– Bride & Groom’s Name: Alisha Blevins & Evan Hill
– How did he propose? We were going on a trip to Charleston. We woke up early in the morning to make the 6 hour drive. It was our 2 year anniversary of dating and he told me he had a “surprise” for me – though we had both decided not to get each other anniversary gifts because I was in graduate school and we were in the process of buying our first home. He brought in a small jewelry box – I still thought nothing of it. I took the box expecting it to be earrings or a necklace as he was getting down on one knee. At first it seemed so crazy to me that I was just washing dishes in the kitchen and he proposed to me, but I absolutely love the story because it was so unexpected and just a very REAL moment that suits Evan’s personality perfectly. He later told me he just couldn’t wait to get to Charleston to ask.
– Tell us about your venue and why you chose it: Our venue was a stunning farmhouse settled on top of a ridge overlooking the Holston River in Knoxville called Rivershack Farmhouse. The farmhouse is my DREAM home – every inch of it decorated exactly to my taste. It was amazing because our entire wedding party was able to spend the night at the house the night before, which made everything so much less stressful as we were able to enjoy our time with our closest friends the whole weekend. I will never live down the fact that Evan actually found this perfect venue after I spent countless hours researching and visiting venues all over Knoxville. It was the first venue he actually went to with me and we both knew from the moment we drove up that it was our venue – we booked it that very day! We chose it based on the incredible views (water and mountains), peaceful environment, and its potential to create a stunning, carefree wedding. We were able to create our perfect day with our ceremony taking place on the ridge overlooking the river, our reception taking place in a large grass field with bistro lights strung perfectly above the tables, and our dance party taking place in the amazing barn. Our guests were able to spread out throughout the venue and participate in activities they were interested in – whether it was hanging out on the giant porch bed swing, playing corn hole, sitting under the bistro lights and stars, or dancing the night away in the barn.
– What was your favorite part about wedding planning? My favorite part was being able to collaborate with family and friends to make the entire day come together. I do not live in the same city as my mother, but she was there every step of the way in helping plan the wedding. She was constantly on the lookout for items to buy, projects to do, and she always made time to visit during all my dress fittings or showers that took place far away from where she lives. My sister and friends were also a huge part of my planning process as well. My favorite part was definitely spending time with friends and family to make it all come together. I think this was even more special to me because Evan and I moved to Texas two weeks after our wedding – so I knew the time with them was precious.
– What was your least favorite part about wedding planning? I can’t really think of a least favorite part in the wedding planning process. We had a long engagement (a year and a half) because I was in graduate school at the time and wanted to wait until after graduation to get married. I had a long time to get everything planned so that took a lot of the stress away. I never really felt stressed out during any of the planning process or the day of the wedding. I think our engagement was so long that by the time it was finally May 20, 2017 I WAS READY!!
– Any advice for other brides planning their big day? I think everyone says this, but the day goes by SO fast. We literally had the time of our lives – I really can’t think of another day where I smiled more, laughed more, and just felt so carefree. Don’t stress over the little things – they don’t matter – just enjoy the day because it goes by way too fast. On a different note….GET A VIDEOGRAPHER! This was the very last thing that I booked because it was pushing me over budget. I kept going back and forth on getting one. It is seriously my favorite thing because you actually get to experience the whole day over and over again. My husband absolutely had no interest in getting a videographer, but he loves the video just as much (if not more) than I do.
– What was your favorite part of your wedding day? From beginning to end it was perfect. Every moment was my favorite – but my absolute MOST favorite was walking out the door of that farmhouse and seeing Evan standing at the end. A close second was something special that our DJ did at the end of our reception. Before we made our grand exit he cleared everyone out of the barn, closed the doors, played a special song, and Evan and I just had a beautiful moment – just the two of us – no distractions. No, everything did not go perfectly. Yes, things went wrong. In the end we spent an entire weekend with our closest friends and family in an amazing house, sipped mimosas with my best girls overlooking the beautiful scenery of East Tennessee, married the man of my dreams, and smiled so much that my foundation cracked on my smile lines (for real though).
All photography by Juice Beats Photography