16 Scenic Locations in Nashville Where You Can Elope - For Free!
Getting married can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. According to Zola, the average cost of a wedding in the United States is $29,000 in 2023. While there’s nothing wrong with an elaborate wedding, it’s possible to have a beautiful celebration of your love without a hefty price tag.
Elopements don’t just happen at the courthouse. Officiants like Zelda marry people everywhere from coffee shops to scenic waterfalls. Below, we’ll look at sixteen gorgeous locations around Nashville where you can elope for free - or hold a larger event for a low to moderate cost.
For Nature Lovers
Nashville might be known for Country music, but its parks and natural areas are the real gems in the city’s crown. Ranging from classic and manicured to wild and wonderful, Nashville’s public parks offer a wide variety of beautiful settings for a wedding.
Centennial Park
Established in 1903, Centennial Park serves as Nashville’s central park. The park was the site of the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition and you can still see some of the original features from the exposition like the Parthenon replica and Lake Watauga.
Centennial Park’s 132 acres are divided into a number of unique areas from performing arts studios to dog parks, but our favorite locations for elopements are the Sunken Gardens and Lake Watauga. The Sunken Gardens are especially beautiful in spring and summer when the flowers are in full bloom. Lake Watauga is home to a flock of adorable ducks and offers beautiful views of the Parthenon making it a great location for photos.
Shelby Park in the East Nashville neighborhood
Shelby Park is a beautiful 300 acre park with an additional 900 acres of nature trails located just across the river from Downtown in East Nashville. Quieter and less manicured than Centennial Park, Shelby offers beautiful natural spaces that don’t require a long or difficult hike to access.
Lake Sevier makes an idyllic backdrop for a wedding and even has a central island accessible by bridge. You’ll also find numerous locations for scenic river views both in Shelby Park proper and the adjacent Shelby Bottoms natural area. The Bottoms stretches all the way up to Cornelia Fort Airpark, a repurposed municipal airstrip adjacent to bucolic fields and green forest. There’s even an elevated rail bridge if you want a unique photo op with vintage vibes.
Like many of the locations on this list, there are picnic shelters available to rent for a low price if you want a larger celebration with friends and family ($30 for a half day if you’re a Nashville resident, $40 for visitors). You can learn more about the park and reserve shelters at Nashville Metro Parks website.
Sevier Park
Sevier Park in the 12th South Neighborhood
Sevier Park is a picturesque multi-purpose park located at the southern end of Nashville’s popular 12 South neighborhood. Sunnyside, an historic antebellum home built in 1852, sits on top of a hill at the center of the park. Throughout its history, the home was owned by several notable Nashville families with connections to Presidents Andrew Jackson and James Polk.
While the inside is closed for repair as of the writing of this article, the exterior of Sunnyside makes an amazing backdrop for photos or an elopement. Like most Metro Nashville parks, Sevier has picnic shelters available to rent if you want a larger celebration with friends and family.
Seven Points Park and Campground at Percy Priest Lake
Seven Points beside Percy Priest Lake for a sunset wedding ceremony.
Located just ten miles east of Downtown, Percy Priest Lake offers scenic lakeside views. While you can reserve a campsite or picnic shelter for a small fee ($24 for a campsite), you can visit the location for free.
Tie the knot in the shade of mature trees or host a celebration with friends and family at one of the beautiful picnic shelters. If you’re lucky, you might spot one of the native Great Blue Herons or another wild bird that lives in the park.
Smith Springs at Percy Priest Lake
Smith Springs on Percy Priest Lake is a great wedding ceremony location with a view.
Also located on gorgeous Percy Priest Lake, Smith Springs is a day-use only site meaning their won’t be any RVs or tents in the background of your photographs. Like Seven Points, it offers amazing lake views and native wildlife. It also has a large picnic shelter available for rent ($45 per day) that can accommodate up to fifty people and has electrical hook-ups, perfect for a post-wedding party with loved ones.
The Allee Steps at Percy Warner Park are popular for weddings.
The sprawling 3,195 acre Warner Parks complex is one of the most popular locations for hiking and outdoor recreation in Nashville. Adjacent to one another, both Percy and Edwin Warner Park offer beautiful views, historic sites, and miles of trails to explore.
