Parker & Silas’s Wedding Portraits at Newfound Gap

Smoky mountain adventure sessions are some of the most fun sessions I get to do. I love getting to meet new people in the mountains, showing them the best scenery the Smokies has to offer and getting to take some epic photos. A lot of the time the go-to location for these sessions is Cades Cove, and I totally get that because Cades Cove has a huge variety in backgrounds and lets be honest; its a popular spot! However, your smoky mountain adventure doesn’t have to be limited to the norm and Parker and Silas wanted to go beyond that for their wedding portraits!

These guys eloped the day prior at the courthouse and decide they wanted to make their wedding as memorable as possible! Silas reached out and asked if we could meet at Newfound Gap to start their smoky mountain adventure so I happily had my husband escort me up the mountain in his truck and we may have got out and taken some photos of our own and did some exploring before our couple arrived.

When Parker and Silas arrived I immediately flipped at how stinking cute they were with Silas in his full suit and Parker in the cutest red cowgirl boots I had ever seen and her custom veil covered in tiny white bows (when I tell you I was obsessed I mean that with my entire soul).

We started at the lookout and although they were definitely nervous you could not tell it from how these photos came out and their very clear chemistry!

After the lookout we walked over to the trailhead and fully embraced the moody forest lighting and the smokiest smoky-mountain-fog you could imagine.

We did a few twirls on the trail and then headed back down the trail to get some photos of the mountains in the background, but not before stopping a couple of the park rangers for a quick photo op.

I adore the rock walls used throughout different pull-offs in the Smokies. They add so much charm and don’t distract from the scenery. They even blend in well enough that the wildlife will come hangout nearby to take in the tourists and scenery (peep our spooky crow friend who perfectly added to the fall vibes).

We stopped for a couple shots on the magical looking trail right off the parking lot and then hopped in the car to head to the second location on our adventure- Kuwohi (formerly known as Clingman’s Dome).

P.S. if you park directly next to me during these shoots I will 1000% sneak a candid photo of you in your car!

We made our way up the winding roads of the mountain to the highest parking lot in the Smoky Mountains (obviously Jamming out to Post Malone’s new country album the whole way up). When we arrived Parker had told me the SUV they drove was her mothers that she has had since Parker was born so of course we had to take some photos in front of it with the mountain trees in the background. (Parker informed me her mother would probably have these photos framed!)

We walked across the parking lot to the lookout/ sidewalk for some detail shots of their gorgeous unique rings, her adorable corsage and of course-the iconic red boots.

Now to preface- when we arrived at the parking lot we originally had no intention of hiking up to the dome. I hadn’t been up there since I was maybe 4 years old (having my uncle piggy back me the entire way up) and neither had my husband. However after some deliberation with the couple and realizing it wasn’t as far as i had thought it was-we thought why not?

So me-being far too out of shape, and my poor asthmatic husband (an absolute trooper), and our couple in their full wedding attire and cowgirl boots started entirely upwards trek to the dome. We may or may not have had to stop multiple times to catch our breath and I may have been trying my hardest to make conversation without being able to breathe 😀 but can I say- TOTALLY worth it!

I barely remembered what the dome looked like and was in shock at how close it actually was. The fog and wind was INSANE but the moody vibes were immaculate. We snapped some photos on the way up and then there we were, the highest point in all of the Smoky mountains.

A little history lesson for you, the dome was formerly named Clingman’s Dome but shortly after (literally within the same week) of this shoot the national park had announced they would be changing the name back to its original name- Kuwohi (which translates to mulberry place)- given to it by the Cherokee people. Having a small percentage of Cherokee in my blood, this was some awesome news to me!

The photos at the dome were nothing short of epic. Working around other tourists taking in the view and working through the wind, the excitement around the place was everything. Onlookers were amazed the couple had made it to this point in full wedding attire- the comments and congratulations were endless! People were even snapping phone photos of them, making a fun memory of their own! We even had the sweetest foreign lady-I didn’t catch where she said she was from- ask if they would smile for a picture for her saying “we don’t do this in my country!” it was so sweet to me seeing so many memories being made for so many people just from our little adventure.

After some fun photos and my wanna-be-drone shots coming back down from the dome, we made our way back down the trail-a much easier feat than the hike up- for some flat-lay shots of the bouquet, vow books and rings. The blues and purples in her flowers melted my heart. A real flower bouquet made with all local flowers to the national park blended right in with the scenery.

Afterwards I thanked my couple for the adventure, and we hopped in the truck and headed back down the mountain grabbing one more snapshot of what I can’t believe I get to say is my home and made the 1 hour drive back home.

This is your sign to make the most out of your elopement! Even if you’re getting married in the courthouse, you can still make a full blown adventure out of your big day.