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Green Weddings in Gatlinburg, Part 1

river in the smoky mountainsLooking for a beautiful and eco-friendly location to have a green wedding? Look no further than Gatlinburg, Tennessee, nestled in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Gatlinburg area is the second most popular US city to tie the knot in, second only behind Las Vegas. Sevier County which includes Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg held almost 15000 documented weddings in 2007.

Why is Gatlinburg such a popular destination?

Because it is just beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful mountain views, trees everywhere, rivers and streams flow throughout the mountains along with many waterfalls and other scenic views. Plus, Gatlinburg alone has 13 wedding chapels. That’s not counting the chapels in Pigeon Forge or the fact that you can get married amidst the beautiful mountain views of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Cupid's Chapel of LoveOne chapel I fell in love with on my recent trip to Gatlinburg is appropriately named Cupid’s Chapel of Love. Small, adorable, and the epitome of romance- their all inclusive packages for intimate weddings of up to 40 guests are extremely reasonable. Get minister, music, photography, videography, toasting glasses and champagne, a wedding cake and hors d’oeuvres reception, plus a honeymoon cabin, all for $2400. Wow! Wish I had known all that when I got married several years ago, I could have saved a fortune.

How is that a Green Wedding?

Many things can contribute to being green. By having a small intimate wedding you are saving resources. Plus by having your wedding and reception in Cupid’s Chapel of Love, you are saving on transportation costs and related CO2 emissions. Add having your honeymoon in the same location as your wedding and you are getting really green, especially if you’re in Gatlinburg because of the area’s green efforts.

Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are both taking giant strides in preserving the pristine beauty and natural resources of the area. Just a few of Gatlinburg’s green efforts include; converting their trolleys to run on B20 Biodiesel, they’ve switched to LED lights for their Winter Magic Celebration, switch is a huge energy savings considering that they have over 3 million lights lighting up the mountain city during the holiday season, and they’ve also started Gatlinburg Goes Green-a program through the Chamber of Commerce that encourages local businesses to go green in numerous ways.

Stay tuned for Part 2 Green Weddings in Gatlinburg. Or click here for more about weddings in Gatlinburg. For more about green weddings please visit these sites:

Greening Your Wedding (Without Breaking The Bank)

Eco Bridal diy-upcycle-handcraft Your Wedding Dress

Top 10 Tips for the Perfect Green Wedding

Everything Green Weddings and More

Written by Wenona Napolitano

Wenona is married with three crazy kids that range in age from 4 to 18. She is a freelance writer, poet and the author of The Everything Green Wedding Book.

She enjoys reading, writing, crafting and gardening. She tries to do all of these as "greenly" as possible.

Her writing has appeared in several local and regional publications, Pack O Fun, Today's Creative Home Arts, and Indiana Living Green magazines as well as numerous online sites including PlentyMag.com, EthicalWeddings.com, MyEcoChicWedding.com, eHow, Associated Content, Suite101 and Life123.com.

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