While both parks have wonderful natural features like waterfalls and old growth forests, the Allée Steps at the Belle Meade entrance to Percy Warner are one of the most stunning settings in Nashville. Like many of the parks’ picnic shelters, the steps were built in the 1930’s in concert with the Works Progress Administration and share the same timeless, almost fairytale aesthetic.
The WPA era picnic shelters - some of which even have built-in stone fireplaces - were restored in 2013 and are available for rental through the Metro Parks website if you want to host a larger gathering.
The Iris Garden at Ellington Agricultural Center
The Gazebo in the Iris Garden within the Ellington Agricultural Center
The headquarters of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture might not sound like a romantic locale, but Ellington Agricultural Center is a truly beautiful location. Located in the elegant Brentwood Hall estate, many of the offices and public areas are housed in properties original buildings.
The Iris Garden is maintained by the Middle Tennessee Iris Society and features a gazebo and numerous varieties of Tennessee’s state flower. While a quick ceremony for just you and your partner can be done for free, the garden is available to reserve for larger events through the MTIS.
Cumberland Park with a bandstand and the Korean Veterans Bridge adds a dramatic background
Located just on the edge of Downtown Nashville, Cumberland Park is an easy walk from the famous John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and features beautiful views of its namesake, the Cumberland River. Both the grassy lawn and the riverside sidewalk make wonderful locations for a wedding or elopement, whether you want the river or the city skyline as your backdrop. There’s even an outdoor amphitheater where you can hear music throughout the warmer months.
Keep in mind that this is a busy urban park with an extensive children’s play area. It’s an amazing spot for city scenery and river views, but will not be as private as some of the other outdoor locations,
For History Buffs
Established in 1779, Nashville is rich with history. Whether you’re an amateur historian or an architecture enthusiast, there are some incredible locations around the city to celebrate your love and your passions.
The Parthenon (exterior) at Centennial Park
One of Nashville’s most distinctive landmarks, The Parthenon is a 1:1 scale replica of the original ancient Parthenon located in Athens, Greece. The building was originally constructed as part of the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition and is one of the few remaining structures from that time.
The building’s covered porches offer shelter from the rain and sun so temperamental Tennessee weather doesn’t have to get in the way of your nuptials. In the early evening (a.k.a.: golden hour), the building exterior seems to glow, making it an amazing backdrop for a wedding.
The interior of the building is a museum accessible for a $10 fee and is well worth a visit. If you’re imagining a larger wedding - or one in the stunning Naos room under the watchful eyes of the 42 ft. gilded statue of Athena - you can reserve the building for a hefty fee ($6,000 for Saturdays, $5,000 for all other days, and $10,000 for holidays).
Tennessee State Capitol in uptown Nashville sits high on top of a hill overlooking Nashville.
A National Historic Landmark, the Tennessee State Capitol is rich with history certain to interest history and architecture buffs alike. The limestone Greek Revival building was constructed in the 1850’s and designed by William Strickland, an apprentice to the architect of the U.S. Capitol. The architect is actually interred in the walls on the northeast corner of the building. The surrounding grounds on Capitol Hill include numerous monuments including a statue of Andrew Jackson on horseback and the tomb of President and Mrs. James Polk.
The elegant building and manicured grounds make a beautiful backdrop for an elopement. The top of the steps offer a view of War Memorial Plaza and the city below, making the Capitol an excellent spot for both history enthusiasts and those looking for a dramatic view of the city.
The War Memorial Auditorium is another elegant Greek Revival building just south of the Capitol (in fact, the adjacent Legislative Plaza is connected to the Capitol building by a series of tunnels). The auditorium was built in 1925 to honor the 3,400 Tennesseans who gave their lives in World War I and was home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1939 to 1943.
While the grand atrium of War Memorial Auditorium provides shelter from rain and sun, the nearby Legislative Plaza offers a stately outdoor space with two fountains and multiple memorial sculptures. The plaza also provides an excellent view of the capitol building, framed by lush ornamental trees.
