This past December, we had the absolute pleasure of being a part of Claire and Brendan’s romantic wedding at the Grand Bohemian Hotel of Asheville! There are so many details that we love from this wedding day and we can’t wait to share them with you!

The Kessler Collectioin hotels are unique to each location! The Grand Bohemian Hotel of Asheville is inspired by and designed after a European hunting lodge. The hotel lobby features the ambiance of a cozy hunting lodge with a working stone fireplace, beautiful sculptures and a hunting gun collection! It also has a wonderful gallery featuring a selection of exceptional artwork and stunning chandeliers made from special materials.

This luxurious wedding day started with an amazing ceremony at the Tyrolean Terrace, a lively cocktail hour in the Bosendorfer Salon which features a magnificent piano that was the result of a collaboration between Bosendorfer and Richard Kessler, and a lovely reception in the breathtaking Kessler Ballroom. We always love being a part of special celebrations at this hotel and appreciating the unique, thoughtful details that have gone into creating the space.

WEDDING DAY DETAILS

Claire and Brendan started the day opening gifts from each other and getting ready with their closest friends and family! There were so many personalized details to start their day including a customized handkerchief with the couple’s wedding date and initials, custom monogrammed getting ready shirts for the bridesmaids, and custom cuff links for the groom! The wedding day details fit perfectly with the wedding day theme: a classic, formal affair at a unique, historic venue! The wedding day invitations were created with a timeless, elegant design to perfectly represent the day.

WEDDING FLOWERS

The all white floral design was the perfect way to highlight the space without taking away from its natural elegance. Claire wanted an all white wedding bouquet with some textured elements, so we decided to use classic white and ivory wedding flowers such as roses and carnations and finished the look with white berries and textured greenery like dusty miller and seeded eucalyptus. To create a cohesive look but add an extra element, we added a few pops of blush roses to the bridesmaids bouquets to help compliment the grey bridesmaids dresses.

THE DRESS

There is something so classic and elegant about the perfect sating wedding dress! Its soft and flowing fabric help cling to feminine curves and drapes perfectly. In addition, satin fabric shines and looks flattering in any light which means the bride will look even more gorgeous than she already is all day and all night! This satin fabric also works well with any dress design, especially a modern a-line wedding dress such as Claire’s! To achieve a classic, timeless look the satin wedding dress also doesn’t need much accessories. We absolutely love the way that Claire styled her dress with classic silver earrings and wedding shoes and a beautiful cathedral wedding veil.

The bridesmaids wore grey chiffon floor length dresses in varying styles! Typically if bridesmaids wear mismatched dresses, they vary in the neckline, but these varied in the necklines and the skirts. This is a great way to get a cohesive bridal party look while still allowing your bridesmaids to decide what style of dress they would feel most comfortable in!

THE SUIT

The groom’s wedding day suit should always be appropriate for the wedding day formality! Since this was an elegant, black tie affair, Brendan and his groomsmen wore a classic, black fitted tuxedo with an elegant black bow tie to complete the look! He accessorized the suit with silver cuff links to match the silver accessories that Claire wore with her dress. His wedding day look was complete with shiny, crisp black leather shoes.

Like most grooms do, Brendan gifted his groomsmen matching wedding day socks. They were grey to match the bridesmaids dresses and for an even more fun touch, had some avocados on them! Who doesn’t love avocados?!

FATHER DAUGHTER FIRST LOOK

A father and his daughter share such a special bond and it is even more obvious to see that on a wedding day! For this reason, we really enjoy father daughter first looks. It is such a sweet and joyful moment shared between a bride and her father and a wonderful way to start the wedding day festivities! Claire and David shared a wonderful moment in the ballroom that perfectly captured their special bond!

CEREMONY

The Tyrolean Terrace is a great option for couples who are interested in having an outdoor element on their wedding day at the Grand Bohemian! With its tented ceiling and sparkling chandeliers, The Tyrolean Terrace is the perfect spot for an outdoor ceremony and will capture everyone’s attention as they arrive. This is a great way to start off the wedding day for your guests! In addition, the terrace offers heaters and shades that can be closed for winter ceremonies such as Claire and Brendan’s!

