Wilder Weddings Collective

ent shoot and wedding. She also helped fix a dress mishap, and kept everyone sane during the preparation process. The communication and professionalism surround our wedding timeline and shot list was exceptional. If you are even considering this company, do not hesitate to book!

ess free day! We found them after cancelling with a different photographer and had some reservations and they both settled our minds with ease! We’re from IL and had our wedding in Gatlinburg, so we planned from afar and weren’t able to come in early enough for an engagement shoot that was part of our package, they were kind enough to allow us to do it after the wedding and we were so thankful! We made shirts for our wedding weekend and wore them at the shoot which added another great memory to our wedding weekend! Caroline kept us light and fun during both days and allowed us to be ourselves in front of the camera. We love our photos and would book with them again if we’re back in the area!

ted to hire them. They didn’t disappoint- many friends told us we had the best wedding photos they’ve ever seen - especially the dance floor photos which were important to us! Would highly recommend. They were also super flexible and did photos at rehearsal dinner instead of an engagement shoot!

en we were overwhelmed with vendor decisions. We looked at portfolios and had introduction calls with several photographers, but the Wilder Weddings team stood out on both fronts. We were thankful that their schedule became available for our special day. Our photographer Caroline could not have been more professional and organized on our wedding day. Before the wedding, she perfectly captured the moment while we leisurely got ready. I’m not terribly comfortable with having my picture taken all day long, but we were very comfortable with Caroline. I was impressed with how efficient she flowed through our family pictures—it was a breeze. We were thrilled with the final pictures of our wedding, reception and engagement session. What stood out the most was how perfect Caroline captured the candid moments of everyone in attendance that we couldn’t be witness to at the time. I was unsure about having someone—essentially a stranger—party to and directing us on our most special day, but by the end of our scheduled time we commented how much we enjoyed her company, quickly felt like a friend.

of making us feel relaxed about it that we barely thought about it on our wedding day. Not only did we LOVE our photos, which we haven’t stopped looking at since they were given to us but Carolyn was so organised and helpful in the run up to the event. We did not have a fancy wedding or a wedding planner and I had no idea how to sort out a timeline for the day but Carolyn already had this sorted! On the day of our wedding they both kept things running to schedule and Carolyn even gave me a bobby pin out of her hair to fix a hair malfunction, nothing was out of the question of what they would do to make your day special. If you are thinking about booking the Wilder Wedding Collective for your wedding please do it, you will not regret it!

mendations, and the wedding day itinerary. They helped us create the perfect day that we didn't even know was possible. After planning for 6 months, the day finally came and rain was in the forecast. Carolyn and Jake took this in stride and pivoted our hike to the day before our original date which turned out to be sunny and perfect. This meant we were lucky enough to have two wedding days, which was awesome! It also turned out so much better than our original plan. If we had to do it all over again we would have planned it as a two day elopement because it was more fun, less exhausting, and stress free (after we nailed down the new plans). Carolyn and Jake even hung out with us after their “time” was up for a couple celebratory glasses of wine. They are incredible people and by the end of the day it felt as though we had gained two friends. OH and did I mention Jake made us coffee on the mountain and Carolyn sewed my dress?!? Yeah, they are WAY more than “just photographers”. Best decision we ever made (other than marrying each other) was hiring Wilder Weddings Collective. The pictures were absolutely stunning!! PS - We highly recommend allowing Jake to set the hiking pace, he saved us on our hike!

d of course) because I knew they were going to capture everything in a beautiful, fun way, and help our most favorite people cherish this time. In the months leading up to our big day, they had a gentle, guiding hand to help provide support and expertise to make our wedding day flow with such ease and no rush. While it flew by, it never felt chaotic or that we had to be away from our loved ones to take just photos. Their concept of having a mostly unposed wedding was the way to go! Our wedding party hung out on a vintage playground AND we got to enjoy our wedding food while there. We got to mingle with our friends while Caroline and Taylor captured our authentic interactions. And not once was I asked to just hold that pose for a minute longer. They went with the flow (even when it rained!) and just shifted to continue to capture amazing photos without missing a beat. We had so much fun on our wedding and it is no doubt that Wilder Weddings was a big part of that.

