This was my first trip to the Smoky Mountains and my jaw was on the FLOOR the entire day. I already love rainy days and overcast light, and the beautiful smoke-like fog that gives the mountains their name was determined to show off.

Morgan and Austin are from the Houston area, but knew they wanted to get married somewhere in the mountains. They were initially looking at a place in Montana, but somehow found the Magnolia Venue in Pigeon Forge and knew that this was the place. I can’t believe how much Morgan’s blues and greens in her decor compliment the colors of the landscape. While the rain certainly made parts of the day a little inconvenient, the soft light on the mountains certainly contributed to the day being as beautiful as it was.

Getting Ready at The Magnolia Wedding and Events Venue

Morgan spent the morning in the venue’s Bride’s space getting ready with her sisters and mom. I took a few minutes to photograph her invitations and other details in the light-filled main building. The stunning flowers were set up by the raincoat-clad team from Wither and Bloom Designs.

Haylee Handly, the incredible Houston based wedding planner who runs Water to Wine Events is responsible for much of what you see here. Bride, Morgan, sometimes works for her, and in fact, that’s how we met—I was the photographer for a wedding Haylee and Morgan were coordinating back in Houston some months before Morgan got engaged. We hit it off that day and I was delighted to hear from Morgan when she and her longtime partner, Austin, got engaged a few months later.

Morgan’s wedding experience and eye for detail meant she had a strong vision for what she wanted her day to look like. Morgan looks gorgeous in soft blues and greens. Rarely have I seen a wedding where the natural landscape harmonized so perfectly with the wedding design.

Wedding Day Bridal Portraits

Morgan and Austin didn’t want to see each other before their ceremony, so we took the time before the ceremony to get a lot of portraits of the beautiful bride—kind of like a mini bridal session on the wedding day. Morgan is as adventurous as she is graceful, and the rain didn’t bother her at all.

Reception Details at the Magnolia Event Venue

The best part about the Magnolia Venue is that the reception building really lets you feel like you’re outside in the landscape. The walls are all glass and mostly doors that can stay open in nice weather. The venue is situated above a picturesque valley where clouds collect forming the “smoke” the Smoky Mountains are named for. From the venue, you can barely see anything man made—and they even took care to hide the parking lot.

Morgan, along with planner, Haylee designed the intimate reception space with linens and accessories in soft blues and greens, as well as an abundance of white blooms from Knoxville florist Wither and Bloom Designs. Morgan used their engagement photos (photographed by me at Brazos Bend State park outside of Houston) as decoration, as well as for their guest book, which guests could sign yearbook-style in the white spaces around the photos.

Romantic Wedding Ceremony in the Rain

Every bride knows it’s possible, even with the most thorough planning, to have rain on her wedding day. Morgan chose to embrace that risk. The unimpeded stunning view was important enough to her that the wedding went ahead outdoors. The decision was made to do a standing ceremony, because the chairs that were supposed to be set out would have just gotten guests clothes wet anyway. As it was July, the rain brought with it a welcome drop in temperature and all the guests were comfortable with just umbrellas. Morgan and Austin joyfully stood together in the drizzle and said their vows.

Bride and Groom Portraits in the Fog

After the ceremony, the rain let up just enough to capture photos around the venue with the happy couple. We were able to capture all these photos in a a few short minutes. Everywhere you look at The Magnolia there’s an unobstructed gorgeous view.

A Sunset Reception that brought the outside in

The day's clouds gave way to a stunning sunset, which guest enjoyed from the venue's ample deck and open walls. Morgan and Austin eschewed the usual DJ or wedding cover band in favor of local artist Slade Adams, who they’d met and fell in love with at a local music venue on one of their wedding planning trips. Guests danced and talked and enjoyed the beautiful (and delicious) Pearl-adorned cake from local baker, Smoky Mountain Mason Jar. Their small-ish guest list (about 50 people) ensured they had plenty of time to visit with each of their guests.