After not shooting a wedding at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in 7 years, Ashtyn and Shawn gave us that opportunity again! It was their destination wedding here in Asheville, NC.

We had not met Ashtyn and Shawn before their wedding day but did get to meet with their sweet parents when they booked us for the wedding.  Upon finally meeting them, Michael and I instantly liked Ashtyn and Shawn. They were super fun to work with and absolutely gorgeous. I don’t know if Ashtyn was trying to look like a Disney princess but I am pretty sure we just shot Elsa’s wedding. 😉  She was stunning and her veil literally made me gasp.

Shawn invited a lot of his military pals to his wedding and there was such camaraderie among them. Michael enjoyed getting to hang with the fellas before the ceremony. They are close and you can tell!

More from us throughout the blog post but for now, here is a bit from Ashtyn and Shawn!

A bit about Ashtyn: Ashtyn is a Florida State University Alumnus with a BFA in Musical Theatre. She currently performs on some of the largest cruise ships in the world as a Singer in the Production Casts. She even planned a large part of her wedding from her last cruise ship!

A bit about Shawn: Shawn is a graduate of Norwich University with a double major in Accounting and Finance. As if that wasn’t enough work, he was also part of the ROTC program there and commissioned into the United States Army as Second Lieutenant Military Intelligence Officer. He will be bravely serving our country for at least the next 4 years.

How did you meet? We met our Senior year of high school in Overland Park, Kansas in 2010. We had English class together and I fell for him the second he walked through the door. After that we were partners for any project or paper throughout the year and developed a really great friendship.

Describe your first date? I asked Shawn on our first date. My best friend wanted me to go out with her and her boyfriend, so I asked three guys before Shawn because I didn’t want to make our friendship weird. Finally, after no one else was available I nervously asked my biggest crush out and he said yes! (Thank goodness) We went on the double date and had a great time and then we left and hung out the rest of the night just us two. What I thought would be just a pre-graduation fling turned out to be so much more!

How long have you been together? We started dating April of 2011, so a little over 6 years.

What are your favorite hobbies and activities to do as a couple? We are a very active couple. We love to get out and see places. So we really enjoy local fairs or markets and we absolutely love camping. We’re “pitch a tent in the middle of the woods people” and we have such a blast doing it!

Who popped the question and HOW? Shawn popped the question in November 2016. I had been on my cruise ship since June of that year and Shawn and I hadn’t seen each other since he came and cruised Alaska with me in July. So, he and his entire family, including my mom, were coming to cruise with me for Thanksgiving. The morning they were to board the ship, they picked me up and took me out to breakfast. The week prior, Shawn had just branched Military Intelligence in the Army, so he took a moment to thank the family for their support and singled me out as being a strong source of support for him, and before I even knew it, he was scooting out his chair and asking me to marry him. I was shocked and cried like a baby. Shawn had to ask me again because I was crying too hard to answer! It was a perfect moment in a beautiful setting surrounded by our family.

Why did you pick Asheville and the Grand Bohemian? We picked Asheville because we love the mountains. Being from Florida, one of the reasons we picked up camping was to get away from the beach and into a new environment. Once we got engaged we thought the mountains would be an amazing place to start our new lives together. The Grand Bohemian was the perfect place because it has such a mountain hunting lodge feel while still being glitzy and glamorous. It was the absolute perfect place for our wedding!

What adjective best describes your spouse on your wedding day? Shawn’s answer: Stunning. Ashtyn’s answer: Mine

What tangible detail of your wedding day did you love the most? My favorite piece was my dress. It was truly the dress of my dreams. It wouldn’t have been the same without my veil though and I loved the combination of them both!

How many guests attended the wedding? We had 86 total.

What did you and your guests eat at the reception? We had a wedge salad to begin, with jalapeño ranch dressing and Nueske’s bacon chunks, then we had a duet entree, so each guest got a portion of ginger honey grilled chicken and a small filet mignon. The entree was served with Yukon mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a family sized portion of Brussel Sprouts for the table.

What was the flavor of your wedding cake? We actually had three flavors of wedding cake each being equally delicious. We had Lemon Raspberry Poundcake with cream cheese frosting, Carrot Cake Delight with crushed pralines and cream cheese frosting, and Apple Hummingbird with cream cheese frosting. The cake was phenomenal!

What is the one of the funniest things that happened on your wedding day? When I started walking down the aisle, first off, I started crying as soon as I saw Shawn because I was so happy, then secondly, the detail around the edge of my veil caught on the carpet runner we had and it pulled the veil out of my head! Luckily, one of our guests grabbed it, handed it my mom and my mom was able to stick it back in real quick. It definitely wasn’t what I envisioned, but it actually helped me and Shawn compose ourselves because everyone started laughing. Only us!

What was your first dance song and why did you pick it? Our first dance song was “I Met A Girl” by William Michael Morgan. Shawn sent me that song a few years ago and told me it reminded him of me. So earlier this year we were getting our engagement pictures taken, and on the way home, that song came on the radio and we knew that was it. It was close to our hearts and meaningful.

What stood out to you the most when you think of your wedding? THE FLOWERS. Holy moly, the flowers were absolutely stunning. Everywhere I looked, I saw incredible arrangements. The bouquets for me and my girls were stunning, the corsages for our moms, the boutonnières for the guys. Seriously, the flowers were just incredible. Close second is just how much stinking fun it was! We had the best guests and the most amazing wedding party. It was a day and night of our dreams!

What is on your “bucket list” to do together as a married couple? We have quite a few things that we want to do/accomplish, but the top things on our checklist are to travel and see the world and then in a few years, hopefully be blessed enough to welcome some children into this world.

The amazing Mary with Mary Bell Events helped plan and coordinate this awesome day!

It was pretty steamy outside so we did most of our photos inside the Grand Bohemian Hotel. The decor was perfect for this gorgeous bride and her gals.


This ceremony was FULL of some amazing, beautiful moments!



The beautiful Mother of the Bride… who happens to also be named Shawn! 🙂

For the parents…

For dad.





Shawn’s vows were amazing… everyone thought so too. We all teared up a bit!

And the best man too. 😉




















We love love loved the up-lighting and floral at this wedding. The Grand Bohemian ballroom is already stunning but they made it amazing!





Ashtyn sang ” Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur. She was killing it… until Shawn kissed her hand. Then she lost it. She said it was the hardest performance of her life. This girl has an incredible voice ya’ll!

Mamma love.


These toasts were so fun!





A toast to Ashtyn’s dad from her uncle.

Party time!




There was a bit of a twist to this garter toss…


Apparently when you find this drink you have to down it. So Ashtyn hid it under her dress.

She was in for a surprise herself… see that guy with the covered plate on the left?

Now Ashtyn had to join in as well!

I don’t know if it was meant to be a competition… but well…

Ashtyn won. Sorry Shawn! She killed it.


Gushing over that ring.


Wobble instructor anyone? She was awesome!

A little limbo was in order.


Last song!




Congrats Ashtyn and Shawn! We wish you the absolute best ever!!

Shout out to these professionals that helped make this day awesome!