Weddings at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park

Photo courtesy of Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.

Couples wanting to stay close to the Lincoln and Omaha area may want to consider Eugene T. Mahoney State Park just off Interstate 80 in Ashland.

Nebraska State Game and Parks says Mahoney is one of the more popular state parks for weddings, and specific areas within the park are made available for nuptials.

Mahoney has 690 acres that follow along the Platter River. Riverview Lodge is one of the areas of the park popular for weddings, as is peter Kiewit Lodge, which has a large open air covered pavilion that is suitable for weddings and can accommodate several hundred people.

The wedding party and guests wanting to stay the night may want to consider the Kiewit Lodge, which has 40 rooms each with its own private bath. Most rooms have walkout decks overlooking the park or the Platte River. Sixteen rooms have sleeping lofts with electric fireplaces.

Kitchens and catering services are available at the park, so couples don’t need to worry about how to get food for their wedding.

The park does have some rules that wedding parties must follow. The ceremony can be no more than 30 minutes. The park will do table and chair setup but does no decorations. Festivities must stop by 10 p.m.

Patty Withrow, staff assistant at the park, says there are many reasons people come to Mahoney State Park for their wedding. Some people met there or had their first date there. Some are attracted by the beauty of the park and the view of the river.

Mahoney has long been one of the most favorite of Nebraska State Parks, likely due to the fact it has a wide variety of activities for park guests. Just a few of the activities include boating, fishing, swimming, theater and hiking. The Family Aquatic Center has three water slides, a wave pool and a lap pool.