One of my favorite parts of capturing Tennessee wedding photography is the opportunity it gives me to capture an incredibly special day in a couple’s life while also paying tribute to the stunning natural beauty of this amazing state! From majestic mountains to gorgeous forests, there’s a whole treasure trove of stunning Tennessee wedding venues in nature.

When it comes to where to get married in Tennessee, it’s just a matter of figuring out which of the many beautiful natural locations is right for your particular wedding! So let’s take a look at some of the incredible options available to you. 

1. The Trillium Venue

Located in Sevierville, Tennessee at the summit of Bluff Mountain in the Smoky Mountains, The Trillium offers a perfect opportunity to get married surrounded by some of the most stunning natural views you’ve ever seen! The breathtaking architecture of this high-end venue combined with its panoramic view of the Smoky Mountains makes The Trillium hands down one of the best mountain wedding venues in Tennessee! 

Photographing mountain weddings is kinda my thing, and wedding photography at the Trillium is one of my favorites! The Trillium offers everything you’ll need to have the most amazing wedding you could ever dream of, including:

• Both indoor and outdoor spaces
• A secluded location that’s still nearby to excellent shopping and attractions
• Overnight lodging for you and your guests
• A list of local vendors who can provide your wedding with an event planner, floral arrangements, and more!
• Proximity to downtown Pigeon Forge, a bustling area filled with exciting attractions like Dollywood, and only a short 25 minute trek to Great Smoky Mountain National Park!

Wedding ceremonies at The Trillium are held on the venue’s amazing patio, which is decorated with lights strung across the top and offers a panoramic mountain-top view that’ll leave all of your guests in awe. After the ceremony, you’ll be able to celebrate with all your friends and family beneath a beautiful covered awning – perfect for a cocktail hour, a coffee bar or a live band (as optional add-ons) to keep everyone dancing long into the night!

2. The Magnolia Venue

The Magnolia is a sister venue to The Trillium and offers a similar experience: a gorgeous high-end venue and incredible views of the Smoky Mountains. In fact, it’s located in the heart of Smoky Mountain National Park, and the mountain views are simply one-of-a-kind! Wedding photography at The Magnolia always promises to be packed with romantic images made all the more magical by the venue’s spectacular natural surroundings.

As a Tennessee wedding photographer, I get particularly excited about The Magnolia’s secluded knoll, which offers an intimate setting tucked into the forest and provides plenty of opportunities for photos that capture Tennessee’s amazing foliage with the ever-present majesty of the Smoky Mountains towering in the background!

3. Cheekwood Weddings

It’s hard to find a place that offers more beautiful Nashville wedding photography than Cheekwood Estate! 

Cheekwood, near downtown Nashville, offers elegant, high-end flare and breathtaking botanical gardens that make it one of the best garden wedding venues in Tennessee. Cheekwood offers several amazing venues for your dream wedding, including a historical mansion and museum, an elegant Japanese garden and the breathtaking Massey Hall ballroom.

While it’s hard to go wrong when picking a spot for your dream wedding at the Cheekwood, I have two locations at this venue that happen to be personal favorites. One is the Wisteria Arbor, which offers an amazing view of the surrounding Warner Parks and whose upper and lower sections are separated by a gorgeous fountain and a majestic double staircase. There’s really no place quite like it!

My other personal favorite spot at Cheekwood is the Reflecting Pool. Tucked away in the heart of a sprawling garden, the Reflecting Pool is surrounded by gorgeous water features and intricate stonework, and like the Wisteria Arbor, it offers an amazing view of the nearby Warner Parks. The Reflecting Pool really makes wedding photography at Cheekwood a real joy!

4. The Quarry Venue

Natural wedding venues as unique as The Quarry can really only be found in Tennessee! The venue was built inside an old marble quarry in West Knoxville, and as a result, it boasts natural vistas like no other!

A wedding at The Quarry venue is bound to provide countless unforgettable memories and spectacular photo ops. It offers a perfect trio of elegant architecture, natural surroundings and a one-of-a-kind industrial feel that serves as a beautiful reminder of why Knoxville is sometimes referred to as The Marble City!

The Quarry offers indoor spaces like The Carrara – an impressive building made of industrial steel and strategically positioned to offer incredible views of the forests and natural rock formations that surround the venue. Their outdoor space, the Canyon, is a partially filled quarry surrounded by awe-inspiring rock walls that encircle a grand walkway and large patio – all set alongside a pond with its own waterfall!

5. The Waterstone Venue

I love taking wedding photos at Waterstone! The venue is located in Johnson City, Tennessee, in a valley that was once a salvage yard but has since been transformed into a gorgeous natural wedding venue that overlooks a pristine stream (complete with its own waterfall!) nestled within a secluded wooded area.

A wedding at Waterstone offers a truly out-of-the-way event where you can enjoy a luxury, retreat-style wedding that will truly make you feel like you’re out in the middle of the natural world!

