A Smoky Mountain Wedding Chapel for Outdoor Intimate Weddings and Elopements

Smoky Mountain Elopements – Toni and Neal

05.26.20

Toni and Neal – May 20, 2020

Smoky Mountain Elopements

We’re so excited about all of the Smoky Mountain elopements coming our way over the next few months starting with Toni and Neal. These two joined us for our first wedding since Tennessee has started opening back up. We had a little bit of sprinkling, but it was so lovely and cool. The lighting was beautifully moody and showed off Toni’s gorgeous look! These two are laid back and so much fun!! Congratulations Toni and Neal!

From the Bride:

Neal and I grew up in a small town and had many mutual friends. We first met when we were much younger, and reconnected after I divorced in 2017. We talked for several hours and went to lunch the next day and we were inseparable since our first lunch date. Our first date was very casual and relaxed. We had lunch and talked just like old friends. We were so excited we planned a date for the following week, but couldn’t wait and went on a more formal dinner date the next evening. Neal proposed to me on our back porch on a beautiful evening under the stars.

Choosing to have one of the Smoky Mountain elopements seemed like the way to go since we enjoy spending time in the woods riding our side by side. We found your venue and thought it was perfect for our wedding. I most look forward to celebrating with our children and our parents, and of course to have lots of awesome photos to remember the day. We love to ride our side by side with friends. We have six children all from my previous marriage, but Neal is adopting our three younger babies who are 4 and my three year old twins! So we enjoy family time at our house with the children and our three dogs. We love to cook and spend time together as a family.

Chapel Florals: Melissa Timm Designs
Bouquet: Etsy
Wedding Dress: Oleg Cassini from David’s Bridal
Photography: Star Noir Studio
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Shoes: David’s Bridal
Rings: Groom’s Mother and Father
Cake: Groom’s Mother
Hair and Makeup: Wanderlust Salon and Spa
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow

Smoky Mountain elopements are great for the couple who love the outdoors and want to get married surrounded by nature. If you are on the fence about outdoor weddings, check out our pros and cons of outdoor weddings to get some extra info. If you’ve decided Smoky Mountain Elopements look like fun, and you’re ready to book now, take a look at our price list to see your options and our calendar to see available dates. We can’t wait to help make your wedding day amazing!!

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East Tennessee Elopements – Emily and Duane

04.19.20

Emily and Duane – April 4, 2020

East Tennessee Elopements

East Tennessee Elopements may be more popular in the near future thanks to COVID-19. They are quick and easy, and they meet the current guidelines for legal gatherings to help keep everyone safe. We were excited to have Emily and Duane join us on April 4, 2020 for their super sweet elopement. These two East Tennessee residents chose to limit the number of guests and adhere to social distancing guidelines instead of rescheduling for later in the year. Thankfully, we are an outdoor venue so the 6 of us had plenty of room to watch without getting too close. 😉 P.S. They were the first to get to use the new archway!!

She looked radiant in that amazing lighting, and Duane must have agreed because he smiled every time he looked at her. The burgundy was the perfect choice with his dress blues — the colors just popped beautifully. They had a friend, Judge Brad Davidson, come out to perform the ceremony, and he was a hoot! Thank you, Duane, for your service, and congratulations to the two of you!!

From the Bride:

Duane’s grandparents babysat us when we were children but we didn’t remember each other due to it being when we were young children. We even attended the same college that we graduated on the same day at the same time but still had no idea of each other. We became coworkers at DCS and eventually became partners. Once we grew closer to each other we started developing feelings. After about a year he finally got enough courage to ask me out. Once we started seeing each other we then realized how our whole life we have been right beside each other in the same places but never knew. We like to joke and say we just weren’t ready for the world to put us together until the right time.

The first date was like going to hang out with your best friend but we were both a bit nervous and unsure how the relationship would go but luckily it has worked out great. Duane proposed on a horse carriage ride in Times Square of New York City. He knew I loved the show Gossip Girl. My favorite characters got married at Bethesda Fountain and I mentioned how beautiful it was. He planned the whole thing and surprised me as we walked down to view the fountain from our carriage ride I realized we were at the fountain and the next thing I know he was on one knee holding a ring.

