I thought I would start a series of Wedding Planning posts, starting with part 1: venue scouting. We toured quite a few venues before choosing The Magnolia Venue in Pigeon Forge, TN.
We considered a venue local to Charlotte but the ones we liked were already booked up in October 2018, primarily the Duke Mansion. A destination wedding sounded super fun but we didn’t want to go too far from Charlotte so that we could drive and many of our friends/family wouldn’t have to fly.
We chose October 2018 because we both love fall. The mountains felt like the perfect backdrop for a fall wedding. In Asheville, NC, we toured The Venue & The Ridge, as well as the Biltmore Estate. We looked at the Twickingham House in Jefferson, NC.
We found The Magnolia at Parkside Resort in Pigeon Forge through my sister’s boss at the time. Her family had just built it last year and there had been very few weddings there. We loved that it was new and right in the Great Smoky Mountains and once we went to visit, the view had us sold. The backdrop is breathtaking and at the top of the mountain from Parkside Resort, which includes 39 beautiful new cabins.
We could completely picture all of our friends and family filling the cabins and spending a weekend enjoying everything the Great Smokies have to offer (hiking, fly fishing, ziplining, etc.), while celebrating our wedding. We are SO excited for October, it couldn’t come soon enough. Check out the venue below & comment with your best wedding planning tips/advice!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Driving through the Smokies The Magnolia Venue, Pigeon Forge, TN View from the venue
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