Ryan & Ashley's Wedding Weekend in Lake Harmony, PA

Our friends Ryan & Ashley got married on October 3rd this Fall, and we had the pleasure of attending their wedding ceremony and reception at Split Rock Resort. The trip sticks out in my mind for natural beauty and pure fun! That weekend, the leaves in the Poconos were nearly at their peak and everything around us was picturesque and peaceful. Since the ceremony didn't start until 5:30 pm and we had the day off, we took advantage of the opportunity to explore the nearby town of Jim Thorpe and visit Big Creek Vineyard! The day was a little bit chilly, but it was great Fall weather and the outdoor ceremony overlooking the lake was beautiful. To say that the reception was a blast is a serious understatement! The lights, the music, the dancing, the challenge of finishing off all of the disposable cameras (yes, we were that table) and the creativity around us right down to the favors and the Groom's cake made for an amazing night! We have happy memories we'll warmly recall for many years to come and we wish Mr. & Mrs. Jones the very best! Read on for the experience in Ashley's words (look for the burnt orange text)!

A beautiful train ride in Jim Thorpe, and a picture of an actual split rock on top of the mountains. 

A couple of the sweet buildings in downtown Jim Thorpe. 

 The welcoming setting for Ryan & Ashley's beauti-Fall ceremony :) 

"Our wedding was...absolutely amazing!!! It was a day I will never forget."

What made this celebration unique?  
I wanted to do as much as I could myself for our wedding so it really represented us. I didn’t have a wedding planner, we picked everything out ourselves. We made the centerpieces, wedding favors, signs for the tables and I even designed our sign-in album with photos from our engagement pictures. The Groom's cake looked like a box of pizza because Ryan and I eat pizza for dinner every Friday, we call it "Pizza Friday". I saw a picture of the pizza cake and thought it would be perfect since the wedding was on a Friday!  Also, as guests came into the reception, they added a fingerprint 'leaf' onto a canvas with a tree. Ryan's sister gave us the tree the night before the wedding as a gift. A friend of hers made it. 

  Side Note: As you can see below, the favors were little boxes with all of the necessary components for S'mores with a note that read 'Sending You S'More Love', and the photo guest book was made using Shutterfly.com. We especially loved the pages with Mad-Libs style blanks for guests to fill in!

Venue- Why Split Rock Resort? We picked Split Rock for a few reasons:
1 – Ryan’s grandparents have a house there and he grew up spending time there. 
2 - We wanted a place that our out of town guests could come to spend the weekend with us and have plenty of things to do!

What Advice Do You Have for Future Brides & Grooms? 
Take in every moment. Everyone told me that the day would go fast, but I felt like it was over in a blink of an eye. Also, don’t sweat the small stuff! It is a given that every little thing is not going to go as planned!

What Was Your Favorite Wedding Moment? 
I think my favorite wedding moment was doing the first look. Seeing the look on Ryan’s face when he turned around and looked at me for the first time is something I will never forget!

Honeymoon- Where are you going? 
We are going to St. Thomas in January. 

Favorite Vendors-
One vendor that I would highly recommend to everyone is Elegance Remembered. Charlotte is the nicest person to work with; She does centerpieces, linens, uplighting etc. Her prices were unbeatable!

I would also recommend our florist, Mountain Florals. Our flowers turned out better than I ever imagined! Michelle is very nice and easy to work with. 

Photographer- Erin Clinton Photography 

Thanks again to Ryan & Ashley, congratulations and have a blast on your honeymoon in January! Any tips on where they should go/what they should do in St. Thomas? Leave a comment! 

Sandy & Russ's Lovebird-Themed September Wedding

Okay, I think it's clear by now that I love weddings. 

Celebrations of love and life, made up of moments becoming memories 

as two people join families and become family, for the first time. 

Family is a great thing. Love is a grand thing. 

Watching a family member fall in love is a glorious thing. 

Attending a wedding as a sibling, a friend: Amazing. 

Attending as a child: There's nothing in the world like it. 

Pride. Pure happiness for another, for two others, and for your family, old and new. 

We attended 3 weddings in a row this fall. This first was my Mom's. Here's the recap of the beautiful wedding of two lovebirds, Sandy & Russ, from September 21st. 

