better part of two hours as just the two of them (with their fav third wheel snapping their photos in a stunning location!)

If you want to learn more about how you can get married on the Blue Ridge Parkway check out our blog all about it here.

An amazing sunset and sweet toasts from family:

This Airbnb had some incredible views and the sunset really showed off. Every time we looked over the view and light just kept getting better - it was unreal! The perfect setting for such a perfect day.

After sunset portraits around the property, Emily and Skyler were showered with love from their guests with different toasts and tributes from their moms and special family members. It was such a sweet end to the evening, and exactly how these two envisioned their day unfolding when they talked with us back in February.

8 hr Small Wedding Timeline

Here is an 8hr timeline for photography coverage that is similar to Emily and Skyler’s:

12:00pm Photo coverage begins at Airbnb with detail images
1:00pm Documentary-style getting ready images with both partners and their people
2:00pm Ceremony into group portraits with family and friends
3:00pm Cocktail hour for mingling and candids
4:00pm Head to the Blue Ridge Parkway for portraits at multiple stops along the drive
5:30pm Arrive back to Airbnb to prep for dinner
6:00pm Dinner at the Airbnb
6:30pm Sunset photos around the property
7:00pm Toasts and candid time with guests
8:00pm Coverage Ends!

Conclusion

Emily and Skyler’s wedding day was so fun and sentimental! Having it at an Airbnb was perfect because it kept the timeline loose, and allowed them to spend plenty of time with their guests throughout the weekend, and having our team there to help with all of the logistics made the process completely stress-free for all of them!

Hopefully you found their story inspiring, and if you’re thinking about getting married in North Carolina or the Great Smoky Mountains, we’d love to support!

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