In keeping with the classic, elegant theme of the wedding day, we decided to use large, white urns and pedestals on either side of the ceremony site and adorned them with lush greenery and large white flowers that fit the floral design! We also used a colorful vintage rug at the site surrounded by candle lit lanterns to finish the ceremony decor! The yellow rug matched really well with the ceremony chairs already included in the space and helped offer up some color and texture to the ceremony site!

NEWLYWED AND BRIDAL PARTY PORTRAITS

During cocktail hour while guests enjoyed drinks and appetizers in the Bosendorfer Salon, Claire, Brendan and their friends and family started formal wedding portraits! We started with the largest groups on the terrace and used the ceremony decor as the perfect backdrop for these photos! Once we finished with the family and bridal party portraits, Claire and Brendan explored the hotel and its surrounding areas for some truly memorable wedding day photographs! The Grand Bohemian was beautifully decorated for its Christmas festivities, and so we really love the holiday lights that were on the front entrance. It was a great location for some wedding day portraits!

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COCKTAIL HOUR

While the newlyweds shared a moment alone, their guests enjoyed a great cocktail hour in the Bosendorfer Salon! This stylish room is the perfect spot to entertain guests with some signature cocktails and unique artwork for guests to enjoy. The most unique aspect of the room is the one of a kind Bosendorfer piano that was especially made for the space! Claire and Brendan also had some fun goodies for their guests including custom M & M’s and special beer koozies. The seating chart setup was a perfect fit in the space as well! Elegant, gold frames surrounded by loose greenery and candles.

NEWLYWED INTRODUCTIONS AND FIRST DANCE

After the guests were seated for dinner in the Kessler Ballroom, we lined up the bridal party for some introductions. We really love the way that the newlywed introductions and their first dance was captured under the sparkling chandeliers in the ballroom! We have a special place in our hearts for classic love songs and were so excited that Claire and Brendan chose their first dance song to be “It Had To Be You” by Frank Sinatra. It was such a perfect choice for a classy, timeless wedding day!

TOASTS AND PARENT DANCES

For a lot of friends and family members, your wedding day is one they have looked forward to for years! We are always so eager to hear toasts on wedding days from the couple’s friends and family members. There is always so much love, laughter and happy tears! Toasts are also a great way to hear the couple’s love story from different important people in their lives. Claire’s maid of honor, Hannah, and Brendan’s best man, Adam, had so many wonderful stories from the couple’s college years and when they first met. It was really sweet to see their story told by people who were there with them when the couple first met and fell in love! Claire’s father, David, wrapped up the toasts with such special words for Claire and Brendan, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. This was the perfect way to transition into Claire and David’s father daughter dance, which was followed by Brendan and his mother, Mary, dancing to “Days Like This” by Van Morrison.

DANCING AND DESSERT

Once the parent dances wrapped up, the dance floor opened up to all of the wedding guests! It was really great seeing everyone on the dance floor to celebrate Claire and Brendan’s marriage! We also opened up the desserts for guests! Claire and Brendan decided to offer a variety of mini bundt cakes in multiple flavors! They were all so delicious: white chocolate raspberry, carrot, chocolate chip, classic vanilla and chocolate raspberry! They also had a bundt cake with a classic cake topper that they took home as their “wedding cake.” We added a few flowers and small sprigs of greenery to the desserts to add some elegant floral touches.

PRIVATE DANCE AND NEWLYWED EXIT

Wedding days always fly by so quickly that oftentimes newlyweds hardly get a moment alone together as they are taking wedding photos or mingling with and greeting their guests. A last, private dance is a fantastic way to end your wedding night and spend a romantic moment together with just the two of you. Claire and Brendan chose a “The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel for their private dance. They were so in love, you could tell that it was a truly special moment for them. While the newlyweds were sharing their special private dance, the guests were lined up at the hotel’s side entrance for a newlywed exit! Most commonly, couples use sparklers, bubbles, flower petals or glow sticks for their exit. Claire’s mother, Margaret, made ribbon dancers with bells for the guests to wave as Claire and Brendan formally exited their wedding night! This was a first or us, but a really fun and covid-friendly way to send off the newlyweds!