Make It Legal Weddings
A Simple, Affordable Tennessee Wedding for Two
Simple • Couple Only • 15 Minutes • starting at $375
Chapel in the Hollow | Seymour, Tennessee (Near Gatlinburg, Seymour, Townsend, & Pigeon Forge)
At a Glance
Location: Highland or Chapel area at Chapel in the Hollow
Guest Count: Couple only (no guests permitted)
Time Included: 15 minutes total on property
Includes: Officiant + ceremony space (you bring the marriage license)
Price: $375 highland or $500 chapel
Photography: $125 additional
Bring Your Own Vendors?: No (not permitted for this package)
👉 Ready to book?
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You love each other. You want to be married.
You do not necessarily want months of wedding planning, a giant guest list, twelve bridesmaids, a seating chart, personalized cocktail napkins, or a minor existential crisis over which shade of beige the table runners should be.
We get it.
Our Make It Legal Wedding at Chapel in the Hollow was created for couples who want a simple, private way to get legally married in Tennessee without planning a traditional wedding.
It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s just the two of you.
And at the end of it?
You’re married.
Located in Seymour, Tennessee, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and convenient to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Chapel in the Hollow offers a beautiful alternative to a courthouse wedding for couples who still want their legal ceremony to feel like a special moment.
Whether you’re visiting the Smokies on vacation, planning a secret elopement, combining your wedding and honeymoon, or simply don’t need all the bells and whistles of a traditional wedding, our Make It Legal option might be exactly what you’re looking for.
What Is a Make It Legal Wedding?
Our Make It Legal Wedding is a 15-minute, couple-only wedding experience designed to make getting married in Tennessee as simple as possible.
You bring yourselves and your valid Tennessee marriage license.
We provide the location and officiant.
You say your vows.
We make it legal.
That’s pretty much the idea.
Unlike our larger elopement and micro wedding packages, Make It Legal isn’t intended to squeeze an entire traditional wedding into 15 minutes. There aren’t guests waiting in chairs, bridesmaids lining up, elaborate decor being installed, or a cake waiting to be cut.
Instead, we’ve stripped the wedding experience down to the part that actually matters:
The two of you getting married.
And sometimes, that’s all you need.
Two Beautiful Locations to Choose From
We offer two versions of our Make It Legal Wedding so you can decide how simple—or chapel-y—you’d like your ceremony to be.
Make It Legal at the Highland Area
Our Highland area offers a beautiful outdoor setting surrounded by the natural scenery of East Tennessee.
This is our most streamlined Make It Legal experience and a great choice if your priority is simply having a pretty, private place to exchange vows and legally get married.
It’s simple, relaxed, and intentionally uncomplicated.
15 minutes. Two people. One marriage.
Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
Highland Make It Legal Wedding
Price: $375
Includes:
- 15 minutes at Chapel in the Hollow
- Use of the designated Highland ceremony area
- Professional officiant
- Legal wedding ceremony
- Completion of your Tennessee marriage license
Professional photography may be added for an additional fee.
Photography Upgrade: $125
[BOOK YOUR MAKE IT LEGAL WEDDING]
Make It Legal at the Chapel
Want the simplicity of Make It Legal but have your heart set on getting married at our little forest chapel?
You can upgrade your Make It Legal Wedding to use the Chapel in the Hollow ceremony area.
You’ll still have the same streamlined 15-minute experience, but your ceremony takes place at the chapel surrounded by the East Tennessee woods.
This is a wonderful middle ground for couples who don’t need a traditional wedding but still want that “we ran away to a little chapel in the Smoky Mountains and got married” feeling.
Chapel Make It Legal Wedding
Price: $500
Includes:
- 15 minutes at Chapel in the Hollow
- Use of the designated chapel ceremony area
- Professional officiant
- Legal wedding ceremony
- Completion of your Tennessee marriage license
Professional photography may be added for an additional fee.
Photography Upgrade: $125
[BOOK YOUR MAKE IT LEGAL WEDDING]
Want Photos? We Can Do That, Too.
Just because you’re keeping the wedding simple doesn’t mean you have to leave without photographs.
You can add professional wedding photography to your Make It Legal experience for an additional fee.
The important thing to remember is that adding photography does not add additional time to your reservation.
Your ceremony and photographs both take place within your scheduled 15-minute Make It Legal window.
Because of that, this isn’t the package for couples who want a huge wedding gallery or photographs at multiple locations around our property.
We’ll focus on capturing the important stuff:
The two of you.
Your ceremony.
The rings.
The kiss.
And those first few wonderfully weird minutes when you keep looking at each other thinking…
Wait. We’re married now.