t the entire wedding experience. She was flexible when our plans had to adjust due to rain, and kept encouraging us along the way. The photos turned out wonderfully. We loved how she captured the candid moments of laughter and joy. 100% would recommend Wilder Weddings to anyone looking for a supportive, thorough, flexible, and fun team!

our day. The photos were the perfect balance of candid, lively, and artistic. And Caroline helped us feel so comfortable while taking our photographs! We could not recommend them more strongly.

eople we loved. We did not want it to feel stiff or like a production. We wanted quality photos but didn't want the day to be all about getting those photos. Carolyn, Caroline, and team made us feel comfortable from day one. They were there to help make the schedule for the day. They were flexible. They were fun to be around! They managed to capture our joy and happiness in a way that didn't feel staged or posed. We will treasure these photos for a lifetime.

t you are getting is VIP service, extremely detail-oriented planning and insider knowledge to the most beautiful and SECLUDED locations in the blue ridge mountains. Examples of the VIP Service: When Richard stubbed his toe, they were on it with the FirstAid Kit. When I forgot bobby pins for my veil, Carolyn put them in my hair! When we wanted to jump in a watering hole, Jake gave us a safety brief and jumped in first to ensure we would hit the right spot....talk about SERVICE! We didn't know how to make coffee on a mountain, but Jake made it for us <3. Examples of detail-oriented planning: the location guide shows previous couples' photos and settings. You get to see what sunset vs sunrise looks like, what Fall vs Spring looks like. She creates a personalized timed itinerary and packing list so that you can relax and know everything is already planned out. They go with the flow, allow you and your significant other to enjoy eating and drinking privately, and they supported us mentally, emotionally and physically! 10/10 rating for the entire VIP Experience. Loved it and this is a memory we will never forget. My photos make me cry in joy!

icative throughout the process, which was especially important when our 2020 wedding was postponed to 2021 due to COVID. My husband hates taking photos and she did a great job making him feel comfortable and enjoy it. These are photos we will treasure.

complete schedule (down to the 10 minutes) of what to expect from the photographers the day of the wedding. During the wedding Caroline was with me all day and made me feel so comfortable! She is such a calming soul and I couldn’t have imaged my photos being taken by anyone else. On the flip side, my husband couldn’t not stop singing his praise of Jeremy. Anyone hoping for a wilder wedding should contact Carolyn Marie Photography (or, soon, Wilder Weddings Collective!!). They worked with us from day one to be sure our wedding was fitting our vision, and worked so hard to be sure that vision was photographed to perfection! I hope I have another event I can recommend them for!!

ything (including wading into a river!) to get "the" shot. She was creative, not at all intrusive, and her photos capture the day just as we experienced it -- full of joy, laughter, and so much love. We couldn't be happier with the photos and will cherish them for the rest of our life. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!

emely helpful in discussing our needs as soon as we initially contacted her. We ended up working with her business partner, Kelsey, who was equally delightful in every way. She was genuinely excited for us and so supportive throughout our elopement session, and captured so many stunning photos that it was impossible to choose favorites. The experience exceeded our expectations in every way! Thank you Kelsey & Carolyn!

oughout 2020, was a saving grace! Her husband ended up coming home early from deployment (safe and sound, YAY), and due to COVID, she was required to quarantine with him and had to miss shooting our wedding. She handled it with such precision and had a backup, assistant and the day so well-planned, that it felt like she was there. We've started to receive her edited photos and it's just happy tear after happy tear. Can't recommend her enough, and we feel truly blessed to have worked with her!

l natural and easy; it did not feel forced or awkward. We had a blast and highly recommend!

