Destination WEDDING at Woodloch: The Essential Guide for NYC & NJ Couples
There’s something quietly electric about a Pennsylvania destination WEDDING done right—rare gold for couples who want the polish of a city celebration, but with room to breathe. At an all-inclusive resort tucked into the Pocono Mountains, your guests trade the pace of Manhattan or Jersey City for lakeside air, championship golf course vistas, and a weekend that actually feels like a getaway—no flights, no passports, no performance.
Woodloch Resort in Hawley, Pennsylvania, draws NYC and New Jersey couples who love a hidden-gem energy: editorial backdrops without the fuss, elevated service without the stiffness, and the kind of warm, multi-day hospitality that turns “wedding weekend” into a genuine retreat.
And yes—there’s real value here, too. Compared to many city venues, couples often find their budget stretches further at Woodloch because so much is built into the experience: accommodations, activities, and a weekend framework that would require far more separate line items closer to the skyline.
Over our fifteen years photographing destination weddings across Pennsylvania, we’ve watched Woodloch couples lean into the unhurried joy that comes with a multi-day celebration—Friday arrivals, Saturday vows, and Sunday goodbyes that feel bittersweet in the best possible way.
Why NYC and NJ Couples Choose Woodloch for Destination WEDDINGS
The appeal is immediate: Woodloch sits less than two and a half hours from New York City and under two hours from northern New Jersey—close enough for grandparents and young families, but far enough to feel like you found something not everyone has.
It’s the kind of sophisticated escape that reads like a well-kept secret: a destination WEDDING weekend with real texture, not just a change of address.
But proximity is just the beginning.
The all-inclusive model eliminates the vendor coordination stress that often accompanies destination planning. Your wedding package includes not just the ceremony and reception, but accommodations, daily activities, and entertainment for your guests—transforming your weekend into an experience, not a single calendar block.
And from a planning standpoint, it can be a smart kind of luxury: couples often notice meaningful cost efficiencies compared to city celebrations because multiple “must-have” pieces are bundled into one thoughtfully run destination. The result still feels high-end and intentional—just without the city-level layering of separate fees and vendors.
For couples juggling demanding careers in finance, law, or tech, the appeal of a dedicated wedding coordinator who manages the on-site logistics while you focus on your actual celebration cannot be overstated. Add the fact that Woodloch offers multiple ceremony locations, from the waterfront setting at The Inn on Lake Teedyuskung to the mountain-framed Clubhouse at Woodloch Springs, and you begin to understand why sophisticated couples keep returning to this particular corner of the PoconosThe All-Inclusive Destination WEDDING Experience
Woodloch’s structure removes the guesswork from destination wedding planning.
Whether you’re hosting an intimate gathering of forty-five or a grand celebration with two hundred guests, the resort’s tiered packages provide clarity. Elopement packages accommodate up to ten guests. Intimate packages serve eleven to forty-five. Grand wedding packages begin at fifty guests and scale beautifully for larger celebrations.
Every package includes tax and service fees, no hidden costs, no surprise bills after your honeymoon.
The culinary experience reflects both quality and flexibility. While each package includes specific menu options, couples can work with the resort to customize selections or add stations, dessert displays, hot chocolate bars, donut stations, that reflect their particular taste.
Your guests, meanwhile, enjoy full access to resort amenities: morning kayaking on the lake, afternoon golf rounds, evening entertainment. For families traveling with children, this transforms your wedding from an obligation into a genuine vacation, the kind your relatives will reference for years.
And for couples hosting a hundred or more reception guests, Woodloch includes a complimentary overnight room for the newlyweds, ensuring your wedding night unfolds with the same care as your ceremony.
Photographing Your Woodloch Destination WEDDING
The visual landscape at Woodloch offers remarkable range.
Lake Teedyuskung provides that classic waterfront backdrop, the kind where late afternoon light catches on gentle waves and creates the soft, dimensional glow that makes portraits feel both romantic and grounded. The championship golf course at Woodloch Springs delivers mountain vistas and manicured greens that photograph with an almost painterly quality, particularly during the golden hour before dinner service.
But the true photographic gift of a destination wedding at Woodloch is time.
Because your guests arrive Friday and linger through Sunday, we’re not compressing an entire love story into eight rushed hours. We capture the rehearsal dinner laughter, the morning-of preparation without panic, the ceremony itself unfolding at a human pace, and the reception that extends into dancing under chandeliers without anyone anxiously checking their watch for the last train to Penn Station.
This unhurried timeline allows for authentic documentation, the kind where your grandmother’s tears during the ceremony aren’t rushed past, where your flower girl’s spontaneous lakeside discovery makes it into your album, where the quiet moment you share with your partner before walking down the aisle receives the attention it deserves.
