Wedding Venue Rental - 6 Hours

My Search for a Dream Wedding Venue In The Tennessee Mountains

 

Ever since my fiance popped the question in March, we’ve been tossing around ideas for the perfect wedding venue. At first, we discussed a beach wedding, then a castle in New England, then a traditional church ceremony, then a rooftop wedding set against a fabulous city skyline. Everything sounded nice, but nothing seemed just perfect.

 

Then I started looking at historic and refurbished Victorian homes. Some of these are genuinely breathtaking -- not only spacious with many original features but painstakingly renovated and located in some of the most serene settings imaginable. My favorites so far? Let’s explore together:

 

What constitutes a dream venue in a historic home?

 

While each of the homes we’ve investigated is uniquely renovated and arranged according to the designer’s tastes, some features stand out among them as ideal for a wedding. 

 

Some of my favorite elements common to the best historic home venues include:

 

• Stunning entrances

• Rich, meticulously carved woods

• Impressive staircases

• Hardwood floors

• Traditionally intricate wall coverings

• Ornate fireplaces and fixtures

• Large, sparkling chandeliers

• Tastefully arranged decor

• Thoughtful color coordination

 

These features are pleasant to behold for various reasons, one being their picturesque quality for photo sessions. We’ve narrowed our photographer search down to a handful willing to travel anywhere in the country for a wedding photoshoot -- we’d like to be sure to offer them a venue they can work with while creating our dream wedding photos as well. 

 

Some of the homes have additional space in an outdoor feature also, such as a log cabin or cottage used by former tenants, which can be visited or even utilized by current guests as well. For example, we found a historic home venue in southern Tennessee called Moffitt Manor, which has a log cabin once used as a courthouse. The cottage has a fireplace, living room, bathroom, and bedroom. This space can be used either to stay overnight or just for an alternative for wedding photos -- or both. 

 

Like the castle venues in the American northeast, some have additional photoshoot-friendly features like a panoramic view of the sea, a misty mountain range, or thick greenery like a forest. Be sure to keep an eye out for these if you’re looking into your ideal wedding venue -- they aren’t always mentioned in the advertising materials.

Free Honeymoon In Our Estate Mansion With Rental - Tennessee Weddings Venue

• Boxed meals: Of course, most venues offer convenient breakfast and lunch boxes, customized according to guest preferences. These are easy to order, require little to no cooking, special delivery or assembly, and stay fresh for an amazingly long time. They’re ready in a jiffy and offer several items in each box to satisfy the palettes of most guests in one way or another. Although ideal for a Bed & Breakfast or another setting where a simple box lunch will do, a wedding may call for something a little more involved than these.

 

• Stocking the fridge: Another choice includes the kitchen being stocked, allowing for the wedding party and couple to cook as they wish. This involves a grocery list being provided from which the bride and groom and check each item they want to be stocked. This food is stocked prior to check-in, and they cook for themselves for all meals during their estate rental. 

 

• Hot meals provided: Another option we found offered is a choice of hot homemade meals, each including a main dish, sides, dessert, and beverages, being delivered to the estate at a designated time. The Manor in Tennessee offers two options for this, both including organic chicken, fresh-made southern sweet tea, and vegetables grown in the owner’s garden, for example. 

 

• Dining out/ordering in: For those who prefer to dine out or order delivery, there are usually plenty of options nearby from pizza to Chinese food to a full four-course meal from the nearest neighborhood bar and grill. Keep in mind a tip is expected for these options.

Most venues have plenty of points of attraction nearby for the adventurous couple or their wedding party

 

Once the wedding has concluded, and the estate rental draws to an end, most historic homes are located close enough to cities to offer lots to do. 

 

Within a drive of an hour or less, guests will likely find such activities as:

 

• Natural trails and possibly areas for hiking, kayaking, white water rafting, etc.

 

• Museums, aquariums, zoos

 

• Live music/concert venues

 

• Skydiving or paragliding instructional facilities

 

• Walking, bus, bike, or segway tours (can be hot spot tours, food tours, craft brew tours, ghost tours, etc.)

 

• Farmer’s markets

 

• Sports arenas

 

• Sight-seeing or dinner cruises

 

• Theaters

 

• Public gardens

 

• Breweries, wineries, and distilleries, some with tours and tastings available

 

• Holiday light displays

 

• Unique shops

 

• Helicopter rides/tours 

You can see how these settings are ideal for weddings -- they’re usually beautifully renovated, relaxing, drenched with history, and they often have the best settings for wedding photo sessions to boot. Our search continues for that number one historic home where we will eventually tie the knot. Wish us luck!

 

Please let us know if you have a favorite venue below so we can check it out!