East Tennessee has become the wedding capital of the eastern United States. Second only to Las Vegas, couples come to East TN to tie the knot. Half of the US population lives within a day’s drive and the vacation possibilities make it natural to combine both wedding and honeymoon. East Tennessee has always been a popular honeymoon choice, but for three decades, tens of thousands of couples have arrived to get married and then stayed for the honeymoon.

At Whitestone Country Inn, we are seeing an increase in destination weddings. Couples find us online and make all the arrangements without ever coming to the area until the wedding week. A bride from Connecticut and a groom from Arizona came with 96 friends and family and celebrated a wonderful week here at Whitestone. “We wanted our families to get to know each other and a neutral resort was a great way to accomplish that.”

Elopements to East Tennessee have been increasing for years. Interestingly, in a downturn in the economy, the total number of weddings in Sevier County has decreased slightly, but the number of people attending has gone up. We are seeing more elopements at Whitestone than ever before. Several elopements have come to us when bigger weddings were planned for later, but orders for military deployments necessitated an earlier wedding date.

Weddings for up to 200 guests are frequent at Whitestone. With the Chapel of the Good Sheppard and the adjacent heart shaped marble courtyard, it’s easy to plan an outdoor wedding with the chapel as a last minute option. (Weather in East TN is unpredictable.) The convenience of the Lion and Lamb Banquet Hall only 150 feet away insures that all the guests will be at the reception.

Gatlinburg will always have thousands of small chapel weddings each year; however, Whitestone will be the choice for that select bride and groom who want a more intimate setting in a pristine location.

Fifteen years of weddings from elaborate celebrations to a couple in a gazebo, Whitestone has helped over 1000 brides and grooms experience the wedding of their dreams. And thankfully, so many come back year after year for their anniversaries.

     Brides are sometimes spending a little less on food and flowers, but the number of weddings remain the same.  Weddings at Whitestone are affordable.  We have hosted over one-thousand weddings in the last 15 years, so our systems are in place to insure that weddings run smoothly and are as stress-free as possible.

     A growing wedding segment here is our elopement packages. Our new elopement packages have sparked a huge increase in the number of elopements we host.  Gatlinburg has shown that couples who want more than a court-house wedding will come to East Tennessee to get married.  Now, dozens of brides and grooms are finding everything they need for a romantic elopement venue without the hassle and congestion of Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge.

     After all, Whitestone Country Inn was voted one of the 10 most romantic inns in America by America’s Historic Inn.

By Paul Cowell

            Have you ever reached what you thought was a destination only to find it was just a rest stop? You had been going in the right direction, but the final destination was farther on.

            Sometimes, even after seeking guidance, I thought I knew exactly where I was going only to “arrive” at the place and realize that the journey was not over. Maybe if I had known how far away the destination was I would have been discouraged and quit—or not even started. God does not deceive us, but if we are going in the right direction, He may not reveal the total duration of the journey.

            An excellent illustration of this is found in astronomy. The middle star in the handle of the big dipper is Mizar. Behind Mizar about 18 trillion miles farther away from Earth is another star named Alcor. Mizar is a 2^nd magnitude star in brightness, but Alcor is a 4^th magnitude star. Ancient civilizations checked children’s eyesight with this apparent binary system—asking “Do you see one or two stars?” Even regular binoculars will resolve the two stars today though with the naked eye they appear as one.

            If you wanted to go to ‘light’ you could travel to Mizar. But when you got there you would see that Alcor was much brighter and would be the greater source of light.

            When I have gotten to my “Mizars” in life, I have sometimes complained to God that I thought this was the destination. Now I have farther to go to really reach the ‘light’. He seems to whisper, “You’ve been going in the right direction. Maybe your ‘Alcor’ would have seemed too far; however, you have come this far and now you can see the brighter light. The hardest part of the journey is behind you. I’ll be with you the rest of the way.”

            Galatians 6:9 (The Message) “I will not get discouraged or give up because around the corner is God’s blessing—the Harvest!”

