Planning a wedding in Asheville?

Explore real weddings photographed at venues like The Biltmore Estate, Omni Grove Park Inn, Castle Ladyhawke, Hawkesdene, Homewood, The Vineyards at Betty's Creek, and more.

Voted “Asheville’s Best Wedding Photographer” by Mountain Xpress Newspaper three years in a row, Nathan Rivers Chesky is an Asheville wedding photographer and videographer serving weddings across Asheville, Highlands, Charlotte, and Western North Carolina. His work has been featured in Garden & Gun Weddings, Junebug Weddings, Zola, and Forbes, and he has been commissioned directly by brands including Garden & Gun, Explore Asheville, and WeddingPro.

Blending modern digital photography with timeless 35mm and medium format film, Nathan creates imagery that feels both natural and editorial. His wedding packages include drone photography and videography, capturing the landscape and atmosphere of the Blue Ridge Mountains while preserving the full story of each wedding day.

Recognized for his editorial eye, creative direction, and documentary approach, Nathan serves couples planning full wedding weekends, multicultural celebrations, and destination weddings across Asheville, Western North Carolina, and the East Coast.

Nathan Rivers Chesky — Asheville Wedding Photographer

Nathan Rivers Chesky, Asheville wedding photographer and filmmaker based in Western North Carolina holding a camera beside a stone staircase at Castle Ladyhawke

Castle Ladyhawke Wedding Photographer — David & Dillon’s Fairytale Wedding Near Highlands & Cashiers, NC

A couple dressed formally stands at the center of a circular patterned floor, embracing, at the bottom of a spiral wooden staircase surrounded by stained glass windows during their enchanting Castle Ladyhawke wedding.
A couple in formal attire stands atop a stone castle turret during a drone shot at a Castle Ladyhawke wedding, surrounded by green forested hills at sunset, with pink clouds and mountains in the distance.

About This Castle Ladyhawke Wedding

Wedding Venue: Castle Ladyhawke
Location: Tuckasegee, North Carolina (near Highlands & Cashiers, NC)
Region: Western North Carolina / Blue Ridge Mountains
Venue Type: Private Scottish-inspired stone castle wedding venue
Couple: David & Dillon
Photography Style: Documentary wedding photography, fine art photography, 35mm film, medium format film, and drone photography
Photographer: Nathan Rivers Chesky Photography & Film
Wedding Type: LGBTQ+ castle wedding / destination wedding in Western North Carolina
Story: David and Dillon celebrated their wedding at Castle Ladyhawke, a Scottish-inspired castle overlooking the Tuckasegee River Valley. Their day combined the architecture of a European-style castle with the landscape and natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Two men in tuxedos sit closely together on stone steps, smiling softly. One gently rests his hand on the others cheek. Both wear bow ties and boutonnieres, suggesting a wedding or formal occasion. The image is in black and white.
Two men in suits sit on stone steps in front of a large stone building with double doors and arched entryway, flanked by two tall potted plants. A floral arrangement and welcome sign are near the doors.
Two men in tuxedos stand on grass with champagne glasses, posing in front of a wooden fence with mountains and a blue sky with clouds in the background. Both wear boutonnieres and look off into the distance.
Two men in suits stand confidently on a wooden balcony inside a building with exposed beams, stained glass windows, and natural light streaming in from above.
Two grooms in suits embrace and share a kiss at the bottom of a curved wooden staircase, standing on a patterned floor with a cloud mural on the wall behind them.
Two men in matching navy suits and boutonnieres sit closely on a wooden bench beneath a chandelier, in front of a large window with a scenic mountain view at their Castle Ladyhawke wedding. One man leans his head on the other's shoulder.

There’s a particular kind of quiet that settles over the Tuckasegee River Valley in the hour before a wedding — mist still caught in the tree line, the castle’s stone catching the first real light of the day. It’s the kind of quiet David and Dillon got to stand inside of on their wedding day at Castle Ladyhawke, Western North Carolina’s only fully realized Scottish border castle, tucked into the mountains just twenty minutes north of Cashiers and a short, scenic drive from Highlands.

Two grooms, one fairytale, sixty-two acres of Blue Ridge Mountain views — and a wedding day built entirely around who they actually are together.

A Scottish Castle in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Three wedding photos: an outdoor ceremony setup, a wedding party posing in front of greenery, and two grooms embracing at sunset—all set against the picturesque backdrop of lush, rolling hills and blue skies at a stunning Castle Ladyhawke wedding.

