Ah, romance, it makes the world go round. And in the Smoky Mountains, love and marriage are common features of life here. Gatlinburg in fact is one of the country’s most popular places to get married, and just being in the Smokies makes that easy to believe.
The ancient Smoky Mountains, with their endless mountain ridges rolling to the horizon, and the mists and fogs that hang in the valleys, offer an almost impossibly romantic setting. Couples come here on weekend getaways to further their love, and to propose marriage – especially on Valentine’s Day.
They return to get married, most popularly in the merry month of May and in the peak Fall-color month of October. They honeymoon in their Smoky Mountain cabin, they return to celebrate their anniversaries, and they come back after decades to renew their vows – this time with grinning teenagers in attendance. And that’s the world going round, in the Smoky Mountains.
Tennessee makes it straightforward to get married, with no delays and few hoops to jump through. Gatlinburg and the surrounding area offer lots of wedding services to take the headache out of the million details involved in a wedding, and leaving the bride and groom with the romance.
The Smoky Mountains offer overlooks as fabulous backdrops for a wedding, and tucked among the hills are several great chapels that add to the scenic atmosphere. The many hundreds of guest cabins in the area not only provide clustered accommodations for all the guests, but can serve as the venue for the wedding ceremony itself, a walking distance for all the guests. Couples can choose from indoor and outdoor options to suit their preferences.
Local wedding planners who know the local vendors can arrange all of the details, from the ceremony itself to the reception afterwards, transportation where needed, music and food suitable to the style of the event, last-minute coiffure and seamstress attention, and the all-important photography that is always best performed by good professionals.
As we know from talking with our own planners, professional organizing often ends up being less costly than trying to put the event together yourself – zero stress, less money. And venues and vendors throughout the area offer wedding and romance packages also that help to make the big day easy.
Hanging out as a couple in Gatlinburg and the surrounding area is just fun – and you can’t beat the company. The romantic cabin with a hot tub on the deck to laze in, a fireplace to snuggle, a heart-shaped Jacuzzi in the master suite, snacks in the kitchen, shooting pool in the living area – and that’s all while still being in the cabin.
Outside the cabin of course, if you ever leave, is the great outdoors, with Great Smoky Mountains National Park open all year and offering amazing scenery and natural attractions in any weather, from walks in the woods to scenic drives, to overlooks and waterfalls, and even the cute bear cubs in the right season (and viewed from a distance).
Human-made additions to the wonders of nature include such pleasures as horseback riding, ziplining, river tubing, picnicking and ghost-town exploring. Don’t forget the chairlift rides up the mountain, and the numerous coaster rides down again.
Even more fun things to do as couples exist in the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, from ice bumper cars and arcades to mini golf or even a large round of golf on one of the several superb courses in the area. Immersive attractions such as mazes, escapes and visual travelog experiences add to the fun of togetherness.
Live music is everywhere, in any season, as well as the crafts and arts, both reflecting the Appalachian history and heritage of this area. Festivals occur throughout the year, from Scottish highland games (and whisky sampling) to Christmas bluegrass, and everything in between.
Shops and restaurants are abundant (to say the least) in the towns and communities, and a couple can graze and sip across a vast array of choices, from wine trails to moonshine distilleries, from pancake breakfasts to steakhouse and seafood fare, and with every eclectic and unique niche food and discovery around every corner, from down-home to world class.
All of this happens within the turning seasons of the Smoky Mountains, excellent at any time of year, from the brilliant wildflowers carpeting the forest floor in spring, through the lush growth and tree canopy of summer, and the gorgeous colors of the leaves turning in fall, to the serenity of snow and ice in the winter.
