The time is upon us my friends! As 2023 draws closer to an end, the temps are dropping, the snow has already made it’s presence known, and the holidays are wrapping up! This was another amazing year where it feels like it just flew by. We were saying to ourselves as we gathered images from every wedding, “Oh wow, was that this year!?” We were blessed to connect with so many awesome couples on the east coast and west coast! Having spent a significant amount of time (4 months) in Wyoming this year, it felt like there was a bit of separation in time that we weren’t used to. The separation of brands on each coast has proven to be a fun little change up from the usual to something different which has been refreshing not only from a photography perspective but also from a human aspect. Getting the opportunity to continue exploring, meeting new people from different parts of the country, and shooting in different situations has been great for the soul.
In 2022, we had our busiest year ever just 2 years post government shutdowns and restrictions. With all of the couples that were displaced in 2020 and needed to reschedule, we ended up having such an abundance in 21’ and 22’. 2023 proved to be a shift back towards normalcy when it came to volume. Prior to 2020 we were averaging almost 80 weddings per year. The last two years saw that shoot up to 100+ with all of the couples needing to reschedule, and the normal influx of couples wanting to say their I dos. This year we were back to normal with 80 weddings/elopements. It’s funny to think that this almost felt like a light year. We got so used to the non-stop rush of the last two years, but it was a much needed balance added to our otherwise insanely busy lives!
2023 By the numbers
80 Weddings & Elopements
55 weddings on the east coast; 26 West Coast
East Coast = 5% elopements
West Coast = 69% elopements
1 wedding every 4.5 days
33 Different venues
2 Private property/air bnb weddings
72% of our weddings were outside of Asheville
31% of our weddings were outside of WNC
5 States - (NC, SC, TN, MT, and WY)
346,000 - Approximate number of wedding photos taken
33% - Of our couples also had an engagement session
*******652 weddings/elopements in 8 years!!!*******
3 Fun things from this year:
-We shot our first wedding in Montana (in the middle of winter!)
-We shot our first wedding above 9,000ft above sea level (we were so sore the next day!)
-Almost 30% of our weddings/elopements took place in National Parks or National Forests this year
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As always, we wanted to send out a big thank you to our amazing couples for allowing us to be a part of your stories! We are immensely grateful for your continued love and support! A huge thank you to our Balsam teammates Jesse and Megan for their hard and amazing work! Last but not least, a huge shout out to all of our wedding vendor friends! We work hard, we have fun, but having people we love to share the journey with makes it that much more special! We look forward to sharing many more weddings and adventures with you all in 2024!
See you next year!