Castle Ladyhawke sits above the Tuckasegee River Valley like it was airlifted out of the Scottish borderlands and set down in Jackson County, North Carolina. The three-story stone structure — complete with a working tower, a pub, and hand-crafted timber beams throughout the Great Hall — only books a single wedding per day, so David and Dillon had the entire property to themselves: the Mountain View Lawn for their ceremony, the Great Hall for a reception that stretched late into the night, and the Ladyhawke Suite for the quiet, unhurried getting-ready hours that morning.

For couples searching for a Highlands, NC wedding photographer or a Cashiers wedding photographer, Castle Ladyhawke is one of the rare venues that makes the plateau’s mountain scenery feel like a supporting character in the day rather than a backdrop — the kind of place where a single wide shot of the ceremony lawn does more storytelling than a dozen posed portraits ever could.

David & Dillon’s Wedding Day

Two men in suits stand confidently on a wooden balcony inside a building with exposed beams, stained glass windows, and natural light streaming in from above.
Two men in navy tuxedos with boutonnieres stand together, smiling and holding drinks, in front of a stone wall.
A man in a black tuxedo holds a glass of whiskey. He has tattoos on his fingers and a boutonniere on his lapel. The background is blurred greenery.
Two men in suits stand on grass holding drinks, smiling in front of a rustic stone building. Sunlight shines over the roof. Rows of empty chairs and greenery surround them, suggesting a wedding or formal outdoor event.
Two men in suits hold hands in front of a floral arch, standing outdoors with green hills and a blue sky in the background. Wedding decorations and a wooden fence are visible.
Two people in tuxedos share a tender moment, standing close together at the bottom of a wooden spiral staircase with soft light streaming from windows behind them. The image has a soft, vintage, black and white effect.
Two men in formal suits stand outside the stone walls of Castle Ladyhawke on their wedding day. One gently wipes the other's face, possibly fixing his makeup, while both smile. Trees and a bright sky are visible in the background.

The day moved the way the best wedding days do — unrushed, a little emotional, occasionally chaotic in exactly the right way. Vows were exchanged on the Mountain View Lawn with the mountains doing what they do best, rolling out behind the couple in layers of blue and green. Golden hour portraits were shot along the castle’s stone paths and out toward the tree line, chasing the kind of soft, low light that this part of Western North Carolina seems to specialize in come late afternoon.

Inside, the Great Hall turned into exactly what a castle reception should be — long tables, string lights against exposed timber, a first dance that had the whole room either crying or filming it on their phones, often both. What stood out most wasn’t the setting, though the setting did plenty of work. It was how unmistakably themselves David and Dillon were all day — no performance, no version of the day borrowed from somewhere else. Just two people getting married in a castle, surrounded by people who love them.

Photographing an LGBTQ+ Wedding in Western North Carolina

Two men in tuxedos pose in a library with wooden bookshelves filled with books and decor at a Castle Ladyhawke wedding. One stands with his hand on the seated man's shoulder, both smiling. The floor is wood, and the room is warmly lit.

Western North Carolina’s wedding scene has grown a lot more visibly inclusive in recent years, and Asheville in particular has become something of a hub for LGBTQ+ weddings — couples drawn in by the mountains, the arts community, and a growing number of venues and vendors who don’t treat a same-sex wedding as a special case to be accommodated, just a wedding to be documented with the same care as any other. Castle Ladyhawke fits that mold well, and David and Dillon’s day is part of a wider pattern of same-sex and LGBTQ+ celebrations happening across Asheville, Highlands, Cashiers, and the broader Blue Ridge — from mountaintop elopements to full castle weddings like this one.

Photographing an LGBTQ+ wedding isn’t really a different job — the same documentary instincts apply, the same attention to the in-between moments that don’t get planned. But it does mean showing up with zero assumptions about what the day is supposed to look like, and letting the couple’s actual relationship — their humor, their pace, their version of romance — lead the coverage instead of a template.

Why Castle Ladyhawke Is a Dream Venue for Highlands & Cashiers Weddings

  • Only one wedding a day — no shared timelines, no competing wedding parties on the lawn, full run of the property from morning light to last dance.
  • Built-in drama — a genuine castle silhouette against Blue Ridge peaks means aerial and wide-angle shots do a lot of storytelling on their own.
  • A day that changes light three times over — soft morning fog over the valley, harsh mountain midday sun, and a golden hour that the Mountain View Lawn seems built for.
  • Close to Highlands and Cashiers — a short drive from both towns, making it an easy add for couples already looking at venues on the plateau.
  • Indoor and outdoor coverage in one location — Mountain View Lawn for ceremonies, the Great Hall for receptions, and the Carriage House and Mill Pond Pavilion for rehearsal dinners or welcome parties, all without a venue change.

