Bryce & Margaret: A Candlelit Ceremony at RT Lodge | Knoxville Wedding Photographer
RT Lodge is home to one of my favorite ceremony locations I have shot in a long time: a long and winding road, adorned with candles.
Bryce and Margaret got married in early October, which in East Tennessee means the light goes a bit earlier than your summer wedding and goes gold on the way out. Rather than fight that, their team leaned all the way into it — hundreds of candles set along a wooded drive, so the ceremony glowed from the ground up.
Why RT Lodge Works So Well
RT Lodge sits on the wooded campus of Maryville College, about twenty minutes south of Knoxville and a short drive from the edge of the Smokies. The main house was built in 1932 as a home for Susan Wiley Walker, and the property has been hosting gatherings ever since. Today it runs as a boutique inn, restaurant and event venue for up to about 200 guests — and, crucially, couples take the whole place for the weekend, Friday through Sunday.
That last detail changes the photographs more than any design choice does. When the rehearsal dinner, the bridesmaids' brunch, the ceremony, the reception and everybody's beds are all in one place, nobody spends the weekend in a car. People stay up later. They wander outside. The day stops being a schedule you are documenting and starts being a weekend you are inside of, and the pictures loosen up accordingly.
After the dreamiest ceremony ever, Bryce and Margaret danced the night away in a tent dressed to the nines. One of my favorite features were the custom table cards, beautifully hand drawn to dedicate Bryce and Margaret’s adventures over the years.
I hope to come back at RT Lodge. This place has been around since 1932, and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.
The Team
- Photography:https://www.instagram.com/branchesbro
- Second Photographer:https://www.instagram.com/morgansmythephotography
- Planning:https://www.instagram.com/alioliver_
- Venue:https://www.instagram.com/rtlodge
- Florals:https://www.instagram.com/thekatelier
- Beauty:https://www.instagram.com/irynamuah
- Rentals:https://www.instagram.com/aopartyrentals
- Cake: (https://www.instagram.com/caitylouwhooo
- Entertainment:https://www.instagram.com/theopulenceband
Getting married at RT Lodge?
East Tennessee is one of my favorite places to work, and a full-weekend venue is one of my favorite ways to work. I’d love to photograph your wedding.
