Ashley and Jackson were married on May 4, 2026, at Twickenham House and Hall in Jefferson, North Carolina, and their Twickenham House wedding felt like such a perfect match for this iconic Western North Carolina venue. Their entire day was classic, intentional, and beautifully simple. Ashley wore a timeless gown, Jackson a classic black tux, and their wedding design stayed true to a sophisticated black and white palette. Peace lilies were used throughout the day, and their wedding stationery was so elegant and polished.
Nothing felt overdone. Every choice worked together in a way that felt incredibly refined while still being personal to the two of them. Twickenham House already has such a strong sense of place. The mansion itself is beautiful, but the property also gives you access to the mountain landscape in a way that makes it feel completely different from many other estate venues. You can move from classic architecture and beautiful interiors to woods, mountain views, and a cliffside ceremony location all within the same wedding day. For Ashley and Jackson’s style, it could not have been a better fit.
A Classic Twickenham House Wedding Ceremony
Ashley and Jackson chose Twickenham’s cliffside ceremony location, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. The weather was absolutely beautiful, especially for an early May wedding in Western North Carolina, and their black and white design worked so well against the natural landscape. And of course, their French bulldog, Peppa, was included in the celebration. She was absolutely adorable and very clearly understood that she had an important role to play.
One thing I loved about this Twickenham House wedding was how traditional it felt without feeling overly formal. The classic clothing, simple florals, sophisticated paper goods, and beautiful setting all worked together, but there were still so many details that were completely personal to Ashley and Jackson. Those ended up being some of my favorite parts of the day.
Handmade Wedding Details
Ashley put so much of herself into the details of her wedding. She embroidered several pieces herself, including Jackson’s socks and the button-down shirts her bridesmaids wore while getting ready. Those kinds of details are always so special to photograph because there is an actual story behind them. They were not just items chosen to match the wedding colors. Ashley had spent time making them herself for the people she loved.
She also made a needlepoint purse for her rehearsal dinner, and it was honestly one of the cutest details. I love when brides incorporate hobbies or things they genuinely enjoy into their wedding weekend. It makes everything feel more personal, and it gives the photographs little layers of meaning that might not be obvious to anyone else. Years from now, those pieces will still exist beyond the wedding day itself, and that is one of the reasons I love photographing details so much.
Ashley’s Bridal Portrait Session
Ashley also followed the long-lived Southern tradition of having her bridal portraits taken before the wedding. We photographed her bridal session in March, and it was SO cold, but they turned out incredible. I have always loved bridal portrait sessions, and I encourage brides to do one if they have the time. Aside from getting beautiful portraits in your wedding gown without the pressure of a wedding-day timeline, it also gives you a chance to see everything together before the actual day.
Your gown, veil, shoes, jewelry, bouquet, hair, and makeup all come together in a way that can feel very different once you actually see it photographed. Most brides use their bridal session as the perfect opportunity for a trial run, and Ashley’s session ended up proving exactly why that can be so helpful. After seeing everything photographed together during her bridal portraits, she realized she wanted to change her hairstyle for the actual Twickenham House wedding day. That is the kind of thing you may not notice standing in front of a mirror during a trial, but photographs give you a completely different perspective.
By the time May 4 arrived, she knew exactly what she wanted. There was also something really special about having already photographed Ashley in her gown before the wedding day. Instead of the dress feeling completely new to both of us, we had already had time to learn how it moved, how it photographed, and which angles and little details we loved most. It made the wedding morning feel that much more relaxed.
The Hike That Was Completely Worth It
Some of my favorite photographs from the entire day happened after we left the main grounds and made our way through the woods near their ceremony site. Calling it a portrait location almost does not do it justice. We hiked along the side of the mountain to reach one of the most incredible places for their bride and groom portraits, and Ashley somehow managed to do the entire thing barefoot. Meanwhile, I finished the adventure with bleeding blisters from my leather shoes.
She handled the side of that mountain barefoot better than I did in shoes, which I still find hilarious. Every bit of it was completely worth it. Those photographs feel like the kind you simply cannot recreate. The landscape, the light, the two of them, and their willingness to trust me enough to take the extra walk all came together at exactly the right time.
For me, those portraits became one of the most memorable parts of this Twickenham House wedding. Twickenham has plenty of beautiful places to photograph without ever leaving the main property, but there was something about going a little farther that made these portraits different. They still felt elegant and classic, but the mountains gave them something bigger.
twickenham house and hall wedding inspiration
their black and white design worked so well against the natural landscape…
Lily of the Valley
On our way through the woods, we passed a small patch of lily of the valley. It would have been so easy to walk right past it in the middle of everything else happening that day, but I noticed it immediately. Lily of the valley has a personal connection to my faith, so seeing it there meant a lot to me. Faith was also something Ashley, Jackson, and I had in common, which made that little moment feel even more meaningful.
It was not some big part of their Twickenham House wedding day, just a tiny patch of flowers along the trail, but I think those are sometimes the moments you remember the most. Weddings are full of big moments that everyone expects—the ceremony, the first dance, the speeches—but there are always quiet little things happening between them. For me, that was one of those things.
Working With Ashley and Jackson
One of my favorite parts of this wedding was simply getting to work with these two. They were so kind, and I felt like Ashley and I clicked almost immediately. Maybe it was because we share the same name, or maybe it was our similar values and hobbies, but she was one of those brides I genuinely enjoyed getting to know.
There are certain clients you connect with very naturally, and everything just feels easy. Ashley and Jackson trusted me throughout the entire process, and that means so much as a photographer. That trust is what allows us to take an extra walk when I see something worth chasing, adjust a timeline slightly if the light is doing something beautiful, and create instead of just moving through a list of expected photographs.
That trust is exactly how we ended up with some of my favorite portraits from their Twickenham House wedding. I always want my couples to feel comfortable enough to enjoy their day while knowing I am paying attention to everything happening around them, and Ashley and Jackson gave me the space to do exactly that.
Peppa, Diet Coke, and a Reception Full of Personality
For as sophisticated as the wedding was, their reception had so much personality. Ashley, Jackson, and Peppa were obviously the stars of the evening, but there was one other very noticeable guest throughout the reception: Diet Coke. There was a huge Diet Coke tower, cans appearing everywhere, and every time I turned around there seemed to be another one. At some point it basically became part of the wedding decor, and I loved it.
Those are the details that make a wedding gallery feel like the actual people who were there. You can have an elegant black and white wedding and still have a giant Diet Coke tower. You can wear a classic gown and tuxedo and then hike barefoot through the woods. You can have beautiful stationery and handmade embroidered socks. Those combinations are what make a wedding interesting, and they are also what make the photographs feel personal years later.
A Timeless Twickenham House Wedding in Jefferson, North Carolina
Ashley and Jackson’s Twickenham House wedding was one of those days where the venue, the couple, and the details all fit together perfectly. The black and white palette, peace lilies, classic attire, beautiful stationery, and incredible mountain setting made the day visually beautiful, but the things I remember most are much more specific.
Ashley’s handmade embroidery, her bridal portraits in the freezing March weather, Peppa, the Diet Coke tower, walking through the woods and finding lily of the valley, and Ashley hiking barefoot along the side of a mountain while I completely destroyed my feet in leather shoes are the things that made the day theirs. I am so grateful Ashley and Jackson trusted me to photograph their Twickenham House wedding, and even more grateful for how much I enjoyed getting to know them along the way.
Vendor List
Makeup Artist
Kristen Osborne – MUA
To see more beautiful North Carolina weddings, be sure to check out my other archived weddings!
