Tennessee has no shortage of beautiful places to get married, but there is a big difference between a beautiful wedding venue and a place that can truly carry a luxury wedding weekend.
The venues I’m most drawn to have a sense of place before a single flower is brought in. They have beautiful architecture, incredible landscapes, thoughtful hospitality, or some combination of all three. They give you somewhere to spend time with your people, not just somewhere to host a ceremony and reception. And when the wedding is over, the setting itself becomes part of what you remember.
That is one of my favorite things about photographing weddings in Tennessee. There isn’t one particular look that defines a Tennessee wedding. You can have a formal black tie celebration in downtown Nashville, a garden wedding surrounded by trees, a weekend in the foothills of the Smokies, or a waterfront celebration just outside the city.
If you’re looking for a luxury wedding venue in Tennessee, these are seven that I think are especially worth knowing about.
- Blackberry Farm — Walland, Tennessee | Mountain wedding weekend
- Southall Farm & Inn — Franklin, Tennessee | Luxury farm and resort
- The Estate at Cherokee Dock — Lebanon, Tennessee | Waterfront estate
- Union Station Nashville — Nashville, Tennessee | Historic architecture and city wedding
- Cheekwood Estate & Gardens — Nashville, Tennessee | Gardens and historic estate
- Long Hollow Gardens — Gallatin, Tennessee | Romantic garden setting
- Diamond Creek Farms — Whites Creek, Tennessee | Tennessee countryside and large-scale celebrations
What Makes a Luxury Wedding Venue Feel Different?
The word luxury gets used a lot when it comes to weddings, and I don’t think it always means what people assume it does. A wedding doesn’t feel elevated simply because the venue is expensive or the reception room has chandeliers.
To me, the best luxury wedding venues in Tennessee make the weekend feel considered. There is somewhere beautiful for your guests to stay, somewhere to have dinner together before the wedding, and somewhere to wander the next morning. The food is memorable, the service is thoughtful, and the property itself gives you something to work with rather than requiring you to completely transform it.
There is also a certain amount of ease that comes with a really good venue. You aren’t spending your wedding day worrying about how everything is going to come together because the place already knows how to do this well.
That is the kind of luxury I’m interested in, and it’s what I looked for when putting this list together.
Blackberry Farm | Walland, Tennessee
If you’re looking at luxury wedding venues in Tennessee, Blackberry Farm is one of the first places that comes to mind.
Set in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm feels less like a traditional wedding venue and more like a destination. The property is known for its beautiful setting, incredible food, thoughtful hospitality, and the kind of experience that makes you want to stay for a few days instead of simply showing up for the wedding.
That makes it particularly special for a wedding weekend. Your guests can arrive early, settle in, have dinner together, spend the morning exploring, and actually enjoy being somewhere beautiful before the wedding day even begins. By the time everyone gathers for the ceremony, it already feels like the celebration has been going on for days.
The setting is also incredibly Tennessee. You have the mountains, the farm, the landscape, and all of that beautiful East Tennessee scenery. For couples who want a true destination wedding experience without leaving Tennessee, Blackberry Farm is hard to beat.
Southall Farm & Inn | Franklin, Tennessee
Just outside Nashville, Southall Farm & Inn offers a completely different version of luxury.
The property combines a working farm with a luxury resort experience, surrounded by gardens, farmland, and the rolling landscape of Middle Tennessee. There are accommodations, dining, wellness experiences, and plenty of places for guests to spend time together, which makes it especially well suited to couples who want their wedding to feel like a full weekend rather than a single event.
I think that is one of the biggest draws of Southall. It feels elevated without losing the character of the countryside around it. You can have a beautiful, highly considered wedding while still letting the landscape be what it is.
It’s also close enough to Nashville that guests can easily get into the city, but once you’re on the property, it feels removed from it. For couples searching for luxury wedding venues in Tennessee, that balance is hard to find.
Southall would be especially beautiful for a wedding weekend where everyone stays on the property, with a welcome dinner, a morning together, and a reception that carries late into the evening.
The Estate at Cherokee Dock | Lebanon, Tennessee
The Estate at Cherokee Dock is one of the best options in Tennessee for couples who want a grander setting without giving up the feeling of being somewhere private and beautiful.
Located on Old Hickory Lake just outside Nashville, the property has a large Southern estate, expansive grounds, waterfront views, and accommodations that let couples bring their closest people together for a weekend.
