Written by Rebekah Call
Photography by Macy Amos
Many newly engaged couples embark on the adventure of wedding planning by first looking for the perfect venue. Choosing a venue can be tedious work when the options are unlimited. Bed and breakfasts, refurbished barns and historical hotels throughout West Virginia all boast beautiful weddings, and now couples can add one more venue option to their list: the Summersville Lake Lighthouse.
Built in 2012 and standing at over 104 feet tall, the Summersville Lake Lighthouse is the only operating lighthouse in West Virginia, making it a unique location for any special event. Owned by Steve and Donna Keblesh, the lighthouse has offered guided tours and holiday events since its opening, and now the facility is available for hosting weddings, receptions and vow renewal ceremonies throughout the year.
Planning Made Easy
Cassie Martin, the event coordinator at the lighthouse, makes planning a wedding on-site a breeze. Martin assists with inquiries from brides both locally and throughout the state as well as beyond its borders who may be unfamiliar with local vendors that will be needed for the ceremony. Martin provides a helpful packet of information to each couple, including photographers, florists and caterers. Although Martin is busy planning various events at the lighthouse and is unable to provide full-service wedding planning, she is on hand for any questions the couples may have. In addition to helpful advice on local vendors, Martin and her team offer assistance with special requests and are on-site at the lighthouse the day of the wedding to ensure the ceremony and reception run smoothly.
“When you are planning a destination wedding, it’s important that you can rely on someone who is familiar with the area because they will know who to go to for all your needs,” says Martin. “If the bride and groom want something special, we will try our best to find it in a timely manner so they can get it booked as soon as possible.”
For couples who are interested in the facility, Martin recommends scheduling a walking tour to discuss the unique options available at the lighthouse, such as locations for the ceremony, convenient on-site lodging options for guests to utilize and golf carts to assist elderly guests.
Available Amenities
While wedding ceremonies cannot be performed inside the lighthouse itself due to its limited capacity and narrow, round structure, the grassy lawn with gravel pathway and the unique structure standing in the backdrop make for a beautiful venue that can host up to 150 people. There is also a spacious gazebo adjacent to the lawn available for ceremonies. Either option makes for a comfortable spot for wedding guests and an unforgettable setting.
Couples often rent large, white tents to host a wedding reception following the ceremony. Tents can be set up on the lawn near the lighthouse and are an excellent contingency plan for the ceremony if the weather does not cooperate. These tents can be rented from various event planning and rental agencies and can be tailored to the size of the couple’s guest list.
The Summersville Lake Lighthouse has five cabins available on-site for the couple, wedding party or family members. According to Martin, wedding parties often take advantage of the cabins because of the convenience they provide. A recent wedding party stayed in the cabins to ensure no one was late for the ceremony or had to find a ride home after the reception. When booking the venue, couples also have full use of the lighthouse, gazebo, nearby field and firepits.
A Happily Ever After
Natalie McCue married her sweetheart, Jordan, at the lighthouse in October 2016. The couple got engaged in June 2016, leaving them with limited time to plan their wedding. While a short timeline like this could add extra stress to the planning process, the couple found the support they needed in the lighthouse staff to pull off their ideal wedding.
“Planning a wedding isn’t easy, but it’s a lot easier when you have someone there who’s always ready to help,” McCue says of the staff.
The McCues’ late afternoon ceremony at the lighthouse was a memorable affair. With 100 of their closest friends and family seated on the lawn and a talented string band residing in the gazebo, local photographer Macy Amos, whom the McCues found on the vendor list, was able to capture every detail of the couple’s perfect day.
“When Natalie asked me to photograph their wedding, I was overjoyed at the opportunity,” says Amos. “The lighthouse is a perfect wedding venue because it is out of the ordinary. It’s not something you get the opportunity to experience at every wedding. Everyone there was a joy to work with, which can make a photographer’s day much easier.”
Dedicated to the Details
The success of the wedding was, in part, due to the staff’s dedication to the bride and groom.
One instance of the lighthouse staff going above and beyond for the couple stands out for McCue. Like most weddings with out-of-town guests in attendance, the McCues wanted to provide roadside signs along the route to the venue to ensure travelers were heading in the right direction. When her wedding day arrived, McCue was disappointed to realize she had forgotten to place any markers along the road for her guests.
Though she never mentioned this to any of the staff members, Steve, one of the owners, anticipated this need and without prompting hand-painted a beautiful sign pointing guests toward the lighthouse and the ceremony. This detail may seem miniscule to some, but to brides who feel pulled in every direction the day of their wedding, it’s an added benefit to know the venue’s staff is looking out for the couple’s guests in even the smallest of ways.
“When it comes to something as important and sentimental as a wedding, it really is crucial to have a supportive staff at your venue,” says McCue. “Our lighthouse wedding was everything I had dreamed it would be, and Steve, Donna and Cassie were an instrumental part of making our perfect day happen.”
