Jenny and I recently had the opportunity to be a part of a stylized wedding at Ambrose West. “Where?” It’s okay if you haven’t heard of them yet. They are a new contemporary event space in the heart of West Asheville. Their unique space is set up for corporate events, concerts, rehearsal dinners, and you guessed it, weddings!
Some of you may be asking yourself what’s a stylized shoot? It’s when you go through 95% of the real planning for a wedding day but no one actually gets married. In the case of this awesome day, we mean every single part of the planning process! In fact, we had a planning and design team, timeline, make up & hair, a super cute couple, DJ, desserts, event rentals, lighting professionals, rental plants (yes you read that right) and photography.
Our good friend Michelle, the owner of Party Envy Event Planning & Floral Design, invited us to be a part of this special event and at the time we had not heard of the new venue, but immediately said yes because we always enjoy working with Michelle! Naturally, like any place that is new to us, we hopped online to do a little research and get an idea of the space, as well as get some ideas. Even though we did this, it didn’t quite prepare us for the real thing. Once we arrived on the day of the event and walked into the reception area where Michelle and her team had been working the last couple of days, we were blown away! The space itself had a beautiful ambiance! The architecture of exposed wood ceilings combined with natural lighting from all of the windows make Haywood Hall at Ambrose West an absolute dream for wedding photographers! Throw in the design and attention to detail from Party Envy and I’m sure we could hardly contain the excitement on our faces. Soon after we met the owners Donna, Greg, and Nikki! As all the wedding pros worked away to make sure this day was a hit, you could also see the owners helping out in any way they could. They talked about their venue and vision for the future with such passion and joy that you just knew this was something they have put 110% into.
After the initial rush and tour of the venue, everything was full speed ahead for the next few hours! Once the design team put the finishing touches on the everything, the bride and groom (Rachel and Travis) arrived soon after! They actually got married in October of 2016, and already had amazing wedding photos by our friend and talented professional Heather Hambor, but thankfully they were totally willing to get dolled back up and play wedding for a day! To say these two picked up right where they left off is an understatement! Though the wedding itself was just for show, their connection and chemistry on camera was so real and getting to photograph that was a pleasure in and of itself! On top of having several great spaces to shoot and a fun couple, mother nature also hit us with a last minute snow storm. Anyone who knows us, knows we love snowy shoots! As we took Travis and Rachel outside to ‘The In Between’ as they call it at AW, the snow added a fun element to really give their photos even more character!
Even though the shoot only lasted a few hours, this was truly one of those that we didn’t want to end. All of the elements that make for an amazing wedding day were present here and we believe this will be the first of many special days with people leaving Ambrose West with that same feeling. Thanks to the AW team for allowing us to be a part of your opening and special thanks to all of the amazing wedding vendors who helped make this day feel like the real deal!
Venue: Ambrose West
Planning/Coordinating: Party Envy Event Planning & Floral Design
Design/Florals: Party Envy Event Planning & Floral Design
Make up & Hair: Pop of Color by Melissa
Dessert: 50/Fifty: The Art of Dessert
Entertainment: A Bride’s DJ
Rentals: Classic Event Rental
Plants: U Rent a Plant