Getaway Guide To Wedding Venue Discoveries
Why it should take a year from popping the question to taking the vows, I can't figure. Perhaps it has something to do with finding a wedding backdrop that fits an individual lifestyle - one that isn't booked solid into the next century. March seems the perfect time for a getaway to locate the ideal locale. It could be a day trip in the country, an overnight in Center City or an airline ticket to romantic places. So if there's a wedding in your future, let's hit the road, the waterways and the wild blue yonder. -- Jay Lloyd
TRADITIONAL
A pleasant day trip in the country to select inns or country clubs in the Philadelphia suburbs can unveil a wide range of options.
WILLIAM PENN INN
Route 202 & Sumneytown Pike
Gwynedd, PA 19436
www.williampenninn.com
Parents and grandparents love the William Penn Inn. It may even be where they were married, celebrated family milestones and supped in splendor on Valentine's Day. The William Penn or other area inns are convenient, and hotels for out-of-town guests are nearby. Ceremonies, dinner and dancing are open air or in well established classic rooms. The surroundings are pleasant with experienced staff and reliable kitchens - no surprises. Prices vary depending on menu, time of day and extras. Here's an idea of what you can expect to spend. www.williampenninn.com/weddings/wedding-packages/
SPRING HOLLOW GOLF CLUB
3350 Schuylkill Rd.
Spring City, PA 19475
www.springhollowgolf.com/
Exclusive country clubs have long been traditional wedding sites for the sons and daughters of moneyed members. In recent years many of the same clubs and public courses with fashionable clubhouses have opened the wedding portals to all. The attraction of a golf club as a marriage Mecca is often the dynamic view of rolling turf and pristine ponds or streams from country club terraces. Well established ballrooms and kitchens provide the ambience and memorable receptions. While not inexpensive, prices are competitive www.springhollowgolf.com/-spring-hollow-weddings. The region is awash in golf course wedding venues. Others to visit on a day trip outing include Springfield Country Club with a Marriott hotel on the site springfieldcc.net/weddings/ and the Reading Country Club, once the playground of railroad Barons, now open to all. www.exetertownship.com/rcc/Pages/Home.aspx
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON CENTER
1201 Pawlings Rd.
Audubon, PA 19403
johnjames.audubon.org/
A visit to the 18th century home of naturalist and artist John James Audubon during a wedding venue tour is a visual and sensory experience in itself. The woods and streams near Valley Forge would still be familiar to Audubon. His home here displays his original works, the period furnishings evoke the concept of life in a new world, something like the beginning of a marriage. A rustic setting adds to the adventure.
OVERNITE DISCOVERY
Head for Center City. Book a room for the night and sample the glitz of a cosmopolitan wedding, either at a hotel or a tower with a cityscape view. Some spots offer both.
LOEWS HOTEL
1200 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
It is hard to conceive a more spectacular nighttime cityscape view than from the 33rd floor of the Loews Hotel. As for the wedding dinner, I have never seen filets and sea bass cooked to such exacting standards when serving over 300 people. This is the hot invite. If you visit for wedding planning, take in the sights, stay overnight and sample robust Philadelphia hotel dining right in the heart of Center City.
TOP OF THE TOWER
3 Logan Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Rise 50 stories over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for a towering view of the art museum and the Schuylkill river, winding its way westward to distant suburbs. The
Top of the Tower was the venue for KYW-Newsradio's 50th anniversary party and revealed an incredibly skilled kitchen combined with spot-on service. Perfect for a tower penthouse wedding with scores of nearby hotels.
NEARBY BREAKAWAY WEDDING
OSPREY POINT INN
20786 Rock Hall Ave.
Rock Hall, MD 21661
Take a spring drive to the nearby Chesapeake Bay, ideal for a summer waterfront themed wedding. The Osprey Inn with its classic Williamsburg style, period furnishings and a setting on placid Swan Creek is a romantic backdrop for smaller wedding parties, especially if they include local boaters. Wedding groups frequently arrive here under sail and power to dock just steps away from the ceremony. The bride and groom can even be married by the captain of a fine yacht. Guests take rooms at the inn or nearby B&B's.
DISTANT BREAKAWAYS
ST. JOHN
U.S. Virgin IslandsGetaway weddings are growing in popularity. The Caribbean is often the destination of choice, and since the U.S. Virgin Islands are American territory, no passports or foreign regulations get in the way. On St. John, there's a choice of more formal upscale ceremonies and receptions at the luxurious Caneel Bay Resort or come-as-you-are couplings across the island at laid-back Coral Bay. Here you can wed in the crystal clear water, wear nothing more than swim suits and flip-flops, then take the party to a tiki bar called "Skinny Legs" and sleep on a nearby beach. Guests can find resort accommodations or take a fast ferry back to St. Thomas and a profusion of hotels.
