Hi! My business is Wild Marie Photography. I photograph the most rad people I’ve ever met! Longer Answer, I take careful time to get to know my clients, feel the vibe and flow they put towards their session and together we bring their vision to life!
Serving Western NC
I first and foremost LOVE adventure. If you’re up for an adventure, I am 100% here for it. In the earliest hours of the morning or the latest hours of the day, I am here for you and your partner! Second, your joy is my joy. Helping my clients create their perfect day of celebration is unexplainable joy. I am here to make your dreams come true, to hike the mountains, tie the hiking boots… and of course capture your day exactly how it unfolds.
I have found my hidden talent, keeping the vibe as beautiful and chill, or crazy and energetic as you wish, while capturing the sweetest moments of your life. I am down for any adventure and will go above and beyond to help make your day as special as I can. I think the biggest thing that sets me apart is that I am a WNC local and avid hiker….so I know a lot of different people and most of all, a lot of different places. I work with lovers of all kinds and love getting to know people as their true selves.
My mom would say I’ve been a photographer my whole life, first carrying around an empty oatmeal container pretending it was a camera, then graduating to a disposable camera, and then my first actual camera when I was 15. There were also some Pinhole cameras along the way. After my son was born, I couldn’t bring myself to take him to daycare 8 hours a day while I went back to teaching, so I stayed home with him the first year, and of course, photographed him like mad. Then my friends started asking me to photograph their children, and from there it snowballed into this beautiful business that not only lets me stay home with my son but also makes me the happiest I have ever been.
Honestly, contributing to something so special is my favorite thing about being a wedding vendor. I am naturally a helper, so my favorite thing is helping this much larger event happen with so many other people. I love working together 🙂
A: Jessica Marie Ballance – Owner & Photographer
Q: What’s a fun fact about yourself?
A: I’m an Asheville Local
Q: What is your favorite thing about elopements?
A: Sharing the outdoors and adventure with clients on such a happy day & creating an elopement exactly for my couples.
Q: Tell us about your favorite elopement!
A: I photographed my little sister’s elopement on Black Balsam. It was incredibly sweet to help plan this day with my little sister, then see the absolute joy from her when it all came together. This was extra sweet because it was my little sister, but that joy I get from clients is something I will cherish forever.
Q: Is there a wedding detail on your bucket list?
A: Travel out West for an Elopement.
“Jessica Marie photographed both our engagement session in 2020 and wedding in 2021. She has also photographed my by myself. First, she’s quite simply a wonderfully authentic person. I had the benefit of knowing this already through our past work relationship, but I definitely think she carries that authenticity beautifully in her photos and her brand. She brings joy out of you, and her photos have an effortless feeling to them that is often hard to come by naturally in my awkward turtle world. It also helped my husband feel a ton more comfortable as he is usually very camera shy. She rarely intervenes, and doesn’t rigidly pose you. She lets you be you, enjoy the moment, and then she captures the resulting shine.”