            Don’t quit! You might have been going in the right direction but to an intermediate destination. The ‘light’ at your ‘Alcor’ is far greater than you could see when you started. Keep going! The Harvest is going to be even bigger than you imagined. It will just take a little longer than you thought!

 ”I stood on the back porch of the Farmhouse looking out across the meadow and river…clear into the mountains beyond.  The scene that stretched before me brought back dreams of my childhood days…  A lake with ducks and geese calling to each other…A single chestnut-colored horse, with tail switching, grazed peacefully in the lush green pasture.

  “The rolling landscape with its weeping willows surrounded by white picket fences…

  “Yes…certainly a dream that anyone would have during his lifetime…to live in a lovely place such as this…Whitestone.

  “Then a Bobwhite whistled in the distance…A Hummingbird flitted from branch to branch…and insects sang their lazy songs.

  “AH!  All of this.  And just to think you gave it up so that folks, such as I, could come and live it!

  “So that I could come away from the dusty, remote, smelly villages in the bush of a third world country.

  “So that I could breathe deeply and be carried back to days of dreams.

  “So that I could, once again, be prepared to return to be on mission with God.  Refreshed and renewed in carrying within me the scenes, sights, and sensations of Whitestone.”

                                   With Deep Gratitude, I Remain your missionary to Zambia,

                                     Gerry Helton

Tuesday, July 26^th from 9:00am to 4:00pm is the day for our July 2011 celebration.  The day will begin with a continental breakfast—fruit, beverages, sweet breads, etc.  Following that will be various classes including:

• Using fresh greens from your yard—various kinds and how to use them at Christmas
• Making silk arrangements (each attendee will make a wreath to take home)
• Hands-on instruction in bow making for outdoor and indoor decorating as well as for your packages and what kind of ribbon is best to use
• Creative ideas for decorating your tree—kinds of trees, lighting ideas, ornaments and how to hang them, using collections on your tree, and the latest embellishments for trees.
• Inspirational message by Karen Alexander Doyel regarding the Softer Side of Christmas
• Tea Tasting Party with Sweets & Goodies
• Festive napkin and towel folding ideas
• A package of treats to take home
• Luncheon prepared by our Whitestone chefs using new holiday recipes (recipes for everything served will be included in your syllabus)
• Creative table setting ideas—at lunch each table will be set differently to give you new ideas for your Holiday Table
• Floral items will be for sale to all attendees at discounted prices!!!

This is always a fun day with lots of hands-on projects, good fellowship and making new friends.  We hope you will join us!

Cost for Christmas in July 2011. . .  $75  plus tax

Overnight rooms for the 25^th or 26^th . . . 50% discount

Group Discounts are Available

View more about Inn Events

Call today to make your reservation:

865-376-0113 or 888-247-2464

The first 15 years of my dad’s life was very difficult. His parents were share-croppers near Camden, Tennessee. They had 7 children living in a small home with very limited resources. When Dad was 8, his mother died. A step-mother soon joined the family, but she only increased the difficulties for Dad.
Dad was taken out of school to work on the farm. Life became so unbearable for Dad that at age 12 he left home to live with various relatives. He moved to Bemis, Tennessee and at age 18 he went to work in the Bemis Cotton Mill. He continued working there for 37 years and also built houses, farmed and worked hard to provide the things he never had for his family.
My favorite story symbolizing the way Dad lived his life took place on a cold winter Saturday morning. There was three to four inches of snow on the ground which was very rare. I was 12 years old and Dad woke me up early. He said he wanted me to get dressed and go into town with him. We got into our Chevrolet Suburban and Dad drove on the right side of the road the 3 miles to Highway 45S. Then he turned around a started back home on the other side of the road.
“What are we doing?” I asked. Dad explained his actions: “People are not used to driving in snow. We needed to use the Suburban to make tracks on the edge of the road going in and coming back so folks won’t just drive in the middle and wreck when they meet another car.” We drove home, parked and went in to eat breakfast. To Dad that kind of service to others came natural to him.
In 1964 Dad loaned our church in Knoxville several thousand dollars to complete our first building. When the church could not repay him, he quickly said to consider the money as a gift. When he retired at age 65 from the University of Tennessee, the church surprised him by buying him a new Chevrolet truck. He shyly and humbly took the keys and said, “This is too much, you shouldn’t have done this. If any of you need to borrow the truck, you are welcome to it.”
Dad died in February, 1999. He grew more affectionate and expressive as he got older. He was a gentle man—a good father—a good husband—and I miss him very much. Happy Father’s Day!
By Paul Cowell