Built in 1996 to commemorate Tennessee’s bicentennial, the Bicentennial Capitol Mall is an 11-acre state park where you can explore a collection of sculptures and fountains the tell the story of Tennessee’s history and natural beauty. In addition, the amphitheater located near Harrison Street provides fantastic views of Nashville’s skyline.
At the northern end of the park, you’ll find the Bicentennial Carillon. This circular pavilion is encircled by pillars containing bells that ring every quarter hour and play a full Tennessee song at the top of every hour. The southernmost end of the park features a granite map of the state and an unobstructed view of the back of Capitol Hill and the Tennessee State Capitol.
This spacious urban park has plenty of quiet green spaces and Tennessee-themed monuments for nature and history lovers alike. If you want to hold a larger ceremony, the amphitheater is available for rent for around $2,000 per day.
For Country Music Fans and Nashville Lovers
Nashville is known as Music City for good reason; the city is the center of the Country Music industry and the hometown of many Rock, Bluegrass, and Americana artists. Of course, the city is more than just Country Music, and many people fall in love with Nashville itself. If you and your partner are music fans or fans of Nashville itself, these locations are great options for a truly Music City elopement.
John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge
This National Historic Landmark pedestrian bridge - one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world - has much more to offer than a great view of downtown Nashville and the Cumberland River. Many Country stars have filmed their music videos on the bridge including Big & Rich’s famous Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy, Emerson Drive’s single Moments, Aaron Cole’s Yours to Use, and Dolly Parton’s 2011 single Together You and I. In 2021, artist Eric Church shut down the bridge for a live performance. Fans of the show Nashville will also recognize the bridge from numerous scenes in the show.
Whether you’re a Country fan, Nashville fan, or just plain Nashville enthusiast, this free location offers stunning views of the city skyline and the opportunity to stand in the foot steps of some of Country’s greatest performers.
Schermerhorn Symphony Center (exterior)
Just south of Broadway, you’ll find the graceful Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The beautiful Neoclassical architecture and manicured courtyard are a gorgeous setting for an elopement. The fountain featuring a statue titled Birth of Apollo adds the calming sound of running water and is beautifully lit at night.
Inside, the Laura Turner Concert Hall is an architectural and acoustical marvel making this a great spot for audiophiles; an automated system can fine tune the acoustics in the room for the various styles of music you’ll hear performed there. While you can rent the interior for larger weddings and Zelda has officiated there before, the exterior is a gorgeous free location for a simple elopement.
Another piece of Nashville and Country Music history, the Ryman Auditorium served as the home of the Grand Ole Opry for 31 years and is still known as the Mother Church of Country Music. The auditorium was built in 1892 to serve as a tabernacle so that large scale revival events could be held indoors. While the stage is now more frequently home to Rock and Country singers than revival preachers, the building still retains it’s church-like features from the gothic arched windows visible outside to the pews that make up the seating in the concert hall.
The dramatic entryway is a beautiful location for a small elopement. With acts from Houdini to Alan Jackson having graced the stage, it’s a great spot for lovers of all kinds of entertainment.
Located next to the famous Grand Ole Opry, the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is more amazing inside than even its elegant entryway lets on. The hotel features three giant glass atriums: Delta, Cascades, and the Garden Conservatory. There’s also a glass covered indoor water park, Soundwaves, just off the Presidential Portico.
Each atrium offers a different experience, with an indoor village and boat rides in Delta, twin waterfalls and cocktails in Cascades, and a crystal gazebo and fine dining in the Garden Conservatory. Zelda has officiated for guests and non-guests alike at five locations throughout the sprawling resort complex. We encourage you to explore the hotel before choosing your perfect location. The resort does cater to larger parties, so do call the management for more details if you’re looking to share your ceremony with friends and family.
Book Your Nashville Wedding Today!
There are so many beautiful places in Nashville to celebrate your love at no cost - or low cost if you want a more formal celebration with friends and family. These are just a few of our favorites, but an elopement can happen almost anywhere. Send us an email or comment below to share your favorite scenic Nashville location. If you want to celebrate your relationship at any of these spots or another place special to you and your partner, schedule your ceremony with Zelda today. Get in touch to book your event or learn more about our services.
