Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Lacawac Sanctuary (Historic Watres Lodge), Lake Ariel

Forest trails, a quiet glacial lake and a century-old lodge set the scene for a wedding at Lacawac Sanctuary near Lake Ariel. The nonprofit nature preserve covers about 550 acres in the Poconos, and couples are welcome to explore the property for wedding photos. The sanctuary's own favorite spots are the lodge and the lakeside views, the pond, the forest trails, the main gates and the woodland, so your photographer and videographer have plenty to work with.

You can hold the whole day here. Your wedding ceremony can be an intimate one at the lake, on one of the forested trails or in front of the Carriage House. The Watres Lodge, which overlooks Lake Lacawac, opens its living and dining rooms, front porch and screened side porch for a cocktail reception of up to 150 or a dinner of 20 to 40. The Carriage House, with its old horse stalls still downstairs, seats 50 for dinner or 150 for a ceremony, cocktails and dancing. For a larger wedding reception, a new 40 by 80 foot pavilion just behind the lodge, with views of the lake, seats up to 150 for dinner.

If it rains, a small wedding can move into the Carriage House, and a larger one can use the Carriage House for the ceremony and the covered pavilion for everything else, so a wedding videographer still gets a dry spot for the vows and toasts. Food must come from a licensed, insured caterer and drinks from certified bartenders, and the sanctuary keeps a list of approved vendors. Guests park in an onsite field, and flat shoes are a good idea on the natural paths.

• Call or email to schedule a tour; weekdays and Sunday afternoons work best in wedding season.
• Walk the lake, the trails and the Carriage House with your photographer before the wedding day.
• Ask about photo and video guidelines and any tent placement, which must be approved.

A little about Lacawac Sanctuary

The Lodge at Lacawac was built in 1903 as a summer home in the style of the great Adirondack lodges, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The sanctuary was formed in 1966 to protect Lake Lacawac, which became a National Natural Landmark in 1968.