Huntsville State Park

Cgelske

I have 2 questions. I hope I get some answers. 

First, We are having our wedding at the Raven Lodge in Huntsville State Park. We are camping the night of, and having a campfire, s'mores, and lots of good quality time spent with close friends and family. I'm just curious if anyone knows if we have guests who are not camping, will they be able to get out of the park after 10 pm? I had originally thought that would be the case. We have quite a few people who have reserved their own campsites for the night but I was curious about the ones who plan to go to a nearby hotel. 

Second, I need to light the patio. It will be getting dark around 5:30 pm and we are planning to have the reception go on into the night (8 or 9 pm). I have this idea. I'd like to create a "tent" out of string lights. There are areas (like empty flower beds) we could stick poles in to hang the lights or have multiple strings meet up but I don't know what kind of pole to use. It's kind of a weird question but where do I get a pole to stick in the ground that I can attach multiple strands of lights to, or maybe one of you will have a better idea all together. 

http://carolineplusben.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/wpid3166-Wedding_Photography_Huntsville-3-of-9.jpg

This is a picture of the actual patio and someone else's lighting fix. Theirs looks great but it doesn't really look cheap. I'm looking for a cheap solution. The patio will also be used more as a dance floor for my reception instead of for the eating. 

TIA ladies.

Juliegirl1

I'm having my wedding there also and it is my understanding that if you are not spending the night at the campground then you have to be out by 10 p.m. as they close the gates.

As far as the lighting you can get poles at any hardware store and if you need them to be freestanding put them in a bucket with plaster or concrete

Cgelske

Thank you! Good idea. 

I found out from my soon to be father in law that they will give us a gate code to get in and out. It's not mean't to be used for people not staying the night but in my case it might be. A lot of people will be camping at the park with us. The ones who are coming from out of state couldn't possibly bring all their camping gear. So anyone who needs to get out will do so with the gate code. If the ranger makes his way around and says anything differently we will be happy to cooperate.