Host Your Next Party or Meeting at Country Jewell

Many people think of our special event venue in Knoxville strictly as a beautiful spot for weddings, but it is so much more than that. Country Jewell is the perfect place for all types of gatherings and celebrations: family reunions, anniversaries, birthday parties, engagement parties, business meetings, and more. 

Convenient Location

Our event center is conveniently located  in Heiskell, Tennessee in Anderson County. You will find us less than ten minutes off of I-75 in close proximity to Knoxville, Norris Lake, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. 

Inviting Facilities

The main building at our Knoxville special event venue is the Lewis barn. It has a long history, originally built in 1929, but has been completely renovated to accommodate parties of up to 100 people without losing an ounce of its quaint, rustic charm.  

There is an open seating area, plus a serving area for all of your catering needs. The warming/serving kitchen has a refrigerator, oven, and microwave. The upper loft is perfect for dancing. Country Jewell offers you access to 20 folding tables and 100 folding chairs with your venue rental. 

Picturesque Beauty

Our gazebo is surrounded by the scenic beauty of the Gatlinburg area, as well as the enchantment of the Great Smoky Mountains. The lush landscaping of our beautiful grounds set the mood for an enjoyable occasion and the most breathtaking photographs. Beautiful memories for years to come. 

Parties

All of your guests will feel at home in our rustic setting. The event barn offers plenty of space for everyone. There is also lots of gorgeous space outdoors for your party to experience. Best of all, we can help you with the setup and the cleanup. That's a lot easier than inviting everyone over to your place. Need a few ideas for an event to celebrate?

• Family Reunions
• Class Reunions
• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Retirement Ceremonies
• Holiday Parties
• Engagement Parties 
• Rehearsal Dinners

Business Meetings & Retreats

Our serene, stress-free environment is ideal for a company retreat or out-of-the-office business meeting. It's perfect for relaxing and rejuvenating your team. There are three valuable packages available to choose from for full-day or half-day reservations. We can provide breakfast, lunch, or both, or you may bring in your own catering.  

What do you feel like celebrating?

If you are hosting a party in the Knoxville area, take a look at our charming event venue. We offer a relaxing, scenic setting that you and all of your guests will love. Visit us soon at Country Jewell and let us show you the wonderful possibilities for your next meeting or celebration. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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Bring the Outdoors Inside With Your Wedding Decorations

A popular wedding trend this year is to make an indoor space look like it is actually outdoors. Our rustic Knoxville wedding barn looks especially beautiful with elements of the season decorating the inside of it. With a few well-placed decorations, your wedding guests will feel like they are experiencing nature at your indoor reception. 

Country Jewell offers plenty of inspiration from the scenery surrounding our Knoxville wedding venue, as well as the spectacular landscaping on the grounds. Here are a few ideas on how you can bring some of that natural beauty indoors. 

Plants & Flowers

The simplest way to bring the outdoors inside is to use the flowers of the season. Spring offers a wide array of beautiful blooms to choose from, as well as many lovely flowering branches that you can incorporate into your decor. Garlands of ivy or other greenery look excellent down the center of a rectangular table and fill up the space in a pretty way. 

Don't stop at cut flora. Large potted trees and plants placed all around the ceremony and reception make everyone feel as if they are in the middle of a garden. Potted plants, such as succulents or aromatic herbs, make wonderful centerpieces and can double as a favor for guests to take home.   

Seasonal Colors

Look around outside during the season that your wedding will take place. Let the colors that you see in nature inspire your decorations and color scheme. In the spring, take cues from the colorful blooms all around. Summer is full of bright blue skies, sunny yellows, and green everywhere. Oranges, browns, and other leaf colors are wonderful for a fall wedding, and winter whites and silvers are always lovely.

Natural Elements

Flowers aren't the only outdoor item that you can use for decoration at your wedding. The rustic look of Country Jewell is perfect for wooden elements. Small pieces of cut tree trunks are perfect bases for candles and vases. Stones can also be used in a variety of ways. We have seen them made into pretty escort cards with guests' names written in metallic ink, and also filling a jar for the couple with words of wisdom written on each one. 

Night Lights

Dancing under the stars is incredibly romantic, but not always a possibility in cold or rainy weather. Stringing twinkle lights all over the ceiling can make it appear as if you are celebrating outside on a starry night. These lights also look amazing strung in centerpieces, under table skirts, and on potted plants and trees. 

It's not hard to make your indoor wedding appear as if it is taking place in the outdoors. Our rustic Knoxville wedding venue is the perfect place to make this happen. The natural wooden look of our facilities, along with the scenic landscapes surrounding Country Jewell, work amazingly with this popular wedding decorating trend. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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13 Wedding Traditions for Luck, Love, and Happiness

St. Patrick's Day is this week, bringing the "Luck of the Irish" to our minds. There are many wedding traditions that you may be incorporating into your Knoxville wedding, many of which were created to bring good luck to a newly married couple. In case you were curious as to where some of these superstitions came from, or what they mean, Country Jewell came up with a list for you explaining a few of them. 

