Fall Elopement in the Smoky Mountains – Noelle and Dillon

09.26.26

Fall Elopement in the Smoky Mountains

Noelle + Dillon – September 25, 2026

Every once in a while, a couple arrives for their wedding and within about five minutes I’m thinking…

Oh. These are my people.

😂❤️

That was Noelle and Dillon.

They joined us for a sweet fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains, and somewhere between their emotional ceremony, wandering through the woods for photos, talking about books, and discovering that their honeymoon plans involved Halloween Horror Nights, I basically decided we needed to be friends.

Fortunately, I was also supposed to be photographing them, so following them around for a while was already part of the plan.

Their wedding itself was wonderfully simple and centered entirely around the two of them. There wasn’t a big processional or a crowd of people waiting for their attention. They walked into their ceremony together, shared vows they had written themselves, exchanged meaningful rings, and then spent the rest of their time exploring the property and chasing beautiful views.

Exactly the kind of relaxed wedding day that lets a couple actually enjoy being married.

Soft Boho Details for an Early Fall Elopement

Noelle and Dillon kept their ceremony setup soft and natural, dressing the chapel in white fabric paired with our bohemian florals. Early fall in East Tennessee is still very green, so the white fabric looked especially pretty against the forest. The boho flowers brought in a little warmth without making everything feel overly decorated.

It was simple. It was romantic. And it fit these two perfectly.

One of the best things about planning a forest elopement is that you don’t necessarily have to bring in a ton of decorations to create something beautiful. When you’re already surrounded by trees, vines, moss, and greenery, sometimes a softer setup lets the natural setting do its thing.

And Noelle?

She was definitely doing her thing.

Because GOOD GRIEF, she looked glorious.

Noelle’s Flowy Elopement Dress

Noelle arrived already dressed and ready to get married in a gorgeous sleeveless gown with an empire waist and a flowy chiffon skirt. The dress had a short train that moved beautifully around her, especially once we started wandering through the woods later for photos. It was romantic without being overly formal and had exactly the kind of movement I love for an outdoor wedding dress.

A little breeze?

Pretty.

Walking through the forest?

Pretty.

Snuggling with your new husband?

Still pretty.

Meanwhile, Dillon kept things classic in a black suit, which looked fantastic beside Noelle and against all of the greenery surrounding them. They looked amazing together. More importantly, they were very obviously happy to be there together.

Walking Into Their Marriage Side by Side

There wasn’t a big traditional processional for Noelle and Dillon. Instead, they walked down the aisle together. Hand in hand. Side by side. ❤️ And honestly, I kind of love that.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional version of walking down the aisle, but I also love when couples look at wedding traditions and decide which ones actually feel right for them. For Noelle and Dillon, that meant beginning their ceremony together.

There’s something pretty sweet about the symbolism, too. Nobody waiting at the other end. Nobody being given away. Just the two of them walking toward the next part of their lives the same way they were planning to tackle it afterward.

Together.

Personal Vows and One Very Emotional Groom

Once Noelle and Dillon were standing together at the chapel, it was time for their vows. They had each written their own. And Dillon’s emotions came prepared.

🥹❤️

He cried his way through his vows to Noelle, making his promises while she stood there smiling at him. I love personal vows for exactly this reason. They don’t have to sound polished. They don’t have to be a performance. They don’t have to make everyone laugh or contain some giant dramatic declaration worthy of a romantic comedy. They just have to sound like you.

When couples write their own vows, we get these tiny glimpses into the relationship that exists outside of the wedding day. The inside jokes, promises, stories, and things they value about one another are suddenly part of the ceremony. And sometimes one person gets approximately six words in before crying. That’s allowed, too. 😂❤️

A Wedding Ring With a Story Hidden Inside

After their vows, Noelle and Dillon exchanged rings. And Noelle’s ring had the kind of detail I absolutely LOVE. Tiny red rubies had been incorporated into the design as a nod to one of their special stories as a couple. ❤️💍

To anyone else looking at the ring, the rubies might simply be a beautiful design choice. Noelle and Dillon know better. They know the story tucked inside.

Those are some of my favorite wedding details because they’re personal without needing an explanation to everyone else. A piece of jewelry can be beautiful on its own while also carrying an entire memory that belongs only to the people wearing it. Years from now, those tiny red stones will still mean something.

That’s so much better than choosing something simply because wedding tradition says you’re supposed to.

Officially Married and Ready to Explore

Once Noelle and Dillon were officially married, we had the rest of their time to concentrate completely on them.

No giant family photo list. No reception timeline. No wedding party waiting for instructions. Just newlyweds.

We started their portraits around the chapel while everything was still fresh from the ceremony. That gave us the forest, the chapel, and all of those soft bohemian details as the first backdrop for their photos.

Then we started wandering. And this is where a fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains gets really fun.

Within one wedding gallery, you can go from an intimate little forest setting to mossy logs, wooded areas, open spaces, and eventually those wide mountain views that feel completely different from where you started.

Noelle’s dress also turned out to be perfect for exploring. That chiffon skirt moved beautifully as she walked, which meant I was probably spending an unreasonable amount of time watching fabric move through my camera.

Occupational hazard. 😂

From the Log to the Highlands

After our photos around the chapel, we headed toward the log for another little pocket of forest portraits. Then we wandered up toward the highland area.

