Mixing Film and Digital to Create Dreamy Mountaintop Portraits in Nantahala, North Carolina
On a rainy weekday in Nantahala, North Carolina, the clouds parted on the Wayah Bald mountaintop to allow me and analog photographer Jacob Rodgers to capture an absolutely magical set of bridal portraits of my longtime friends Bethany and Alicia on their wedding day. Only a few minutes from Nantahala Weddings, their venue with another gorgeous view, we were able to get away from the party to give the brides a breather and take in the beautiful landscape we were so thrilled to photograph.
Mixing film and digital allowed us to capture an even more magical and nostalgic look, with some assistance from the cloudy skies and the wind moving through hair and fabrics. Bethany’s dress was slightly off-white with embroidered floral details on the tulle, which I immediately knew I’d be having her throw around to create different shapes and movement. Alicia wore a classic white jumpsuit, with a flowing skirt attachment that caught the wind on the mountaintop perfectly. Her jumpsuit also had the coolest beading details on the back, which you can keep scrolling to see closer shots of. I loved the way these two’s attire looked together, with different fabric textures and details that were incredibly complimentary.
As a bridesmaid/photographer I was able to join Bethany and the rest of the bridal party for dress shopping, and we all got to celebrate the moment she found The Dress at Lavender Park Bridal in Clarksville, Tennessee. I was immediately planning poses, some of which you’ll see in this blog post!
The dress Watters Designs, which a few of my brides have worn over the years.
We got them down off the wall for a minute to walk around the top of Wayah Bald, where the trees were super green in their prime in June, and the lookout tower made for a cool stone backdrop for a few portrait poses.
Okay, a few more digital photos from Bethany and Alicia posing on the wall overlooking the Appalachians, just because I love so many of these photos. It was hard to narrow down favorites from both myself and Jacob, this has to be one of my favorite bridal portrait sessions I’ve ever done. I love how cinematic and dreamy everything came out, and we were able to get a mix of editorial style posing and documentary style candids.
A couple of bonus behind the scenes photos of what it takes to get a big tulle wedding dress up to the top of a mountain: Alicia and Georgia (of Georgia Doll Events) getting a bee out of Bethany’s skirt and my brother’s car full to the brim with dresses as he drove us up to the top of Wayah Bald. Truly a day full of funny memories and sweet moments all woven in together, and some amazing photos to show for it!
