Beautiful Non Traditional Micro Wedding
in the Smoky Mountains

Catrina and Ted – July 19, 2026

If you’re dreaming of a non traditional micro wedding that focuses on family, meaningful moments, and celebrating your love your own way, Catrina and Ted’s wedding at Chapel in the Hollow is the perfect inspiration.

Nestled in the peaceful forests of East Tennessee, Chapel in the Hollow offers couples an intimate outdoor setting where they can create a wedding day that’s completely unique to them. Whether you want to skip the formal traditions, include your children in the ceremony, write your own vows, or simply celebrate in a way that reflects your personalities, a nontraditional micro wedding gives you the freedom to do exactly that.

Catrina and Ted embraced that freedom beautifully.

For their ceremony, they decorated the chapel with flowing lilac fabric paired with our signature lavender florals and coordinating lavender wreaths. The soft purple tones blended effortlessly with the lush summer greenery, creating a romantic woodland setting that felt peaceful, elegant, and uniquely personal.

Catrina looked absolutely stunning in a sleeveless crochet lace wedding gown without a train. The relaxed silhouette perfectly complemented the intimate atmosphere, while her hair flowed naturally beneath a delicate jeweled hairpiece that added just the right amount of sparkle. Ted chose an equally relaxed look, wearing khakis with a crisp white linen shirt and a lilac tie that perfectly tied together the day’s color palette.

One of the things we love most about hosting non traditional micro weddings is seeing couples create ceremonies that reflect their families instead of following a script.

Ted waited at the altar while Catrina’s daughter made her way down the aisle first. Moments later, one of the sweetest parts of the day unfolded as Catrina’s son and Ted’s son proudly walked her down the aisle together. Their ceremony music was equally meaningful, with an instrumental version of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” creating an emotional atmosphere that perfectly captured their relationship.

Rather than relying on traditional ceremony wording, Catrina and Ted chose to write their own vows. As Catrina read hers aloud, emotion overwhelmed her and happy tears began to fall. There wasn’t a dry eye among those gathered as everyone witnessed the genuine love, gratitude, and commitment these two shared.

These authentic moments are exactly why so many couples are choosing intimate weddings over large traditional celebrations. A Smoky Mountain micro wedding allows couples to focus on what truly matters—the promises they make to one another and the people they love most.

Following the ceremony, everyone gathered for family portraits around the chapel before celebrating with a champagne toast. These relaxed moments together gave everyone time to soak in the excitement before heading out across the property for portraits.

One of the advantages of getting married at Chapel in the Hollow is the variety of beautiful photo locations available without ever leaving the venue. Catrina and Ted explored the forest paths, enjoyed the vibrant July greenery, and captured romantic portraits surrounded by nature. The day ended with one of our favorite images—a joyful family portrait of all five of them gathered on the vintage truck, laughing together and celebrating the beginning of their next chapter.

Although the July afternoon brought plenty of East Tennessee heat and humidity, Catrina, Ted, and their family never stopped smiling. Their excitement, laughter, and genuine affection for one another made every photograph feel effortless.

Their wedding is a wonderful reminder that there’s no single “right” way to get married. Some couples choose formal black-tie celebrations, while others create relaxed ceremonies filled with personal traditions, meaningful music, and family-centered moments. That’s the beauty of a non traditional micro wedding—your wedding can be exactly what feels right for you.

From the Bride

Ted and I worked together in the late 90’s at Universal Tire in downtown Nashville, I was married at the time. There was another lady that worked in our back office that was interested in Ted. We went out one night to get them acquainted. Ted and I talked more, I kept trying to get her involved in the conversation. She turned the conversation to which “base” is what, and Ted looked directly in my eyes and said, “I think eye contact is first base.” I hightailed it out of there, because I was married and that was tempting. Ted, bless his heart, ended up with a DUI that night. Fast forward to 2019….Ted was divorced with one child, I moved back to the states from Jordan with my two children after my divorce and we reconnected on Facebook. We started talking in November, he came to West Tennessee to visit me on March 10th of 2020 and we have been together ever since. Making a long distance relationship work, while my daughter finished Junior High, moving in together and making our blended family work. Ted said on that first day we spent time together again, when I see something worth having, I go for it. It has been a wonderful roller coaster and gentle stroll all at the same time ever since. Our first date was just he and I at my house eating grilled cheese sandwiches. The rest of the date is not shareable, lol.

I think I brought marriage up first, but when we finally set the date and said let’s do this, we were at our favorite little Mexican restaurant. We love Gatlinburg and we go there every year on a trip with his coworkers and thought it would be the perfect place to get married. We are looking forward to marrying each other and good pics of the children and us.

We are both car people, I crochet and garden and we love to talk to each other and joke around about inventing things to make the world better. Our family vacations are soooo National Lampoonish, that I have started saying he is the Clark to my Ellen, he on the other hand calls me the Tigger to his Pooh (i can’t sit still), or the Kitty Cat to his Teddy Bear. We love the ordinary moments that are extraordinary because we are together.

If you’re planning a non traditional micro wedding in the Smoky Mountains, Chapel in the Hollow specializes in intimate outdoor weddings that allow couples to celebrate without the stress of a large event. Our all-inclusive micro wedding packages make it easy to personalize your ceremony while enjoying the natural beauty of East Tennessee.

Whether you’re including children in your ceremony, writing your own vows, choosing unconventional music, or creating new traditions together, we’d love to help you bring your vision to life.

Congratulations again to Catrina and Ted! Thank you for allowing us to be part of such a heartfelt celebration. Your beautiful family, emotional vows, and willingness to celebrate your love your own way perfectly captured what makes nontraditional micro weddings so memorable.