HOW TO PLAN A DESTINATION WEDDING IN THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS

Since you’re spending the time and energy to plan a destination wedding in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, then go all out! Find a venue that showcases the splendor of the landscape, with epic views of mountains and water.  Turn your wedding weekend into an adventure – not just for you, but also for your guests. A lake for boating, swimming, and fishing. A river for whitewater rafting and fly fishing. Proximity to the Appalachian and Bartram Trails for hiking. And don’t forget ziplining and waterfalls!

Choose Your Location
Your guests will be traveling to your wedding, so you want to make it worth their while. Make sure your venue is in a location that offers the activities your guests will want to do to make the most of their stay.

Most people who choose the Smoky Mountains for their destination wedding do so because of the natural beauty of the landscape and the plethora of outdoor activities for guests. If outdoor activities like boating, hiking, fishing, and whitewater rafting are a cornerstone of your wedding, consider organizing some activities for your guests.

Exclusive Access to the Venue and Onsite Lodging
Choose a venue that has onsite lodging with ample space for you to gather and dine with your guests throughout the weekend. Vacation homeowners generally prohibit gatherings, except for those staying in the home. If your venue gives you exclusive access to the venue, you can hang out freely with family and friends for the duration of your stay. Since your guests are traveling to see you, consider a casual meet and greet instead of  a more exclusive rehearsal dinner. Book the day after your wedding if you want to host a farewell brunch.

All-Inclusive
You have enough to do, so go easy on yourself. Select a venue that provides everything you need for your wedding at no extra charge, so you don’t have to rent a trailer with tons of stuff. This will also save you money! If you have a special look you want to achieve, hire a wedding planner who provides decorations. You can also supplement with extras from party rental companies.

Choose Your Date
When booking your wedding date consider availability, climate, and budget. May and October book up first in the Smoky Mountains. If you’re an early bird, you’ll have a chance to snag a prized weekend date. Think about what’s most important to you and your guests. Weather for fun things to do. School vacations, so children don’t miss school. Quiet times away from tourist season (January, February, March, April, September, November, and December).

Keep in mind, at the upper elevations, July and August have an average high of 80 degrees and average low of 70 – not the scorching heat most people associate with those months. July and August book more slowly, so if you’re looking for an available date, chances are the summer months still have open weekends.

If you want to save some money on the venue, consider a weekday or off-season option. Prices during the week and between mid-November and mid-April are steeply discounted.

Take Advantage of Local Vendors
Instead of going on a hunt for vendors far and wide to support your wedding, make sure you first check out your venue’s fully vetted local vendor list. These vendors won’t charge travel fees and are most likely available for your wedding . You will also avoid “oopsies” that might happen if your vendors are unfamiliar with the venue.

Hire a Wedding Planner Who Knows the Venue
Your wedding planner is a huge resource for you! Hiring a wedding planner immediately after booking the venue will help get you on a smooth planning course right out of the gate. It’s more important to have someone who is familiar with the venue than to have someone who lives in your home town and can meet you face to face. Think Zoom or FaceTime instead! Try to schedule a time to meet your wedding planner at your venue to do a walkthrough, so you have a mutual understanding of your wedding vision. Your wedding planner will help you stay on budget and turn your vision into reality!

Break Traditional Rules When It Comes to Sending Out Invitations
Send Save the Dates 6-10 months prior to your wedding, and then the invitations 4-5 months before. Your guests need to clear their calendars and book flights and lodging. Also realize that while you can’t invite everyone, you also can’t expect everyone you do invite to come. Plan on about 60-75% of the guests that you invite to come. So, if you invite 125 people, expect 75-100 people to attend.

Create a Wedding Website
Having a website is a fantastic way to share information with all your guests. You can provide maps, directions to the wedding venue, fun things to do in the area, and a schedule for your event. You can also advise them about appropriate attire for your outdoor wedding. For example, no heels! Let them know that cell phone service and WiFi in the area are spotty. You can give them the WiFi password for the venue so in a pinch, they can get service there.

Book Lodging Early, and Encourage Your Guests to Do the Same
If you’re getting married during peak tourist season, make sure you book your lodging early, and advise your guests to do the same. That way you can make sure you are able to book vacation homes closet to the venue and with the most desirable amenities, such as lakefront, lakeview, and mountain view.

Timeline
Make sure you build time for First Look into your timeline, so you can capture intimate moments with all the breathtaking scenery the location has to offer. If you choose a wedding planner who knows the area, she’ll know exactly how much time you’ll need to plan for First Look with your photographer and still have some down time before the ceremony begins.

When planning the starting time for your ceremony, photographers will love it if you choose the Golden Hour, about one hour before sunset, when the sunlight turns magical. That’s why it’s also known as the “magical hour.” To determine when the sun will set, simply enter your wedding date and location into a Google search. For example: sunset on June 16, 2022 in Topton, NC.

You might also want to build in some time immediately after the ceremony for some just married, romantic moments before you make your grand entrance and join the party.

You’re Getting Married in the Mountains: Be Prepared for Rain
In the Smoky Mountains, the weather is always changing! You’ll want to be mentally prepared for rain. Make sure your venue has an inclement weather plan and a generator! Power lines go down, and the power goes out, sometimes for several hours. A mountain wedding venue should have a generator that goes on automatically and powers the whole venue – lights, music, kitchen, the works!  The venue should also provide an ample number of umbrellas for you and your guests, just in case!

But remember, at the right venue, a rain wedding can be the most beautiful wedding of all. “Our mountains are called the Great Smoky Range because of the dreamy haze of impalpable mist in which they are always wrapped,” the writer and outdoorsman Horace Kephart wrote in 1905. That description is especially true on day when it rains!