Foothills Parkway Winter Elopement

Hold on to your hats, because today we’re sharing a beautiful, epic, and windy elopement on the Foothills Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Megan and Zach met in March. When they were telling us how they fell in love, they said, “You know that feeling of when you know, you know? That’s exactly how we felt – we just knew we were meant to be together. When you find the one that completes your heart and makes you feel whole again, why wait to start your lives together?”

They spent most of the quarantine together, so they were able to focus on each other instead of all the distractions they would have had in a non-pandemic world. It was simply the both of them together.

Fast forward to late October. Megan reached out to us and said they’re having a wedding in their hometown next April, but they want to elope by the end of the year. “We love the idea of having an intimate ceremony just the 2 of us,” she said.

And so we helped them plan their smoky mountain elopement on the Foothills Parkway in 2 months. They packed up their car, drove to the smokies and got married on one of the warmest & most windy days of winter!

“My mom curled my hair that morning before we left,” Megan said. “We had a 2 1/2 hour drive to the location so I sat like a robot in the car to not mess my hair up….The wind took care of the rest for me.”

Her red skirt danced in the wind, and the golden sunset over the Appalachian Mountains was unforgettable. As the sun was setting, we all paused for a moment to take it in. Megan and Zach snuggled together watching the orange sky blazing over layers and layers of mountains – the most memorable scene for their wedding day they will never forget.

I looked over and Joe was perched on top of a huge rock just staring at the sunset as happy and content as I’ve seen him – his usual shooting location is perched somewhere that requires climbing or rock hopping. The peacefulness of being on top of the world while the wind blew across our faces. I took a deep breath. Time stopped. And we all stared as the sun dipped behind the mountains.

• Location – Foothills Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Officiant – Chaplain Fred Patterson
• Skirt & Top – Amazon
• Wreath – Etsy, Shop Country Chic by Teresa

About the Foothills Parkway

The Foothills Parkway in Tennessee is one of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most beautiful and scenic locations with amazing sunsets. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon drive, stargazing, leaf peeping in the fall, or a summer picnic. But, it’s also a jaw-dropping location for elopements and intimate weddings – with overlooks, a waterfall, and the recently completed “Missing Link.” If you’re thinking about having a Smoky Mountain wedding, elopement or engagement photos, the Foothills Parkway should be on your list.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Wedding Photographers

JoPhoto is a license and approved wedding photographer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smokies are a beautiful location for weddings, elopements, and engagement photos. Some of our favorite wedding locations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park include Spence Cabin, Elkmont, Greenbrier, and the Foothills Parkway.

We are authorized Great Smoky Mountains National Park wedding photographers, and the park is a beautiful destination for mountain weddings, elopements, and photo sessions. If you live in Knoxville, Maryville, East Tennessee, or you are traveling to Gatlinburg, Sevierville, or Pigeon Forge from out of state, then you know how gorgeous the national park is for photos. We have the permit required to photograph weddings in the park, and we visit the park dozens of times each year to photograph weddings.