The water is a huge part of what makes Cherokee Dock special. Instead of treating the landscape as something you happen to see from the venue, the property lets you build the wedding around it. Ceremonies can take place outside, portraits can move throughout the grounds, and the lake becomes part of the experience rather than simply sitting in the background.
The addition of the Conservatory (a 2027 addition!) also gives couples another option for larger celebrations while keeping that connection to the outdoors. With its glass walls and views of the surrounding landscape, it will offer the scale you need for a large guest list without feeling like you’ve moved into a generic ballroom.
For a couple who wants a luxury wedding in Tennessee with a private estate, water, beautiful grounds, and room for a full weekend, Cherokee Dock is a really compelling option.
Union Station Nashville | Nashville, Tennessee
For couples who love architecture, history, and the energy of the city, Union Station is one of the most distinctive wedding venues in Nashville. The former railroad terminal dates back to 1900, and the building still has so much of its original character, from the grand lobby and soaring ceilings to the stained glass and historic architectural details.
The best thing about a venue like Union Station is that you don’t have to create an atmosphere from scratch. The building already has one.
A wedding here can feel formal and classic, especially with black-tie attire and an elegant dinner, but it doesn’t have to feel overly traditional. There is plenty of room to bring in modern design, bold florals, or something a little unexpected against the historic architecture.
And because you’re right in downtown Nashville, your guests get to experience the city as part of the weekend. There is something really fun about having a wedding that feels sophisticated and elevated while still being unmistakably Nashville.
If you love historic spaces and want your wedding to feel like a celebration in the city rather than a wedding somewhere outside of it, Union Station is worth considering.
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens | Nashville, Tennessee
Cheekwood is one of those places that feels special before you even start thinking about the wedding itself.
The historic estate and gardens sit on 55 acres in Nashville, with formal gardens, mature trees, wooded paths, and the original estate providing a beautiful combination of architecture and landscape. It feels quiet and removed while still being right in the city, which is part of its appeal.
For a wedding, the gardens give you an incredible amount to work with. The setting changes throughout the year, so a spring wedding surrounded by flowers has an entirely different feeling from a fall celebration beneath the trees. Portraits can feel natural and varied without having to leave the property, and the historic architecture gives the day another layer beyond the gardens.
I also love that Cheekwood doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard to be a wedding venue. It is an estate, a garden, and an art destination first, which gives the property a personality of its own.
For couples who care about beautiful surroundings, flowers, art, architecture, and design, Cheekwood is one of the most distinctive luxury wedding venues in Nashville.
Long Hollow Gardens | Gallatin, Tennessee
Located in Gallatin, the property is centered around its gardens and natural surroundings rather than a grand ballroom or estate. It feels romantic and a little tucked away, with plenty of greenery and spaces that let the landscape to become a meaningful part of the wedding.
I can picture a wedding here that feels very much like a gathering of people you love. Long tables outside, flowers that feel abundant but not overly structured, cocktails in the garden, and a reception that carries into the evening while everyone is still lingering around the property.
It’s a beautiful choice for couples who love the idea of a garden wedding but don’t want something that feels overly formal or traditional. There is enough character in the setting that you can keep the rest of the design fairly simple and still have a wedding that feels incredibly thoughtful.
Long Hollow is also a good example of why I don’t think luxury always has to mean grand. Sometimes the most beautiful weddings are the ones where the setting creates a feeling of intimacy and gives everyone a reason to stay a little longer.
Diamond Creek Farms | Whites Creek, Tennessee
Just outside Nashville in Whites Creek, Diamond Creek Farms brings a more expansive, contemporary take on the Tennessee countryside.
The property sits on roughly 100 acres, with rolling farmland, water, open fields, and plenty of space for a large celebration. Unlike a traditional rustic barn venue, though, Diamond Creek was designed with a much more elevated reception experience in mind. The indoor space has soaring ceilings, large glass doors, crystal chandeliers, and a covered veranda overlooking the property.
That combination makes it particularly interesting for couples who want the landscape of a Tennessee farm without wanting the wedding itself to feel rustic.
You can have the open fields and sunset portraits, then move into a reception that feels polished and formal. There is also enough room on the property to create different experiences throughout the day instead of having everything happen in one room.
For couples planning a larger celebration near Nashville who want beautiful countryside without sacrificing a more refined aesthetic, Diamond Creek is a strong option.
