Samantha & Wayne | The Lake House Inn | Perkasie, PA

The Wedding of Samantha Cooper & Joseph Wayne Messer

Their Vendors
Ceremony & Reception: The Lake House Inn, 215.258.2556, thelhi.com
Gown: Ines Di Santo, at The Wedding Shoppe, Wayne, PA
Tux: Hugo Boss
Photographer: Haley Richter Photography, haleyrichterphoto.com
Cinematographer: Pretty Films
Makeup: Carly Giangiulio, Makeup by Carly G
Hair: Sofia Kozhushko, Air Hair and Makeup
Florist: Kim Bakke, A Cottage Gardener
Cake: JAM Catering
Band: Hank Lane
Wedding Planner: Shannon Wellington Weddings

I met Wayne at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, CO on my first travel assignment in a pre-COVID 2019. I’m from Yardley, PA and had been a nurse in Philadelphia for four years before leaving for travel nursing. Little did I know Wayne had done the same thing, leaving his home in Florida. Whether fate or just good luck, we were on the same unit.

We explored Denver and all that Colorado has to offer and after a midnight New Year’s Eve kiss in Vail, CO we started officially dating. Since then, we have lived all over the country, from Lynchburg, VA to Tampa, FL, to Seattle, WA and countless adventures in between.

Wayne proposed almost two years later in the place where it all began. We were living in Seattle when Wayne surprised me by flying us to Vail. We had finished dinner and planned to take a photo in front of the ice rink in Lionshead Village where we had taken our first photo together. Wayne gave his phone to a couple passing by and took me onto the rink. Just as I was posing for our photo he got down on one knee. He laughs now that I blacked out the whole proposal, but I can still picture the twinkling lights around us and the beauty of Vail making it the most magical moment.

I always knew I wanted to get married in my home of Bucks County; I wanted it to be somewhere that spoke to my roots. especially having Wayne’s family traveling from Florida and friends coming from near and far. I was still living in Seattle and planning a wedding meant I had to do most of my research virtually. After what felt like hundreds of hours of research I found The Lake House Inn and had to see it in person. On a trip back home I toured with Craig Zeserman, the manager, and just fell in love. Standing on the top steps looking out at the lake, I could picture Wayne standing at the end of the aisle. I knew in that moment this was where we were would get married.

I worked with Craig throughout the year leading up to the wedding with lots of phone calls and virtual meetings. Even with the planning from afar, Craig made us feel special and important, like nothing else mattered but what the two of us wanted for our day. I loved that the entire Inn was ours for our Saturday wedding and the following day for a homemade breakfast.

Leading up to the wedding day, the forecasts called for rain, but the day of the wedding the skies cleared and we got married on a sunny, blue-sky, 70 degree day in November.  My oldest friend since the age of two, Connor, married us. There wasn’t a dry eye between the laughs and tears; the ceremony was one of the highlights of our day.

I love music and the emotions it evokes. I knew it needed to be a big part of our day. I walked down the aisle to a string quartet playing “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” we had a piano player during cocktail hour on The Lake House Inn’s Grand Piano, and a 10-piece band for our reception. Hank Lane’s Octane were phenomenal and had everyone dancing through the night.

Typically people groan about wedding food; I only heard rave reviews. From JAM Catering’s cocktail menu, ranging from a raw bar to prosciutto manchego croquettes and an ode to Philly with cheesesteak spring rolls, to a dinner of filet and French-stuffed capon; nobody could stop talking about the incredible food. Our wedding cake was gorgeous, with flowers covering vanilla cake with raspberry jam and cream cheese icing. It was even tasty on our one year anniversary!

Overlooking the lake, our ballroom was stunning, with soft, romantic florals by A Cottage Gardener, tall candles, and the people special to us.

Our day overflowed with love and happiness. It was possible only with some key people and I am so grateful to them. Plair, my Maid of Honor and best friend from college at The University of South Carolina. The most supportive and loving parents, Laura and Phil. My brother Andrew, who surprised everyone with an amazing speech. My three living grandparents, Sybil, Roz, and Milt. I am so lucky to have them all at this stage of life. They walked down the aisle before me and I cannot think of anything more special. Our vendors, Shannon Wellington Weddings, Haley Richter Photography, A Cottage Gardener, and Pretty Films, made our day better than my wildest dreams. Wayne and I had a private last dance to Etta Jame’s “A Sunday Kind of Love” to soak in the day. A sparkler exit surrounded by family and friends ended our unforgettable wedding day.

The Lake House Inn, Perkasie, PA, 215.258.2556, thelhi.com