Wedding Wednesday: Outdoor Ceremonies

Brides are now requesting outdoor ceremonies locations. Gone are the days of all indoor wedding ceremonies. Outdoor ceremonies are a beautiful and unforgettable way to say "I do".  Image saying your vows overlooking a sparkling lake or breathtaking mountain backdrop. We offer 3 outdoor ceremony locations at The Homestead Clouldland Station :

• Lakeside ceremony 
• The Great Lawn 
• Secluded hilltop ceremony 

Lake Angela at The Homestead Cloudland Station 

Great Lawn (Coming Soon)

 Secluded Hill Top Ceremony (NOT PICTURED, picture was taken elsewhere on the property) 

Are you nervous of the "r" word on your wedding day? In case of rain, we can easily accommodate guests under a beautiful white tent or in the Celebration Barn. 

Below are some decorating ideas we think would be great at any of our outdoor ceremony locations.  Note these pictures are ideas from other weddings. We can't wait to share pictures of weddings at The Homestead Clouldand Station later this year.

Beautiful vine and floral arbor by the lake

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Secluded wooded ceremony site idea 

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Simple lawn ceremony. No arbor or pillars needed, let the backdrop shine. 

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Which would you choose? I know it is hard to just choose one. We can't wait to host our first wedding later this year. If you are interested in touring the property please contact us at homesteadcloudlandstation@gmail.com. Check out our Facebook page

Monday Menu: Gameday Favorites

With the biggest game in football this Sunday , we thought we would feature some gameday inspired menus. Do you and your fiancé love tailgate food? Are you big football fans? Let your love for the game show by adding some fun menu items like wings, assorted dips, potato skins, slider sandwiches, etc. 

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A menu with gameday favorites would be great for a fall event like a reception, rehearsal dinner or even a corporate event. 

INTERESTED BRIDES

We should have our contract for the Homestead at Cloudland Station complete this week. Stay tuned for an update.

Monday Menu: Food Truck Trend & Construction Update

 UPDATE: THE CELEBRATION BARN 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION 

We have started working on the interior of the Celebration Barn. The walls are tongue and grove panels that have been painted a "barely" color. The natural color creates a nice backdrop for our beams. The beams were originally part of a 1871 Amish barn from Lancaster County, PA and after 142 years they have found a new home at Cloudland Station.

We will have beautiful iron chandeliers suspended from the ceilings and elegant sconces on the walls. The barn will also be filled with lots of natural light from our numerous windows on all sides of the barn.  We will have a lofted space on one end of the barn to allow for extra seating or a great place to toss the bouquet and garter.If you are interested in touring the property please contact us at homesteadcloudlandstation@gmail.com.

Monday Menu: Food Truck Trend.
The history of food trucks dates back to about the time our barn was first built (1866). The original food truck was called a chuckwagon and it was used as a mobile kitchen on the prairies of the US.

The modern day chuckwagon is referred to as a "food truck".   Recently food trucks have gone from "festival food" to "gourmet food". Food trucks have also become a big trend at weddings and are a fun way to serve your guests at your reception.

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Offer the food truck as a station at the wedding and serve tacos, mini hamburgers, barbeque, etc. Do you love sweets? Replace the dessert bar with a food truck serving soft serve, donuts, cupcakes, etc. 

Surprise your guests with a unique reception experience. Do you still want a traditional dinner reception? Offer a food truck as a late night snack option and have them arrive close to the end of the reception. 

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So what do you think of a having a food truck at a wedding? We would love to hear your feedback, so leave us a comment. 

Monday Menu: Recap and Cupcakes

We had a great time at The Chattanooga Pink Bridal Show and congratulations to all of the newly engaged couples!  Thanks to all of the brides that stopped by our booth and booked an appointment to see the property. Did you miss the show? We will be at the Formal Affair Bridal Show on Sunday, February 17th 2013.

 Formal Affair Website

Did you see our beautiful rustic arbor at the show? Just imagine using this arbor at our lake side ceremony site.  

A popular trend at the bridal show was cupcakes. Lots of brides are choosing these convenient desserts instead of a traditional wedding cake.

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Cupcakes are convenient for you guests to grab and reduce the line at the cake table. If you would still like a a traditional cake to cut, think about adding on to the top of the tower. Cupcakes also offer you more flavor options.

Many brides don't think about who will cut their cake, but this is a detail that can not be overlooked. You can ask one of your vendors for cake cutting service but this normally comes with a fee. You can ask a family member to cut the cake but remember cutting a tiered cakes can be difficult. You can avoid the cake cutting dilemma and offer your guests a cupcake.

So what do you think of the cupcake trend? Do you think this trend will last and would you consider replacing the traditional cake with cupcakes?

Wedding Wednesday: 2013

Happy New Year to all of our readers. Congratulations to all of the couples who got engaged over the holidays. We hope you will consider The Homestead as your wedding venue.

We are kicking off 2013 at the Chattanooga Pink Bridal Show this Sunday at the Chattanooga Trade and Convention Center. Visit our booth and ask about our introductory rates.