Being called the “Great Smoky Mountains” obviously let’s you know the views here are great. Foothills parkway is no exception. In my opinion it’s probably the best and easiest place to see the most scenic views the Smokies have to offer; which make it the perfect place for an elopement! Alyssa and Clarence came all the way from south Mississippi (shout out to the state I was born in) to have their beautiful October elopement with their closest family members as witnesses.

Getting ready at the cabin

I arrived at Alyssa and Clarence’s rental cabin in Gatlinburg, TN to get the getting ready photos, a few detail shots, and their first look. I stole her gorgeous dress to take out on the porch and get some photos of it with the mountains in the background. I also got some very sweet flat lay shots that included a very special bible and photos/ trinkets from loved ones.

Then Alyssa’s mom helped her get into her dress and we grabbed a few bridal portraits. Alyssa asked if we get a picture of her hugging her Mom and soon-to-be Mother-in-law on the porch and it was such a sweet moment. Then I headed downstairs to get Clarence’s mom helping him finish up getting ready.

The First Look

I had Alyssa hide on the other side of the front porch for her first look with Clarence, with her best friend of course shielding her from the window so he couldn’t see her! Got Clarence into position and then I stepped back and let them have their intimate first look. In these moments I like to tell my couples “I’ll help you get into position and then I will step back and let you have your moment. I’m not going to interrupt so just let me know when you’re ready to move on”. This allows them to really enjoy their time and feel like they should be “posing” instead of focusing on what’s going on. I get the most authentic smiles and tears and joy from doing this and it makes my heart so happy!

The Ceremony

We left the cabin and headed down the mountain to Wears Valley to meet up with the rest of the family and head to our elopement spot on Foothills Parkway. This beautiful pull-off has a gorgeous panoramic view of the mountains and has some of the most stunning sunsets I’ve ever seen.

We chose the open grassy area near the parking lot to get the mountains and sunset in the background (you wouldn’t believe we were maybe 20 feet from the parking lot with the scenery!). Alyssa’s step-dad officiated, tears were shed. It was precious, intimate, relaxed and the epitome of what I believe an elopement should be.

After the “I do’s” and an epic first kiss and dip, we took a few family photos and started their portraits as the sun was setting. With the clouds we were having and rain earlier in the day I was worried we wouldn’t get a golden hour, but WOW was I wrong! A good lesson to never let a little rain and clouds ruin your special day!

The rock walls on the parkway are one of the most iconic things about Foothills Parkway and we took full advantage of them. Although I will say grandma was not a fan of the newlyweds standing so close to the edge, we chose not to tell her there was a grass patch right on the other side of the wall. Definitely giggled over that one with Alyssa for a little bit!

I had been in contact with Alyssa’s mother for quite a bit before the wedding (Mom completely took the roll of coordinator and helped everything run super smoothly). She texted me one day and asked if while I was taking their portraits could she set up and area for them to have a wedding cake and toast and of course I said yes! So mom set up a little table for cake and champagne and we had a perfect moment to end the night with the happy couple’s family.

Your elopement can be absolutely anything and anywhere you want it to be. That is the perfect beauty of an elopement, get your closest chosen few or just you and the love of your life and make memories for you that will last a lifetime and bring you right back every time you see your photos.