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Bride and groom at sunset during their Smoky Mountains elopement by Tonya Damron Photography

How to Get Married in Cades Cove: The Complete 2026 Guide

How to Get Married in Cades Cove: The Complete 2026 Guide If you’re dreaming of mountain views, historic churches, open fields, and one of the most beautiful landscapes in Tennessee, there’s no better place to get married in Cades Cove. Located in the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove is one of the most popular wedding and elopement destinations in the Southeast. Every year, couples travel from across the country to get married in Cades Cove because of its breathtaking scenery, rich history, and unforgettable views of the Smoky Mountains. Whether you’re planning a private elopement for two or an intimate wedding with family and friends, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know

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bride and groom running in a field at sunset in cades cove

Lequire Cemetery Cades Cove Wedding | Smoky Mountains National Park

Cades Cove A Lequire Cemetery Cades Cove wedding in The Smoky Mountains National Park is a unique option to a traditional wedding. Elopements in National Parks have been all the rave over the past few years and their popularity has been building. I’m all about this trend and I hope that it is here to stay! There are so many reasons why I love elopements, one of them being the people! Most couples eloping are so chill! They just want to get married in a pretty place and have an amazing evening. They don’t want the frills of a massive wedding, they are adventurous and just want to spend the day together as a couple. The Couple Megan and Brett

Read More →
smoky mountains wedding photographer tonya damron

Reserve At Bluebird Hill Spring Wedding | Knoxville TN

A Reserve At Bluebird Hill spring wedding is always something to look forward to, even if the forecast is rain. For this wedding, the rain was for sure in the forecast, and boy did it rain! Thankfully the rain let up here and David and Sarah were troopers to brave the weather for photos. As you can see below sometimes the horrible weather can bring the most amazing sunsets! The Reserve At Bluebird Hill It had been a while since my team and I shot at The Reserve at Bluebird Hill, so I was super excited to be back. Jan, Haley’s mom started this beautiful venue years ago. I have such fond memories of this place! Jan would always invite

Read More →
caroline lombardo

Barn At Chestnut Springs | Pigeon Forge Wedding Venue

Barn at Chestnut Springs – Rainy Day Wedding If you’ve ever traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you know that the weather can change often! Caroline and Brett traveled to TN to get married; the forecast was insanely crazy, but we pushed through it with hope. I’m not going to lie, I started stalking my weather apps as soon as their wedding weekend started populating. I prayed for at least a break in the weather to shoot their photos outside uninterrupted. Thankfully it didn’t rain on their wedding day and I was relieved! Yes, I am a great photographer, BUT I can’t compete with rain so we have to make the best out of the weather sometimes! Thankfully

Read More →
trillium wedding in the great smoky mountains TN

Trillium Wedding in the Smoky Mountains | Sandy and Andy

The Trillium Venue The Trillium Venue is one of the top wedding venues in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park area. With its grand view of endless mountains and prestige vendor selection, you cannot go wrong with a Trillium wedding. It is a 10 out of 10 in my book! I am local to the area, yet I’ve never shot a wedding that consisted of local people at this wedding venue. It’s not because locals don’t get married here, they do! The majority of my clients in the Smoky Mountains area are destination weddings. (Fun fact, did you know the Smoky Mountains are one of the top wedding destinations in the United States?) The Wedding Last weekend, we had the

Read More →
untitled 1 3

What To Wear For Family Photos

What To Wear For Family Photos What to wear for family photos – this is one of the hardest things moms face when planning their sessions. I book hundreds of photo sessions each year. Most of them are in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or in Knoxville, TN. Some of the photo sessions are outside and some of the sessions are in the studio. Regardless of location or setting, the struggle for moms is still the same- clothing! I get several emails and messages each year saying “Sorry to bother you, but what should we wear to our photo session?”. Trust me when I say, these clients are NOT bothering me! I love it when people ask for advice

