By David Zunker
Dahlonega is a Destination Wedding destination. If that sounds redundant, it’s really not. A Destination Wedding, for those in the know, is defined as a wedding at least 100 miles from where the bride currently lives. The ideal destination typically includes all you need to plan a perfect day. Guests fly or drive to the destination of your choice, where the officiant usually lives or works and there are fun activities to do to keep the wedding party and guests busy if they’re not directly involved (or obsessed) with the day-of details. You can get a cake from a local baker and flowers from local florists. Event venue managers are familiar and comfortable working with the wedding planners, local photographers are skillful, spa services are available, and there are nice, nearby places to accommodate out-of-towners.
A wedding destination, then, for a Destination Wedding, assumes that all of those things can be accomplished brilliantly and to the satisfaction of the most important people in the process (the bride, the mother-of-the-bride… well, that’s about it). Hopefully, this special day will also be graced with gorgeous weather (as much as that can be predicted or controlled), stunningly beautiful backdrops, pleasantly surprising amenities, and event facilities that are diverse, varied in size and flexible enough to meet a budget but still exceed expectations. Include a physical location that’s close to a major airport for guests flying in, but is a world apart from the bustle of metropolitan life, and you have the perfect place for bride and groom to start their new life on a path toward happily ever after.
Dahlonega, Georgia is that place!
Dahlonega continues to be discovered for all these reasons and recent national accolades that have attracted new tourists, especially brides-to-be. The area’s burgeoning wine industry (soon to be known as the “Dahlonega Plateau”) and its downtown, which just won the 2016 Great American Main Street Award for her charm, carefully preserved architecture, and a warm and welcoming nature. Add Dahlonega’s enlightened arts, music and theater scene, complete with The University of North Georgia to cement the college-town feel, and you have found the perfect location for your Destination Wedding.
Social media users can’t seem to stop sharing, tweeting, and “liking Dahlonega as a wedding destination.
There’s talk of our seven vineyards and wineries—Cavender Creek, Frogtown, Kaya, Blue Mountain, Montaluce, Three Sisters and Wolf Mountain—with event spaces that range from rustic, to upscale and elegant, California casual to Tuscan. Many of these vineyard venues include on-site restaurants, some with new or old barns and even some with donkeys, braying in the background. A North Georgia winery setting, regardless of its planned ambiance, is inevitably beautiful. The vines insist on it. In Dahlonega, as in Lumpkin County, the setting comes with complimentary views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, peaceful ponds, or rolling hillsides.
Other venues dwell within an all-inclusive resort setting,like Forrest Hills and the Marketplace in downtown Dahlonega, where guests can enjoy the wafting aromas of delicious chocolate, just one floor down. There are spaces for a rehearsal dinner or a bridal brunch at restaurants like Yahoola Grill, and attached to lodging facilities like the Dahlonega Square Hotel.
For a close-up look at the Dahlonega’s destination wedding diversity, variety and amenities, mark your calendars for April 2, 2017. Our local bridal show, Say I Do in Dahlonega, will hold its second annual Wedding Expo at the University of North Georgia. Venue managers, photographers, caterers, wineries and other businesses will be on hand to assist with planning and decision-making. The event also includes venue tours, giving brides, grooms and parents a chance to visit Dahlonega’s most beautiful ceremony and reception sites.
Don’t miss it!
