Tennessee Mountain Wedding by Watson Studios
Some weddings are beautiful and then there are those that are sweet and full of sentiment and once in a while the stars align and a wedding comes along that is all of the above. That is just such the case with this eye popping, jaw dropping gorgeous wedding photographed by Watson Studios. Set in the mountains of Tennessee, these nuptials were a culmination of a very trying year for the bride and groom which resulted in a highly anticipated celebration among friends and family. Be sure to read the Bride’s story below that details her and her husband’s journey to the altar. Congrats Katie and Johan. We are so glad all turned out so beautifully for you two!
{click here for the FULL wedding gallery}
Johan and I met in January of 2009. He from Denmark and I from the mountains of Tennessee, it was an unlikely but meant-to-be meeting: he had made a New Year’s resolution to volunteer, and I was working as the Director of Volunteers at a not-for-profit agency. The rest was history. Though we weren’t officially engaged until July, I’d started carving out ideas for our wedding long before and even bought my wedding dress prior to the proposal (when you know, you know!). The wedding was to be held at the private, mountaintop estate of some dear and generous friends, and I had a pretty clear vision of what our wedding should be: elegant, a touch of vintage, natural, and as laid back as possible.
Sadly, our plans were put on hold last October, when Johan was critically injured in a motorcycle accident. After several months in the hospital recovering from multiple injuries and a subsequent stroke, he had a number of surgeries and months and months of rehab. By March we were finally back to wedding planning, but by that point, we were not only exhausted but on quite a compressed timeline for our early May wedding date.
The fortunate part was that the reality of the accident and the rigors and stress of his recovery completely shifted our perspective: we chose to focus on the fact that we were having a wedding at all and channeled our efforts into ensuring the day was a celebration of our love and what it had already carried us through. Part of this included opting for a more intimate feel, cutting our guest list by more than half and forgoing a traditional bridal party. We also decided not to compete with the beauty of the mountaintop setting and kept the décor to a minimum with a soft color palette.
We wanted to rejoice in not only our love story, but also the blending of our families and cultures along with honoring our very diverse guest list (we had guests from Serbia to Peru and 10 countries in between!) who had offered the love and support that sustained us through Johan’s accident and recovery. We also wanted the day to be very personal, and at the same time, it was important for us that our guests truly enjoy themselves. After a simple garden ceremony performed by our close friend and neighbor, our guests enjoyed a cocktail hour, which progressed to a seated dinner held in a closed tent. True to Danish form (and that of many European countries), we had an assigned “toastmaster” who coordinated a multitude of humorous, heartfelt, and colorful speeches. Our guests completely immersed themselves in the way of traditional Scandinavian toasting (dating back to the Vikings), which includes shouting “Skal!” and then having to make eye contact with everyone at the table. As in the U.S., if people tapped their glasses with their silverware, we had to kiss; except per Danish tradition, we had to stand up on our chairs to do it (not easy in a wedding dress!).
Though our road from engagement to wedding day was wrought with stress and uncertainty and was anything but typical, our journey truly culminated in a celebration that meant the world to us…and was world of fun for our guests. We couldn’t have asked for a more special time with our families and closest friends. SKAL!!!!
Photography: Dan & Natalie Watson of Watson-Studios / Wedding Coordinator: Sonya Scott of A Perfect Day / Flowers: Pat Felts of Clay Pots / Catering/Cake/Cupcakes: Tony McClanahan of First Fruits / Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Shoes: J Crew
40 Comments about “Tennessee Mountain Wedding by Watson Studios”
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Incredibly sweet, romantic and beautiful - made all the more so by the story of everyhting that happened on their journey to the altar. I adore the feel of this wedding and the soft colours, and am also crazy about the dress.
Oh my. Serious tears... what a journey. So happy for the couple. Beautiful day.
My goodness, this is absolutely GORG. I feel like every single detail is perfection: the cake, the cupcakes, the drinks, the centerpieces, THE BRIDE! Now she is a stunner. This might be my obsession of the day.
beautiful, simple and elegant. love it. love the dress. love the bride. love the story.
Beautiful lace dress...everything is so romantic + pretty :-)
What a great story! I love her dress and the cupcake tower is the sweetest thing ever :)
Have to agree. Everything is absolutely beautiful. And their story ~ sooo touching. Congratulations to the newlyweds!
