National Park Weddings

A very happy New Year to everyone. I hope this year brings abundance and peace to you all! Today I'm continuing my New Year's weekend special on top mountain weddings of 2010. Today is all about National Parks. Two classic parks in particular are amazing places for weddings: Yosemite on the west coast, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the east coast. Incidentally I have lived a hop skip and a jump from each park and can attest to the spectacular beauty of both.

Yosemite Wedding

When I think of a National Park wedding, I think of a rustic, down-home, casual gathering. This Yosemite wedding blew my socks off with its modern touches, vibrant colors, and all around modern elegance. Thinking outside the mountain wedding box, the bride chose modern little black dresses for her bridesmaids and donned a stunning Monique Lhuillier trumpet gown. The drama and sophistication of this dress and the entire wedding is a perfect match for the sublime beauty of Yosemite Valley.

Yosemite Wedding Images from Sarah Maren via Style Me Pretty

Cataloochee Wedding

I love this down home casual Cataloochee wedding. Cataloochee was a farming community in what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In the 1930s, residents of the entire community were removed to make way for a new national park. Many local residents with family ties to this land return to Cataloochee each year for a big family reunion. This wedding is the epitome of a love of the land and the importance of family. A pot luck dinner, a live Appalachian string band and lots of dancing were the hallmarks of this delightful and sweet mountain wedding.

Cataloochee Wedding Images by Torrence Photography via Hindsight Bride