Mountain Elopements Are Quietly Replacing Traditional Weddings in Western North Carolina. Here’s What an Ashev
Asheville, United States – May 5, 2026 / MountainWed Photography /
As Western North Carolina continues to see record demand for intimate mountain elopements, Asheville-based photographer Andy Wickstrom of MountainWed Photography has been named to the 2026 Travel Guides Asheville (TGA), the region’s leading online visitor and lifestyle resource.
The placement positions MountainWed alongside the local businesses TGA recommends to incoming visitors. Couples who increasingly arrive in Asheville not to plan a wedding around a venue, but to plan a day that fits the life they already lead.
“Most of the couples who find me already love the outdoors,” said Wickstrom. “They’ve already pictured the day, just them, on a mountain. The hard part isn’t picking the spot. The hard part is squaring that picture with the people in their lives who want to celebrate with them. The couples I work with have moved past the fairytale wedding. They want something less polished, and more them.”
Mountain elopements in Western North Carolina have grown steadily over the past four years, driven by rising costs of traditional weddings, a wave of couples opting for sub-30-guest ceremonies, and a generational shift among engaged couples toward less-polished, more-personal celebrations. Photographers in the region report that the majority of ceremonies are now held outside conventional venues, at locations across Pisgah National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway, DuPont State Forest, and Linville Gorge. Wickstrom adds that part of his job is steering couples past the most-trafficked overlooks toward quieter, less-crowded alternatives that better fit small ceremonies.
The shift has changed how local photographers work. Day-of timelines built around reception halls don’t translate to ceremonies that begin with a sunrise hike and end at a campfire. MountainWed Photography documents elopements and intimate weddings using a film-and-digital, documentary approach. No staged poses. No packed timelines. Wickstrom photographs each ceremony in a single continuous arc, treating the day as a story rather than a checklist.
That approach has built a quiet but loyal following among the couples Wickstrom calls “renegade.” Couples who want a day that looks like their actual lives, not a performance of one. MountainWed welcomes all couples, including a growing share of LGBTQ+ couples who explicitly seek a photographer who treats every couple equally and welcomes them by name. Bookings now run three to fourteen months ahead of ceremony dates, with the heaviest demand falling in the late-April-through-October window when Western North Carolina foliage, weather, and trail access are at their most cooperative.
“The day looks like the day,” Wickstrom said. “I don’t try to fix it or prettify it. The photos prove the day. That’s the job.”
Western North Carolina has emerged as a national elopement destination in part because of its variety. Within a 90-minute drive of downtown Asheville, couples can choose between Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks, alpine-feeling meadows above 6,000 feet, dense old-growth forest, multi-tiered waterfalls, and exposed cliff edges. The region also benefits from accessible permitting, a deep network of local officiants and vendors, and a tourism infrastructure built to host visiting couples and their families.
Travel Guides Asheville is published online at travelguidesasheville.com and reaches couples planning trips to the Asheville metropolitan area and the broader Blue Ridge region. The 2026 edition is published through April 2027.
The TGA placement comes amid steady year-over-year growth in elopement bookings across the region, a category that industry observers say has quietly outpaced traditional wedding growth in U.S. mountain destinations since 2022.
About MountainWed Photography: MountainWed Photography is the work of Andy Wickstrom, an Asheville, North Carolina adventure elopement and intimate wedding photographer. The studio serves couples planning mountain ceremonies across Western North Carolina, including locations in Pisgah National Forest, the Blue Ridge Parkway, DuPont State Forest, and Linville Gorge. Visit mountainwed.com or @mountain.wed on Instagram.
Contact Information:
MountainWed Photography
36 Montford Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
United States
Andy Wickstrom
+1-828-318-3555
https://www.mountainwed.com