We chose our wedding location because East Tennessee is home to us and our family. We couldn’t imagine being any where else. Duane and I love to travel. We love to collect Christmas ornaments from all of the places we visit. A typical date night for us is dinner and a good movie or a weekend getaway.

Hair: Hali Leffler with Honey and Lavender
Makeup: Bride
Dress: David’s Bridal
Florist: Flowers by Wilma
Menswear: Army Dress Blues
Shoes: Francesca’s
Rings: Jewelry Connection
Officiant: Judge Brad Davidson
Invitations: Shutterfly
Photography: Star Noir Studio
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow

Are you getting excited about the thought of East Tennessee Elopements? Let us help you get started planning yours! You can finding all sorts of info on the website including pricing, included accessories, local wedding pros, and so much more. If you have questions, we’re here to help. Email info@chapelinthehollow.com, and we will get back to you within one business day. 🙂

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The Pros and Cons of Outdoor Weddings

04.14.20

Are you ready to find out the pros and cons of outdoor weddings? Outdoor weddings are trending right now, and with all of the crazy going on in 2020, I believe that trend will continue. There are some great reasons to opt for an outdoor wedding instead of an indoor wedding, and we’ve compiled a list of ten pros and ten cons that might impact your decision as to whether or not you’d prefer to have an outdoor wedding. We’re a little biased. 😉 But we think nothing beats the beauty of nature!

Pros of Outdoor Weddings

Natural Light: Natural lighting makes for gorgeous photos.
Beautiful Settings: What could be more beautiful than mountains, lakes, forests, and fields?
Space Constraints: It’s much easier to spread out when you aren’t in a confined space.
Lower Decor Costs: With the beauty of nature as your main decor, you can go as big or as small as you’d like.
Kid-Friendly: Children can get a little antsy sometimes. It can be easier to keep them entertained outdoors.
Relaxed Environment: Not only is it gorgeous, but the beauty of the outdoors can offer a much less stuffy environment than you get inside.
Natural Wildlife: You never know what you’re going to see! Maybe there will be birds, turkeys, bears, etc. If you love wildlife, the outdoors is definitely for you.
Wind: The wind can create beautiful movement for photos.
Less Expensive: Many outdoor venues are less expensive because they have less overhead.
Safer and Easier for Social Distancing: With COVID-19 and the necessity to remain 6 feet away from anyone you don’t live with, it can be much easier to keep your distance in the outdoors. Plus, no recycled or stale air so you don’t have to worry about the virus lingering in the air.

Cons of Outdoor Weddings

Weather: It can be difficult to predict the weather which means you could be dealing with rain, snow, heat, etc.
Rain Plan: If it rains, what are your options?
Possible Distractions: The outdoors can be more difficult to control than the indoors. There might be odd noises like vehicles honking in the distance, and you never know when a random animal will show up to say hi.
Rental Costs: Depending on whether or not the venue provides seating, a rain tent, etc., you might be required to procure rentals that some indoor venues would provide for you.
Bugs: Depending on the time of year, you might be dealing with mosquitos, ticks, or other assorted creepy crawlies.
Seasons: Depending on where the venue is located, you may not be able to have a wedding in the winter because of the cold or in the summer because of extreme heat.
Allergies: Do you have allergies? There are certain parts of the year, you might need to avoid so you don’t have watery eyes and a runny nose.
Restrictions: You may think it would be easy just to go to the park and perform your wedding there for free, but many public places also have restrictions and regulations that you will have to work around.
Sound : Sound doesn’t carry outside the way it does inside so guests far away may not be able to hear well.
Utilities: Some outdoor facilities don’t have utilities available.

Have you read through the pros and cons of outdoor weddings and decided that’s what your perfect wedding day would look like? We are here to help you get started! We have all of the photo options for your gorgeous outdoor photos as well as the accessories you can choose from listed so you can see everything! Curious about pricing? We’ve got all of the info!

