Smithmore Castle’s Game of Thrones Wedding Shoot Goes Viral

Spruce Pine has a castle (yes you heard that right) with breathtaking views and stunning architecture and now most of the world has seen it due to a Game of Thrones themed wedding shoot that has gone viral! Several wedding vendors got together including photographers, wedding planners, bakers, stylists, designers, a wolf sanctuary and more to create a stunning depiction of the Game of Thrones wedding.

Photographer Katherine Elena told how this amazing event came to be reality. Everything from the venue—Smithmore Castle in Spruce Pine, North Carolina—to the outfits and invitations could have come straight out of GOT and the media is officially obsessed.

“This shoot was something that I’ve had in my head for a while and wasn’t quite sure how to make it come alive. I wanted to really highlight the women of the show for their strength and beauty, so I talked to Samie Roberts at Something Perfect Weddings about taking some inspiration from Daenarys Targaryen (a.k.a. the Mother of Dragons) as well as Sansa Stark. Both are very strong, powerful women in their own right while also having an ethereal air about them. The House of Stark on the show has a dire wolf on the family crest and a large part of the show is the dire wolves that help to protect each of the Stark children, so I really wanted that to be the “wow” element of the shoot.
“I started researching wolf dog rescues (there are no full-blooded wolves in this region anymore) and found the website of Full Moon Farm in Black Mountain. I reached out to them to see if they might be interested in participating in the shoot and they were happy to do so! I think one of my favorite parts of the day was when we were about 30 minutes into shooting and someone walked into the room and said, “I think the wolf is here.” River was an incredible animal (and way larger than I expected!) and couldn’t have been better for the shoot.”