October Wedding at The Magnolia Venue in Pigeon Forge, TN
Rhonda (mother of the bride) called us 15 months ago asking about booking a violinist. She had heard Daniel Jang’s YouTube videos and wanted that vibe for her daughter’s wedding ceremony at the Magnolia Venue in Pigeon Forge, TN. We discussed the differences between a solo violin, a plugged in a violin, an electric violin, a violin playing with tracks, and a violin playing with a DJ. All of these selections are slightly different as they have different price points and convey distinct vibes depending on the vision for one’s wedding day.
After speaking in greater detail and looking into a variety of arrangements, Rhonda booked a violin + dj package for the ceremony, the cocktail hour, and two hours of dinner and reception music, with the DJ continuing after that.
On that Wednesday, I left Charlotte at 8:30 for the drive to Pigeon Forge. It was such a beautiful drive! There was traffic in Gatlinburg, so I was glad I had left extra time. I had lunch and worked on my laptop for a bit around lunchtime and then drove the rest of the 20 minutes to the venue. I had been warned that the road was “treacherous” and very steep, but as I started up the road, it didn’t seem that bad. I wondered if I was on the correct road, because my GPS said it was less than a mile away. Then I saw a sign to the venue which was reassuring that I was on the right track. As I turned the next corner, the road narrowed to one lane and became really steep with no guard rails. The road was so steep that it felt like the car should be toppling backwards. I cautiously continued ahead as the road continue to narrow and become steeper. Then, as I was almost to the top, a car started down the mountain in my direction. He had to back up so that I could get up the mountain before he came down. It was quite the drive! I should have taken photos but was a little afraid to pull out my phone and take my eyes off the road. One of the vendors who works there often said she won’t drive the road in the rain, because her car has slipped before. Eek!
After the treacherous drive, I made it to the top & was thankfully safe. I met Chuck (DJ from Split Second Sound) and Yessica (Coordinator from Custom Love Gifts) and talked through day of details. We also sound checked at the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception site. For ceremony, I played solo amplified violin. Then for cocktail hour, I played with tracks (this is where the violin plays the melody - the vocal line - and the tracks play the accompaniment).Following cocktail hour, the violin played alongside the DJ for dinner which led into dancing. As the night continued, we played a lot of fun music! One of the guests even asked if I could play “Devil Went Down to Georgia” and gave me a $20 tip after I played it :) So sweet. It was such an amazing evening.
Throughout the night, I was a little worried about getting back down the mountain, but the trip back went great with less of an adventurous journey than I had first experienced. I made it back to my hotel safely, and my first wedding at The Magnolia Venue was a success!