The Next Best Men

Engagements | Elopements | Weddings

Knoxville | Gatlinburg | Pigeon Forge

Travel area: Within 300 miles See details

5.0

Verified reviews from real couples

Evan was fantastic at our wedding, very professional and easy to communicate with. He showed up early and even got some early photos we wouldn't have had otherwise. He was great with the nearly 30 kids we had at the wedding, making for some fun and memorable photos. Our wedding photos were amazing and I keep going back repeatedly to look through them! We couldn't be happier!!

Brooke B.

5.0

We were absolutely thrilled with the photography service provided by Evan!! He had never been to the venue we picked and he came early just to scope out the best shots! He was extremely friendly and a joy to work with. His pictures have amazed us and we are so happy that we picked him. We knew we wanted more candid shots and not a bunch of staged photos so we could capture the moment and raw emotions and he was able to deliver AMAZING shots!!

Amy L.

5.0

Evan Sigmund, Wyatt & Rikki Kostygan

OWNER

Typically responds within 24h

AWARD WINNER (2X)

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

See what even more happy couples have to say about us on our Asheville listing! https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/the-next-best-men-asheville-nc-2044621 We are three best friends named Evan, Wyatt, and Rikki, and we specialize in candid documentary wedding photography. We offer solo packages for elopements and smaller ceremonies, or we work as a duo for the big extravaganzas. Think of us as documentarians of your wedding day. Sure, we know how to pose you and offer direction when you need, but our favorite shots always come from those little moments that no one could plan. We like to say that what we do has less to do with using a camera and more to do with being attentive to people and knowing when to capture all those feelings, expressions, and little moments in time that will one day bring you a smile to look back upon. Hop on over to www.NextBestMen.com to explore full galleries of our work. And for the most prompt reply, please reach out via our website! Shoot us a message, tell us a bit about yourselves, your story, and what gets you excited, and we can figure out ways to make your wedding photos that much more meaningful, beautiful, and stress-free. Thanks for stopping by! -Evan, Wyatt & Rikki

12+ years in business

Speaks English

Small team (2-10 members)

Details

Destination Weddings

Destination Wedding Packages

Photo Shoot Types

Bridal Portraits

Day After Session

Engagement

Trash The Dress

Photo & Video

Digital Files

Photo

Second Shooter Available

Social Media Sharing

Photo & Video Styles

Artistic

Classic

Documentary

Dramatic

Lifestyle

Modern

Vintage

Wedding Activities

Getting Engaged

Rehearsals & Parties

After Party

Wedding

After Party

Awards and Affiliations

2-Time 'Best of Weddings'

2026.2025.

Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding

Meet the team

Evan Sigmund, Wyatt & Rikki Kostygan

Owner

The "Next Best Men" is a silly moniker coined by Rikki. We thought it conveyed our sense of humor, so the name stuck. While we each got our formal start as photographers in the magazine industry, our real beginnings date back to college, where we all first met and became friends while earning ourselves reputations as campus shutterbugs. While we've learned a whole lot about our craft since those days, photographing a wedding day is for us a return to our roots of documenting the many moments of our own lives we knew we'd one day smile to look back on. =)

5.0

out of 5.0

18 reviews

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Review Summary

This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.

Reviewers rave about The Next Best Men as professional, friendly, and prepared wedding photographers. They consistently capture candid, emotional, and stunning photos—even in bad weather—delivering many high-quality images and quick sneak peeks. Excellent communication and a calming presence made planning and the wedding day smooth.

Search reviews

Haley W

Highlighted review.

5/02/2024

Evan was the photographer for our small, intimate wedding in the mountains and I could not have asked for a better person to document our day! He was so fun and easy to work with, ...

and he felt like a longtime friend behind the lens. The pictures turned out so well despite the rain that dumped on us. The final pictures are unreal! It was a wonderful experience and we will cherish these photos forever. I definitely recommend The Next Best Men to capture your day. Absolutely fabulous!

Brooke B

8/08/2026

Evan was fantastic at our wedding, very professional and easy to communicate with. He showed up early and even got some early photos we wouldn't have had otherwise. He was great wi...

th the nearly 30 kids we had at the wedding, making for some fun and memorable photos. Our wedding photos were amazing and I keep going back repeatedly to look through them! We couldn't be happier!!

