A destination wedding – without the airfare

Venues are expanding their accommodations so couples can have it all.

Photos courtesy of Woodstone Country Club

Breathtaking views. Colorful gardens. Al fresco dining. Sounds like the islands. But actually, it’s a description of one of Pennsylvania’s “new” wedding venues, where everything a bride and groom can want is at their fingertips.

Maybe it’s the recession, or maybe people like getting married nearby so family can attend. Either way, more couples are choosing a single, local venue to host their biggest day. Business owners are stepping up by loading those locations with elegance and amenities so that every dream, short of palm trees, can be realized.

One such location is Woodstone Country Club and Lodge in Danielsville. This complex has been expanded by 70 percent since it opened in 2000, according to Director of Marketing Jacob Longley. The expansion has provided the club with a 19-room lodge with decks overlooking the golf course, a grand room with grand staircase, and beautiful gardens landscaped especially for outdoor weddings. The grand room was designed to accommodate weddings as well, so that in the event of inclement weather, a couple’s entire wedding can be moved right inside – with large glass doors offering a view of the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania.

Longley explains that the interior of the facility is flexible according to what a couple has envisioned. For example, basic round tables can be switched out for farm or other tables, or any kind of chair style. Likewise, the hall can be shortened if the wedding is small, for instance, so that the wedding party does not seem lost inside a huge room.

“Whether indoors or out, we pride ourselves in being able to do whatever a couple might be dreaming of,” says Longley. “We have packages available, but we also customize.” Longley says that people often refer to Woodstone as the area’s “best-kept-secret.” While the lodge and facility are only a 25-minute drive from the Lehigh Valley, “people are just amazed at all Woodstone offers,” he says, noting that every room in the lodge has a private balcony (except for two), and offers game rooms, outdoor decks and a kids’ room.

“We wanted to create a premier facility, and we have,” says Longley. “A couple can go back to the lodge after the reception and set up after-parties ... enjoy the two large decks … the whole place is theirs.”