Two men in dark suits and bow ties pose indoors; one is seated on an elegant chair, while the other stands with a hand on the chair back. Both wear boutonnieres and smile at the camera.
Two men in suits stand on a curved wooden staircase under a chandelier at a CAstle Ladyhawke wedding. The wall behind them is painted with a moon and clouds, and stained glass windows are seen on the left side of the image.
Two people in suits reach toward each other with extended hands, one wearing a wedding ring, against a blurred outdoor background with trees and mountains—evoking the romantic atmosphere of a Castle Ladyhawke wedding.

Digital, Film & Drone Coverage at Castle Ladyhawke

David and Dillon’s wedding was documented with the same hybrid approach used across full wedding-weekend coverage: digital photography for the ceremony, toasts, and reception energy; 35mm and medium format film for the quieter portraits and the softer late-afternoon light along the castle grounds; and drone photography to place the whole day inside the Tuckasegee River Valley — because a castle this size deserves at least one frame that shows the whole mountain around it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Castle Ladyhawke LGBTQ+ friendly? Yes. Castle Ladyhawke welcomes LGBTQ+ couples and same-sex weddings, and is part of a growing community of inclusive wedding venues across Western North Carolina, including Asheville, Highlands, and Cashiers.

Where is Castle Ladyhawke located relative to Highlands and Cashiers, NC? Castle Ladyhawke sits in Tuckasegee, NC, roughly twenty minutes north of Cashiers and a short drive from Highlands, making it a convenient venue option for couples planning a wedding on the Highlands-Cashiers plateau.

Who photographs weddings at Castle Ladyhawke? Nathan Rivers Chesky is an Asheville-based wedding photographer and videographer who documents weddings at Castle Ladyhawke and across Highlands, Cashiers, and Western North Carolina, offering digital, film, drone, and videography coverage.

Does Castle Ladyhawke host same-sex and LGBTQ+ weddings? Yes — Castle Ladyhawke and its vendor network, including this photography team, regularly document and support LGBTQ+ weddings throughout Western North Carolina.

Two grooms in suits walk hand-in-hand, smiling, surrounded by guests holding sparklers at night in front of a stone building. The scene is festive and celebratory.
Two people in suits kiss passionately while guests form a tunnel around them, holding sparklers aloft. The celebration takes place outdoors at night in front of the grand stone facade of a Castle Ladyhawke wedding.

If you’re planning a wedding at Castle Ladyhawke, or anywhere across Highlands, Cashiers, or Western North Carolina, and you’re looking for a photographer and videographer who will document your day exactly as it happens — no template, no assumptions — I’d love to hear about it.

Contact me here: https://nathanchesky.com/asheville-photographer

Explore the venue: https://castleladyhawke.com/

Castle Ladyhawke is one of Western North Carolina’s most distinctive wedding venues, making it a popular choice for couples searching for a Highlands, NC wedding photographer, Cashiers wedding photographer, or Blue Ridge Mountain destination wedding photographer.

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Voted “Asheville’s Best Wedding Photographer” by Mountain Xpress Newspaper three years in a row, Nathan Rivers Chesky is an Asheville wedding photographer and videographer serving weddings across Asheville, Highlands, Charlotte, and Western North Carolina. His work has been featured in Garden & Gun Weddings, Junebug Weddings, Zola, and Forbes, and he has been commissioned directly by brands including Garden & Gun, Explore Asheville, and WeddingPro.

Blending modern digital photography with timeless 35mm and medium format film, Nathan creates imagery that feels both natural and editorial. His wedding packages include drone photography and videography, capturing the landscape and atmosphere of the Blue Ridge Mountains while preserving the full story of each wedding day.

Recognized for his editorial eye, creative direction, and documentary approach, Nathan serves couples planning full wedding weekends, multicultural celebrations, and destination weddings across Asheville, Western North Carolina, and the East Coast.

Planning a wedding in Asheville? Explore real weddings photographed at venues like The Biltmore Estate, Omni Grove Park Inn, Castle Ladyhawke, Hawkesdene, Homewood, The Vineyards at Betty's Creek, and more.

Nathan Rivers Chesky — Asheville Wedding Photographer

Nathan Rivers Chesky, Asheville wedding photographer and filmmaker based in Western North Carolina holding a camera beside a stone staircase at Castle Ladyhawke