Let’s be honest, we’ve all got wedding envy for those mountaintop Colorado elopements. The mountains, the greenery, the woodsy vibes – what’s not to love? But there’s also something beautiful about gathering with all your friends and family to celebrate your love someplace closer to home. If you’re searching for a mix of the two, Enotah Valley is the perfect wedding venue for you!
Emily and Jason booked Enotah Valley near Blairsville, Georgia, as a weekend getaway for themselves and their guests. They got to exchange vows in the lush mountain woods while surrounded by their nearest and dearest.
Enjoy Emily and Jason’s beautiful, woodsy wedding at Enotah Valley!
ENOTAH VALLEY, AN ALL-IN-ONE WEDDING VENUE
If you’re based in Chattanooga, Nashville, Atlanta, or even Charlotte, you know that Northern Georgia is an insanely popular wedding destination. You get all the lush hills, mountain vibes, and peaceful seclusion of Appalachia, and you only have to drive a few hours! Plus, if most of your guests are coming from out of town, it’s a great place to plan a long weekend getaway with the whole family.
I especially love Enotah Valley as a wedding venue because it’s truly all-in-one. Because it’s so gorgeous on its own, you really don’t have to invest money and energy into a ton of decor. Plus, you can do like Emily and Jason and book the venue for the weekend. Their closest family members stayed in the cabins on-site. Then, on the day of their wedding, they got ready in the cabins, took wedding photos on the grounds, had their ceremony in a clearing in the woods, and hosted their reception in the venue’s main building. They got to spend their entire wedding day in one place.
If you can swing it, I always suggest booking an all-in-one wedding venue like Enotah Valley. So much wedding day stress comes from coordinating people in different locations and getting everyone to the ceremony on time. When you do everything at the same venue, you eliminate the last-minute panic. There’s no better way to ensure you have a chill, low-stress wedding day!
GETTING READY IN THE CABINS
On the morning of their wedding, I met up with Emily and Jason in their separate cabins. I got to hang out with the ladies while they got their hair done, sipped champagne, and relaxed in the mountain air. Then, I popped over to the groom’s cabin for a few photos of him and his groomsmen. (But let’s be honest, the highlight was definitely hanging out with their scruffy pupper. How could I resist?!)
Before Emily got dressed, I snuck away with her dress and bouquet for some detail shots. I’m absolutely in love with these wild, textured florals from Southerly Flower Farm. They’re based in Chattanooga, but they were kind enough to arrange a drop-off with one of Emily’s family members. She got to have stunning, hand-crafted florals all the way up in the Georgia mountains!
Emily’s mom helped her into her dress, and she had this sweet little first look with her dad. Then, we ventured out onto the grounds for the first look!
FIRST LOOK IN THE WOODS OF ENOTAH VALLEY
Like I said before, you can truly do everything – from photos to ceremony to reception – at Enotah Valley. For the first look, I found this secluded spot in the woods alongside a tiny creek. Emily tiptoed across the forest floor, tapped Jason on the shoulder, and shared her first look with her groom beneath a canopy of pines.
While they were both drop-dead gorgeous in their wedding attire, they kept laughing about how strange it felt to be dressed up. Emily and Jason are huge nature buffs and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. On another weekend, they might have been sloshing through a woodland stream or kayaking down a river together. It felt extra special spending time with them in the woods. You could just tell they felt totally at home there.
After the first look, we invited the wedding party out for some portraits. Emily’s ladies picked out their own mismatched dresses, and their colors worked perfectly against the Southerly Flower Farm bouquets. Jason and his guys went with classic formalwear, but the groomsmen toned it down a bit by ditching the jackets and opting for suspenders. This is a great way to keep them looking casual and make the groom stand out a bit.
A NOTE ABOUT FAMILY PHOTOS
Admittedly, the wedding industry often overlooks family photos. You rarely see them on social media, and few publications share them when they highlight real weddings.
That being said, I’m a firm believer that your family photos should not be an afterthought. Sure, they’re not the most ‘gramable shots from your day, but they’re the ones that you’ll look back on the most. You’ll have them printed, framed, and hung all around your house. And someday, when the folks in the photo are gone, you’ll be so glad you took the time to get great family photos together.
Right before the ceremony, I gathered the whole family for some shots in front of this massive wall of forest greenery. And of course, we couldn’t leave our Emily and Jason’s pup. Dogs are family too, after all!
INTIMATE WEDDING CEREMONY TUCKED INTO THE GEORGIA MOUNTAINS
The owner of the Enotah Valley wedding venue is a collector of classic cars, and you can ask to use them on your wedding day! Emily rode to the ceremony in this old-school car, and her dad met her at the end of the aisle to walk her down to Jason.
When it comes to outdoor ceremony venues, you can’t get much better than this one. The ceremony space is tucked into the woods on the property, and it’s within walking distance of the cabins and reception space. It’s surrounded by towering pines, but the clearing provides the perfect amount of soft light to illuminate the space and really spotlight the couple. Plus, there’s a tiny stream running directly behind the alter, so you get the peaceful background noise of water trickling over stones. The Enotah Valley ceremony space is about as close as you can get to a middle-of-the-wilderness wedding without sacrificing accessibility.
Emily and Jason exchanged vows, shed a few tears, and were pronounced husband and wife beneath the Georgia pines. Then, it was off to the reception to celebrate!
BRIDE & GROOM PORTRAITS AFTER THE CEREMONY
Even though we’d already done their first look, I still took a few post-ceremony portraits of Emily and Jason. I always try to squeeze this time into my couples’ day-of schedules, even if they do the first look. By the time your ceremony ends, you’re much more relaxed. Plus, you get to feel the relief of having made it – to the end of the wedding process and the beginning of the next stage of your lives. That’s a gorgeous feeling, and I love capturing it.
After the ceremony, I also get to take photos of you and your partner with your brand new wedding bands. How cute is that?!
A BEAUTIFUL, WOODSY WEDDING RECEPTION AT ENOTAH VALLEY
As if the rest of Enotah Valley isn’t beautiful enough, the reception space really knocks it out of the park. The reception cabin features a huge covered patio, which Emily and Jason utilized for cocktail hour. They set up a donut tower for those with a sweet tooth and a popcorn bar with all the fixings for a crunchy, salty bar snack. Their guests got to sip beer, enjoy the fresh air, and look out over the wildflowers while they waited on the new couple. It doesn’t get much more peaceful than that.
After cocktail hour, the bride and groom met their guests inside the reception cabin, listened to a sweet speech by her dad, and shared their first dance under the old exposed rafters and twinkling lights. We popped outside for a sparkler send-off at dusk, and then the happy couple spent the night dancing with their friends and family before retiring to their cabin for the night.
LOOKING FOR YOUR OWN WEDDING WEEKEND GETAWAY?
You really can’t go wrong anywhere in northern Georgia, but I highly suggest Enotah Valley if you’re looking for an all-in-one, peaceful wedding venue. Emily and Jason’s day was gorgeous and relaxing, and it truly felt like their guests were having the time of their lives. That’s what you want, after all.
If you’re planning your own getaway wedding, I want in! Head over to my contact page, shoot me a message, and let’s plan the perfect day for you and your partner.
For more wedding inspiration, check out the blog!
