And old church in the Poconos is getting new life in the form of a new wedding venue News Watch 16's Amanda Eustace shows us what Pocono Palms has to offer. For almost two years now, sisters Alyssa and Carolyn O'Leary have been a part of making memories for dozens of brides and grooms at their wedding and event venue, Pocono Palms, in Barrett Township near Cresco.
It's a great thing to be a part of, you know you you get to be a part of someone's best day of their lives. Pocono Palms is situated inside the old Saint Bernadette's Catholic Church. Their vision to open a venue came together after the sisters did some event planning on the side of their everyday jobs. Always wanting to own a business together, but it wasn't easy. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed them from opening and when they were finally able to it was a slow start. So we started with some smaller events, some micro weddings, and then naturally the event size. Kind of just grew from there. Last season was our first big season and we did about 30 events after moving to the Poconos in 2018, the siblings bought the church from the Diocese of Scranton in 2019 and renovated it to become a space that fits in perfectly with the Poconos.
The Poconos is so rustic to begin with. You know it has that great like woodsy feel but we really wanted to do something that was a little bit more modern, especially inside and so that's kind of our aesthetic and so that does set us apart a little bit from some of the other venues out here the ladies did so much work to this property that this area right here used to be a part of the church parking lot. Now it's a part of the outdoor cocktail hour. Everyone was like, well, you girls know what you're getting into like now when we look back at the pictures were like oh wow wow OK But it was a really fun. Process for us. We got to work with a lot of great people to renovate the space.
The venue features an outdoor garden ceremony site, a large indoor reception hall with archways, lush greenery and custom built tables from the old church pews. The sisters say they're on track to host 40 to 50 events this year. I mean do you SIS news? Watch 16. Monroe County..
