An Elegant Engagement Session at Chetola Resort

Chetola Resort has become part of our family’s Christmas tradition. Each December my husband and I drive up to Blowing Rock, pick up hot chocolate from the restaurant, and settle in beside one of the big outdoor fire pits. From there we watch the resort’s holiday lights shimmer across the lake. It’s quiet, warm, and always feels like the official start of the season for us. So when Stephanie reached out about photographing her engagement session at Chetola, I was genuinely thrilled.

She told me she and her fiancé had visited the resort and immediately thought it felt like a smaller, more intimate version of the Biltmore Estate. I couldn’t agree more. The stone architecture, manicured grounds, and serene lake give it a refined mountain elegance that’s hard to find anywhere else in the North Carolina High Country.

We met on a calm autumn afternoon with perfect golden-hour light. The day was crisp and the fall color was at its finest. Chetola looked its absolute best. We photographed along the stone bridge, down by the water’s edge, and across the sweeping lawns that slope toward the lake. At one point, two of the resident swans glided in close and lingered long enough to appear in several frames. It was an unexpected and graceful addition that felt almost too perfect.

Stephanie wanted a timeless, elegant look for their portraits, and Chetola delivered exactly that. The combination of classic architecture, soft light, and the serene mountain setting created images that feel both sophisticated and deeply romantic.

Stephanie and her fiancé, thank you for choosing this very special place and for trusting me to document this chapter for you. It was a joy from start to finish. Being your engagment photographer was a dream.