Mariana & Daniel's Woodhouse Lodge Wedding

Mariana and Daniel put everything they feel about each other, and about the people around them, into their wedding at the Woodhouse Lodge. There were happy tears from most everyone at some point in the day. You could feel how much their friends and family mean to them, and how much they mean right back. The personal touches carried a lot of it, down to the deck of playing cards they made with photos from across their lives, illustrated by their friends.

The weather held all day, so the whole wedding used every outdoor space the Woodhouse Lodge has. People could stretch their legs, play some cornhole, or just find somebody to talk to for a while.

Mariana and Daniel slipped out for portraits for a few minutes during cocktail hour, which was long enough to photograph the two of them alone and give them a quiet minute together. It also kept the day from turning into a photo shoot, which matters more than most couples expect it to. Sam, their planner, kept the day on time and moving, and the Woodhouse staff shuffled everything along without anybody noticing them do it.

Daniel’s mom gave a speech that legitamtely crushed as a comedy set. A sarcastic, bone dry, loving roast of her own son. DJ Dre ran the night, and halfway through the reception the lights came down and the music went from wedding to club. Everybody had come to celebrate, and that is exactly what they did.

How We Met

Daniel and I met during our freshman year of college in DC. My friends would play basketball with Daniel, and they needed a roommate for sophomore year, so they decided to room together. My friends then introduced us at a cookie shop on campus, but we really got to know each other a few weeks later while hanging out in our mutual friend’s room playing cards (and beer pong).

Our Engagement Story

I am from Brooklyn, so the first time Daniel visited me, I took him to the boathouse in Prospect Park. It was one of the coldest days of the year, but it was so beautiful, and we have these amazing pictures of Daniel wearing the only pair of jeans he owned at the time. He used to live in basketball shorts. Nine years later, and four years into living together in New York, Daniel proposed in front of the boathouse. It was the best surprise–he pulled off everything flawlessly. And he upgraded from jeans to slacks, which was big.

Marriage to us means…

Starting our own family traditions together, hosting loads of parties with all of our family and friends, supporting each other always, approaching every challenge as a unit, and rooting for sports teams in both of our hometowns (go Knicks, Liberty, Sonics (soon), and Seahawks).

How did you choose The Woodhouse Lodge?

We love to host parties and wanted the biggest party of our lives to be in a space where we could spend the whole weekend with our family and friends. We chose WHL because we could stay within a 10 minute radius of so many of our friends and family. We also wanted a venue that was primarily outside, so WHL was perfect. Pizza as an option for dinner and a drive-in movie theater 5 minutes away (which we rented out on Thursday night) were the cherries on top.

Also, the staff at Woodhouse Lodge is unbelievable. They made everything so easy for us over the year and a half of planning.

A memorable moment from our wedding was…

We can’t chose one so here are a few: Daniel’s moms tight 5 (the funniest wedding speech we could have ever imagined), multiple groomsmen ripping their rented pants on the dance floor, impromptu karaoke after our welcome party, and everything about our ceremony.