aerial view of high hampton resort wedding venue

High Hampton Resort Wedding Venue in Cashiers, NC

The mountains at High Hampton Resort Wedding Venue in Cashiers hold a certain kind of light. Late summer, dusk settling in slowly, the lake catching what’s left of the color. High Hampton knows this light well. So do we.

As North Carolina Wedding Photographers, we, the team at McSween Photography, Harry and Tanya, love our home in Western North Carolina, and we adore getting to visit beautiful places in the mountains of North Carolina like High Hampton.

Aerial view of High Hampton Resort in Cashiers North Carolina

High Hampton Inn: A Place with History.

High Hampton has been part of the story of Cashiers and the Carolina High Country since 1922. A gathering place for generations of summer afternoons, weekend escapes, and family traditions. The bark-sided inn has long stood as its heart, unchanged in spirit even as the property around it has grown.

In recent years, new stewardship has taken on the careful work of updating High Hampton. They have done so without losing what makes it High Hampton. The golf course and club amenities have been reimagined. The inn, cottages, and restaurants have been revived with real care for the original character of the buildings. The goal has never been to make High Hampton into something else. It’s been to protect what’s always been true about the place and let it feel even more like itself.

That’s part of what makes it such a meaningful place to photograph. The history is still present in the wood and the light and the worn-in comfort of the rooms. It gives every session there a sense of rootedness that’s hard to find elsewhere.

lady sitting in rocking chair at high hampton resort wedding venue

Rustic, But Never Rough.

High Hampton has a way of feeling effortless without feeling plain. The rooms and cottages lean into natural materials: wood, stone, and simple lines. But they’re layered with bright fabrics and thoughtful touches that keep things from feeling austere. There are no televisions in the guest rooms, which sounds like a small detail until you’re actually there. For wedding guests, it’s actually a huge plus to go explore the property and be present with other guests there for the wedding too. Days move slower. Conversations run longer. Evenings end on a porch instead of in front of a screen. It’s the kind of place that feels lived-in rather than decorated, unpolished in exactly the right way.

Amenities at High Hampton Resort in Cashiers.

Beyond its charm, High Hampton is a genuinely active property. There’s a scenic mountain golf course and a full slate of tennis and racquet courts. Fifteen miles of hiking trails wind through the estate. The private lake invites swimming, boating, and fishing. A spa tucked into the inn offers a slower kind of afternoon for anyone who’d rather unwind than move. Farm-to-table dining rounds it out. Lawn games, evening traditions, and a genuine sense of community make it feel like a return rather than a first visit. It’s easy to see why so many couples choose to celebrate here, and why we love photographing when they do.

And honestly, there’s no shortage of ways to spend a day here. A few of our favorites:

Off-site Amenities Around Cashiers.

Hiking Chimney Top and Rock Mountain.

Grab a High Hampton guide and hit the trails. They know the property inside and out, from the plants and wildlife you’ll pass along the way to the history behind it all. They’ll match the hike to your pace, whether you’re looking for a solid workout or something a little more moderate.

The Champion Tree Walk.

High Hampton is home to some genuinely massive trees, several of them record holders for height, width or canopy size in the state and even the country. It’s a slow, easy walk with a big payoff, and a great way to soak up some of the property’s history at the same time.

Stargazing.

With almost no light pollution around the inn, the night sky here is something else. Pull up with a telescope and an astronomy guide and you can pick out constellations, planets and the moon in a way you just can’t back home.

Fly fishing, from lesson to catch.

If you’ve never picked up a fly rod, start with the intro clinic. You’ll learn casting technique, fly selection, and the basics that set you up to catch something. Then head out on a float trip with a guide.

Paddling Hampton Lake.

Grab a canoe or a paddleboard and just drift. It’s quiet, it’s easy, and the mountain views around you make it hard to want to be anywhere else.

Waterfall cruises on Lake Glenville.

A short trip from the property, this scenic boat tour (run in partnership with Lake Glenville Scenic Waterfall Cruises) takes you past some of the prettiest waterfalls in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Bring a camera, sit back, and let the captain do the work.

On-Site Amenities.

A savory cooking demo.

Cook alongside a member of High Hampton’s culinary team. Learn some of the techniques behind their dining room dishes, then sit down and actually eat what you made. You’ll leave with a recipe you can genuinely pull off at home.

Wine tasting.

One of the sommeliers walks you through a curated lineup of wines, region by region. They teach you what to actually taste for along the way. A nice, easy way to spend an hour.

Whiskey tasting.

Same idea, different glass. You’ll sample whiskeys from around the world and talk through how region and production style shape what’s in your glass, whether you’re just getting into whiskey or already have opinions about it.

A cocktail class.

The beverage team teaches you a couple of classic and craft cocktails, along with the mixology basics behind them, balance, technique, flavor pairing, so you can recreate them at home or start dreaming up a signature drink of your own.

Morning yoga.

A good way to start the day if you want to move a little before the mountain views pull you outside.

Spa services.

For a deeper reset, off-site spa appointments are available through the Concierge team, with transportation provided both ways. Book ahead if you know you’ll want it.

Wine social hour.

A relaxed early-evening reception before dinner, a nice way to unwind and catch up before the night gets going.

Teatime.

Cocktails and light bites in the lobby, a little pocket of the evening built for conversation before dinner.

An Afternoon of Sacred Sound.

For something a little different, this deep, immersive sound meditation is guided by practitioner Melody Germain using more than twenty therapeutic instruments. It’s a genuinely restorative way to slow down mid-stay.

