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Best of 2013 | Smoky Mountain Weddings

Welcome to day 2 of the best of the Mountainside Bride 2013. Today you’ll find the best details to steal, the best photographers and the best advice in Smoky Mountain Weddings.

Best First Look

Blindfolded first look
Photo by Break the Mold Photo exclusively for Mountainside Bride

This was one of my favorite weddings of 2013. Not only is the bride’s floral crown delightful and the reception details lovely, but the special moments the bride and groom incorporated made this wedding meaningful. Here the bride removes a cloth blindfold from her groom’s eyes for their first look in the forest. How utterly romantic is that? See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Groomsmen’s attire

best groomsmen's attire 2013
Photo by Break the Mold Photo exclusively for Mountainside Bride

Hot pink plaid. Neck ties and bow ties, and pink, yellow and twine boutonnieres. Yes Please! The attire for the entire wedding party is sweet and charming, but still fit for a special fete. See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Wedding Favor

5-Erika-Follansbee-Photography
Photo by Erika Follansbee exclusively for Mountainside Bride

I love the heart shape, the fact that it doubles as a tree ornament and that the birds that will come to feed will delight guests and remind them of the bride and groom’s special day. What a perfectly thoughtful wedding favor! See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Venue

Wedding ceremony at Lookout mountain Tennessee
Venue: Lookout Mountain | Photo by Jo Photo exclusively for Mountainside Bride

The chandeliers are romantic enough but that bay window filling the room with light makes this ceremony and reception venue enchanting. See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Ceremony Idea | The Fight Box

ceremony rustic chic wedding via http://mountainsidebride.com
Photo by Revival Photography exclusively for Mountainside Bride

This, my friends, is called a fight box, and it’s one of the loveliest ceremony ideas I’ve come across. Basically, you each write a love letter to your future spouse saying everything you love and admire about them. You don’t show the letter to anyone. Instead you seal it in a box with a bottle of wine on your wedding day. If (or I should say when) you get into a major fight, or you’re going through a rough patch, or, one of you is mentioning the “D-word,” open the fight box, have a glass of wine and read your letters out loud to remind you of what made you fall in love in the first place. See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Bouquet

Gorgeous blue and white bouquet with lush greenery. Perfect for a rustic elegant wedding
Floral Design by Fisher Branch Flower Farm | Photo by Brett & Jessica exclusively for Mountainside Bride

Touches of pale blue and yellow peek out from this romantic white bouquet that is surrounded by lovely muted greens. It’s at once deeply romantic and organic in form and feel. A perfect bouquet for a romantic mountain bride! See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Wedding Gown

bride with greek inspired wedding gown from http://mountainsidebride.com
Dress by Ship to Shore | Photo by Sarah Rominger exclusively for Mountainside Bride

I choke up every time I look at this beautiful bride in this amazing gown. Mackenzie’s mom passed away less than a year before her wedding and Mackenzie had her mother’s wedding dress beautifully redesigned for her by Ship to Shore. See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Portrait

Rainy Day Bride and groom in Western North Carolina
Photo by Melissa Marie Photography exclusively for Mountainside Bride

Many mountain brides wish they didn’t worry so much about the weather because rain or shine, their weddings end up being perfect. And while no bride hopes for rain, sometimes rainy days make the best wedding day portraits. I am particularly taken with this photo. I love the intimacy between teh bride and groom and they lean into each other, and I love the metaphor of the umbrella as a shelter from any storms this couple may encounter. Kudos to Melissa Marie for capturing such a poignant moment. See the entire wedding HERE.

Best Hindsight Advice | Get A Wedding Planner

It was well worth the money to work with a wedding planner who also did day-of coordination. She helped us think through everything ahead of time so when it came to the wedding we really weren’t that stressed out.

~Maggie, Max Patch, NC 

If you can afford it, GET a wedding planner! I would have gladly spent a few extra bucks to have a wedding planner organize my wedding for me. My friends really helped me out, which I am so thankful for, but it would have made things run SO much more smoothly had I had a wedding planner!

~Emily, Asheville, NC

Have a dedicated person help make sure you and the wedding party are where you need to be at any given time (and that the girls have their bouquets for pictures!) Not necessarily a wedding planner, but someone to help things run smoothly.

~Mallory, Weaverville, NC

Other Great Hindsight Advice

Don’t be shy to ask questions. A lot of venues and vendors seem to forget that this is the first time you’ve planned a wedding (and hopefully the only time). At first I felt bad asking a million questions about details, but things went a lot more smoothly when I asked about things that were second-nature for the vendors but completely new to me.

~Gretchen, Candler, NC

Know and accept that things will not go according to plan, and have fun anyway. Oh the list of what didn’t happen the way we had planned it! In reality, only you and a few other people in attendance actually know how it was “supposed” to be in the first place, and most of your guests will have a good time no matter what. I worked diligently up until our rehearsal dinner, and then just let it all go and enjoyed every moment as it came and didn’t let myself worry about a thing.

~Emily, Pisgah Forest, NC

Do not schedule anything for the last week before the wedding, except your personal exercise and/or beauty care regimen. Get plenty of sleep and leave your schedule completely open to allow time for last minute things that will inevitably surface.

~Diana, Andrews, NC


Mountainside Guide

Mountainside Bride Preferred vendorsJoPhoto is a distinguished member of the Mountainside Guide, an exclusive vendor directory featuring the best and most reliable mountain wedding vendors in North America. Mountainside Guide members are screened and vetted for quality of work, reliability, and professionalism, both among their peers and on review web sites.

See JoPhoto’s portfolio HERE