Something old, new, borrowed, & blue

These are the four things that a bride is supposed to collect and carry with her on her wedding day. 

• Old = This is symbolic of the bride's past, her family, and tradition.
• New = This is for future happiness and good fortune.
• Borrowed = This should come from a happily married person in the hopes that their good fortune will rub off on you.
• Blue = This symbolizes both fidelity and love.

Wedding bells

The Irish would keep evil spirits away and ensure a harmonious family life for the couple by ringing bells. Some brides choose to carry small bells in their bouquet.

Spiders

According to English lore, you shouldn't panic if you find a spider on your wedding dress. This means good luck.

Sugar cubes

A tradition from Greece is that putting a sugar cube on the bride will sweeten her marriage. Many brides used to put a sugar cube inside of their glove on the wedding day.

Rain on your wedding day

Even though most brides pray for clear skies on their wedding day, it is actually considered a good omen if it rains. Hindu tradition believes that the rain brings along with it fertility and cleansing for the couple.

Burying a bottle of bourbon

If you don't need "good luck rain" on your wedding day, southern folklore says that you should bury a bottle of bourbon upside down at the wedding location one month before the wedding day. This is supposed to prevent any rain on that particular day. 

Pinching the bride

Egyptian women believe it is good luck to pinch the bride on her wedding day. We're actually not sure if this luck is for them or for the bride! 

Knives as wedding gifts

Receiving knives as a gift was once thought to be bad luck for the couple, symbolizing a broken relationship. If you really want them on your registry but are superstitious, give the person gifting them a penny. Then you are technically buying the knives rather than getting them as a gift. 

Coins in your shoes

Swedish brides believed that they would "never do without" by placing a silver coin from their father and a gold coin from their mother in each shoe.

Wearing a veil

Originally, a veil was worn by a bride to disguise her from the evil spirits that were jealous of her happiness.

Carrying the bride over the threshold

In medieval Europe, many believed that the a bride was extremely vulnerable to evil spirits through the soles of her feet. The groom carried her over the threshold of their new home to avoid bringing any evil spirits inside with them. 

Throwing shoes

Way back in medieval times, good luck would be given to the wedding couple if the men threw their shoes at the newlyweds. Today we take a much safer approach to this tradition and tie shoes to the back of the getaway car instead.

Throwing the bouquet and garter

This is another tradition with roots in medieval times. It was once thought to be lucky to get a fragment of the bride's dress as a souvenir. Guests would follow the couple to the wedding chamber and try to rip pieces of fabric right off of the bride. Women began throwing their bridal bouquet to distract the crowd so a getaway could be made. Once they were safely inside the wedding chamber, the groom would crack the door and throw out the bride's garter to appease the crowd waiting outside. In other cultures, throwing the garter out of the bedroom was a sign that the marriage had been consummated. 

Even if you are not a superstitious person, sometimes it's fun to bring in a little bit of tradition when you are planning your wedding. Some of these old customs may fit perfectly into your Country Jewell wedding. Use what you like, and disregard the rest. The only way to assure that you will have a good marriage is to love and respect each other, and work to make each other happy every day for the rest of your lives. In that, our rustic Knoxville wedding venue wishes you the best of luck!  

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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Country Jewell Loves National Jewel Day!

March 13 is annually observed as National Jewel Day. While we would love it even more if it were "Country Jewell" Day, we still love the opportunity to think about all of the beautiful gemstones there are. While these gems are usually found in jewelry, the colors associated with these jewels can be worked beautifully into any wedding decor. 

If you are looking for a bit of color inspiration for your Knoxville wedding, you can look toward these gorgeous stones for ideas. You may be interested to know what each of these jewels is believed to symbolize and the feelings they are said to invoke. We chose to focus on the main birthstones of each month for this blog's featured jewels. 

January – Garnet

This gem, while depicted as deep red for the January birthstone, is actually mined in a rainbow of colors. It signifies eternal friendship and trust, two things that you definitely want present in a marriage. 

   

February – Amethyst

This jewel is a gorgeous purple quartz stone. It's a stunning blend of violet and red that really catches the eye, often used to symbolize royalty. It is associated with numerous myths and legends. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that it fought off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus, keeping the person wearing it quick-witted and clear-headed.

March – Aquamarine

Ranging from pale to deep blue with occasional greenish tints, this jewel is associated with health and hope. The name matches the color, because in Latin "aqua" means "water" and "marina" means "sea." The calming color is supposed to cool tempers and keep anyone wearing it level-headed. Great skills to possess when putting on a wedding! 

April – Diamond

Diamonds are usually "clear" and the favorite gem for engagement rings. If you prefer a bit of color in your jewel but love diamonds, they can be found in nature in many colors, but these are rare. Rare generally means pricey! Diamonds are thought to hold healing powers, affect one's balance and clarity, and also boost energy.  

May – Emerald

These spectacular, rich green stones offer foresight, good fortune, and youth. This is the perfect color to reflect all of the beautiful green present in nature in May. 

June – Pearl

The most unique thing about pearls is that they are the only gem that comes from a living sea creature. They require no faceting or polishing to bring out their natural beauty. It's interesting that this white jewel is the birthstone for June, and June is known as the wedding month, with white generally being a significant color at a wedding. 