What an intense story - I'm so glad Johan is better! Congratulations!! The wedding is gorgeous (dress and flower - omg!), and may have just completely changed my ideas for my wedding!
So beautiful! That dress is to die for! And she looks goregous!
Awwww. how sweet... and honestly that is the most beautiful wedding dress I've ever seen in my entire life... I would love to just play dress up in it for the rest of my life.
xxx
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What a very beautiful wedding- complete with an equally touching story. That dress is beyond gorgeous, and the bride is so beautiful!
Hi
I always get to happy when I visit your beautiful blog!!!! It´s just georgeus and so inspirational!!!
You should visit my blog today; I have a little surprise :-)
This is soososo stunning and I agree, that dress is stunning..like no other..Thanks for sharing....
She is by far one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen...Beautiful story!
Amazing story and stunning photos. I love the bride's dress and the venue is beautiful!
Thanks everyone! It was an incredible day for us, and we are so honored to be spotlighted on SMP! The dress was (besides my groom) my favorite part of the day. :)
OMG, she the MOST beautiful bride I've ever seen!!!
Katie is my niece and, I must say, as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside! While Johan's injuries paved a difficult journey for both he and Katie, their steadfast love and complete devotion to one another continues to set an example for our whole family. For those of us who love them, every moment of their wedding was complete and utter joy...and a testament that love can see you through anything. SKAL!
I have been reading your blog for quite some time now, and I have to say this is the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen on here! And she is the MOST stunning bride too!
Katie, so glad everything has worked out for you and your hubs! Gorgeous, gorgeous wedding.
Are you selling your gown? =)
Beautiful story, beautiful bride, beautiful dress! I am so happy everything has worked out for them. Congratulations!!!
Katie, would you mind sharing the name or style number of your dress? I see the designer listed, but can not find that specific dress. I absolutely love it!
If I had that bed, I would never leave it.
J,
Am considering selling the dress. Shoot me an email at khutch531@hotmail.com if you're really interested!
Beth,
The dress is the Tamara style. The Scarlet is a similar ML style with the open back but a different neckline.
The cup cakes on the cake stand look delicious it all looks so beautiful!!
Do you have more pictures of the flower girl's dress? Also where did you get it?
The flower girl's dress was bought clearance from jcrew and is no longer available. Here's the link, though: http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Navigation/Sale/AllProducts/PRDOVR~17164/17164.jsp
Katie, you are GORGEOUS! I've never seen a more beautiful bride!!
The bride is goregous - what a wonderful wedding, and done in a short timescale, how fantastic! Agree with others, this is most likely the prettiest wedding dress and bride (and couple) I have come across!! Good job guys - hope your luck has turned around now!
Absolutely, without a doubt, what a peaceful romantic union of nature and love. Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us!
The couple is beautiful. Can't imagine going through all that. But the wedding was absolutely gorgeous.
I love this wedding, so beautiful, as well as the story!! What part of the mountains was the wedding located at? I have visited TN many times and thought about a mountain wedding often and just curious as to where it took place for a reference point.
Hi Kate,
It was up at the private, mountaintop home of some friends of ours- very near (but not in) Gatlinburg. In G'burg, there are a lot of um, not-so-elegant places (think vegas chapels- not that there's anything wrong with that!), but there do exist other "mountain-y" venues I know of and have heard good things about. The Smokies are beautiful and E. Tennessee and even upstate South Carolina are home to some gorgeous places.
Wow! I have been visiting Gatlinburg since I was little for family vacations. I am not getting married anytime in the near future, but it has always been a special place to me and wondered how I could one day have a wedding there, logistically in the mountains and away for the less-elegant places in town. Your wedding has shown me that this is possible. Thanks, Katie for the information and inspiration!
this dress is perfection, i would love to wear it for my wedding, im pretty sure it might be a bit too pricey though
Can someone tell me the name of the Monique Lhuillier dress the bride wore? I love would love to find it for my wedding.
Hunter,
It's the Tamara. And I have mine for sale if you're interested. Email me @ khutch531@hotmail.com.
AMAZING. love the colors and details (:
What a touching story...you have nothing but good things to look forward to now.
Like everyone else, I love your dress, the way the demure neckline is balanced by the revealing back. Who says you have to wear strapless to be contemporary?