Love in the Sky: Pocono Wedding at the Skytop Lodge

Let’s fly to my next Pocono wedding at the Skytop Lodge, for one of my youngest couples! This country wedding could have been traditional, but I added a few spins. And that battle for the garter is worth of an award.

Welcome back to the Poconos! This is only my third Pocono wedding since I moved here four years ago. New York tri-state area holds its tight grip on the lion’s share of my portraits and weddings. Here’s the map of my jobs last month, with this wedding at the Skytop Lodge circled in a heart:

My first Pocono wedding made some noise a year ago with a preceding raw, one-of-a-kind woodchopper’s engagement session. Those guys live right in my community, so no wonder more neighbors learned about me. Meet Becca and Corey, who also live with me in Wild Acres.

Bride’s sister reached out to me sharing how they both “absolutely love” my work and “would be so honored to have [me] shoot her wedding”. How could I not make it happen? True, the Poconos market is financially different from NYC, especially in the rural areas where I live. (How rural? Here’s a bear in my yard and another visit.) I approach the locals, especially my neighbors, differently.

Visiting My Poconos Studio

I invited bride and groom to my Poconos studio, and was pleasantly surprised to see the bride’s parents come, too. I’ve had parents visit in the past for various reasons. One of them, as I’m guessing this time, is that my couple is sooo young, college kids! (I married before turning 19, by the way.) I only remember one other young couple like this, in a posh Bukharian Jewish wedding.

The father of the bride wanted to make the meeting super quick—make sure I’m not a crook, and pay the deposit. The first item was checked off instantly, so he wanted to jump to the second. But, I’m not used to such short prospective client visits, I have an entire presentation to give, lol! Insisted on talking at least some points, and the deal sealed quickly.

Skytop Lodge, a Dream Family Resort

Their wedding took place at the Skytop Lodge, a luxury woodland family resort in the heart of Poconos. This feature-rich location sits on 5,500 acres of woods, lake, waterfalls, golf course, and all sorts of activities, from kayaking and zip lining to axe throwing and archery. With art classes, bingo, Jeopardy, lawn bowling, rock climbing, arcade games, spa, and bike tours, you can spend a week with your entire family there, finding an undertaking for everyone. I realized I need to treat mine to this…

Pre-Ceremony

Skytop Lodge is also one heck of a picturesque venue for a Pocono wedding! I started off with a wedding dress hanging in the covered alley, surrounded by the historic architecture of 1920s. Then, went back to the bridal suite for the getting ready shots.

Becca and Corey wouldn’t see each other before the ceremony, so I was limited to the separate sides of portraits, leaving the formals for later. Below are some that I had fun taking. The “normal”, traditional ones, as usual, don’t make it to the blog. I’ll duly present them to the families in their full online gallery, so don’t judge me by these alt-portraits.

Ceremony

The ceremony time came so quickly that I didn’t get to shoot separate bridal (or “groomal”, for that matter) portraits. Everything I shot, from the bridal prep to throwing her bouquet, fit in 6 hours, as opposed to 8-12 hours which give the couple my full attention. I did the couple portraits, though!

There was a snafu with the DJ, who didn’t come to the ceremony to play. Family members managed to find a portable speaker and streamed some scrambled together wedding tracks, almost perfectly. To Becca’s credit, she handled it like a boss. The day was windy, giving me opportunities with the bridesmaids’ flowing dresses.

I then worked with the family portraits (omitted here) and, finally, with the bridal party and the couple. One shot strikes me particularly, as if it’s some band poster…

Aerial Photography

Bride’s mom very much wished for the aerial views of the venue, so I brought my drone as a bonus. While at it, wouldn’t miss taking a few bride-and-groom portraits with such a spectacular backdrop. Such shots make the essence of any wedding at the Skytop Lodge!

Fun Times at the Reception

Our couple’s young friends were lit on the dance floor. I recognized one of them, the youngest volunteer for our fire engine. We worked with the crew to feature their fire trucks and vehicles last year, and during their Easter Bunny tour through the nearby communities.

I bet more people came out to dance after I left. Before leaving, I got the newlyweds playing the shoe game, possibly the most popular entertaining activity at a wedding. I’ve seen a lot of these for over a decade. Check out my guest entertainment options collected for someone’s upbeat wedding planning!

After throwing the bridal bouquet, an unusual disposition happened. Before Corey dove in for the garter, all the single men were called and lined up. Usually it happens a bit later, so I got these cheering crowd!

Battle for the Garter

And lastly, that wild battle for the garter… The boys took it seriously, almost to the first blood (or broken bone).

Wishing you lots of happiness, love, and fun, Becca and Corey!

Thanks and Credits

Venue: Skytop Lodge
Flowers, decor: Skytop Lodge
Hair and Makeup: The Legacy of Milford
Wedding dress: David’s’ Bridal
Catering: Skytop Lodge