Real Wedding: Annie & Jonathan

Annie and Jonathan were married last August, joined by 200 guests at Oak Lodge in the Laurel Mountains of western Pennsylvania for three days of activities and celebrating. How amazing does that sound! Her best friend from high school, JoAnn Manolis, took all of the photos - "Having a close girlfriend at my side that entire weekend was an incredible blessing, like a fifth bridesmaid!"


From Annie: We are very fortunate that my father owns Oak Lodge, an 800-acre country retreat in the Laurel Mountains of western Pennsylvania. It's got a bunch of log cabins and converted barns where many of our friends stayed. Our friends and family are generally pretty high-energy and they embraced all the activities we had planned: karaoke, s'mores making, a swim and canoe picnic at the lake, John Deere "Gator" rides through the wooded trails, yoga class (led by Jonathan), pony rides, maple syrup making demonstrations, etc. We wanted everyone to feel included so we planned activities that people of all ages could enjoy. Oak Lodge is located on land that had been a Boy Scout camp that my grandfather and great uncles had attended in the 1920s and 30s, so it provided a wonderful connection to family members who were unable to be with us that weekend.




The groomsmen wore their own suits, paired with matching ties from Beau Ties. Annie fell in love with her tea-length Michelle Roth dress the moment she saw it in a bridal magazine, "A good six months before we were engaged, by the way," she says. "This detail didn't stop me from visiting the shop and trying it on. The day after Jonathan proposed, I called the shop, gave them my measurements, and ordered the dress!"


The bridesmaids chose from several colors and styles of J.Crew dresses.




Invitations and programs by Etsy vendor, Heatherjeany.


One of Annie's favorite parts of the wedding was that all of the music for the ceremony was provided by friends.




Bridesmaids made pom-poms out of yarn to decorate the getaway car, a 1967 cherry red Cadillac convertible, borrowed from a friend of Annie's mother.


Guests took Polaroids to include with their messages in the guest book.


Rather than buy new vases, the florist - T. Cumberland Floral (724-238-3644) - used various containers that had been collected at Oak Lodge over the years, from old teapots to pewter pitchers, adding to the casual, country vibe of the whole weekend. Jonathan's mother hand-made chocolate sunflowers for each place setting.




Guests went home with bottles of maple syrup produced by Oak Lodge.


All of the weekend's music was found through Entertainment Unlimited.





Thank you so much to JoAnn Manolis for sharing these photos with us, and of course congratulations to Annie and Jonathan! It was so fun to see your photos, and to hear all about your lovely wedding.