Photography: Star Noir Studio

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Micro Weddings – Cait and Josh

03.25.20

Cait and Josh March 14, 2020

Micro Weddings

Micro weddings are becoming the in thing at the moment–a great way to have the wedding of your dreams but in miniature. Our second wedding on March 14, 2020 was Cait and Josh, and they rocked an amazing micro wedding. They joined us from Florida to enjoy some of our early spring weather and brought lots of gorgeous details to photograph. Cait looked fab in this lacy extravaganza of a gown, and her besties rocked some dark green dresses (with pockets!!). They brought a cow hide to decorate with because their first date was on his cattle farm. She and her family put their own spin on the chapel with some lovely handmade rustic signs and magnolia blossoms from Hobby Lobby. She rocked some Chucks that a tattoo artist friend personalized for her — soooo adorable!

The editing you are going to see for Cait and Josh is a little different than what you normally see for our micro weddings. She requested moodier with cinematic tones so this was a fun foray into a different style.

Congrats Cait and Josh!! Hope you got to enjoy some delicious biscuits from Tupelo Honey!!

From the Bride:

My best friend (and bridesmaid) Carrie Ann and her hubby are our very own Cupids! I was home sick in bed with the stomach flu when my phone started to ring. Being sick, I declined the call but then worried when Carrie continued to call back to back, and then FaceTimed me. Reluctantly I answered-no makeup looking like death warmed over- and staring back at me we’re my best friend and now fiancé sitting in our local brewery. She proudly announced that she had someone she thought I needed to meet and he waved from the background with a giant smile on his face. I faked a smile, told her I was sick and had to go and hung up fairly mortified. The next day she and I had lunch where she explained that the moment she started talking to Joshua she knew he’d be perfect for me. When she ran it by her husband (who is VERY protective over me!) he agreed immediately. At lunch, I agreed to meet him and we texted back and forth the rest of the day. Turns out he only lived 12 houses away from me so we met up the next day and have basically been inseparable since.

Best. Date. EVER!! We’d been hanging out for a week or two before we made it to our “official” first date…he’d a deputy and I was a single mom so free time is truly a luxury. I got to choose dinner at my favorite local hidden gem, but was told I had a surprise after and to make sure I brought my chucks. I introduced him to a seedy sushi joint with no sign, sticky floors, and a disco ball… the kind of place That you’d never know was there unless someone told you, but it’s the BEST sushi you’ll ever have in your life. We laughed, ate, and enjoyed a few hours there and then it was time for My surprise. By this time it had gotten dark and we drove Out onto the outskirts of town. We turned onto a very dark road and then onto a dirt road and pulled up to a big farmhouse….I knew immediately what we were doing. He’d told me his family had a cow farm and I kept telling him I wanted to go feed the cows! So we pull up and he drives into the pasture. I throw on my chucks and hop out of the truck where I can’t see my hand in front of my face. He reaches in the backseat and grabs several loaves of bread and starts yelling “come girls!” over and over until I heard the rumble of several cows running towards us like thunder. All of a sudden I was surrounded by these gentle giants, covered in cow spit, feeding them bread under the stars, and happier than I’d ever been. I don’t think he will ever be able to top that date.

He proposed, but both of us knew almost immediately we were going to get married. After only a month in we started talking about it and he’d asked me to send him some ideas of rings that I liked. I found one that was perfect and sent it to him with the caption “this is it! The perfect ring for the perfect man.” Unbeknownst time me, he purchased it mere minutes after that statement.
We had a trip planned to TN to see a Tyler Childers concert in Knoxville and planned to stop in Savannah on the way back. I was certain that’s when he was going to propose (and turns out I was right!) but he was impatient- though he’ll argue it to his deathbed that it was me who was impatient….
We were laying in bed on May 3 and he said something about “the perfect ring” and eluded to the fact he’d purchased it. I remember saying “shut up you don’t have that ring” then watching him as he got out of bed in nothing more than his red plaid boxers, opening the safe, and turning around with the biggest smile on his face and dropping to one knee with his shaky hands holding out THE perfect ring I didn’t believe he had!

Well, this is a fun one. After we got engaged we quickly started looking at options for the wedding. Joshua has a HUGE (and I mean huge huge!) family and all of the local venues we found were astronomically expensive to host a wedding large enough to accommodate everyone. We sat on our front porch swing drinking Jack Daniels talking about what we should do. After several too many drinks and frustrated we couldn’t come to a conclusion without basically taking out a second mortgage on our home, I said “let’s just run away!” He looked at my kind of puzzles and said “well my parents and grandparents would be really upset, we can’t just run away” to which I responded “fine! Let’s take them with us. Let’s throw darts at a map and runaway to wherever they land!”
A few short moments later he returned with a map and here we are hosting one of Chapel in the Hollow’s micro weddings!