The Waterstone venue is also home to the Something Borrowed Boutique, a furniture shop curated by the venue’s owners which offers an array of unique and elegant items. Couples who have their wedding at the venue receive a voucher for the Something Borrowed Boutique, so in addition to beautiful memories and wedding photography at the Waterstone that captures the venue’s inimitable natural setting, you’ll also be able to bring home a gorgeous souvenir as a reminder of your special day!

6. The Cordelle Wedding Venue

For couples looking for the secluded beauty of a nature wedding without having to travel into the wilderness, the Cordelle Wedding Venue is the perfect location. It’s located in the heart of downtown Nashville, but once you step inside its 5000-square-foot garden, you’ll feel all traces of the city melt away in an instant!

The garden at the venue offers the perfect backdrop for breathtaking wedding photography. The Cordelle also offers a late-1800s Victorian loft in which to hold your reception. Between the natural beauty of the garden and the historical architecture of the facilities, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into another time and place! 

The venue’s owners describe the Cordelle as “an urban oasis” and I’m inclined to agree! You’d be hard-pressed to find another venue that boasts such otherworldly natural beauty and historical architecture located so close to a lively, bustling city like Nashville!

7. Hidden Springs Venue

Located in the charming town of Apison in eastern Tennessee, the Hidden Springs Venue is an absolutely perfect spot to get married for any couple who loves nature and wants to share a romantic day fully immersed in the beauty of the Tennessee wilderness.

Numerous trails weave through the sprawling forest filled with gorgeous ponds and sparking lakes. There are also six cabins tucked into the woods on-site where you and your loved ones can celebrate together after the ceremony!  

Wedding ceremonies at Hidden Springs are held in a gorgeously manicured clearing in the woods that offers the perfect stage for you to exchange your vows before venturing back onto the forest trails to immerse yourself in the secluded, awe-inspiring natural setting.

As a wedding photographer, Hidden Springs is a dream venue. Everywhere you look, you’re surrounded by stunning natural beauty that provides the perfect backdrop for capturing the one-of-a-kind romantic moments you’ll treasure forever!

8. Sugar Hollow Retreat

Simply put, the Sugar Hollow Retreat is one of the premier Smoky Mountain destination wedding venues. The splendor of the mountains stretches out all around you on this secluded, 300-acre property that boasts views of the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge Mountains along with the Smokies. Sugar Hollow Retreat wedding photography is sure to showcase the delicate combination of the rustic and the elegant that the venue is famous for.

In addition to unbeatable natural surroundings, Sugar Hollow Retreat offers an array of excellent amenities and accommodations including: 

• Lodging for up to 68 guests in luxurious cabins that mix the rustic feel of the outdoors with the comforts of modern-day amenities.
• Hiking trails for you and your guests to explore the surrounding wilderness.
• Wildlife sightings and birdwatching expeditions.
• Kayaking on the Elk River.

A wedding at Sugar Hollow Retreat is guaranteed to be magic. It’s one of my favorite Smoky Mountain wedding venues, and its secluded beauty offers endless opportunities for gorgeous photos that will preserve your memories of the love and joy of your wedding forever!

9. Riverwood Mansion

Searching for a wedding venue that captures Nashville’s trademark Southern flare? Riverwood Mansion might just be the perfect spot for you! Riverwood is a stately, historical mansion in the heart of Nashville that offers a beautiful courtyard surrounded by lush green nature.

Wedding photography at Riverwood Mansion will showcase an event that’s as dynamic and varied as it is romantic! Between the courtyard’s breathtaking foliage and well-manicured magnolia gardens and the mansion’s ornate chandeliers and marble fireplaces, Riverwood Mansion will lend your wedding both an indelible natural beauty and one-of-a-kind luxurious architecture. 

It’s really the best of both worlds for couples who are looking for a wedding that will transport their guests in an instant from breathtaking outdoor vistas to intricately crafted historical architecture!

10. The Venue Chattanooga

When it comes to gorgeous locations that lend themselves to magical moments perfect for wedding photography, The Venue Chattanooga really can’t be beat! It’s tucked into the majestic mountains that surround Chattanooga, and it is, in a word, stunning! 

The location offers a choice of two excellent spaces for your wedding: The Venue and The Garden. The Venue is a large, elegant indoor space that can accommodate up to 350 guests and features a walk-up bar, a full kitchen for caterers to prepare food fresh on the premises, and a balcony where guests can take in the splendor of the surrounding mountains and forests.

The Garden is your best bet for more intimate weddings that seek to immerse their guests as deeply as possible in the beauty of the venue’s natural environment. The location is centered around an outdoor patio set in the middle of a gorgeous garden filled with perennial white blossoms. The patio is illuminated with bistro lighting, and additional lights are woven through the trees that surround The Garden to lend the entire location an enchanted atmosphere. It’s the kind of beautiful location that’s completely unforgettable, and lends itself to some truly breathtaking backdrops for wedding photos you’ll treasure forever!

If you’re ready to start planning your dream wedding at one of these Tennessee wedding venues in nature, or anywhere in the stunning natural beauty of Tennessee, then let’s get in touch! I can’t wait to help you plan the wedding of your dreams and to capture all the beautiful, romantic moments you’ll want to remember forever!