Any questions?

Amy L

7/11/2026

We were absolutely thrilled with the photography service provided by Evan!! He had never been to the venue we picked and he came early just to scope out the best shots! He was extr...

emely friendly and a joy to work with. His pictures have amazed us and we are so happy that we picked him. We knew we wanted more candid shots and not a bunch of staged photos so we could capture the moment and raw emotions and he was able to deliver AMAZING shots!!

Stephen S

12/31/2025

We hired Evan for our destination wedding in the mountains, and can't say enough great things. From our very first call, he was so helpful to my wife and I in planning our big day ...

so we could get spectacular photos right at sunset over the mountains. People called us crazy for organizing a wedding from out of state without a planner, but thanks to Evan we made it happen. Give this guy a call, you won't regret it!

Breanna M

12/31/2025

Evan is a magician in addition to a phenomenal photographer! Unexpected rain threatened to ruin our ceremony--and out of nowhere Evan appeared with dozens of pretty, see-through um...

brellas, enough for our entire wedding party! His spectacular photography turned the raindrops into sparkles. We ended up laughing through the rain, and once again when viewing our special photos. Evan, you are really the best!

Elizabeth G

12/29/2025

Look no further if you are in search of the best wedding photographer around. We were beyond impressed with Evan and the work that he did for us. Our experience was nothing short o...

f amazing in every way. Evan was excellent with his communication and understanding of what we were looking for in our wedding photographs, and he made our vision a reality. He was friendly, kind, and upbeat the whole day, and he brought out the best in us, especially when it came to candid photos. We have already gone through our entire album several times, and it truly feels like we are reliving our wedding day each time we look at them. Thank you Evan for making our day so special and memorable!

Corie P

12/15/2025

We hired Evan for our backyard wedding in Bryson City, NC. I was worried about how our photos would look given that our venue wasn't very fancy and we only had about 50 people. But...

when I got our sneak peek just a few days after the wedding, my jaw dropped - the photos were STUNNING. He truly captured the spirit of the day and the photos were just a dream. Beyond the photos, Evan was incredible to work with. He was very kind and knowledgeable, and did a great job herding cats as everyone knows bridal parties can be. Would certainly hire him and The Next Best Men again!

Shannon C

12/13/2025

Evan truly captured the magic of our wedding day. We got sneak peeks and they are like a beautiful memory frozen in time. He blended in so naturally that no one even noticed him, y...

et he caught every smile, laugh, and tear perfectly. He worked with such calm energy and was always right on point. We’ll cherish these photos forever — they tell our love story better than words ever could. Thank you, Evan, for giving us memories we’ll treasure for a lifetime. 🤍

Sarah H

12/05/2025

Evan was our photographer for our wedding at Luxe Glasshouse in Mills River in November. The photographer was our number one focus out of all the vendors, and I was incredibly impr...

essed with Evan’s work from the first time I came across Next Best Men’s portfolio on Instagram. Without Evan, we would not have had any great ideas or poses. He walked the property and found unique spots to create irreplaceable photos. Not only is his work remarkable, his personality was warm and friendly the entire time he was with us. All of our guests enjoyed speaking with him and he made everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera! Our teaser photos have come out amazing and we can’t wait to see the remaining finals! Thank you so much Evan! We hope to work with you again someday.

Lauren V

10/31/2025

Tl;Dr- Professional, responsive and communicative, great eye for the right moments, and high quality edits. You can tell a lot of care goes into their work. Book them already!!! ...

If you’re on the fence, or even just near the fence, go ahead and hop over and book this vendor! My wedding was smaller so I had one photographer at my wedding, Evan, and he is so refreshing. It can be really hard finding a photographer that is able to find organic moments and early in my wedding photographer hunt, so many portfolios I was coming across felt so sterile and posed. We happened to meet The Next Best Men at a venue we were walking (there was another wedding setting up) and since they were a larger wedding, I believe there were two of them there. My mom spoke to both of them, one of them being Evan, and she enjoyed her interaction with them that she encouraged me to check them out! I went to their website and knew immediately that they were capturing the kind of photos my *now* husband wanted. And not only did they deliver, they went above and beyond. Evan truly does have an eye for capturing memories. He captured all of these beautiful and special moments. It brought us right back and I gotta say, he had me crying all over again! We are incredibly lucky that we were able to book him.

