Chestoa View Overlook & Chimneys Elopement
June 09, 2022
Kaitlyn and Evan chose to start their wedding day at a quiet, little-known spot near Linville Falls called Chestoa View Overlook which they said “checked all the boxes” for their ceremony location. Because they had close friends along - as well as their puppy, Doug, they wanted a ceremony location that wasn’t too far to get to. The rest of the day would be spent romping around Linville Gorge, so we all agreed that keeping the approach for the Linville Gorge elopement easy.
The Chestoa View Overlook is sort of a quiet, less popular spot than some of the other locations in the area. It boasts pretty similar views to Wiseman’s View but has far less name recognition. Like Wiseman’s View Overlook, getting there is easy and the walk to the overlook is extremely short. The decent size parking area has enough spots to accommodate a small group, and there are picnic tables in case you want to have some bubbly like K + E did.
All you do is walk down a short, paved path to some rock stairs which leads down to the overlook and pretty amazing views of Linville Gorge. Because of it’s relatively small size - it works well as an elopement ceremony spot. It feels intimate but also has very easy access from the parking area.
Note - there are a few stairs down to the overlook area, so that particular spot would require assistance to access if anyone is disabled or has trouble with stairs.
Side note: I love when couples are able to scout their locations prior to the wedding day and build a bit of excitement while also more keenly understanding and visualizing how things will come together day-of. When your planning what to bring, or explaining it to family or friends, it’s very helpful to have been to the location yourself rather than relying on internet articles or how I describe it! Having a real connection with the location also lowers stress on the wedding day because you’ll know what to expect and can make planning decisions a little easier on your wedding day when things can be busy.
K + E had just 2 close friends in attendance (one of whom was also the officiant) - and their new (and absolutely adorable) puppy along for the ceremony. After the ceremony, the friends graciously took their pup so we could continue with the day by hitting Linville Falls and then the Chimneys for sunset. Because their original wedding day weather forecast called for rain, we opted to push it back a day. Everyone, including me, was SO glad we did. The weather was absolutely perfect! They had comfortable temps and the most lovely sunset to cap it all off.
Here are a few images from their day that help tell the story…
–A
