A Year After Helene: Celebrating Amy & Carl

This week marks a year since Hurricane Helene swept through Western NC and our world seemed to come to a stop. For so many in our community, those days were filled with uncertainty, loss, and a sense of starting over.

That’s why Amy and Carl’s story feels so dear to me. Just two weeks before the storm, we spent a beautiful afternoon at the Biltmore Estate for their engagement session. I hold those images close to my heart—not only because of the love and laughter they shared that day, but because it became one of the last moments of normalcy before everything changed.

And then, just days after Helene, Carl reached out—not about wedding plans, but to see if my family needed help. That small act of kindness in the middle of so much chaos spoke volumes about who he and Amy are.

To be standing with them now, a year later, celebrating their wedding feels like such a blessing. Their day was more than a celebration of marriage—it was a reminder of resilience, kindness, and the joy that can follow even the hardest seasons. Amy and Carl are truly such kind souls, and I’m so grateful to have been part of both chapters of their journey.