Searching for a venue... slowly going insane - Paging Celia

You might want to put "Paging Celia" in your title. She will have some ideas for you if this venue exists. She is going to tell you not to have lawn games, though, because those are not for weddings.

I know in Wrightsville PA there is a lovely venue called lauxmont farms and they have a pretty area overlooking the river. But it's rather pricey so if you're on a tight budget that might not work.

Have you checked it state parks? Those usually don't cost a lot to reserve a space, but you'll need to budget for tents as most of those don't have anything that'll keep you dry if it decides to rain.

I think lawn games can be fine for casual weddings, but I would definitely provide another source of entertainment. Many people do not enjoy games and would appreciate music.

I'm not sure about venues. Waterfalls, mountains and trees scream $$$$ if it's a popular area, so due to your tight budget you might have to compromise.

@Sylphier I have looked at Lauxmont Farms, it's not exactly my style but thank you! And yes, I'm definitely interested in a state park. I am having trouble finding information on how to go about this though, specifically for Valley Forge National Park.

Nicole https://www.valleyforge.org/weddings-celebrations/

ETA this is for the surrounding area not specifically the park. I'll keep looking, I looked at a lot of state parks in my area and most of them had SOMETHING on their websites about hosting events. Have you tried emailing ****@***********.*** ?

@catlady5x I LOVE Ridley Creek. It's absolutely beautiful but we do not want to have a reception in the mansion. Do you know if you can have outdoor ceremonies there?

@Holly Thanks! I just filled out an inquiry for the heck of it haha. I haven't! I will email them now.

Also, Holly is my kitten's name and one of my favorite names

Nicole- that made me grin, I love cats.

Https://www.frungillo.com/venues

Maybe one of these would fit the bill? The Sussex Conservatory was recommended to me by someone who attended a wedding there, but we didn't look because it was a bit far west for us.

I'm not sure what you're looking at budget-wise, but I searched all around NJ and PA for a non-traditional (tented, outdoor, rustic) venue that wasn't outrageously priced and eventually landed on Jeffrey A Miller Catering. We're getting married at Anthony Wayne House in PA this summer. It has the vibe we're looking for, and the pricing is way more reasonable than a lot of other venues we saw (especially in NJ). I was originally trying to keep it super DIY, but pricing it out, it came out to be more expensive with all of the moving pieces. Plus, my fiance and I have demanding jobs and didn't have time to juggle all of the additional vendors.

I live 2 mins from Valley Forge.. it is gorgeous ... there is an amazing church !! The church is pricey but gorgeous ... the park is$ 70 rental but they have a bunch of picnic tables that can be done really nice .. and the views man some a gorgeous !! There's also tons of pokemon lol ... I considered it for my wedding FH wasint down lol ...

Oh, you mean YOU"RE going insane, not me, lol (that could be true too....)

A.L. nailed it on the lawn games, lol.....and I don't know that I can help you with the waterfalls....

Budget wise, you might attempt to be flexible; not only are you a little late to the table for June, but it's prime time, though it is a Friday, which might help.

For starters, about how many people are you thinking will attend? That'll make this more efficient.

My off the top of my heads;

Hird Lake Spa in Blairstown (this might be as far as you need to go....)

Camp Rickabear in Kinnelon

Silas Condict Park in Kinnelon

Alpine Boat Basin in Alpine (right on the hudson river; it's gorgeous)

Valley Crest Farm in Lebanon

Meadowburn Farms on the Warwick border *new....cool....

Waterloo Village

The Sussex Conservatory is great, and Frungillo does work there, as well as The Inn at Millrace Pond.

Try looking at Emily's Cafe and Catering's suggested venue page; the have dozens, and guess who is preferred clergy there, lol...

I'd look at Bear Mountain; it's not insane pricey and the Carousel is amazing.

Reeves Reed Arboretum

Freylinghousen (spelled wrong but right enough to find on google) Arboretum

Willowwood Arboretum

Bamboo Brook Arboretum

Meadows Foundation in Somerset

Omg @celia camp rickabear! U just blew my mind I forgot about that place we went there for brownie field trips !

Check out campgrounds! I was in contact with Camp Dark Waters for a bit. Holly Shores Camping Resort hosts weddings as well, but for about half my guest list (60 people I want to say?)

Maybe Deer Park Camp & Retreat too? That's still on my list. It's just the venue, so you can bring in whatever you like, and it's big enough to have dancing and games for most guest lists.

In looking for a nature-based non-traditional affordable wedding venue in that areas myself, I've done searches for Nature Centers, Arboretums, Wildlife Reserves, etc. Lots of nonprofits if you go that route, so site fees are low and you feel good about it too. I've half-joked that I'm looking for a "wildlife conservation wedding venue." OH! That actually reminds me. How about a zoo? Turtleback Zoo hosts weddings, as does Elmwood Park Zoo in PA.

Have you checked out any of the Jeffrey A Miller venues? They are the exclusive caterer for about seven properties - I am getting married at the Aldie Mansion, which doesn't seem to fit your wish list - but they have a few others that might! Maybe Audobon or Anthony Wayne House. For the tri-state area, I find their pricing reasonable (the whole area is so expensive), but you can save on liquor (they're BYOB), and you can really use the space however you like. They offer buffet style or dinner seating, you bring in all of your own decorations, you can definitely bring lawn games. They might be a nice place to look!