Behind the Scenes
People ask me all the time what a wedding morning actually looks like from behind the chair, and I love that question, because the honest answer is: quiet, a little chaotic, and completely magical, usually all within the same ten minutes. Long before the "getting ready" photos happen, I'm already up in the dark, coffee in hand, double-checking that every brush is clean and every palette is exactly where I left it the night before. There's a rhythm to these mornings that took me years on the road across Western North Carolina to learn, and it starts long before I ever knock on a hotel room door.
The Night Before
A good wedding day is won the night before. I lay everything out like I'm packing for an expedition, because in a lot of ways, I am. Asheville weddings rarely happen in just one spot — I might be starting in a downtown loft, driving out to a barn tucked into the hills, or climbing a gravel road to a mountaintop overlook where the light does something no studio could ever fake. So the kit gets checked twice: skincare prep, a full range of foundations and complexions, setting sprays for every kind of humidity our mountains can throw at us, false lashes, bobby pins in three different shades, and enough hairspray to survive wind gusts at 4,000 feet of elevation.
I also think about the story of the day itself. Is it a sunrise elopement? A big family wedding with a dozen bridesmaids? A styled shoot with a whole creative team? Each one asks something different of me, and I like arriving with a plan already forming in my head, even though I know it will bend and shift the moment I walk in the door.
What's Actually in the Kit
My kit has grown and changed more times than I can count, but a few categories never leave my bag:
- Skin prep — primers, hydrating mists, and complexion products chosen for that natural, lit-from-within finish rather than a heavy mask
- A wide, inclusive range of foundations and concealers, because every client deserves to see herself, not someone else, looking back from the mirror
- Soft, blended eye products in warm neutrals and a few unexpected pops of color for the brides who want a little extra sparkle
- Setting sprays and powders built for long days, big emotions, and a few happy tears
- Hot tools, pins, texturizing sprays, and enough hairspray to hold a style through dancing until midnight
- A small emergency kit — safety pins, blotting papers, a spare hair tie, mints, because somebody always needs one of these
I keep coming back to products that photograph beautifully without looking overdone. Wedding photography is unforgiving in the best way — it catches every texture, every highlight, every laugh line — so my whole approach leans toward dewy, textured, soft-focus beauty rather than anything flat or heavy-handed. Skin should look like skin. Hair should move like it just came out of loose waves on a mountain breeze, not like it was set in stone.
The Energy on Set
Here's the part people don't always expect: getting-ready rooms are some of the most joyful spaces I know. There's music playing low, someone's mom is crying happy tears in the corner, a bridesmaid is passing around pastries, and somewhere in the middle of it all, I'm working quietly, trying to be both invisible and completely present at the same time. I've learned that my job isn't just makeup and hair — it's holding a little bit of calm in a room that's buzzing with nerves and excitement.
I talk with my clients while I work, not just about lash length or part placement, but about their families, their partners, the story of how they met, the ridiculous things that happened at the rehearsal dinner. Some of my favorite memories from this work aren't the finished looks at all — they're the laughter that happens somewhere between foundation and false lashes, when everyone in the room finally exhales together.
Small Moments That Stick With Me
A flower girl asking for "sparkles like the big girls." A groom popping his head into the room just to say his bride looks incredible and getting shooed right back out. A grandmother requesting "just a little lipstick, nothing fancy" and then beaming at her reflection for a full minute afterward. These are the moments that remind me why I love this work — it was never really about the products. It's about the people.
Life on the Road
Western North Carolina is a gorgeous place to build a beauty business, and also a genuinely adventurous one. One weekend I might be setting up in a cozy Airbnb just outside Asheville, and the next I'm winding along a ridge road toward a barn venue with a view for miles. I've learned to love the drive as much as the destination — the fog sitting low over the hills in early morning, the way autumn turns whole mountainsides gold, the surprise thunderstorm that rolls in fast and clears just as quickly, leaving everything smelling like rain and pine.
Traveling for this work means packing smart, leaving early, and always having a backup plan for weather, lighting, and the inevitable "can you also touch up my mom" request twenty minutes before the ceremony. It also means I get to work in some genuinely stunning corners of this region, spaces I never would have found otherwise, and meet couples who chose to celebrate here because the mountains mean something to their story too.
A Team Effort
No wedding day beauty happens in isolation. I work alongside photographers chasing the perfect light, planners keeping the whole day on schedule, florists carrying in armfuls of blooms, and often another artist beside me so that a full bridal party can be ready without anyone feeling rushed. There's a real camaraderie that builds in those getting-ready hours, a shared understanding that we're all working toward the same goal: making sure this one particular day feels as beautiful and unhurried as it deserves to be.
I've built genuine friendships with other vendors across the Asheville wedding community over the years, and I think that collaborative spirit shows up in the final product. When everyone on a team trusts each other and communicates well, the whole day flows more easily, and that ease translates directly into calmer clients and better photos.
Why I Keep Showing Up
After all these years, the early alarms and long drives never really get old, because every single day is different. Different light, different faces, different love stories unfolding in real time in front of me. I get a front-row seat to some of the most tender, joyful, occasionally chaotic hours of a person's life, and I get to help them feel like the most radiant version of themselves while it happens. That's a pretty remarkable way to spend a Saturday morning, and it's why, kit packed and coffee in hand, I'll keep showing up before sunrise across these mountains for as long as couples will have me.