Our soul longs for a place where we were accepted, where our needs were anticipated, where the weight of the world was not heavy, where we fit securely and comfortably as we did in mother’s lap. Thanksgiving and Christmas carry strong promises as families gather, but although these holidays have their own adult joys, they fail in duplicating the “home” of our childhood. Too often we experience disappointment as family gatherings are plagued by the burden of our unrealistic expectations.

“Homesick”- longing for a return to the specialness of that place of safety and love. In Jesus’ parable that we refer to as “the Prodigal Son”, the young man who left home and ended up feeding pigs in a foreign land “came to himself”. He remembers what life was like at home and how different it was from where he now finds himself. In a real way all of us are like this “prodigal” who wants to go back and get a fresh start at home. We long for burdens to be lifted, to be welcomed as sincerely as the father in Jesus’ story welcomed his wayward son. I think all of us are left with some DNA from Eden. We were supposed to be in a secure paradise in perfect relationships and walk with God in the cool of the evening. That was really our home.

A guest emailed me when he returned to his home in West Tennessee after a four-day stay at Whitestone. He said Whitestone was the only place (other than his home) that he had ever been homesick for.

My goal as an innkeeper is to do all I can to make you feel as safe and comfortable as you felt in your best memories of “home”. In fact, we want to make you feel like you are at your mother’s home, where all needs are anticipated and met; where you were expected when you arrived and missed when you were gone. We could not possibly duplicate your best childhood feelings, but we do want Whitestone Country Inn to be a “Sanctuary for your Soul”, a place that reminds you (at least a little bit) of your best memories of “home”.

It’s easy to commit to giving the grandchildren plenty of time and input as they face the intense challenges of growing up in the 21^st century. The lack of morals and deteriorating values children are exposed to today is a cause of great concern. Fifty years ago I didn’t know anybody who used drugs and “pornography” was the underwear section of the Sears catalogue. 

Recent Statistics:

Children with a strong relationship with a grandparent are 46% less likely to use illegal drugs, 27% less likely to use alcohol, 52% less likely to skip school. 

The grandparent/grandchild relationship is second only to the parent/child relationship in emotional importance. Ninety percent of adults who had living grandparents when they were growing up said those grandparents influenced their behavior and adult values. 

All authorities agree that grandparents are strong role models and are extremely important to children’s overall developmental needs. In a major study of teenagers, 90% said their grandparents were “not too old-fashioned or out of touch with modern culture to relate to them”. As my 5 grandchildren get older (ages 4 – 13) I am making myself even more available in order to have input and influence in their lives. 

Dakota is now 13. I took him on an overnight trip to the Space Museum in Huntsville Alabama. I kept telling him that soon he would think he knew more than me, but he would be wrong because “I know everything”. Every time I could answer a question driving down or in the museum I would conclude by saying, “See! I know everything and don’t you forget it”. I lost quite a bit of ground when I couldn’t figure out where I parked the car. Dakota is still enjoying that. 

Spend quality time with your grandchildren (or children). Whitestone Country Inn is a wonderful place to come with kids. Activities include canoeing, paddleboats, tennis, pool & ping pong tables, corn hole, horseshoes, hiking, fishing, (2 stocked ponds). Bring a significant movie with a message you want to convey. Each room has a flat screen TV and a DVD player. 

East Tennessee has many wonderful attractions and Whitestone Country Inn is convenient to them all. Check out our NEW grandparents/grandchildren package!