Spring City-Walk Elopement in Downtown Asheville

There’s something exciting about exploring a city, whether it’s a first visit or a stroll down memory lane. Every corner contains something new to discover, the bustle in the streets infuses passersby with a communal energy, and the shared experience with your forever person creates a memory that won’t soon be forgotten. If you immediately flashed back to a wonderful trip you took or can’t wait to plan your next city excursion, this Spring City-Walk Elopement in Downtown Asheville is for you.

When we set out to design this elopement inspiration styled shoot, we imagined a couple wanting to spend the day in their favorite city, visiting multiple businesses for different parts of their wedding celebration. This elopement style could be great for just the couple, but guests could easily be added to any or all of the day. Our model couple, real-life husbands Brandon & Davie, couldn’t have been more perfect, since these Ashevillites shared stories and memories throughout the day as we explored downtown together. Creating the walking map was of utmost importance, finding businesses that were quintessentially “Asheville” and within short walking distances of each other. In all, we visited 5 locations and walked 0.6 miles.

Plain With Sprinkles planned the design and decor with a focus on simplicity. With the city-walk aspect, minimal decor allowed us to move the pieces easily and make the most of every flower and detail. Bud vases from Bask Floral Studio were used on cocktail tables at the first location, as well as the dinner table and cake table later in the day. The planner team provided beautiful colored candles, and we had a vibrant Elopement Announcement Postcard created that was infused with the Asheville vibe. The front of the postcard said, “We do, We did, We Eloped!” with their faces, while the back said, “We announce with happy hearts that we exchanged vows in a private ceremony in Asheville, North Carolina, celebrating an intimate beginning of our forever. We appreciate your love and support at this special time in our lives.”

Our day started with the gents getting pampered, as all grooms should on their wedding day! Jennifer Pope at Streetcar6 Salon gave them haircuts and styling before they donned their light gray and bold blue suits and walked over to their ceremony. As Brandon & Davie stepped onto the Reverie Asheville patio, they commented, “Oh, we definitely made out in this courtyard, like, 7 years ago.” From there, every location was sprinkled with fun memories of the couple’s life in Asheville.

Reverie AVL, tucked between Bouchon and Virtue on N Lexington Ave, is a hidden oasis perfect for an intimate gathering. The courtyard patio is perfect for a few ceremony locations, with very minimal setup required in the naturally beautiful space, and the indoor bar and reception space is filled with magical lighting and dried flowers. Although we had a rainy spring day to contend with, the couple and officiant, Happily Ever Asheville, were troopers as we set up in the drizzle. The sun gloriously popped out a few times, and we were thankful that our locations all included indoor options to make planning for weather a breeze. Davie, who wore the gray suit, was adorned with a floral pocket square and gorgeous, natural-cut aquamarine cufflinks set in gold, while Brandon carried a beautiful spring bouquet. The aquamarine cufflinks provided by Spies Designs were 18KY sterling silver, priced at $1,490. Both wore bolo ties, which they also wore on their original wedding day.

Dressed and ready to go, Davie and officiant Amanda of Happily Ever Asheville took their place for the ceremony, in front of a purple-painted wall in the courtyard at Reverie, with little more than the natural trees and hanging lights that are always there. We added a rug and two potted ferns to frame the ceremony, and Brandon walked out, bouquet in hand, to greet his groom. To set an intention for the day, Amanda shared touching words about the symbolism of wedding rings, and the gents exchanged rings and kissed.

A cocktail hour followed, and while we planned to have cocktail tables on the patio, the rain brought us inside the cozy gathering space. There, Reverie set up a beautiful grazing board and sweetheart table, featuring jewel tones and Mr & Mr signs. Reverie mixed up two great craft signature cocktails, Davie’s Pomegranate Spritz, featuring tito’s vodka and pomegranate liqueur with a splash of fresh lemon juice topped with prosecco, and Brandon’s Ginger New Fashioned, featuring woodford reserve and ginger liqueur topped with ginger beer and served over an angostura, orange juice, and cherry infused ice cube.

While the planners packed up the decor to move, we watched for a break in the rain to enjoy a walk up the street to Kress Emporium. Our group slowly made our way through the gallery with different stalls featuring local artists. It was a fun way to explore part of what makes Asheville special and casually enjoy the afternoon.

From there, we walked to The S&W Market for some beer from the Highland Brewing taproom and dinner from Bun Intended. The planners had already arrived, so we walked into a sweetly decorated corner of the mezzanine. A light blue table runner was draped over one of the food hall tables, with candles and bud vases on the table and windowsill, which overlooked Downtown Asheville.

After their elopement dinner, it was time for cake and champagne, so we walked down the street to Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar. While we set up the sweets provided by Karen Donatelli Bakery, Brandon & Davie explored the book stacks. The geode cutting cake was two tiers with white and blue icing that looked like the mountains. The top layer had rock candy, and the cake was on a silver cake stand, accompanied by aquamarine-colored petit fours and macarons topped with rock candy. The grooms enjoyed a first dance, cut the cake and discovered rainbows inside the petit fours, and toasted to their forever.