Hi there! Welcome to the Luke & Ashley blog, a journal about our lives, our beautiful couples, and their stories we get to tell. Stay a while and do say hello if you please!
When thinking about Destination weddings, I never really considered the Outer Banks as a destination wedding location because it is so close to home. Â However, this Emerald Isle wedding was definitely a destination wedding for us this past summer and it was absolutely AMAZING!
I am going to get pretty honest for a moment. Â For this wedding I was incredibly nervous. Â Occasionally we will still get the butterflies before weddings, but nothing we cannot handle. Â However, for this wedding in particular I was extremely nervous. First a close friend had recommended us and we did not want to let her down. Â Second, and more than the first we had never met the couple. Â We normally have the opportunity to meet our couples beforehand at their engagement sessions. Â Yet, with schedules and not being local we were unable to make an engagement session workout before the wedding. And lastly, the bride (Amanda) had made a comment that she might get “pictured” out during the wedding. Â All this, made us nervous leading up to the big day.
We had heard that it was a great place to vacation and that the beach was so nice! Emerald Isle did not disappoint! Â Perry & Amanda married at a venue called Merrell Estate and Gardens. Â This venue definitely gave off some destination vibes! Â As much as we love Williamsburg and all the amazing weddings we get to do so close to home it was nice to shoot somewhere different with a totally different vibe!
As mentioned before, we arrived with butterflies and within minutes of meeting the bride, groom, and family, those butterflies flew off and we were on our game!
Perry & Amanda were such a fun couple. Â They were down for anything we suggested, they completely trusted our opinion, and we had the BEST time with them. Â I later mentioned that Amanda never seemed to get “pictured out” and I think it was because we just seemed to have such a great time through it all.
I am obsessed with Amanda’s style. Â From her beautiful florals to her dress and hair. Â It was tropic and yet not overly done. Â Because of the time of day with the sun, we spent a lot of time underneath the overhang of the venue doing photos. Â This was where the pool was and there were tons of plants that accented the space beautifully. Â It was perfection!
Blogging these days has been almost obsolete because of the craziness of our schedules. Â But I knew from the day we showed up I wanted to get this wedding on the blog because it deserves to be seen! Â Perry & Amanda you two are a dream couple. Not only are you gorgeous together, but you are so much fun to be around and so so sweet! Â We hope our paths cross again in the future and we thank you for trusting us to be apart of your perfect day!
-Luke & Ash-
Also, check out our recent destination engagement session at Belle Isle.
Want to see more of Destination Weddings from us? Visit the links below!
A BIG thank you to all these amazing vendors that were a part of their team that day!
Venue: Merrell Estate & Gardens
Video: East and Noble Films
Hair & Makeup: Corri Hostetler
Rentals: Charming and Quaint
Photo Booth: Ellen Leroy
Planning and Florals: Knot A Second Thought
Band: Heartstop
Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia & Worldwide Wedding Photographers
@lukeandashleyphotography
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These are Gorgeous! This would have been such a fun venue to shoot at. Fantastic work Luke and Ashley!
Thank you!