Last October, we were lucky enough to have our first ever wedding at Spinning Leaf at North Lake located in Shelby, NC. From the minute we pulled up in the main driveway, we were immediately taken aback at how incredibly gorgeous this venue is. We were so grateful to Emma and Ryan for allowing us to be apart of such a gorgeous day by the lake. All of these images were taken on 35mm film so get ready to soak in all the grainy goodness as we tell you all about Spinning Lake and what it has to offer to future couples (and photographers!).

Lake Wedding Venue in North Carolina

Apparently lake weddings are quite the 2023 trend because we have so many booked for the year! Believe me, I'm certainly not complaining because I'm so excited to embrace the outdoorsy, romantic feeling of a lakeside ceremony. Emma and Ryan made it very clear from our first meeting that they wanted to embrace the outdoors and the mountains throughout their journey. Another way they wanted to include that was during their engagement session on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We got so lucky with an incredible golden hour and a stunning view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I knew after seeing how happy they were, soaking up the views and those moments that they truly loved being in nature together and I knew that would be a staple of their wedding photos and marriage. So I was certainly not surprised by their perfect choice of venue that embraced all aspects of fall in Western North Carolina!

Spinning Leaf at North Lake

The Spinning Leaf at North Lake venue is technically not an Asheville wedding venue, but we consider it close enough to count! It is just such a gorgeous venue. It's smaller, which makes it a quaint, intimate and romantic option for any couple looking for a venue that feels like it's hidden in the trees.

The ceremony spot is located right by the building on a concrete patio making it easily accessible to all guests and great for rainy days when the ground is wet and muddy. There is a private groom's building complete with a sitting area, dining area and a bathroom. Such a great place for the groom and his guys to hang out and get ready the morning of the wedding!

The bride's room has several different vanities for hair and makeup as well as a sitting area for the bridesmaids who are wanting to just chill and have a mimosa.

The entire building feels like a home, really. It doesn't feel quite like a wedding venue or event space. It's so cozy! Out the front window is an incredible view of the lake and fountain as well as the trees- Emma and Ryan had an outdoor fall wedding, so the colors were just stunning at this time in October.

Here are all the best inclusions listed out:

• Bridge leading across the lake to a quiet, outdoor island (perfect for a First look between the bride and groom!)
• Gorgeous wooden floors in every room of the reception spaces
• A white, brick fireplace which is such a romantic option with a candlelit first dance- it also doubles as a perfect spot for an indoor ceremony if weather causes any issues
• The red brick stairs leading up to the front entrance of the venue, paired with an adorable ivy-covered arbor out front- this was my FAVORITE photo spot on the grounds!
• Outdoor covered patio for guests to hang out and relax during cocktail hour or during the reception
• The wooden ceremony pergola- Emma and Ryan chose to wrap the top beam with drapery to give it a unique but simple touch!

the images below were photographed on 35mm film

Asheville Film Photographer

And, of course, it wouldn't be a blog post of ours if we didn't include a little more info about what we offer to our clients for film photography. We shot this wedding on 35mm Kodak film- this wedding was one of our very first weddings every shot on film so we used our Canon AE-1 only and shot only 2 rolls total. We ended up loving the shots we got- grainy, nostalgic, and they really embraced the colors throughout the day. If you might be interested in hiring a film wedding photographer, check out this post of ours for more information.