ayed in regular communication with us and provided us with a day that exceeded our expectations. I truly cannot imagine having anyone else photograph our day! Not to mention how INCREDIBLE our photos are. Seriously, Carolyn is a DREAM. You won’t regret choosing her.

l letting us feel like it was our day and encouraging us to enjoy the party! Everything looked incredible, and we had a great time with her and her husband!

el comfortable. Carolyn is so incredibly kind and friendly that she was able to make us feel at ease and capture incredible photos. Case and point, in terms how kind she is: She literally offered and then shlepped our giant tote bag full of makeup and water and props up the Craggy Gardens mountain for our engagement shoot. Carolyn's speciality may be elopements, but she brought that eye for adventure to our formal Biltmore wedding. One of the things I liked best about our wedding photos is that I have so, so many great portrait shots. While some people may have a top 1 or 2 favorites, I've got like 12, all set at different backdrops of the Biltmore. She also did an amazing job for our reception, which was indoors, in a low-light setting (a stone cellar). We knew those conditions would be hard for anyone to shoot, but she captured my crying at my dad's speech, the guests having an amazing time... I look back at those photos and can remember everything so clearly. Carolyn has an impressive portfolio of elopements and outdoor weddings, but if you're considering an indoor or formal wedding, she's absolutely a great choice who will give you that "wild places" vibe.

new who I wanted to do our pictures. Carolyn has a documentary background, so her style of portraiture, the way she captures scenes and events is unique. From the very start of this process, her #1 goal was making sure my fiance and I were happy and would have time to ourselves on our big day. A week before our wedding, she sent a beautiful gift to us to encourage us to take time to be together, forge the stress of the wedding and just remember all the things we love about one another. Such a sweet thought! She was willing to do a rainy sunrise bridal portrait session with me because of my bonkers work schedule (though we ended up doing a gorgeous misty sunset instead). The day of our wedding, she gave us 20 minutes by ourselves after our first look so we could read personal vows to one another in private, and just be alone together (the only time we were all day!). She and her second shooter, Erin Hull, were there for 10 hours, and kept their energy and enthusiasm up even though I know they were exhausted. We just received our final wedding photos today and oh my goodness they are gorgeous! She was everything we could have hoped for and more. Thank you thank you Carolyn!!

ely amazing and we have had so many compliments on Carolyn and Jake’s level of talent!! We were super nervous about taking photos as we are not naturals- but we honestly forgot that we were even having our photo taken at most times as were wrapped up in each other and having fun! Carolyn made this such a wonderful experience and left us with photos that we will treasure forever. I would go back and hire Carolyn and Jake a million times over- they are just fantastic!

She was easy to work with and had no hesitation about photographing our non-traditional day. Her photos speak for themselves in terms of majestic view, intense color, emotion, adventure and depth. Aside from the photos themselves, Carolyn was both incredibly professional and perhaps more importantly, comfortable to be around. My now-husband and I were nervous to be in front of the camera, but Carolyn had a wonderful way of making us comfortable. She was able to capture the love and joy we share. Having her at the wedding couldn't have been easier. She caught the most perfect moments and reviewing the photos from the day brings a smile to my face every time. I would trust her with photographing our wedding again and again and again. You will not regret working with Carolyn!!

ide and groom. She spent countless hours leading up to the wedding day making sure that she was prepared to capture every detail, and helping me plan for things I had no idea I needed. Both my husband and I are very shy in front of a camera and I was blown away by how comfortable she made us feel. Each and every picture exceeded our expectations. Every time I look through the pictures, I find another detail that I had not appreciated before. Family and friends have reached out to let us know how much they enjoyed her at the wedding (she captured every moment and had time to win the hearts of our guests) and how amazing her photos are. I am so excited to enjoy our beautiful photos for the rest of our lives and I am honored to have had the opportunity to get to know Carolyn throughout the process. She will quickly become not only your photographer, but a friend.