Aside from the obviousness of getting to marry my best friend, I’m really excited for our closest friends and family to get some away time to celebrate with us! I can’t wait to spend the day with my girls getting dolled up, I can’t wait to see the look in his eyes when I’m walking down the aisle and when my daughter gives me away to him, and I Can’t wait to start our life together and hopefully start a family!

We chose March 14th because it’s our one year anniversary!

I’m a foodie so most of our dates are centered around food! We work a lot and are on opposite schedules so we really only get a handful of days together. We like to spend time at our local brewery where “it all started” enjoying craft beer and food trucks, or we try to explore new restaurants. But at the end of the day we’re really both homebodies, so we spend a lot of time at home on our porch swing, or lounging around with our dogs.

Hair and Makeup: Southern Belle Beauty LLC
Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal
Bouquets: Bride
Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Menswear: Proper Cloth
Invitations: Zazzle
Shoes: Chuck Taylor All Star for ladies Ariat for gentlemen
Cake: Sugar Buzz
Hairpiece and Earrings: Etsy
Officiant: Ian Parrott
Photography: Star Noir Studio
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow

Micro weddings are gaining popularity as people try to leave a smaller footprint on the world. Couples are focusing on the people and moments they feel are most important and trying to make the most of all of the little details. At Chapel in the Hollow, we focus on micro weddings, and we’d love to help you get started on your planning today! Check out our calendar to see our available dates and our pricing page to see what extras you might want to include to make your day perfect.

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Coronavirus Safe Wedding – Brianna and Matt

03.24.20

Brianna and Matt March 14, 2020

Coronavirus Safe Wedding

The possibility of contracting Corvid-19 or passing it along to a loved one is making things extra scary for this year’s brides. For a coronavirus safe wedding, we recommend an elopement. It keeps you away from other people while still allowing you to say your, “I do.”

Brianna and Matthew were our first couple of the day on March 14th. After four years together, they decided to tie the knot today. She found this super cute lace dress online for $200, and I’m loving it!! She was one of the most chill, laid back brides that we’ve met, and we thought this simple but super sweet wedding was adorable. Congratulations Brianna and Matthew!!

From the Bride:

Matthew and I met at our home church in Friendship, TN on new year’s day 2014. Our first date was so romantic. He took me out to Olive Garden, then we saw Me Before You in theaters, and after that he took me to a beautiful spot where we watched the stars.

Matthew proposed. He took me back to Clarksville, TN where I attended Austin Peay. There are so many memories for us in that town, and so much heartbreak considering he only got to visit every once in a while, and I hated to see him leave. He took me to get coffee from our favorite coffee shop, and he brought me to the marina where we had a beautiful view of the sunset and the water. Then he told me that he would never leave me again and that he wanted me to be his wife.

We have always loved East Tennessee and the Smokies! Besides that, we loved the idea of eloping & keeping our wedding private. I found Chapel in the Hollow, and every dream fell into place. I am looking forward to finally exchanging vows with the man of my dreams, and I can’t wait to have our first set of professional pictures done after dating almost 4 years. There isn’t a significance to the date we chose, but we have agreed that Spring & the month of March are our favorites.

We love to go to concerts, read books, watch movies, go thrift shopping, have coffee dates (both at new shops and at home), and we love trying tons of new things.

Dress: ASOS
Bouquet: Walmart
Chapel Florals: Melissa Timm Designs
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Shoes: Lucky Brand and Stacy Adams
Rings: Walmart
Hair and Makeup: Bride
Photography: Chapel in the Hollow
Officiant: Ian Parrott
Venue: Chapel in the Hollow

Are you ready to begin planning your coronavirus safe wedding by being alone in the forest? We are here to help!! Check out our calendar for available dates. We’ve made it easy to find some amazing local wedding pros by gathering them all together in one place. 😉 Contact us today!

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