Look for teal writing for the experience in my mom's words...

The sweet invitation that inspired the lovebird theme!

"Our wedding was...a time in my life that I will always remember with a smile. The day was a culmination of many months spent planning and preparing for an event that would last for just a few hours, which would be the start of our whole new life together. We wanted to make it a memorable celebration for friends and family, but we also wanted it to be fun for all. In the end, I think our mission was accomplished"!

What made this celebration unique (and you-nique)? 

My fiancé-- now my husband-- and I are not in our 20's, nor our 30's like so many of the brides and grooms we see in just about every printed ad or post. We are in our mid 50's and this is the second marriage for both of us. Getting married at this age is a different experience, but it doesn't mean we give up the dream. I went all the way! The dress (scaled down to an age-appropriate tea length version), the tiara (I always wanted to be a princess!) and involving our moms and children as attendants at our sides. We made sure every part of the wedding was fun, true to both of our personalities. That was what we wanted. There are some traditional things done at weddings that just didn't fit our profile. There was no way I was revealing my thigh for a garter removal, no cake-in-the-face smashing, or bridal bouquet toss, all things that were not part of our vision. It just took some creativity to come up with our own traditions. Our moms and each of our children carried a long stem rose down the aisle, which they placed in a vase at the front of the room. Together, each individual rose became part of a beautiful arrangement, representing the merging of the two families. It was heartfelt and meaningful.

Above: Lots of wedding goodies, including The Out of Towners goodie bag (with a weekend Itinerary, welcome letter, water bottles, fruit, granola bar and sweets), a little Bathroom Box, their lovebird wedding suite (paper creations): Invitations, Save the Date postcards, the ceremony Program, table dinner menus, place cards for the wedding (birds) and the rehearsal dinner (ribbon). It was all so coordinated and amazing! Also pictured on the Bottom left: the  homemade work of heart, their sweet card box, and Bottom right: Personalized napkins added a fun pop of color and surprise for guests. 

Why did you choose RiverCrest for your big day? 

RiverCrest had it all - from a beautiful setting to the convenience of a rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception all in one location, the delicious food, to the amazingly accommodating and helpful wedding coordinators and staff. Everything went as smoothly as possible from start to finish. It was a great choice. I can tell, because people keep talking about our wedding day!

What is Your Advice for Future Brides & Grooms? 

Everything that happens on your wedding day comes down to the decisions you make while planning. This venue or that? Buffet or served meal? Which DJ, photographer, florist? Ice Cream Sundae Bar or Petit Fours? High heels, flats or both? Think those things through, make the decisions and then let go. There is only so much you can control. Trust that all will go well that day, and have a blast! Enjoy the precious moments with friends and family. They are here to celebrate your love and your special day!  

What Was Your Favorite Wedding Moment? 

The DJ had asked everyone to take their seats. How exciting to be introduced as Mr. and Mrs. as we entered to the song Everything is Awesome from the Lego movie! Following our entrance, we took the dance floor and surprised everyone with a choreographed dance to Frank Sinatra's I Have Dreamed. With just two lessons, and a bit of practice each day, we moved about the dance floor almost as though we knew what we were doing! It was fun to be able to be in our own little world, yet surrounded by the friends and family we love.

Destination Honeymoon: Visiting Hawaii!

Our honeymoon took us to Hawaii, where we toured beautiful sights, historic venues, swam in the Pacific ocean, in beautiful pools and warm lagoons, heard lava flow reports each day and ate scrumptious food. We drove the Road to Hana, took a helicopter tour of Kauai and walked through a bamboo forest. We saw sunrises and sunsets and more stars then ever before imagined. Our advice? Plan your trip before you go, but leave plenty of opportunity for some Trail Magic along the way.

Highly Recommended Vendors?

We loved our custom Master's Baker cake. They were amazing to work with as they created our lovebird theme on our cake by duplicating the details from the invitations. Besides the beautiful end result, the flavors of the cake were delicious. 

This is only a glimpse into the beauty of the day, the weekend and the celebration of my Mom and Russ's marriage so far! We are SO happy for them and I'm beyond thrilled to feature their wedding on Wediquette. Wishing them the very best today, tomorrow and always!