Zirconia Wedding Photographer | Lauren & Jalen | Married

I met Lauren and her mother, Kim, at the Wedding Festivals in Asheville. We hit it off right away and they booked me the same day for Lauren’s wedding. It was my first time shooting in Zirconia, a little town located right past Hendersonville with lots of mountains and land.  This was a gorgeous wedding with super sweet people.  The food at the reception was absolutely the best!!  The DJ was hilarious.  Despite getting a little wet at the reception, it was a great day!!

How they met (In Lauren’s words)….Jalen and I met in high school. We had a few classes together throughout the year and we had some mutual friends. We did not start dating until the summer after our freshman year of college (May 2012). We were at the same baseball game one day and my mom told me that either I could go up and talk to him or she would. So, after a little debating, I finally ended up going up to him and we’ve been together ever since. 

Lauren & Jalen (Blake) were married on her parent’s home land just right down the hill from where she grew up. I checked the weather forecast and it didn’t look promising, lots of rain headed our way. We started the day with getting ready shots at two different locations. We had just finished photographing the bridesmaids when the rain moved in and poured. It rained about 15 minutes then the blue sky opened up. The groomsmen quickly went down to the ceremony site to wipe off all the seats before the guests arrived. There were so many details surrounding this wedding. Here are the many touches and hands that went into Lauren & Jalen’s special day.

-The handkerchief wrapped around her bouquet belonged to her great-great grandmother (her dad’s maternal great grandmother). -The pitcher and basin used during the foot washing is her great grandmothers (her moms maternal grandmother). -the chair they sat in during the foot washing belonged to her great grandparents (her dad’s maternal grandparents). -My favorite detail-the officiant is the trainer and sports medicine instructor at the high school Lauren and Jalen attended. Since the bride and groom were both athletes, Doc Durham played a very important role in their high school careers. Theirs is the first, but I’m sure it won’t be the last, wedding he officiated for students/athletes to come through his program.
– Lauren’s dad made the cross and the backdrop behind it with wood given to us by some precious church members.
– The cupcake display belongs to Hey Hey Cupcake, who made the cake and cupcakes. 
– Lauren’s grandmother made Lauren’s veil. 
– (Lauren’s other grandmother) altered Lauren’s gown. So many precious hands contributed to Jalen’s and Lauren’s day

Many thanks to the wonderful people who made their day so special:
Cake & Cupcakes – Hey Hey Cupcakes!
DJ – Tim Griffin (Eye of the Tiger)
Catering – Terry’s Catering (Terry Mayban)
Assistant Photographer – Kathy Beaver