Reception Location

With the Ceremony on Lock-down, I turned to the reception. The Church never crossed my mind. I realize that for convenience and cost sake that would be the most logical, however in favor of the great outdoors and alcohol, I turned my sights elsewhere. In keeping with my Oak Alley fantasy I focused my attention on Civil War Era mansions in Knoxville.

One of the first places I visited was the Maple Grove Inn, a Georgian mansion built in 1799.

The front of Maple Grove Inn

The facilities were beautiful...but the house was located nearly 30 minutes from the church. Since most of the wedding guests will be coming from out of town...we felt like that might not be the best option for us...

My second favorite location was another Ante Bellum mansion, The Confederate Memorial Hall, or better known as the Bleak House. Its beautiful grass terraces cascade down to the Tennessee River and would have been the perfect location.

The Front of Bleak House

View of Fish Pond at Bleak HouseHowever, it couldn't hold a candle to my favorite location. Despite having very similar facilities and locations...ie practically next door to one another, Crescent Bend had been the place I had wanted to get married ever since I was a little girl.

Every Saturday in the fall, on my way with my family to UT football games, I would longingly stare at the house as we sat in traffic. The front yard was always immaculantly kept, and I knew the back was terraced with formal english gardens all the way to the Tennessee River.

I had only two worries about the grounds. First I had heard that if you had more than 300 attending, you had to rent porta-potties. There is no way one of my wedding guests will be using a porta-potty. Never. So I made the decision to cut the guest list at 300. No Porta-Potties in my future. The second issue is that while the terraced gardens a breathtaking, one of my closest friends and bridesmaids is currently in a wheel chair after a car accident two years ago Caroline Can!. Would she be able to enjoy the party if confined to one level? However this ended up being a non issue. My wedding coordinator at Crescent Bend (yes I choose option 3) told me that wheel chairs can use the same ramps that the lawn mowers use to get to each level, so Caroline will be able to navigate throughout the lawns! I was sold...and we signed on the dotted line.

Crescent Bend's First level (which we will be tenting)

View of the Second Level (Seating and Dance Floor)
Third (Round Fountain) Level

Fourth (Rectangle Fountain Level)

I can't hardly wait to see the way this beautiful venue transforms for the wedding!

Ohhhh! And today I had my Holiday Shower, thrown by my wonderful Sorority Sisters... Pictures are soon to follow!