Each location gave Noelle and Dillon a slightly different feeling without turning their wedding into a giant photo production. We could let them walk together, snuggle, talk, laugh, and occasionally follow my directions when I spotted something pretty.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Noelle and I started talking about books. And then I discovered that she loves books. 📚❤️ Welp. There went any remaining professionalism. 😂

There’s something extra fun about photographing a couple you immediately click with. Instead of the time between locations being quiet or awkward, we were chatting while we wandered through the woods.

Wedding photography but make it book club.

I support this.

Ending Their Elopement With a Mountain View

For the final part of Noelle and Dillon’s wedding adventure, we headed out to the field with the mountain view. After spending so much of their day surrounded by the close, intimate feeling of the forest, suddenly everything opened up. Sky. Mountains. Fields.

And the two of them finally getting to stand there as husband and wife.

That contrast is one of my favorite things about photographing weddings in East Tennessee. The woods give you that tucked-away, romantic feeling, while the mountains make everything suddenly feel big and open.

For a fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains, getting a little bit of both is pretty darn hard to beat.

Even in early fall, before the mountains and trees have completely transformed into autumn colors, there’s already a subtle seasonal shift happening. The light begins changing, little hints of fall start sneaking in, and you know the colorful season is right around the corner.

Noelle and Dillon got to enjoy that transition together.

And THEN They Told Me About the Honeymoon

Okay. So we’d already established that Noelle likes books. Excellent. Then I found out what they were doing for their honeymoon.

Halloween Horror Nights.

AT UNIVERSAL.

🎃😂❤️

For anyone unfamiliar with my priorities, this is one of my favorite yearly traditions. So at this point I’m trying to maintain some semblance of photographer-client professionalism while internally thinking…

Okay, can we just be friends now?

Books? Check.

A beautiful forest elopement? Check.

Meaningful jewelry? Check.

An emotional groom? Check.

Halloween Horror Nights honeymoon? CHECK.

Noelle and Dillon, you were making this extremely difficult for me to play it cool.

😂

Also, can we normalize honeymoons that actually reflect the couple? If your idea of romance is lying beside a tropical beach, excellent. If your idea of romance is screaming together while something with a chainsaw chases you through a haunted house… Also excellent.

Possibly better.

A Fall Elopement That Felt Completely Like Them

What I loved most about Noelle and Dillon’s wedding wasn’t any single detail. It was how comfortable the whole day felt. They weren’t trying to turn their elopement into something bigger than it needed to be. They weren’t checking boxes simply because those things are traditionally part of a wedding. They walked into the ceremony together. They shared vows they’d written themselves. Dillon cried. Noelle smiled at him. They exchanged rings with stories hidden inside them.

Then we wandered through the woods together taking photos and talking about things we loved. By the end, they were standing in a field with the Smoky Mountains behind them, officially married and getting ready to head into the next part of their adventure.

And soon…

Haunted houses.

😂🎃

The Best Elopements Feel Like the Couple

There are a million ways to get married. Big wedding. Tiny wedding. Church wedding. Backyard wedding. Forest elopement. Mountain adventure. None of those options automatically makes a wedding more meaningful than another.

The magic happens when the day actually feels like the people getting married.

Noelle and Dillon’s fall elopement in the Smoky Mountains felt exactly like them.

Sweet. Relaxed. Personal. A little adventurous. Full of meaningful details. And very, very happy. They didn’t need a giant audience for Dillon’s vows to matter. They didn’t need a huge wedding production for those tiny rubies in Noelle’s ring to carry an entire story.

They just needed each other.

And apparently a photographer who would become way too excited when the conversation turned to books and Halloween Horror Nights.

😂❤️

Noelle and Dillon, thank you for letting us be part of such a sweet day. I absolutely loved getting to know you both, and I hope you have the BEST time on your honeymoon. May your HHN houses be terrifying, your snacks be delicious, and your wait times be miraculously short.That last one may require actual magic.

Congratulations, you two!! ❤️🎃📚

From the Bride:

We met at work one day because someone called out and Noelle had to fill in for that person and was put together with Dillon to work for that one day.

The first date: *voice of Sophia from Golden Girls*
Picture it, it’s 2018 at a IHOP at 2am it’s empty and we can’t stop talking long enough for the waitress to take our order but we are enjoying coffee and each other’s company for a hour before we even order.

Dillon took me for a walk at the park downtown Maryville, where we both are from. We talked about getting married and I could tell he was nervous and trying to find the right place and time to ask me. We would meet up and like to grab coffee of walk around the park or to the coffee house in Maryville so that was one of the reasons he took me there because of the memories we have shared together there.

We are both from Maryville and bought a house in Knoxville. We both loved growing up in the foothills of the Smokies so this area is very close to our hearts.

I’m most excited about having that moment of saying I do to each other during our private wedding and it being more intimate and we can focus on each other in that moment of our vows….also Dillon is excited for the chocolate wedding cake 🙂

Sooooo the only available bookings for September was the 11th or the 25th….Dolly day it is RIP

We have two cats (Poe, a black cat and Pepè, our tux kitty) we enjoy spending time with them at home watching horror movies or any shows that catch our eye. On the weekends we like to grab an emotional support coffee, watch Bob Ross (Dillon is a big fan) or some love island. I enjoy gal hooting to the antique mall or having any kind of a date day together.