At Honeysuckle Hills, we try to have everything our brides need set up and ready to go. Leslie works diligently every day (and night as she researches,) to make sure our barn is decorated in a theme that will cause our brides and their guests to smile from ear to ear when they enter our wedding venue. I have heard our brides say more than once,"Wow.. I think I will just use your decorations and take mine back!"
Occasionally our brides have a specific wedding theme in mind, and this makes Leslie light up with joy! Yes, it's a lot of hard work, but especially worth it for the bride traveling from out of state who wants her very own wedding colors and decor. The bride (and in this case her mother,) can commission Leslie to do as much or as little as they need. They can pay a deposit and allow Leslie to acquire the decorations, materials, and team decorating members... and any part of the funds unused will be refunded or the credit card can be charged as the project expands. Or, as in this spring wedding, the bride can supply the materials herself and tell Leslie and her team members what to do with them. Leslie will give a price based on the hours required to complete the project. All the bride, groom, and guests have to do is show up and enjoy.
We already have seating, tables, and white table cloths for up to 100 of your closest family and friends. (We have both round and rectangular tables, along with seasonal decor, a few antiques, burlap, and old window panes.) Amber and John were right in the middle with 50 wedding guests who were delighted as they entered the grounds, writing cards and signing the guest book as they went. Our primroses had just begun to bloom in earnest, pretty in pink to accent the gorgeous blues in Amber's peacock wedding theme.
Let's go ahead and show off several of the little vignettes and stations that Amber's mother requested...from the scrumptious candy table to all the little things that the guests admired during Amber's wedding day at Honeysuckle Hills.
The overall view of the reception area... bows on the wedding chairs by our very own Aunt Sharon
How could you possibly turn down candy when even the containers are so lovely?
The sparklers awaiting the send off of the bride and groom later in the evening...
Chef Tony Catering... I simply can't give enough praise to Tony McClanahan and his wonderful staff! Chef Tony is likely your second contact once you call or email us at Honeysuckle Hills, especially if you choose one of our all-inclusive wedding packages. He is as dedicated to our brides' happiness as we are, and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to planning your meal and even the wedding cake. And of course, Amber's cake was a peacock! (I swear I don't think there's anything Chef Tony can't do!) Do you have several children attending your wedding? Just look at one of the smiles he put on these darlings faces with the chicken nugget table...
Chef Tony and the "happy table" for the children, complete with chicken nuggets!
Chef Tony's wedding cakes taste even better than they look! (Trust me, I got two slices myself...)
The adults at Amber's wedding enjoyed their tasty home-made meal by Chef Tony Catering, too!
Amber's mother, Janice, put a lot of thought and hard work into this wedding herself, because she wanted to be as much a part of her daughter's wedding as she could. This meant gathering all the supplies and then dictating her thoughts to our wedding coordinator, Leslie. She and Leslie texted and talked frequently, and one day Leslie realized that this day was going to be such a grand display that without a DJ, it would be like a present without a bow. (Leslie and I often announce wedding events ourselves, but with all this splendor we would simply not do it justice!)
Turn up the sound, turn up the fun, turn up the emotion... with Scott and KnoxVegas DJ's!
As with most of our all-inclusive Smoky Mountain weddings at Honeysuckle Hills, DJ Scott Goebel is more "behind the scenes" as he guides the wedding mood with his music and soothing voice. During such intimate moments as the father-daughter dance, all the emphasis should be focused on the bride and her father. When the time comes, Scott can turn it up a notch or two or three... and keep everyone's feet moving and entertained the entire afternoon! He always has up-to-date technology, a convenient on-line form to plan your announcements and music (plus personal contact any time you like in between.) Scott has been a Honeysuckle Hills team member for over three years now, putting that finishing touch (the bow) on all the pretty wedding packages!
Last but not least... Amber's photography. At Honeysuckle Hills, we have come to realize over the years that this is still the most important aspect of the wedding, because it leaves a tangible, lasting smile or tear every time you view your images. And yes, we know your guests love photography, too, even though they may not go about it the same way we do. That's why we allow cameras on our property and encourage your guests to use them. The only time we don't allow them to follow us around is when we are photographing the bride and groom alone. (It would be too difficult to guide and elicit the emotion from our couples, and to execute the professional techniques we have learned over the past 14 years.)
Just like Amber's wedding theme, her photography pulled out all the stops... complete with "trash the dress" at the end in our cool, mountain stream that runs through the Honeysuckle Hills farm.
This "Signature Art" wedding photograph was created with one of Amber's images in our creek at Honeysuckle Hills, along with a photograph of the mountain stream at Starkeytown Cove (our newest, ultra-private, primitive mountain wedding venue.)
Leslie's duties are endless... wedding coordinator, lighting and photography assistant, and here..."lifeguard"
Another touch of art added to a barn wedding scene at our wedding venue in Pigeon Forge...
The swing beneath our sycamore tree is still one of the most popular requests we get for a wedding photograph. This is also a great example of the reason we don't allow guests to follow us with their own cameras during this part of the wedding photography...It would be extremely difficult to get our couples to relax enough to show this much emotion and passion with too much "paparazzi."
Whether you use all the decorations already set up along with natural beauty of our landscape... or if you commission Leslie to fully re-decorate and re-invent our wedding venue to suit your own theme... you're going to become part of the Honeysuckle Hills family in the process! Brides come to us because of our vintage barn atmosphere, and they also come because of the fresh, mountain air appeal. We've had brides on a budget and we've had brides with unlimited resources... the only thing that matters to us is that you're happy when it's all said and done. YOU are important to us!
