Inspiring Conversations with Brittany Grella of Aerial Mountain Springs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Grella.

Hi Brittany, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My husband, Steve, and I definitely did not take a traditional path to becoming wedding venue owners. Our story really started in 2020 when we got engaged. We originally planned to get married in Florida under the stars with the full moon reflecting off the water, but like so many couples during that time, our plans changed.

That change ended up completely changing the direction of our lives. We made the decision to move to the North Georgia mountains with this big idea of creating a glamping property that would also include a venue. Once we got here and started clearing the land and working through permits, we realized that if we wanted to get married on the property, the venue had to come first. So we put the glamping tents on hold and focused on building the venue so we could actually have our own wedding there.

That meant I was planning our 3 day wedding while we were literally still building the place we were going to get married in. It was a little crazy. There were moments when I genuinely didn’t know if we were going to have concrete or grass before our guests arrived, but somehow it all came together. Our family and friends rallied around us, helping us pour concrete and lay sod, and in the end we were able to be married here surrounded by about 80 of our closest friends and family.

That experience really shaped the kind of venue owner I became. I understand weddings from both sides now. I know what it feels like to have this picture in your head of what your day is supposed to be, and I also know that things don’t always go according to that picture. I think that is why I care so much about creating an environment where couples feel comfortable, supported and able to make the venue their own.

What makes all of this even more meaningful to us is the history of the property itself. Long before Aerial Mountain Springs existed, this land was part of a small community where gathering together was simply part of life. The families who lived here would come together regularly for cookouts and spend time at one another’s homes. Community was abundant here, and the more we have learned about the history of the property, the more we have realized that bringing people together isn’t something we started—it is something this land has been doing for generations.

The Unicoi Turnpike runs alongside our driveway, and this property was once a stopping place for people traveling along it to get water and trade with Native Americans in the area. The old homestead on the property was also a gathering place during storms, where people would come together for safety and support. I love knowing that throughout different periods of its history, this land has been a place where people stopped, gathered and relied on one another.

In many ways, that history has become part of what we want Aerial Mountain Springs to represent today. We want to bring some of that sense of community back to this land. Weddings are certainly a huge part of that, but to us it is bigger than weddings. It is about giving people a reason to gather again—to celebrate, share a meal, spend time together and feel connected to the people around them.

Since then, Aerial Mountain Springs has continued to evolve right along with us. What started with weddings and events is slowly becoming something even bigger. We are now growing flowers and produce here on the property as well, which has become another part of the vision I really love.

There is something special about being able to grow things on the same land where people have gathered for generations and where people are now getting married and celebrating some of the biggest moments of their lives. I love the idea of incorporating more of what we grow into the experience here, whether that means flowers from the property, fresh produce, opportunities for guests to enjoy the gardens, or eventually more farm-to-table elements.

I don’t think I ever had one perfectly mapped-out vision of exactly what Aerial Mountain Springs would become. It has grown very organically as we’ve grown, and I actually love that about it. But the more we learn about the land, the more it feels like we are continuing something that was already here. At the heart of everything, I want Aerial Mountain Springs to be a place where people come together, celebrate important moments, share experiences, enjoy the beauty of the North Georgia mountains and find a little bit of that sense of community that has been part of this property for generations.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. There have been so many struggles along the way, and honestly, there were times when I didn’t know how we were going to make it work.

When we first moved to the property, my husband and I lived in our camper—with four animals—for three and a half years while we worked on building everything. At one point, the camper broke and had to be gone for six months, so in the middle of everything else we were doing, we had to figure out how to build ourselves something to live in until we got it back.

Then there were the construction costs. We started this project at a time when the price of everything seemed to skyrocket. One of our biggest hurdles was the driveway. What we originally thought would be around a $25,000 project suddenly became a $165,000 project. There was absolutely no way we could afford that, so we had to get creative. We found free dirt from a neighbor, brought it in and did the work ourselves with help from a friend who came from Tennessee.

That really became the theme of this entire project: if we couldn’t afford to do something the conventional way, I had to figure out another way to make it happen. We cleared the land, built the buildings, worked on the driveway and found creative ways to save money anywhere we could without giving up on the vision.

Eventually, we reached a point where we had simply run out of money. My parents stepped in and became our partners so we could finish the project. They delayed their retirement to help us see this through. My in-laws purchased the property across the pond and allowed us to use their equipment to do much of the work ourselves. Friends and family showed up to help pour concrete and lay sod. So many people sacrificed something to help us get Aerial Mountain Springs across the finish line.

