Elopement at the County Jail
LOCATION
Buncombe County Jail | Asheville, NC
COUPLE
Miranda & Alex
When preparing for this elopement, I was inspired by two styles:
1. Romantic, older grainy film photos of elopements and
2. Modern zero-fcks-given-let’s-go-to-Vegas-and-get-married-by-Elvis vibes.
We had a worldwide pandemic, a local ice storm and a last minute courthouse closure up against us but these 2 were getting married, no matter what! The date was set, the flowers were ordered and that's how Miranda and Alex got married at the Buncombe County Jail in February 2021. Miranda’s brother later described it as very rock ‘n’ roll when he found out the next option for them was to get married at the jail by the magistrate. I agreed and it was.
The day was fun, relaxed and super romantic. But let's back up first!
As locals, you have the option to get ready at home for the big day or rent a place to feel a little removed for your daily life. Miranda found the coolest cabin where they brought their pup, Rose, and enjoyed a week together as a mini honeymoon! Planning in the time of COVID creates a lot of barriers but you can always find a way to make an occasions special. I met up with them at the cabin in the afternoon before heading downtown.
Sweet words from the bride:
“My husband and I eloped last month and one thing we could not skip out on was having professional photos to encapsulate our day. We have always loved Chelsea's photography and her eye for capturing the beauty in the small details! What we didn't anticipate was how helpful Chelsea would be with all the little details we didn't think of for our low-key day! She had a super informative guide to help us when we first booked her about eloping in Asheville. As our date approached, she was so helpful in giving us pointers of photos/moments we may not want to miss. This was crucial since we didn't get to have our families with us due to the pandemic. Both of our mothers have commented over and over on how they felt they were present at our day due to the amazing photographs Chelsea took. Chelsea captured the "story" of our day and we haven't been able to stop gawking over each image she took and we are having a hard time on deciding which photos to frame! She's the total package and we couldn't imagine having anyone else do this for us on our special day!”
Just married!!
After the ceremony, it was time to eatttt.
I followed them to Sessions located in Citizen Vinyl (downtown Asheville)
for snacks and cocktails.
Private vow exchange at the cabin.
After a whirlwind of an afternoon, Miranda and Alex wanted to have a private moment at their cabin to exchange vows.
The air was getting chilly, the sun was setting quickly so a cozy fire kept them warm (and set the vibe).
During these moments, my goal is to disappear into the background so they can focus on each other. This means I skipped a flash and only used the fading sunlight.
The vows were heartwarming and they had as much time as needed to share and be present.