July – Ruby

Ruby is harder than every other gemstone, except for diamonds. This color is believed to feed the imagination and arouse your senses. It is also said to guarantee health, wisdom, wealth, and most importantly, success in love. 

August – Peridot

This can be found in many color variations ranging from yellowish green to brown, but the most widely associated color for peridot is a green between bright lime and olive. It is said to have magical and healing properties, and bring power, influence, and a successful next year. 

September – Sapphire

Generally known as a medium to light blue, sometimes with a violet tint, this is another gem that can be found in a rainbow of colors. This particular jewel is believed to protect your loved ones from envy and harm, and was once said to bring with it heavenly blessings.  

October – Opal

Legend claims this is the most mysterious of all gemstones because it was thought to contain all the virtues of the other precious stones within it. This is most likely because opals contain multiple colors in one stone. It symbolizes purity, innocence, and hope, and it brings about confidence, loyalty, faithfulness, and happiness.   

November – Citrine

Citrine is called a "gift from the sun" due to its color, which can range form pastel yellow to a dark, brownish orange. It is known as the "healing quartz" and brings with it vitality, health, hope, and energy.  

December – Blue Topaz

The icy blue of this beautiful gem is perfect for the winter month of December. It symbolizes fidelity and love and is supposed to give one a patient attitude. 




Color is an excellent way to set a mood for your wedding, and these jewel-tone colors offer many wonderful possibilities. Our rustic Knoxville wedding venue works perfectly with many different color combinations. In honor of National Jewell Day, take a minute to check out Country Jewell's own "Gems." This page on our website is dedicated to a few of the talented wedding vendors that we have worked with in the past and highly recommend for your wedding.  

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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Great Photo Ideas for the Engagement, Save-the-Date, & Wedding Day

A wedding is a day that provides you with memories to last a lifetime. The photographs taken that day allow you to share those memories with others for years to come. Country Jewell is a beautiful spot for amazing photographs and portraits. Even if you will not be getting married at our scenic Knoxville wedding venue, you can still have your engagement or save-the-date photos taken here. 

The breathtaking scenery surrounding Country Jewell, along with the vintage facilities and gorgeous landscaping, make for the most memorable photographs. It is the perfect venue for all of your wedding photos, from the engagement pictures all the way through to your exit on the wedding day. Here are a few fun and memorable ideas that you might want to try.

ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

Feature the ring! 
That's a given, but nothing says "We're engaged!" more than a closeup of that special piece of jewelry. Try a shot of him kissing your hand with the ring on it, or put your arms around his neck in an embrace with the diamond front and center. 

Say it with a sign. 
You can also use a sweet shot of the two of you next to or behind a chalkboard with a cute saying on it.

• Finally!
• I'm going to be Mrs. (insert his name here)
• I said yes!

SAVE-THE-DATE-PHOTOS

Feature the date. 
You can choose to hold a sign with the date written on it, or something blank that you can Photoshop the date onto later. We've seen this done with chalkboards, balloons, and more. You could also simply zoom in on a shot of the calendar with your date circled. 

Take them at the wedding site. 
Go to the venue where you will be getting married and take your save-the-date photos there. Our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville has numerous areas to take fun pictures to tell everyone your wedding date, plus they will get a sneak peek at where you'll be saying your vows.

Feature your favorite things. 
If the two of you have a special hobby or favorite thing that you share, use that to theme your save-the-dates. If your favorite things happen to be your children or pets, bring them in on this too. 

WEDDING DAY PHOTOS

Getting ready. 
There are some cute ideas that you can do to make your "getting ready" pictures a bit more than simply getting dressed. Have the photographer take a picture of your bridesmaids or your parents seeing you all dressed up for the first time. The bride & groom can write special letters to each other and get photos of you each reading them before you see each other. 

First look. 
You can have a lot of fun with these, and when you finally set eyes on each other, those are always sentimental pictures. Make sure to get a shot of the bride sneaking up on the groom. Position your wedding party watching in the background from a distance if you don't need for this to be a completely private moment. If you will not be doing a "first look," take a photo of the two of you on opposite sides of a doorway, holding hands around the corner.

Take advantage of the venue. 
Find something about your wedding venue that other venues don't have. At Country Jewell, pictures featuring our balcony are very popular, as well as our beautiful waterfall area and the gazebo.

Recreate old photos. 
Pose for a wedding photo in the same position and place that you took your engagement photos, but this time all dressed up in your wedding attire. You could also recreate a pose to look like a photograph from one of your parents' weddings.

Include everybody. 
If your wedding guest list allows, take one big group shot with everyone surrounding the two of you. If there are simply too many for that, do one with the members of your newly extended family instead.   

Our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville is one of the most beautiful places for photography in all of Tennessee. If you are looking for a scenic place surrounded by beauty and vintage charm, then plan to take some, or all, of your wedding photographs at Country Jewell. We would love to give you a tour so that you can fall in love with this amazing venue just like we have. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
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Follow us on Google+