Melanie and Bo, hands down have the best smiles! Especially on their wedding day. They radiated joy! Michael and I so enjoyed getting to meet them and capture their Asheville wedding.
They were married at the chapel at Asheville School and had their reception at The Farm, A Gathering Place. It was mine and Michael’s first time capturing a wedding at the Chapel at Asheville School and found it absolutely beautiful! What a gem tucked away in Asheville.
Thank you Melanie and Bo for allowing us to share in your special day. You were so kind to us and made us feel like one of your guests!
Now, lets hear from Melanie and Bo!
A bit about Melanie: Melanie is from Durham, NC and attended University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!). She loves UNC basketball, the outdoors, and spending time with her two sweet nieces who live in Atlanta.
A bit about Bo: Bo is from small town Madison, GA and attended Furman University where he was a Four-year letterman on the football team. He is an avid golfer and football fanatic.
How did you meet? We were set up by mutual friends. I was moving back to Atlanta from Washington, DC and one of my best friends in Atlanta kept telling me about Bo and how I had to meet him the second I moved back. In the meantime, her boyfriend at the time, was also telling him about me. I moved back early June, they introduced us that month, and the rest is history. They are happily married now and we remain best friends here in Atlanta.
Describe your first date? Believe it or not, it was on a Monday night. We met at a local dive bar, Smith’s Old Bar, and had a beer while throwing darts and then headed over to El Taco for a casual Mexican dinner. Super low key.
How long have you been together? We started dating June 2015, so almost 2 years now.
What are your favorite hobbies and activities to do as a couple? We love anything outdoors, especially a good hike! Traveling and spending time with family and friends are on the top of our favorites list as well.
Who popped the question and HOW? Bo popped the question on Sept 24th, 2016. We were planning on going to hike Blood Mountain which is about an hour away from Atlanta. I didn’t expect anything since we had done the hike before..nails were chipped, hair needed to be washed. We got to the top of the mountain around 10am which was relatively early and another guy had JUST proposed at the top. In all of Bo’s hikes there, he had never seen anyone propose and couldn’t believe “someone was stealing his thunder”. Of course me being a typical girl wanted to watch the production of the proposal and Bo was trying to get me to leave to look at a “better” view. When we got to the better view, Bo asked a random guy on the mountain to take a picture of us. Before the guy took the picture, Bo said “Let me get out my handkerchief”. I was thinking why does he need a handkerchief when we are already at the top. Then he pulled out a ring box and got down on bended knee! It was pretty amazing. I was super surprised and the guy got a ton of great candid shots. It didn’t end there. Bo told me we were not going back to Atlanta and it was a surprise where we were going. Shortly after, we pulled in to Highlands, NC and stayed the night there. 🙂
Why did you pick Asheville school and the Farm? We love Western NC and especially Asheville! I loved the idea of getting married there because it was still in my home state but it was far enough away to feel like a destination wedding and for people to make a mini vacation out of it. After visiting around 10 venues in different parts of western NC, we looked at about 5 in Asheville and instantly knew we loved the Farm when we walked up. It was very organic feeling, laid back and beautiful. We both wanted to get married in a church and my mom threw out the idea of Asheville Church since it was so close to the venue and she actually knew a couple of people that had attended. We went to visit the chapel and fell in love with it. The stained glass windows, the stonework and the beautiful campus made it an easy sell.
What adjective best describes your spouse on your wedding day? Joyful, excited, emotional, handsome, shining
What tangible detail of your wedding day did you love the most? My dress. I kept it a secret from everyone the whole time and I was SO excited for people to finally see it and love it as much as I did. Bo would say the Ford Model A that he found for our exit. It was really cool to ride in something so old!
How many guests attended the wedding? Approximately 140 people
What did you and your guests eat at the reception? We ate flank steak with chimichurri sauce, bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, shrimp & grits, roasted vegetables, truffle mac n cheese, and kale caesar salad. The hors d’oeuvres that were passed were chicken and waffle bites, pot stickers, and pimento cheese hush puppies. All of it was delicious!!
What was the flavor of your wedding cake? We had 3 flavors- Carrot (my favorite), Almond, and Marble.
What is the one of the funniest things that happened on your wedding day? It was certainly not funny at the time but looking back it is because it is typical me. I forgot to get my veil and my mom noticed while we were waiting in the trolley about to head to the church. Oh, and I also forgot to put my garter on. Oops!!
What was your first dance song and why did you pick it? “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett. I have always thought it was a sweet song and I love country music. Bo’s dad is from Valdosta, GA and knew Thomas Rhett’s grandfather through his little league baseball team. We thought it was a cool connection in addition to loving the song.
What stood out to you the most when you think of your wedding? I would say the wedding ceremony in general. Since we did not do a first look, it was really special to see Bo’s face as he saw me for the first time when the chapel doors opened. I will never forget the look on his face. After the ceremony, all the guests lined up to throw white rose petals at us. It made for some cool pictures and I thought it was a fun, pretty “entrance” as a married couple.
What is on your “bucket list” to do together as a married couple? We are getting a dog in June (our wedding present to each other) which was our first item on our bucket list! Next is to have a big, healthy family.
Now lets back up and start this day at the beginning! The first Look with Dad brought us all to tears!
First look with Bridesmaids made us smile. As Melanie said she kept her dress a secret until the great reveal!
Bo and the fellas heading to Asheville School on the trolley!
Shout out to Emily with Emily Anne Hair. You made an already gorgeous girl look even more gorgeous!
The beautiful chapel at Asheville School!
Melanie and her mom. I love this moment!
The back of Melanie’s dress was stunning!
Melanie, we are so glad you didn’t forget that veil. 🙂
We loved Bo’s turkey feather bow tie. Also, this is one of our favorite candids of him. Waiting on his bride!
See what I mean about those smiles?!? The best ever!
This is one of my absolute favorite moments! The guests threw rose petals as Melanie and Bo left the church.
Candids of the guests. It was SUCH a gorgeous March day and joy was in the air.
This moment… Not sure what happened here, but it makes us smile so much.
While I, Meriah am taking the group photos, Michael takes candids of the family members hanging out waiting to have their photos made. Such a great time to capture moments of the people Melanie and Bo love mostest. 😉
Trolley rides are a great time to capture fun moments too.
Grandmother looking at the ring.
As Melanie and Bo exited the trolley cheers erupted from their friends and family.
We never got fake smiles from this couple. Such sincerity!
Shout out to Inspired Design for the beautiful flowers!
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Moore!
Parent Dances!
Welcome by Dad was a bit tearful and so beautiful.
Shout out to Anita and Party Life for the wonderful entertainment!
The delicious cake was by Gateaux Cakes!
Shout out to these vendors that made this day awesome!
Ceremony Venue: The Chapel at Asheville School
Reception Venue: The Farm, A Gathering Place
Coordinator: Kirin with The Farm
Dress Designer: Lela Rose, purchased at Kelly’s Closet in Atlanta
Bridesmaid’s Makeup: Melissa with Pop of Color
Hair: Emily with Emily Anne Hair
Floral: Inspired Design
Caterer: The Farm
Band: Anita and Party Life
Minister: Rev. Duff
Cake: Gateaux Cakes
Rental Company: Classic Event Rental
Video: Reel Weddings
