Looking Glass Rock Climbing Elopement
October 9, 2022
It’s not often that I get inquiries from couple’s looking to include climbing into their wedding day. For same Xavier and Jonathan, that was precisely what brought them to me in the first place—my background in climbing photography.
Finding an Asheville elopement or wedding photographer who could pull off the physical component of actually climbing the multi pitch climb with 40 pounds of camera gear on their back while taking photos is no easy feat. (My quads were so sore by the time we got back to the cars in the dark!) Plus, being a few hundred feet off the ground may not be enjoyable for most people. But, as soon as I saw their inquiry come in, I knew I had to book them! How could we not work together? This elopement was right up my alley! I’ve been shooting adventure sports for about a decade. This elopement was going to be super fun, but would also definitely require a lot of logistical preparation.
For one, we would need a professional guide to handle all of the climbing and safety considerations we would have as we ascended and descended massive granite monolith. Hiring our guide, Doug, who works for Fox Mountain Guides was the best decision ever. Not only do I know Doug personally as a friend and fellow climber, but also Doug is someone who would be a knowledgeable, patient, personable, and psyched partner who would be instrumental in pulling this elopement off. His insight into the route we would climb, the gear we would bring, the times we would want to make sure we began climbing and rappelling were all so helpful.
The other major consideration was the 3+ mile, multi-hour hike that family members and our officiant, Gina Angel, of All The Things Ceremonies, would have to make to meet us at the summit around the same time for the ceremony and portraits.
On top of that, we also really needed the weather to work in our favor. Rain would have devastated our plans! Thankfully, even that came together perfectly! The climbing conditions were fantastic! Cool, dry, breezy, with a little sun here and there—the kinds of weather you always hope for!
It was such a relief to reach the summit and not long after to see family members and Gina, the officiant, pop out of the forest at the summit trailhead all smiles. It was clutch to have such competent and fit family members be willing to hike that far without having been on the trail before. I’m not gonna lie—that was also a part of the plan that I hoped worked out too! Having them get lost on the way up was not an option. Lucky for everyone, the trail up Looking Glass Rock is well marked and other hikers made ascending and descending it more obvious. So glad!
In the end, we pulled off one of the most logistically complex days I’ve had a part in planning and the photos came out great!
If you’re considering an adventure on your wedding day, even climbing is possible! I’d love to do more of these, so if it’s something you might like—hit me up and let’s start planning!!
