Fall Wedding at River Johns Outfitters

Knoxville Wedding Photographer – 2 Hodges Photography

We absolutely loved shooting a fall wedding at River Johns Outfitters in Maryville, TN near Knoxville. River Johns is a private island surrounded by river and quarry wall. It’s absolutely beautiful and created the perfect setting for our couple. Not only is the River Johns Outfitters family special to the groom but also the atmosphere perfectly complemented the couples’ adventurous spirit. The bride and groom are both serving in the U. S. Air Force, and while their wedding was not a military wedding, it certainly embraced several military elements. It was a non-traditional wedding with unique touches and a romantic, fall wedding style.

Being in the Air Force, our bride is best friends with guys, so she surrounded herself with bridesmen instead of the traditional bridesmaids. They did an excellent job supporting her throughout her wedding day – holding her flowers and helping to hold the train of her dress as she walked around the island for photos. We should mention that just two days before the wedding, the island was submerged in water because we had the fourth rainiest October in history! Thankfully no one got too muddy! The groom surrounded himself with his lifelong best friends, so they wore brown tuxes as opposed to military garb, and the wedding officiant is actually a mentor to the couple from their time in the Air Force.

We loved all of the fall details for this wedding! While a lot of the décor was DIY, we did get to work with some great vendors including Southern Belle Beauty, Buddy’s Bar B Q, and Sugarbuzz.

We also loved the special touches, including a memorial to a grandmother who recently passed and several elements monogrammed into the wedding dress and onto the groom’s shirt cuffs. The bride also made a stunning winter bridal cape, perfect for when the temperature dropped after sunset. And just wait until you see her fully-custom, fully-lifted quad cab Chevy truck (yes, her truck!)

This story would not be complete without mentioning our favorite reception moment – when the bridesmen serenaded the the bride Top Gun style with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.”

To our bride and groom: We loved being your Knoxville wedding photographer! We love a wedding where we get to spend so much of it laughing with the wedding party. Thank you for asking us to be part of your special day!