The Magnolia Venue
The Magnolia Venue is quickly becoming a destination wedding hot spot. Couples love it for the same reason that I love photographing there – the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. The views of The Great Smoky Mountains are gorgeous and you’ll have a perfect seat for them whether you are married outside on the grounds or inside the grand ballroom.
The Location
Pigeon Forge is a small resort town with a population of fewer than 6,000 people. The town is located just five miles from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Being in Tennessee, the spot is rich with southern culture and country music. Despite its small size, the town brings in around 11 million tourists each year. The picturesque scenery of the quaint little locale is hard to pass up for people who want to visit Tennessee and desire lodging away from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
The venue itself has a wonderful, intimate, out-of-the-way sort of feel. In fact, it is so out of the way that guests must take a shuttle to get to it due to the steepness of the road leading to it. Don’t let this deter you though, the views from high atop a mountain are more than worth it. You’ll be able to see for miles perched above your romantic and secluded wedding destination.
Venue Options
The Magnolia offers you two choices of location for your wedding. As I mentioned in the intro, both of them provide stunning views of the mountains.
The Grounds
This is the option for you if you desire an outdoor wedding. The large patio with bistro-style lighting overhangs the mountain to allow for an obstructed view of the Smoky Mountains. This makes for a wonderful backdrop for photos of the ceremony and I thoroughly enjoy shooting there.
The grounds also have plenty of forested areas that also make for very interesting shots that I enjoy taking. Lots of beautiful pathways meander through the woods and make for excellent settings for photographs of the happy couple walking hand in hand.
The Grand Ballroom
If the weather doesn’t permit the outside wedding, or if you just prefer to be inside, the grand ballroom doesn’t make you sacrifice those gorgeous views. This massive building has large windows everywhere, so the view is almost as good as the outside. The building itself is also very beautiful. The exterior has a log cabin feel that is retained in the interior by exposed wood beams. The roll-top barn doors complete the charm of the rustic building.
Or Have Them Both
Okay, so technically I left out an option. Because the outdoor patio and the grand ballroom are connected, you can have your wedding seamlessly transition between the two, so you’ll have the best of both worlds. But, of course, the wedding has to actually take place in one or the other so this isn’t a proper third option.
The Bridal Suite
You’ll need a place to get ready for your special day, and the bridal suite at The Magnolia Venue is a fantastic place for it. The suite features absolutely gorgeous furnishings and the same lovely decor as the grand ballroom. Like the larger building, it is surrounded by windows so your view while getting ready is just as beautiful as the one for the ceremony itself.
The deck connected to the bridal suite provides a wonderfully relaxing ambiance with the same lovely view of the mountain range as the rest of the venue. Weddings are often accompanied by lots of butterflies in the stomach as the excitement builds. Stepping out there with the fresh mountain air and feeling at one with the serenity of nature can be a great way to calm those butterflies.
Amenities
The venue can accommodate up to 100 guests. They provide a selection of chairs and tables to give you a choice in how you lay out the wedding and reception. Your rental fee includes access to both areas, and only one wedding is scheduled per day. So you’ll be able to furnish the ballroom and the patio with the included furniture.
Inside the ballroom, you’ll find a complete sound and lighting system that you can use for the ceremony and for any entertainment that you have booked for the evening. You’ll also find a fully equipped prep kitchen. There are no chefs on staff, so you’ll have to bring in your own caterer to take advantage of the kitchen. If you do, they’ll be able to stay out of the way as the kitchen has a separate entrance for contractors to use.
Although there is no lodging on-site, the venue is located in a popular tourist destination and as such is located in very close proximity to some wonderful cabins and other lodging opportunities that you and your guests can take advantage of.
I mentioned earlier that a shuttle is required to get to the venue. They will provide you and your guests with access to parking, and with the shuttle that transports you from the parking lot to the Magnolia Venue. It’s a nice little touch, and although it is a requirement, it still makes your guests feel like they are being pampered.
Erin Morrison Photography
I am a professional wedding photographer based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. Weddings are stressful and hectic, and so wonderfully exciting. To the happy couple, they are filled with some of the happiest memories of a lifetime. Every photograph will bring you back to one or more of those memories. I love being there to capture every special moment so that your wedding photos bring back as many of those wonderful emotions as possible.
For this reason, I prefer a documentary-style approach to wedding photography. Rather than posing all your guests for contrived photographs, I like to hover in the background and capture genuine emotional moments. There’s no doubt that your wedding day will be full of them, and you’ll want to remember each and every one of them.
If you need a wedding photographer for your wedding at The Magnolia Venue or its sister venue, The Trillium, be sure to check out my portfolio to get a sense of my photography style! If you like what you see, contact me for more information.
