Whether it’s a romantic getaway to celebrate an anniversary, a cozy haven for a honeymoon, or the venue for an intimate wedding ceremony, bed and breakfast inns are ideal retreats for marriage celebrations. Often historic in their origin and located within the picturesque beauty of the Chattanooga area, local bed and breakfast inns offer the privacy and comforts of home for wedding guests and complete wedding packages. Guests are treated to warm welcomes and a close-up-view of southern hospitality. Whether rocking on the porch or enjoying the décor of these historic homes, guests experience an unforgettable and relaxing getaway.

Within and surrounding our Scenic City, there are many bed and breakfast inns, unique in their locations and broad in their amenities. Several are wonderful settings for a wedding and reception, and all gladly accommodate wedding parties. Although not totally inclusive, below are profiles of some of the area’s most historic bed and breakfast inns.

 

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Tennessee River, the Bluff View Inn offers guests lush modern amenities with an Old World feel. Each of the three turn-of-the-20^th century houses that make up the Inn, is furnished with heirloom antiques, original artwork, and a gracious staff.

“We host many smaller venues like bridesmaids’ lunches and second weddings,” says Jennifer McCormick, the marketing and sales director for the Bluff View Art District. The McClellan House boasts a summer garden and the Audubon Room, which are excellent settings for rehearsal dinners, receptions, and smaller weddings. The well-maintained grounds and Sculpture Garden are ideal for photographs while Rembrandt’s Coffee House provides an array of favors and treats. The Back Inn Café offers catering services, and a pastry kitchen on location creates beautiful cakes for events. Favors, bridal party gifts, and even a bridal registry are available through the River Gallery.

“At Bluff View, there is a lot of production at your disposal,” McCormick says. The Art District works with a local florist, dressmaker, and photographer and willingly makes recommendations to help supply the pieces needed to make a wedding perfect.

The Bluff View Art District itself is home to restaurants, gardens, galleries, and museums and is a few minutes’ walk from downtown Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium, and the Walnut Street Walking Bridge.

 

The Chanticleer Inn, located near the entrance of Lookout Mountain’s Rock City, is a quaint cluster of stone cottages. Shadowy hemlock trees and dripping ivy shelter the Inn from traffic and lend it an enchanting air of antiquity. The rooms are reminiscent of romantic English cottages, and the main common area is warm and inviting. Original stonework is complemented by wooden floors, English fabrics, and a touch of roosters, as Chanticleer means rooster in French.

"Most of our guests who stay for weddings get married at Lookout Mountain churches, the Fairyland Club, or the Grandview," says innkeeper Judy Wahl. While the Inn is too small to host a wedding or reception, it is directly across the street from the Grandview, a short walk to Rock City, and a short drive to the Fairyland Club. Chanticleer’s seventeen rooms are perfectly suited to accommodating wedding party members.

The Chanticleer boasts a delicious hot breakfast prepared by a graduate of Johnson and Wales Cooking School. Innkeepers Kirby and Judy Wahl are self-proclaimed aficionados of Chattanooga’s restaurants and offer excellent recommendations for food and fun.

"Many of our guests are return guests. They say, ‘It’s so quiet!’ It’s just a different feel from downtown," Judy says. Kirby adds that most guests to the Chanticleer are people who "appreciate the finer things." He says the Inn receives a significant number of visits for honeymoons, anniversaries, and romantic weekends.

 

A few miles past Rock City is a quaint old motor court, rejuvenated and renamed The Garden Walk Inn. Built in the 1930’s with local mountain stone, and made up of individual two-room cottages on a winding driveway, the Garden Walk Inn is a secluded getaway from the world.

“Weddings often become reunions,” says innkeeper Erma Caballero. “Big parties can feel lost in a hotel. We offer a homier atmosphere.”

The Caballeros serve a deluxe country breakfast on the back porch of the main house in spring and summer and move indoors around the fireplace in the winter. Erma laughs and says, “Some don’t like the idea of everyone in a big house together, so the cottages offer more privacy.” Each of the charming rooms is carefully stocked and arranged for guests’ comfort and convenience. The décor changes from cottage to cottage, reflecting classic movie themes or well-known songs like “Out of Africa” and “Lavender’s Blue.”

Garden Walk has a large rambling porch that is perfect for spring or summer wedding receptions. The driveway wanders around a sweet garden and ivy-covered fountain. “It’s almost like a step back in time,” Erma says. “People feel it’s a safe and friendly place to visit.” Ed Caballero recalls several families that are return guests, holding annual reunions on the grounds, or staying in a different cottage each time they visit.

 

In the historic Fort Wood District, the four-story Mayor’s Mansion stands serene, watching over the Chattanooga valley. Built in the late 1800s for Mayor Edmund Watkins and lived in by Mayor T.C. Thompson, the mansion is the perfect setting for an elegant wedding.

The ballroom, with a large adjoining porch, can be arranged to hold sit-down or standing receptions. A summer garden below the porch is ideal for a wedding ceremony and sheltered from the street by a well-groomed hedge. The front porch and entry hall are unique sites for smaller weddings, and the entire first floor can be rented separately from the rooms.

The Mansion provides chairs, tables, and linens, and offers in-house catering services. “We pretty much cover it all,” says Julie Smith, director and head chef of the Mansion. “We have a florist we work with; I know several ministers; and we have businesses we use for photography and cakes.”

The spacious rooms provide breathtaking views of Fort Wood, downtown Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain, and the Tennessee River. Offering a daily three-course breakfast, coffee service, and lush accommodations to guests, the Mayor’s Mansion exudes stately comfort.

 

Originally The Colonial Hotel, built in 1909, The StoneFort Inn stands peacefully on the corner of 10^th and Georgia in the heart of downtown Chattanooga. The Inn is a few blocks’ walk from the Warehouse Row shopping district, several of Chattanooga’s premiere dining establishments, and local historical sites and attractions.

Unfinished brick, hardwood floors, and period antiques warm the Inn’s hallways and rooms. A billiards room, library, sitting room, and full vintage bar make the ground floor a welcome gathering place. Off each wide, light-filled hallway, the tastefully decorated bedrooms offer high ceilings and open floor plans. Each is furnished with antiques and either a clawfoot tub, jetted bath, fireplace, or private balcony.

The Inn gladly hosts weddings, receptions, and rehearsal dinners. Sydney Slone, innkeeper and head chef caters events and prepares gourmet breakfasts on the weekends. The ground floor is versatile and can easily accommodate a full sit-down reception for sixty-five guests.

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So, if you are hosting a wedding party and you are looking for the comforts of home, a warm welcome and the grace of southern hospitality, all located within the natural beauty of our area, take a look at Chattanooga’s bed and breakfast inns.