From the Bride: We all know how much COVID has changed so many aspects of life since it originally began. I struggled to find venues with availability and also wanted to do something different that wasn’t something you often see, and with that in mind I somehow stumbled upon this venue in my search. When I found a venue that just happened to be in the same location where my parents were married 32 years ago, I knew it was meant to be. We knew we wanted to get married at The Trillium the moment we saw it, so when they still had October dates available for us to book our wedding, we didn’t hesitate or waste any time before booking. We’d spent so much of the last year not being able to spend time with our family and friends like we had before so we decided that we wanted our destination wedding to be a getaway for our guests, a weekend vacation even, to celebrate such an occasion with the people in our lives that we love most. When we initially booked the venue, construction had not yet started so even though I knew it might be stressful, we had to trust in the process that it would be worthwhile and ultimately all come together for the wedding we had envisioned. Leading up to our special day, we actually never saw the venue completed prior to the morning of our wedding and ya'll... it's difficult to put into words how I felt in that very moment and just how incredibly breathtaking it was looking out over the mountains for the first time.

From that first moment I walked into the venue, I felt like I was in a dream, I almost couldn’t believe that I was the one getting married there. It was such a stunning space and beyond anything we could have ever imagined or hoped for, with the most overwhelmingly wide open mountainous views that spanned for miles. From the covered patio where the cocktail hour took place showcasing our specialty cocktails with portraits of our fur babies to the Grand Reception Hall featuring the most beautiful chandeliers and wooden beams above us as we sat for dinner, I was in complete awe. Our reception took place inside the Grand Reception Hall but yet it still felt like we were outdoors with the massive windows and large glass garage doors opened up for a full view of the mountains. I knew I wanted to feature simple floral arrangements with lots of greenery and pampas grass but also didn’t want that to take away from the beauty of the venue and the natural elements of the Great Smoky Mountains. The tall centerpieces with pampas grass with gold accents and tiered candles throughout the table setting were perfectly eye catching and beautifully centered on the wedding party tables and ended up being one of my favorite designs and floral arrangements from our wedding day. Another thing that made our wedding day amazing was the separated areas for the bride and groom suites on the ground level of the venue. It was the most perfect setup!! The groom’s lounge was such a cool and masculine space complete with accent walls, a wet bar and custom bar top, outdoor seating, and comfy lounge chairs with a massive TV making it ideal for watching the UK football game while the guys were getting ready. And the bridal suite was beyond fabulous! With lush pink velvet lounge chairs, all the amazing gold and white accents, with its own wet bar for mimosas that was stocked with light snacks, paired with the most phenomenal natural lighting for flawless hair, makeup, and photos made it the perfect space to have a little fun while getting ready with my girls.

I’ll never forget the group hug I shared with my dad, mom, and sister before the ceremony. It was a private and heartfelt moment we shared where we all just hugged each other tight as we laughed, cried, and enjoyed our last special moment with the four of us together before I walked down the aisle.

As I made my way to the entrance of the venue and started walking down the aisle, seeing my husband’s face the moment I came into his view. We opted not to do a first look beforehand and I truly think it made for such a special moment. His initial reaction after seeing each other for the first time was such an incredibly emotional and irreplaceable moment that I will always cherish. I know it might sound cheesy or cliche, but in that very moment, his love for me was completely undeniable. It was an overwhelming feeling of love, excitement, and even further confirmation that I had found my person who accepted me for exactly as I am. I was reminded of just how thankful and lucky I am that I found the person my soul had been waiting so long to find.

Our wedding day and wedding weekend away in the mountains was more than we could have ever asked for, it was an amazing moment in our lives that we are beyond grateful to have. We were blown away at how it all turned out and we're thankful that we were able to share in this together with our family and friends.