Monica H

10/26/2024

Evan was amazing! Im obsessed with our pictures. He brought such a great energy and captured our day perfectly! If someone was taking a picture he was right behind them taking the ...

same one. We are from Iowa and he made planning pictures so easy. He brought our vision to life. Don’t hesitate to book him!

Elizabeth M

9/24/2024

Evan/The Next Best Men slayed my wedding day!

Ashetyn O

8/04/2024

PERFECTION!! Every aspect of working with Evan from The Next Best Men was perfect! Evan was so kind and personable. We had numerous guests comment on how awesome he was and how com...

fortable he made them feel. Evan got all the best shots and was honestly everywhere all the time. I don't know how he did it, but he did! All of the photos were so beautiful and perfectly captured with great lighting. Evan truly is a gifted photographer! I would recommend him and his team to anyone in need of a talented and truly kind photographer!

Anita B

7/31/2024

Evan shot our wedding in the NC mountains and did an amazing job! He was very easy to communicate with and made sure to get all of our requested shots plus hundreds more! Our famil...

y and friends raved about Evan at the wedding and have been blown away by the photos he took. I would 100% use him again and recommend him to anyone looking for a wedding photographer.

Matt B

7/29/2024

Evan at The Next Best Men is the best wedding photographer we could have asked for! We were lucky enough to have our outdoor wedding in a torrential downpour. Evan toughed out the ...

rain and helped keep everyone’s spirits high. We truly appreciated how prepared yet easy-going he was even in the face of challenging weather. We would recommend Evan for those reasons alone. But in addition to those, he also took the most beautiful photos of our special day. The photos looked like they came straight out of a fairy tale and they truly captured how we felt. Please give Evan and The Next Best Men a call for your wedding, you will thank yourself later!

Miranda B

7/23/2024

Evan was fantastic to work with from the very beginning! He was so professional -- we have no idea how he got such amazing photos during the ceremony because we never saw him! Af...

ter the ceremony, he was so much fun to take our formal pictures with -- lots of great, positive energy! He also took wonderful candids before the ceremony and at our reception. We sat down last night and went through all the photos and laughed and cried all over again! He definitely captured our special day in a magical way! We HIGHLY recommend hiring The Next Best Men!!!

Chelsea P

7/23/2024

WOW - Choosing The Next Best Men was one of THE BEST investments we made for our wedding! Their upfront pricing was appreciated and important for us, and helped to build trust fro...

m day one. We worked with Evan who was professional, helpful, and kind. Communication was fantastic before, after, and during the event, and I even had several family members tell me how impressed they were with our photographer simply by watching him work. Our Sneak Peeks came quickly and were enough to hold us over until we received the rest; around 1,100 photos total which were presented in an organized way that made sorting through them fun and easy. I feel so lucky to have so many photos that I love from our wedding… to feel like the spirit of the day was truly captured. Thank you, Evan, for recording these special moments for me and my husband, and for our family and friends. We will treasure our photos forever!

Celeste M

5/17/2024

My husband and I had the absolute best experience with Evan photographing our wedding. He was the perfect addition to my wild family and friends and did amazing at documenting all ...

the joy and goofiness of the party while also perfectly capturing the calm/more solemn moments. He left us with an extensive amount of photos, all absolutely beautiful, that seemed to catch every second of the evening, and he did amazing at directing portraits and group shots as well as capturing plenty of candid moments. He made the planning process unbelievably easy and smooth, quick to respond and quick to brainstorm, and was so willing and excited to help us get the exact vibe and aesthetic we had in mind. Loved having him as part of our big day as he also is just a lovely person that adds to the fun and was great at navigating all the situations we ran into throughout the night. Highly suggest The Next Best Men for anyone and everyone!!

Service area & Contact info

Travel area: Within 300 miles

Additional charges may apply

(727) 871-0912

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The Next Best Men

Evan Sigmund, Wyatt & Rikki Kostygan

Owner

Typically responds within 24h

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The Next Best Men

About this vendor

Review Summary

Service area & Contact info

Wedding vendors in Pigeon Forge

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