If wedding photography is one of your biggest priorities and you’d like time for more locations, poses, details, and variety, one of our longer wedding packages will probably be a better fit.
Who Can Come to a Make It Legal Wedding?
This one’s easy:
Just the two of you.
Make It Legal Weddings do not allow guests.
That includes friends, family members, children, wedding parties, or other spectators.
Keeping these ceremonies couple-only is one of the things that allows us to offer such a quick, streamlined wedding experience.
If having your closest people there when you exchange vows is important to you, don’t worry—we have another option.
Our Petite Weddings allow up to 10 guests and give you 30 minutes at the chapel.
For larger groups, our Signature Micro Weddings can accommodate up to 35 guests.
[EXPLORE SIGNATURE MICRO WEDDINGS]
Do We Get a 30-Minute Grace Period?
No.
Unlike our Signature Micro Weddings and Adventure Weddings, Make It Legal Weddings do not include our 30-minute arrival/grace period.
Your reservation begins at your scheduled time.
That means both of you should arrive fully dressed and ready to get married.
There isn’t time built into this package for changing clothes, getting ready in the bridal suite, setting out decor, arranging personal items, or doing traditional pre-ceremony wedding activities.
Think:
Arrive. Get married. Celebrate.
If you’re dreaming of getting-ready photos, a first look, personal decor, family portraits, cake cutting, a first dance, or an extended photo session, you’ll want to consider one of our longer wedding experiences.
Can We Decorate for Our Make It Legal Wedding?
Make It Legal Weddings do not include use of our regular wedding accessories, and couples cannot bring decor to set up for the ceremony.
Again, we’re keeping this one intentionally simple.
If choosing your own chapel fabrics, florals, decorative accessories, and other details is important to you, our Signature Micro Wedding or Adventure Wedding experiences will give you much more flexibility.
Can We Bring Our Own Photographer or Officiant?
No.
Outside wedding professionals are not permitted with Make It Legal Weddings.
Your officiant is already included with the package, and professional photography can be added through Chapel in the Hollow.
You cannot bring an outside photographer, videographer, planner, content creator, officiant, or other wedding professional with this experience.
If you already have wedding professionals you love and want them involved in your day, take a look at our Signature Micro Weddings instead.
With those weddings, outside wedding professionals are welcome as long as they meet our insurance requirements. Officiants are exempt from the certificate of insurance requirement.
A Beautiful Alternative to a Tennessee Courthouse Wedding
One of the reasons we created Make It Legal was because not everyone who wants a simple wedding necessarily wants a courthouse wedding.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with walking into the courthouse and handling the legal part.
But maybe you want something a little different.
Maybe you’d rather exchange vows surrounded by trees than fluorescent lights.
Maybe you’re visiting Gatlinburg for the week and think:
“You know what would make this vacation considerably more interesting? Getting married.”
Maybe you’ve been engaged for three years and are officially over planning.
Maybe this is a second marriage and you don’t feel the need to throw another huge wedding.
Maybe you’re saving money for a house.
Maybe you’re planning a reception back home later.
Maybe your wedding plans changed.
Or maybe the two of you simply don’t want an audience.
You don’t need a dramatic reason to choose a tiny wedding.
Wanting something simple is enough.
Our Make It Legal Wedding gives you the ease of a courthouse-style ceremony while still allowing you to get married in a beautiful East Tennessee setting.
Getting Your Tennessee Marriage License
Before arriving for your Make It Legal Wedding, you’ll need to obtain a valid Tennessee marriage license.
Tennessee makes the process relatively simple for destination couples, which is one reason the Smoky Mountains are such a popular place to elope.
You do not have to be a Tennessee resident to get married here.
Once you’ve obtained your marriage license, bring it with you to your ceremony. Your officiant will complete the appropriate portion after you’re married.
Because requirements, office hours, identification rules, and fees can change, we recommend checking current information with the county clerk before your trip rather than relying on that screenshot your cousin sent you from Facebook in 2019.
We’ve also put together information to help our couples navigate the process.
[LEARN HOW TO GET YOUR TENNESSEE MARRIAGE LICENSE]
Can We Have a Secret Elopement?
Absolutely.
And we’ve seen some pretty fantastic ones.
One of the joys of a couple-only wedding is that you get to decide when—and how—you tell everyone else.
You can call your families from the car afterward.
Send everyone a photo.
Wait until you get home.
Make an elaborate announcement.
Casually change your relationship status and see who notices.
We’re not here to judge your level of chaos.
If you add photography, having professional images from your ceremony can also give you a fun way to announce that you got married.
