Portland was just recently named one of the best cities to be single in. While Portlanders are split on whether to agree or disagree — the truth is that it’s one of the best cities to get married in, too! The average wedding spend here is lower, at just $26,473. Living here, I might be biased. But what other city has its own wedding llamas?!

This shoot was located in a brand new wedding venue, Highland Brewery, and features a phenomenal dessert bar by French Broad Chocolates, two favorite local establishments. Asheville is all about lifting our local community up, and all the vendors for this shoot are local to Asheville! The shoot has an industrial setting at the brewery but brings in the romance through styling.

The Poes are one badass, game-changing couple: she a Surgical Trauma nurse by night and he a University professor of Social Justice by day and goth DJ by night. Their life breathes an unconventional yet genuine aesthetic, remaining 110% true to themselves in everything they do and create in their world together. So naturally for their anniversary shoot they chose some pretty off-beat locations that were meaningful to the Poes if no one else; starting with an abandoned racetrack and ending inside of and on top of the warehouse they used to reside in. This power couple's love remains deep, inspiring and undying.