Luxury Wedding Venues Near Nashville
One of the best things about getting married in Nashville is that you don’t necessarily have to choose between the city and the countryside.
Some of the best luxury wedding venues near Nashville are only a short drive from downtown. Southall gives you a luxury farm and resort experience in Franklin. Cherokee Dock offers a private waterfront estate in Lebanon. Long Hollow Gardens and Diamond Creek Farms bring you into the Tennessee countryside, while Cheekwood and Union Station give you two very different versions of a Nashville wedding itself.
That variety is one of the reasons I love photographing weddings here. You can have a completely different experience depending on what you want the weekend to feel like, without having to leave Middle Tennessee.
Luxury Wedding Venues in East Tennessee
For couples who are drawn to mountains, woods, and a slower pace, East Tennessee is worth exploring.
Blackberry Farm is the standout if you want to build a wedding weekend around the Great Smoky Mountains. The scenery is beautiful, but the real appeal is the experience of staying somewhere that gives your guests a reason to slow down and spend time together.
There are plenty of other beautiful venues throughout East Tennessee, but I think the landscape is really the selling point here. You don’t need to add much when the mountains are already doing that much for you.
How to Choose the Right Luxury Wedding Venue in Tennessee
Once you get past the basic logistics of capacity, pricing, catering, accommodations, and rain plans, I think choosing a luxury wedding venue in Tennessee becomes much more personal.
Think about how you want your guests to experience the weekend. If you want everyone together for several days, a property with accommodations and plenty of places to gather might be more important to you than having a spectacular ballroom. If you love architecture and formal dinners, a historic Nashville property might make more sense. If you want your surroundings to play a major role in the photographs, a garden, farm, waterfront property, or mountain setting may be the better fit.
I also think it’s worth paying attention to how the venue feels before you add anything to it. Imagine the property without the flowers, tables, candles, and rentals. If you still love what you see, you’ve probably found somewhere with enough character to carry the wedding on its own.
Most importantly, choose somewhere that feels like a natural extension of the two of you. The best wedding venues aren’t necessarily the ones that look the most impressive online. They’re the ones where you can actually picture yourselves spending the weekend.
What Luxury Really Means to Me
After photographing hundreds of weddings, I’ve come to think of luxury wedding venues in Tennessee a little differently. It isn’t necessarily about having more. It’s about having the space and freedom to enjoy what you already have.
It’s having dinner with everyone you love without watching the clock. It’s being able to step outside together for ten quiet minutes. It’s having a beautiful place for your guests to stay. It’s eating really good food and lingering around the table afterward. It’s not feeling like you have to rush from one part of the day to the next.
And when all of those things come together, there is a certain ease to the wedding. The details still matter, of course, but they don’t have to carry the experience.
The venue, the people, and the way the day unfolds all get to be part of it.
That is what I love about these Tennessee venues. They each have something of their own, whether that’s the mountains at Blackberry Farm, the countryside at Southall, the water at Cherokee Dock, the architecture at Union Station, the gardens at Cheekwood and Long Hollow, or the expansive landscape at Diamond Creek Farms.
Looking for a Tennessee Wedding Photographer?
Your venue will influence so much of the way your wedding feels. It affects the pace of the day, where your guests spend time, where you take portraits, what you see when you step outside, and ultimately the memories you have of the weekend.
That’s one of the reasons I care so much about where my couples choose to get married. I’m not interested in making every wedding look the same, and I don’t want your photographs to feel disconnected from the place where you actually celebrated.
My approach is less forced, more authentic; less perfect, more documentary; less curated, more artful. I want to document the way your dad looks at you before the ceremony, your friends laughing during cocktail hour, the people who stay on the dance floor too long, and those little pieces of the day that you may not even realize are happening until you see them later.
The venue is part of that story, but it isn’t the whole story. The people are.
If you’re planning a wedding at Blackberry Farm, Southall Farm & Inn, The Estate at Cherokee Dock, Union Station Nashville, Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, Long Hollow Gardens, Diamond Creek Farms, or another luxury wedding venue in Tennessee, I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming up.
Hi, I'm jaimee
I photograph weddings across Tennessee and beyond, using a mix of digital, film, and super 8 video.
My approach is simple. I create space for you to be fully present, and I document what actually happens. You won’t receive photos that feel copy and paste, but something that reflects your day as it was. If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I care about your actual wedding, not a version of it made for the camera.
If you’re planning something that matters to you, I’d love to connect.