During all of this, my husband took a job on the road to help keep everything going financially, which meant he was sometimes home only four days out of the month. I was here managing the construction and development of the venue while also managing two other rental properties for my parents. There were days when it felt like there simply weren’t enough hours or enough of me to handle everything that needed to be done.

And the hardest parts weren’t always the construction or the money. Building something like this puts an enormous amount of pressure on a marriage and on family relationships. There were a lot of tears, a lot of ups and downs and a lot of moments when the stress felt overwhelming because there was simply too much on the line to fail.

But through all of it, we kept going.

Looking back now, if you told me I had to endure every bit of it again to have what we have built today—to see the joy this property brings to people, to watch families gather here, couples start their lives here and to feel like we are carrying on God’s plan for this property—I would do it a million times over.

Nothing worth having is ever easy, and diamonds are made under pressure. I think all of that pressure shaped not only Aerial Mountain Springs, but all of us who helped build it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Aerial Mountain Springs?
Aerial Mountain Springs is a wedding and event venue with lodging in the North Georgia mountains, but what we really specialize in is creating an experience that feels personal, relaxed and genuinely cared for.

We offer weddings, wedding weekends, lodging, smaller celebrations, fundraisers and community events, and we try very hard not to operate like a one-size-fits-all venue. Every couple is different, so we want them to have the flexibility to make the property and their celebration feel like their own.

I think one of the biggest things that sets us apart is the level of personal involvement. I truly get to know our couples and their families, and my staff reflects that same passion. They love serving our couples as much as I do. They aren’t simply showing up to work an event—they become invested in the people they are taking care of and genuinely want their day to be incredible. That is something I am extremely proud of.

When someone books with us, I don’t want them to feel like another name on the calendar. We want them to become part of the Aerial Mountain Springs family. I think that feeling carries through from the planning process all the way through the wedding day and beyond.

We are also continuing to grow what Aerial Mountain Springs can be. We have started growing our own cut flowers and produce on the property, and I am really excited about finding ways to incorporate more of that into what we offer. I love the idea of couples being able to experience something that was actually grown right here on the land, and I see a lot of possibilities for future events, community gatherings and farm-to-table experiences as that side continues to grow.

And although the venue became our first priority, we haven’t forgotten the original dream of adding glamping to the property. We would still love to bring those tents to life in the future and create even more spaces where people can slow down, stay awhile and make memories together. To me, that is what the next chapter of Aerial Mountain Springs is really about—continuing to grow the property in ways that give people more opportunities to gather, connect and create memories here.

Brand-wise, I am most proud that Aerial Mountain Springs feels real. It isn’t a corporate venue or something created from a formula. It has been built with a tremendous amount of love, creativity and hands-on work, and I think people can feel that when they are here.

More than anything, I want people to know that we care deeply about the experience they have with us. We want you to come here for a celebration and leave feeling like family.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I would say resilience and resourcefulness have been the most important qualities to my success.

There have been so many moments throughout this journey when the original plan simply wasn’t going to work. Costs changed, timelines changed, equipment broke, money ran short, and there were plenty of situations where quitting would have been easier. I learned very quickly that I could either stay stuck on how something was supposed to happen or figure out another way forward. There were also plenty of moments when I felt like everything needed to happen faster. I had to learn that it wasn’t always going to happen in my time—it was going to happen in God’s time, and somehow things would come together exactly as they were supposed to. They say patience is a virtue, but that was definitely not something I showed up with at the start.

I think that ability to adapt has carried me through everything. If we couldn’t afford to do something the traditional way, I found another way to make it happen. If there was a problem, I tried to look for a solution instead of letting the problem become the end of the story.

I also think passion plays a huge role. I care deeply about what we are building and about the people who come here. That makes it easier to keep going through the hard seasons because there is a purpose behind the work.

I have learned that success is not always about having the perfect plan. Sometimes it is about being willing to pivot, get creative, keep showing up and refuse to give up when things get hard.

Nothing about this journey has been easy, but I think that is also what has made it so meaningful.

Pricing:

• Elopements Packages $500 – $5,200
• Micro Weddings $5,900 – $15,350
• Single Day Wedding $6,500 – $41,000+
• Wedding Weekend $18,500 – $32,500+
• Lodging Options $250-$900 per night

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aerialmountainsprings.com
• Instagram: @aerialmountainsprings
• Facebook: @aerialmountainsprings