Turn Your Wedding Into a Smoky Mountain Getaway
One of our favorite things about destination elopements is that the wedding doesn’t have to be the entire trip.
Chapel in the Hollow is located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, convenient to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
That means your 15-minute ceremony can be one tiny piece of an amazing trip.
Rent a romantic cabin.
Spend the morning exploring.
Come get married.
Have an incredible dinner.
Pop champagne in the hot tub.
Go hiking the next morning.
Spend your honeymoon riding roller coasters at Dollywood.
There are no rules saying your wedding has to involve chair covers and a DJ playing the Chicken Dance.
A destination elopement can be as much about the experience surrounding your wedding as the ceremony itself.
Is Make It Legal Right for Us?
You might love our Make It Legal Wedding if:
- It’s just the two of you.
- You want a legal Tennessee wedding without a traditional wedding production.
- You’d prefer a beautiful outdoor setting to a courthouse.
- You want to keep your wedding affordable.
- You’re comfortable arriving completely wedding-ready.
- You don’t need custom decor.
- You don’t need a long photography session.
- You don’t need outside wedding professionals.
- You’re planning a secret wedding.
- You’re combining your wedding with a Gatlinburg or Smoky Mountain vacation.
- You care considerably more about being married than having a wedding.
If you’re reading those and thinking, “YES. That’s exactly what we want,” this package was made for you.
When Should We Choose a Different Wedding Package?
Make It Legal is deliberately limited because that’s what makes it work.
If you’re beginning to think:
Well, we’d really like Mom there…
And maybe a cake…
And I’d like pictures at several places…
And I definitely want to get dressed there…
And I found this seven-foot floral installation on Pinterest…
We’re moving into different territory.
And that’s okay!
Choose a Petite Wedding
If you want a 30-minute chapel wedding with up to 10 guests and a simple cream-and-white chapel setup.
Choose a Signature Micro Wedding
If you want 1–3 hours, up to 35 guests, your choice of included chapel decor, multiple service options, additional photo locations, reception-style moments, or the ability to bring approved outside wedding professionals.
[VIEW SIGNATURE MICRO WEDDINGS]
Choose an Adventure Wedding
If you want a more inclusive wedding experience with officiating,
photography, event management, cake, champagne, chapel photos, and an adventure to the Foothills Parkway for couple portraits in the Smoky Mountains.
Frequently Asked Questions About Make It Legal Weddings
How long is a Make It Legal Wedding?
Make It Legal Weddings include 15 minutes at Chapel in the Hollow.
Are guests allowed?
No. Make It Legal Weddings are couple-only ceremonies.
Is an officiant included?
Yes. Professional officiating is included.
Can we add photography?
Yes. Chapel in the Hollow photography can be added for an additional fee. Photography takes place within the same 15-minute reservation.
Does adding photography give us additional time?
No. Your total reservation remains 15 minutes.
Can we bring our own photographer?
No. Outside wedding professionals are not permitted with Make It Legal Weddings.
Can we use the chapel?
Yes. We offer a Make It Legal option at our Highland area as well as an upgraded option using the chapel area. Please see our current pricing for the cost of each.
Can we bring decorations?
No. Make It Legal Weddings do not include decorating time or use of our normal wedding accessories.
Can we get dressed at Chapel in the Hollow?
No. There is no grace period or getting-ready time with this package. Both partners should arrive completely dressed and ready for the ceremony.
Do we need a Tennessee marriage license?
Yes. You are responsible for obtaining a valid Tennessee marriage license before your ceremony.
Can we have personal vows?
Because the entire experience is only 15 minutes, Make It Legal Weddings are designed around a short, streamlined ceremony. If you’re envisioning a more personalized or elaborate ceremony experience, one of our longer wedding packages may be a better fit.
What if we want to invite a few people?
Our Petite Wedding is designed for exactly that. It allows up to 10 guests and includes 30 minutes at the chapel.
Ready to Make It Legal?
You don’t need 150 guests.
You don’t need a year-long engagement.
You don’t need an enormous wedding budget.
And you definitely don’t need to spend six months deciding between ivory and
slightly-different-ivory.
Sometimes you just need your person, a Tennessee marriage license, a beautiful place to stand, and someone legally authorized to say:
Yep. You’re married.
If that sounds like your kind of wedding, we’d love to have you at Chapel in the Hollow.
Check our calendar to see if your date is available, take a look at current Make It Legal pricing, and when you’re ready, fill out our booking form to get started.
[BOOK YOUR MAKE IT LEGAL WEDDING]
See you in the woods. 🌿💍