High Hampton has a way of distilling everything we love about Western North Carolina into one place: the mountains, the lake, the late-summer haze that makes everything feel a little softer. We’d recommend it without hesitation, whether you’re planning to get married there or simply looking for somewhere true to spend a golden hour.

An Engagement Session at High Hampton.

Bride and Groom to be in front of lake at High Hampton in Cashiers NC

Inside the Inn at High Hampton Resort.

We started in the inn’s living room: old-world charm, a fireplace with real presence, furniture that felt collected rather than staged. It set the tone: quiet, textured, unhurried. This was also where we loaded a roll of 35mm film into a Holga, curious what it might give back. When the scans came in, the sprockets had been exposed right along with the frame. An artistic choice that turned into one of our favorite textures from the day. Nothing manufactured. Just film doing what film does when you let it.

Golden Light at High Hampton, Cashiers, NC.

From the living room, we moved to the front lawn, where the sun was breaking through the trees in that scattered, dreamy way that no amount of direction can fake. Back inside briefly, we found the inn’s glass separators and the striking, layered portrait they made of Luke and Lily, a small architectural detail that became one of the most graphic images of the afternoon.

Groom kissing Bride on head with sunlight behind

The Mountain View at High Hampton.

On the back side of the inn, the mountains opened, the lake below, the golden hour settling in exactly on cue. We didn’t rush this part. Some light asks you to slow down and stand in it for a minute, and that’s what we did.

Cashiers NC: Golf Course, Gardens and the Bridge.

From there, we made our way to Lily’s parents’ place up the road, closer to the base of the mountain. A couple of drone shots to take in the scale of it all, then Luke and Lily walking the bridge together as the day gave way to evening, a quiet, fitting place to close out the session.

Luke and Lily gave us a beautiful evening, a little creative freedom, and a session we won’t forget.

Weddings at High Hampton, Cashiers.

For couples dreaming of a full wedding weekend rather than a single-day event, High Hampton is built for exactly that. A wedding here reserves the property for you, your family and your closest friends, with accommodations across the inn rooms and the property’s collection of cottages, the Lake Cottage, Hampton Cottage, Halsted Cottage, Chimney Top, Rock Cottage, the Log Cabin, Mayapple and Thorpe among them. Meals are covered from the evening you arrive through breakfast on the morning you leave, so the whole weekend has the feel of an extended gathering rather than a series of separate events.

The essentials are handled with real thoughtfulness. Rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception venues are included, with both indoor and outdoor settings to choose from. Including the Inn and the Inn lawn for gorgeous tented events. Tables, flatware, glassware, and the small logistical details that so easily get overlooked, right down to a microphone for the ceremony are also included. Cocktail hours and rehearsal dinners come with seasonal canapé selections, and every menu can be customized to fit the couple. Guests arrive to a small welcome amenity in their room, and throughout the stay, there’s access to the fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, the lake, the seasonal pool, and the property’s hiking trails- plenty to fill the hours between wedding events.

map detailing the buildings and property at high hampton resort

High Hampton Team

High Hampton’s events team manages the details on-site, valet parking is included for the whole stay, and the resort offers guidance on trusted local vendors, from florists and bakers to entertainment and rentals. A licensed, professional wedding planner is required for every wedding held at High Hampton, which we think is a good thing. It means the weekend is genuinely looked after, leaving couples free to just be present in it.

It’s easy to see why couples fall for the idea of a High Hampton wedding weekend. There’s something rare about gathering everyone you love in one place for a few unhurried days in the mountains, and it’s exactly the kind of setting that makes for beautiful, layered storytelling behind the camera.

Intimate Weddings at High Hampton.

For couples who envision something smaller, High Hampton also offers an intimate wedding package, built for a more focused guest list without losing any of the property’s charm. Ceremonies can be held in the Fraser Room, at the Lakeside Glade or on the Champion Lawn, and the reception and dinner that follow take place in the Fraser Room and Wine Rooms, an elegant, tucked-away setting suited to a smaller celebration.

The package includes the thoughtful finishing touches: a two-tiered wedding cake in any flavor, floral arrangements for the bouquet, boutonniere and cake, and a wedding night amenity of champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries and flowers for the couple. High Hampton’s events team manages the day; tables, chairs, silverware and glassware are provided, and guests have full access to the fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, the lake, the pool, the hot tub and the hiking trails throughout the stay. Valet parking and luggage assistance are included as well, along with recommendations for trusted local vendors.

This option is designed for a guest list between 20 and 36, with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 18 guestrooms contracted, and a two-night minimum stay. As with all High Hampton weddings, a licensed third-party wedding planner is required. It’s a beautiful fit for couples who want the same mountain setting and unhurried pace as a full wedding weekend, just on a smaller, more personal scale.

About Your High Hampton Wedding Photography Team

We’re Tanya and Harry, a husband-and-wife team of North Carolina wedding photographers with over 15 years of experience behind the lens. Calm and intuitive is our baseline, built over years of working in sync. We don’t have to say much to stay aligned – it’s a rhythm we’ve earned. Tanya brings the editorial eye. Harry sees what’s unfolding before it fully appears. Together, we get the shot and the feeling behind it. We partner with you to deliver images matched only by the experience. Guidance when it’s needed. Space when it’s not. Always focused on what matters most.

Planning a wedding or engagement session in the Carolinas? We’d love to hear your story.