Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Mauch Chunk Ballroom (Mauch Chunk Museum & Cultural Center), Jim Thorpe

Getting married at the Mauch Chunk Ballroom feels a little like a church wedding, because that is exactly what the room once was. The Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center on West Broadway in Jim Thorpe restored the former Victorian sanctuary with its soaring ceilings, stained glass windows and period details, and those windows and tall walls give your photographer and videographer something to work with that a plain banquet room never could. Your wedding photos here will have color and height behind you.

The ballroom has two ornate stage areas, and the museum suggests using them for your wedding ceremony, your dais table and your band. That means you can hold the ceremony and the wedding reception in the same room without guests ever going outside, which is handy in the Poconos when the weather won't cooperate. For a wedding videographer, a stage at the front of the room is a natural place for the vows and later for the toasts and the band, and the high ceiling changes how sound carries, so it's worth a visit together to plan where microphones go.

Up to 150 guests fit in the climate-controlled room. An on-site event coordinator helps you build a plan for the wedding day, and during cocktail hour hors d'oeuvres and your signature drink, if you choose one, are passed by white-gloved butlers. Because the ballroom is part of a working museum, ask how its hours fit around your setup and your ceremony time.

• Call the museum to check your date and set up a visit to the ballroom.
• Walk the room with your photographer and videographer to see where the stained glass light falls.
• Ask about photo and video guidelines, parking and timing for setup.

A little about the Mauch Chunk Ballroom

Today the ballroom belongs to the Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center, which preserves the history of Carbon County and the Anthracite Coal Region. The town itself was called Mauch Chunk until 1954, when it was renamed Jim Thorpe. The sanctuary that is now the ballroom also hosts concerts, lectures and special exhibits.