Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Pymatuning State Park, Jamestown

A wedding at Pymatuning State Park, near Jamestown and Linesville, centers on one of the most unusual ceremony spots in the region: the lawn beside the Gatehouse, a castle-like stone building on the dam that holds back Pennsylvania's largest lake. The stone walls and the water make a striking frame for wedding photos and video, and the park says the Gatehouse is a popular summer wedding site. Your photographer and videographer can use the lake, the stonework and wide open sky all in the same hour.

The Gatehouse lawn holds a wedding ceremony of up to 100 guests. Receptions aren't permitted at the Gatehouse itself, but they are allowed at the nearby picnic pavilions, so you can move from vows to dinner without leaving the park. Every wedding needs pre-approval from the park office, and if you're bringing a professional photographer or caterer, discuss that with the office too. Wind off a lake this size can be strong, so talk with your videographer about microphones for the vows.

For pictures after the ceremony, the park names the Spillway, Linesville Beach, the causeway and Jamestown Main Beach as favorite places to photograph the sunset. The reservoir covers more than 17,000 acres, so the evening light over the water can be the best part of your wedding day. Guests shouldn't toss rice or birdseed or release doves or butterflies; with written permission, bubbles are fine.

• Contact the park office in Jamestown for wedding approval first.
• Reserve a picnic pavilion for your reception online or by phone.
• Ask about photo and video guidelines, and check the sunset time for your date.

A little about Pymatuning State Park

After a severe flood, the Pymatuning Act of 1913 set aside money to start a dam, and construction began in the fall of 1931, taking three years and nearly 7,000 workers. The Gatehouse controls the water flowing through the dam and was even guarded during World War II.