Read More →
Bride and groom at sunset during their Smoky Mountains elopement by Tonya Damron Photography

How to Get Married in Cades Cove: The Complete 2026 Guide

How to Get Married in Cades Cove: The Complete 2026 Guide If you’re dreaming of mountain views, historic churches, open fields, and one of the most beautiful landscapes in Tennessee, there’s no better place to get married in Cades Cove. Located in the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove is one of the most popular wedding and elopement destinations in the Southeast. Every year, couples travel from across the country to get married in Cades Cove because of its breathtaking scenery, rich history, and unforgettable views of the Smoky Mountains. Whether you’re planning a private elopement for two or an intimate wedding with family and friends, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know

Read More →
bride and groom running in a field at sunset in cades cove

Lequire Cemetery Cades Cove Wedding | Smoky Mountains National Park

Cades Cove A Lequire Cemetery Cades Cove wedding in The Smoky Mountains National Park is a unique option to a traditional wedding. Elopements in National Parks have been all the rave over the past few years and their popularity has been building. I’m all about this trend and I hope that it is here to stay! There are so many reasons why I love elopements, one of them being the people! Most couples eloping are so chill! They just want to get married in a pretty place and have an amazing evening. They don’t want the frills of a massive wedding, they are adventurous and just want to spend the day together as a couple. The Couple Megan and Brett

Read More →
smoky mountains wedding photographer tonya damron

Reserve At Bluebird Hill Spring Wedding | Knoxville TN

A Reserve At Bluebird Hill spring wedding is always something to look forward to, even if the forecast is rain. For this wedding, the rain was for sure in the forecast, and boy did it rain! Thankfully the rain let up here and David and Sarah were troopers to brave the weather for photos. As you can see below sometimes the horrible weather can bring the most amazing sunsets! The Reserve At Bluebird Hill It had been a while since my team and I shot at The Reserve at Bluebird Hill, so I was super excited to be back. Jan, Haley’s mom started this beautiful venue years ago. I have such fond memories of this place! Jan would always invite

Read More →
caroline lombardo

Barn At Chestnut Springs | Pigeon Forge Wedding Venue

Barn at Chestnut Springs – Rainy Day Wedding If you’ve ever traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you know that the weather can change often! Caroline and Brett traveled to TN to get married; the forecast was insanely crazy, but we pushed through it with hope. I’m not going to lie, I started stalking my weather apps as soon as their wedding weekend started populating. I prayed for at least a break in the weather to shoot their photos outside uninterrupted. Thankfully it didn’t rain on their wedding day and I was relieved! Yes, I am a great photographer, BUT I can’t compete with rain so we have to make the best out of the weather sometimes! Thankfully

Read More →
trillium wedding in the great smoky mountains TN

Trillium Wedding in the Smoky Mountains | Sandy and Andy

The Trillium Venue The Trillium Venue is one of the top wedding venues in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park area. With its grand view of endless mountains and prestige vendor selection, you cannot go wrong with a Trillium wedding. It is a 10 out of 10 in my book! I am local to the area, yet I’ve never shot a wedding that consisted of local people at this wedding venue. It’s not because locals don’t get married here, they do! The majority of my clients in the Smoky Mountains area are destination weddings. (Fun fact, did you know the Smoky Mountains are one of the top wedding destinations in the United States?) The Wedding Last weekend, we had the

Read More →
untitled 1 3

What To Wear For Family Photos

What To Wear For Family Photos What to wear for family photos – this is one of the hardest things moms face when planning their sessions. I book hundreds of photo sessions each year. Most of them are in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or in Knoxville, TN. Some of the photo sessions are outside and some of the sessions are in the studio. Regardless of location or setting, the struggle for moms is still the same- clothing! I get several emails and messages each year saying “Sorry to bother you, but what should we wear to our photo session?”. Trust me when I say, these clients are NOT bothering me! I love it when people ask for advice

Read More →

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