The perfect place for a wedding in the mountains

Our trip to Berry Springs was a combination of our wedding and the first part of our honeymoon. We couldn't have asked for anything more. We considered a full elopement, but in the end we invited a few family members and had our wedding on the back porch, overlooking the Smoky Mountains. Unbelievable? Yes. Breathtaking? Yes. Beyond our wildest dreams? Yes. Quiet? Yes. Laid back? Yes.

We planned this trip for months; we had our pick of any place in the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. We chose Berry Springs; and anybody else looking for a great bed and breakfast should do the same. Their website is accurate; it's how we picked it and everything is as described. You can spend all day on the grounds or take off and spend part of your day in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. Our suggestion would be to learn the roads in the area as quickly as you can (you can get around on the back roads and the bypass; but you have to figure it out first) and pick out a place to eat an early dinner each night (the breakfast at Berry Springs is so good, it lasted us until 4 or 5 each day) and maybe see some sights in Gatlinburg.

Getting around those areas can be tough; it's a tourist trap. But less than 10 minutes away from all the hustle and bustle is Berry Springs. It's out in the country, easy to find (well, we only took one wrong turn at the old barn, but we figured it out) and just a gem of a place.

Our room was awesome. We stayed in the one cabin that sits outside of the main lodge in one of the honeymoon suites. Everything is as it looks on the website. You will be pampered and spoiled and learn to like it, because that's what it is.

We will be back. And that's the bottom line. Believe the hype. Berry Springs is a great place.

Bethalto, IL