The Wilderness Lodge is a spectacular venue for an outdoor wedding. The lodge itself is incredible and the view is breathtaking. Part of what made our wedding so memorable was the absolute beauty of the place. (To make it even more of a surprise for our guests we did not tell our guests the name of the venue or print it on our invitations in order to make it more difficult for them to look it up online so that it would be a surprise when they pulled up.) Everyone who attended said it was one of the most beautiful places they had ever seen.

Sabrina, the property manager, was excellent to work with and always courteously and promptly responded to our many inquiries prior to the wedding. She also put us in touch with some key vendors in the area. Finding and coordinating vendors was a challenge I had not fully anticipated when we chose the venue. Since the lodge is not explicitly designed to host weddings, we had to work with area vendors to secure a dance floor, tables, chairs, linens, and other items. (The property does have several tables, chairs, and linens, but we needed more to accommodate all of our guests.) We used A2 Tent Rentals (Beckley) and Peaks and Poles (Summersville) to rent the equipment and they were both great to work with. (The owner of Peaks and Poles also owns a salon in Summersville where I got my hair done. She able recommended a day-of wedding planner for me to hire which worked out well.)

We brought our own mason jars and wine glasses that we had collected over the last year, and Sabrina decided to purchase those so future couples won’t need to track down items like that if that’s what they want to use for the wedding. As more events have occurred, she’s increased the lodge’s inventory to accommodate larger groups (like a large coffee percolator, kids games, etc.) The venue does work with a local vendor to provide a beautiful white tent and it was key to the success of our wedding. We did our ceremony overlooking the river and then had the reception under the tent. It was hot and sunny, so the tent provided excellent shade.

The Wilderness Lodge accommodates lots of guests, so we were able to have close family members stay with us on site. It was great getting to spend more time with them, and to recruit them into helping set up tables, chairs, and take care of other details. Initially we were concerned about the cost of the venue, but several elements tipped us in favor of selecting this site. As noted, it housed a significant number of family members who otherwise would have had to stay elsewhere. Booking the lodge for the weekend also allowed us to host the rehearsal dinner there the night before the wedding. (Our guests cooked their own steak sandwiches and we provided all the sides.) We also were able to keep the alcohol charges reasonable by selecting exactly what we wanted and avoiding any mark-up or bartender fees. We also decided to go with a more casual (but delicious) BBQ meal for the wedding since it fit with our “luxury outdoor” wedding vibe. (We had the wedding dinner catered by Dickey’s BBQ.)

Overall we cannot speak highly enough about the venue and Sabrina. Both were lovely. The Gauley River and the lodge itself provide stunning backdrops and make it one of the most memorable venues one could choose for a wedding. We HIGHLY recommend it!