Theme Peacock... Leslie's Commission for a Bride's Destination Wedding in the Smokies

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!

Honeysuckle Hills Visits... Candler Budget Bridal Shop in North Carolina!

One of my Utopian fantasies would be the ability to visit each and every one of our Honeysuckle Hills brides in their home…  The last time we were able to do this was probably in 2008 when we took a deep south adventure to Mississippi to visit Mooney and Jay.  The cotton and pumpkin fields were so beautiful that fall, and I think that’s when I developed my addiction to boiled peanuts!

Erin stole our heart when she and Justin toured with us back in December.  Leslie and I relate to the down-home country girl, because really that’s all we are.  After scheduling her May wedding for this spring, we asked about her wedding dress.  After all, it’s the core of the wedding!  Normally we get the “Oh, I finally dug through corporate so and so store and found IT.”  Erin’s story was more colorful.  Apparently one of her friends told her about what I now swear is the “dress whisperer.”   When we found out she’s from just over the mountain in Candler, North Carolina, we immediately thought, “Road Trip!” 

After many attempts thwarted by snowstorm after snowstorm this winter,  yesterday Leslie and I loaded up in the Tacoma with Uncle Bill and headed over the mountain to visit with Erin and her mother.  I was so excited I didn’t even take time to stop and photograph the frosty frozen limbs on the Foothills Parkway. 

When we arrived, we were greeted by the “baby,” Rosco, who of course is in the wedding party!

Erin’s home was scattered with… you guessed it… wedding preparations!  Our favorite was the cans that spell “guest book.”  Remove the label of a veggie can, freeze water in it, hammer in the holes… paint, put a candle in it… magic! 

But on to the dress store… Before you start expecting something extravagant and exclusive, stop.  Just STOP.  And truly there’s nothing wrong with the big dress stores, because all of us are different and have our own tastes.  So please STOP again if you think I’m talking them down. 

This store is for the bride who wants an experience.  She wants to feel like she matters, not for how much money is in her purse, but for how important that moment is when she walks down the aisle.  We’re talking a culmination of a twenty year dream for Carol, who owns Candler Budget Bridal!  Can you imagine waiting on your sweetheart to propose for twenty years?  Now that her dream is a reality, she pours her very heart and soul into finding your perfect dress .   Don’t worry about your size, and certainly don’t worry about your budget.  No dress is over $300!  We’re talking both new and gently worn dresses, with a price tag well over $800 at most stores. 

Here’s the sweetest part… Once Carol helps select what you believe is “the one that tugs at your heart,” she places you in front of her mirror in a private room (so you’re not overwhelmed with strangers.)   With your eyes closed, she speaks softly, describing your loving family present, your walk down the aisle, and your handsome fiancé standing right before you… only then does she ask you to open your eyes to view yourself in the dress in the mirror.  Most brides cry at this point.  If they don’t… well, it’s not the right dress (which I believe just doesn’t happen at this place!) 

So, if you’re like a lot of us who know the best restaurants are found in little “holes in the wall,” or some of the most unique and precious treasures are found off the beaten path, Candler Budget Bridal in North Carolina is definitely worth your time!   I so wanted to try on a dress myself while I was there, but alas… I haven’t been proposed to yet, so let’s not put the cart before the horse.

No…I can’t post Erin in her beautiful dress yet!  But check back later… I promise she will model it for you!

To inquire with Carol, call 828-670-1871 or visit www.candlerbudgetbridal.com.  She won’t disappoint you…

A Summer wedding in the Smokies (Red Barn Theme)

This post will have plenty of wedding photographs to make your imagination sparkle like the lights that dance in a bride's blue eyes!

On July 27th, 2013, a team of women descended upon our Little Red Barn.  Some of them were professional decorators with years of experience creating a wedding celebration to remember.  I will never forget the reds and blues incorporated in their summer theme, because they went perfectly with the flowers in bloom on our farm!  They brought everything from burlap roses to a couch made from hay bales... a saddle on a stand for the kids... and even a nice little white tent for a little added shade.

The key to this grand scheme is making sure the entire day is reserved with us at Honeysuckle Hills.  Access is available from 8:00am until dark, giving plenty of time to bring any extra decor and props that we don't already have.  Our own decorator actually worked out a deal to keep many of the decorations you see in these photographs (which is common with weddings on this scale.)

This wedding is also the very reason we will now have some round tables for your reception in 2014... Kendra's mother brought in round tables of their own for this particular wedding in 2013.  Leslie fell in love with them... and what Leslie wants, Leslie gets.  (Hurray for all you 2014 brides!)  Uncle Bill is putting them all together even as I write... (and probably worried about what us women will beg him for next!)

The day prior to the rehearsal, I talked with Kendra and Brad to find out a little about them.  Get this... he thought she was not redneck enough to suit him... maybe a little too "prissy." I think by the time you see their wedding photographs with the big truck you'll figure out, as Brad did, that ain't the case!

This entire family was the most courteous, southern hospitality oriented, kick back and have fun bunch of people we've ever met.  Well... actually that's usually the kind of folks we get out here ALL the time, but we particularly want to stress that point about the McConnells and Sturgills!  FINE bunch of country people.  That's what we love about weddings at Honeysuckle Hills!

If you're planning a summer wedding, it's never too late to get started.  Remember we book well in advance... but if you're running a little behind then a little flexibility with the wedding date helps.  We'll work with you if you can work with us.  It's in our heart to make certain your wedding is as beautiful as Kendra and Brad's, if not more so!  We'll make it special for just the two of you, or if you have all 100 like the McConnell / Sturgill shindig!