For out-of-state couples, this matters deeply. You’re not just hiring photographers; you’re entrusting your family’s story to a team that understands how to navigate resort logistics, anticipates lighting changes across multiple ceremony locations, and moves seamlessly between formal family portraits and candid reception moments without disrupting your celebration’s natural rhythm.
Planning Considerations for NYC and NJ Couples
Transportation logistics deserve early attention. While Woodloch sits conveniently close to major metropolitan areas, organizing group transport, whether charter buses from Manhattan or car services from Newark, ensures your guests arrive together and eliminates parking concerns.
The resort can arrange transportation between its two properties, Woodloch Springs and Woodloch Pines, for couples utilizing multiple ceremony and reception locations. Budget accordingly for this service if your wedding plan spans both sites.
Accommodation strategy matters as well. Woodloch offers traditional hotel-style rooms alongside vacation rentals that accommodate larger family groups. For couples hosting destination weddings, we’ve seen the vacation rental approach work beautifully for immediate family, creating private spaces for morning preparation that photograph with warmth and intimacy.
Seasonal considerations shape your guest experience significantly. Summer weekends deliver full resort energy with maximum activities and warm-weather ceremonies. Fall provides that coveted Pocono foliage without the summer crowds. Winter transforms Woodloch into a cozy mountain retreat, though couples should prepare guests for potential weather-related travel adjustments.
Spring offers moderate pricing and the particular beauty of Pennsylvania’s mountain valleys coming back to life, though April weather in the Poconos maintains its notorious unpredictability.
The Birds Of A Feather Perspective
After fifteen years documenting destination weddings across Pennsylvania for couples traveling from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island, we’ve developed particular expertise in making the out-of-state planning experience feel simple rather than stressful.
Our multi-generational family team brings three distinct advantages to destination weddings at Woodloch.
First, experience. We know this venue intimately, which ceremony locations photograph beautifully at which times of day, how to maximize the mountain backdrop at the Clubhouse, where natural light creates magic at The Inn, and how to move your family portraits efficiently so you return to cocktail hour rather than missing it entirely.
Second, continuity. Because we offer photography, videography, and content creation as a seamless team rather than separate vendors, you’re working with one coordinated group that communicates internally, moves together, and ensures every moment receives comprehensive coverage—without coordination chaos. It’s the kind of streamlined, editorial-level coverage couples love, especially when planning from out of state and trying to keep their vendor list tight.
Third, presence. By your wedding day, we feel like family, because we’ve spent months understanding your story, your family dynamics, your vision for how this celebration should unfold. Our calm, warm approach transforms what could feel like vendor management into genuine partnership.
For couples planning from apartments in Brooklyn or homes in Montclair, this matters enormously. You’re not adding stress; you’re gaining advocates who make the creative documentation of your celebration feel natural, joyful, and entirely without pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should NYC couples book Woodloch for a destination wedding?
Peak season Saturday dates (June through October) typically require twelve to eighteen months advance booking. Friday and Sunday dates offer more flexibility, often available with six to nine months notice. For intimate weddings under forty-five guests, you’ll find greater availability even during popular months.
What’s the best way to communicate Woodloch’s all-inclusive nature to guests?
Include clear details in your invitation suite or wedding website explaining that accommodations include daily activities and entertainment. This helps guests, particularly those accustomed to traditional hotel weddings, understand they’re attending a destination weekend rather than a single-day event.
Can we host our rehearsal dinner at Woodloch?
Yes. The resort accommodates rehearsal dinners as separate events, and many couples find this simplifies logistics significantly by keeping all wedding weekend activities in one location. Discuss options with your dedicated wedding coordinator during planning.
How does photography timeline differ at an all-inclusive resort wedding?
The extended weekend format allows for more comprehensive coverage. Rather than compressing preparation, ceremony, and reception into one day, we can document multiple moments across your celebration weekend, welcome gatherings, morning preparations without time pressure, and reception festivities that unfold naturally.
What happens if guests want to explore beyond Woodloch during the wedding weekend?
The surrounding Pocono region offers attractions from hiking trails to downtown Hawley’s shops and restaurants. Most couples find, however, that Woodloch’s amenities keep guests happily occupied throughout the weekend without requiring additional planning.
Do you offer accommodation for the Birds Of A Feather team at Woodloch?
For full weekend coverage, we typically arrange overnight accommodations to ensure we’re present for all aspects of your celebration. This is discussed during initial planning and included in comprehensive packages.
If you are newly engaged in the Lehigh Valley and are looking for vendors that you can trust- we would be honored to work with you! Our family team can only take on a limited number of weddings each year and we would love for yours to be one of them. Please reach out to me, Tassia- at Hello@birdsofafeatherphotography.com or visit our website at [www.birdsofafeatherphotography.com].
