Mountain View Ceremony Location

The mountain ridge view at Honeysuckle Hills is one of our most requested ceremony sites.  Located on the back side of our 32 acres, it’s a short, two minute drive from the main venue area.  Everyone loves how they’re able to use all the pretty photography sites on our lower grounds in addition to this endearing view.  Rolling hills and meadow grass with seasonal wildflowers lead your eyes to views of mountain ridges.  The best flower bloom is from April through June, followed by fall blooms in September.  We do our best to keep the area seeded with gorgeous wildflowers every year, but temperature and rainful ultimately dictates the timing, abundance, and how long the flowers bloom.  The wildflowers bloom on the edges of the manicured, grass ceremony sites and along the banks and hillsides.  During the flower bloom times, be prepared to walk through meadow grass & along short trails for the best photographs.

There are two ceremony sites to choose from.  The first is located on the upper level, only a short walk from the parking lot below that has room for ten vehicles.  There’s room to park one car right next to this ceremony site, and it’s easy to drop off guests there as well.  This ceremony site typically has shade four to five hours before sunset, making a big difference in summer months!

The second ceremony site I affectionately call, “Lover’s Cove.”  A grass path leads down directly from the parking area to a mowed lawn nestled between two hillsides with a more expansive view of the mountain ridge between them.  This ceremony site resembles Cades Cove in the National Park, and that’s why it’s my favorite spot at Honeysuckle Hills.  The best ceremony time at this location in seasonal months is two hours before sunset when there is abundant shade.  In the late fall and winter months the sun is more welcome earlier in the day, providing a kiss of warmth.

Your coordinator will be in the lead car so everyone can follow her to the view, and she’ll also show everyone where to park.  After the ceremony you can either have family photos at the view, or ask them to follow the coordinator back to the main venue.  They can enjoy a bottle of water and relax in the creekside pavilion while waiting for you to have photos made at the view without spectators.  Later, you can enjoy family photos by our willow tree, followed by more photos in our gardens and more!

For a sunset wedding, it is essential to do a first look and ALL other photographs before your ceremony.  Otherwise, once the sun sets it’s dark.  The “sweet light” at our mountain view as the sun goes down is an unforgettable experience, well worth the sacrifices to achieve it.

Our fairy shed contains thirty wooden folding chairs for your ceremony.  Our wedding director will set up these chairs for you if you choose our mini wedding, a luxury elopement, or venue only rental with the added coordinator.  You’ll also have the option of choosing our hexagon or cross arbor with the mini wedding deluxe or luxury elopement.  Chair and wedding arbor set up is not included with the Simply I Do package since the guest count is limited to four or less combined with such a short time period.  To me, couples only weddings are more stunning with just the simple mountain backdrop or standing in the middle of meadow grass or wildflowers.

The rain plan for this site if you book a luxury elopement is the opportunity to change the ceremony time to suit better weather. You may also use the Creekside Pavilion or the chapel on our lower grounds for your ceremony, then return later for pictures of the two of you.

The rain plan for the The Mini Wedding is the opportunity to use Creekside Pavilion or the chapel for your ceremony and covered areas on the lower grounds for your photographs.

The rain plan for Simply I Do is the use of clear umbrellas if the main venue’s lower grounds sites are in use.