The Highland Keep wedding photographer

Castle weddings in Murphy, NC, at the property many people still call the Castle of Joy.

The Highland Keep is a stone castle on 11 private acres outside Murphy, NC. For years it was the Castle of Joy, and plenty of couples still find it by that name. The new owners kept what made it special: turrets, tall stone walls, the Carriage Barn, the Stone Balcony, and a weekend where the whole property belongs to you.

If you've just come from the Highland Keep site, you've seen the fairytale side. It's real. I've photographed weddings here under both names, and after McGuire's it's the venue I've worked at most.

What it's like to photograph here

The castle itself. Stone and turrets behind you in every frame. There's nothing else like it in Western NC, and nobody looking at your pictures will mistake it for anywhere else.

Jen and Caleb on their wedding day at The Highland Keep, formerly the Castle of Joy, in Murphy, NC, by Nathan Baerreis

The Stone Balcony. Height and a view. It's my favorite spot for a few quiet minutes in the hour before sunset.

The Carriage Barn. Wood beams and warm light, a good reception room and a better rain plan. It photographs completely differently from the stone outside, which gives your gallery some range.

The Breezeway and the lawn. Covered but open, then wide grass with the castle framed behind you. Eleven acres means a new backdrop for every set of portraits.

Jen and Caleb at The Highland Keep in Murphy, NC, by Nathan Baerreis

Working with me at the Highland Keep

I focus on the moments while you live them.

Stone is tricky. It holds shade, bounces light in odd directions, and turns flat at midday. I know where it works at each hour, so we spend your portrait time in the right places instead of hunting for them.

I live just down the road in Murphy, so an early start or a late send-off is no trouble.

Planning notes for a Highland Keep wedding

  • Save the balcony for late. The Stone Balcony is best in the last hour of light. Midday sun on stone is harsh.
  • Lean into the setting. Elegant, medieval, small and simple: the castle carries all of them. Tell me which one you're picturing and I'll plan around it.
  • Keep the Carriage Barn in your back pocket. If it rains, the barn keeps the day moving and still looks good on camera.
  • Searching the old name? You're in the right place. Same castle, new name.

A story from a Highland Keep wedding

Iris and Joel are a fabulous, adventurous couple. Before their October wedding at the castle, they wanted engagement photos at Toccoa Falls, an hour and a half away and a place I'd never been. I'll admit I was a little skeptical about the drive. It worked out. Joel told Iris to pretend she was climbing in El Yunque in Puerto Rico, and she said she felt like Nala pouncing around. It was a joy to meet them before the wedding.

Let's talk

Getting married at the Highland Keep, or still deciding? Send me a note. I'm usually back within a day. If you'd like to see packages first, they're over here.

Also nearby: Murphy, NC wedding photography and McGuire's Millrace Farm.