Budget-friendly Venues in VT?

MandaTifa

My fiance are looking to be married in December of 2014, but we are on an INCREDIBLY tight budget.  He's under the (misguided, in my opinion) impression that we can do the wedding and honeymoon on just $5k. 

So now I'm looking for wedding venues that are both beautiful in the wintertime and also VERY budget-friendly...and I'm kind of running into a lot of dead ends. 

Any ideas from my fellow VTers? 

Or should I step up the part-time job hunting a bit? 

Ividian

A few places I checked out:

Catamount Country Club http://www.catamountcountryclub.com/

Sunset Ballroom  http://www.vermontspecialoccasions.com/

Echo Lake Aquarium and Science center (it's not a standard 'aquarium'-no tropical fish etc)  http://www.rentecho.com/

Hartness House  http://www.hartnesshouse.com/

I decided to have mine at the Sheraton, which isn't incredibly expensive, but a lot depends on your guest list. There are quite a few smaller Inns in the state that you may be able to use. 

Don't forget to ask about discounted rates for having your wedding on a Friday or Sunday, some places will do that, and with your wedding in December you will get off-season rates if they have them.

Good luck!!

nraymond1

Where are you located? There's at least 2 I know of in the southern part of the state:

Old Red Mill Inn in Wilmington

The Evening Star Grange in Dummerston

The awesome thing (I think) about VT is all the awesome little town-owned buildings that don't do much the majority of the year.

Also, I'm doing my VT wedding for less than $2K so $5K is definitely possible. The biggest suggestion I'd make is figure out which pieces you actually want/care about and ditch the ones that you're doing just because you think you're supposed to. You'll be much less stressed and so will your budget!

MandaTifa

We're up in the Burlington area, but I'm not against travelling.  We just want to stay within our homestate. 

The Hartness House has my interest!  Thanks! 

[Deleted User]

Try taking a look at locations in Franklin County, just up the interstate from Burlington. The St. Albans Historical Society has a neat venue on their third floor that's very affordable and comes with tables and chairs for the hall. 

BethSt

How many guests are you expecting?  Check out Vermont State Parks, there's a lot of venues that are super cheap. Also, as someone else said, do it on an "off" day.  I'm having my wedding on a Friday and there's a discount at the hotel (Capitol Plaza, depending on your guest count it might work out, it's a great deal), the dj and the photographer too I believe.  You're smart to be planning this far out though, venues fill up quickly!

http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/weddings.htm

MandaTifa

My wedding is going to be in December, so I think I'm not likely to use a state park...*Brr!* 

It's a Sunday, though, so I'm hoping that helps with our budget a bit.  ^_^

BethSt

I looked at a room in Montpelier at the College of Fine Arts, it was really pretty, but small.  I think it was max 100 people (less if you want a dance floor).  The room itself cost about $500 to rent for the day: http://www.vcfa.edu/conference-services

http://www.vcfa.edu/webfm_send/653

MandaTifa

Great tip, Beth!  Thanks!   

[Deleted User]

I must got married at the Williams River House in Chester, VT. It's a B&B on 46 acres. We had a small wedding but they told us they have had weddings of 250 before. It's beautiful. The owners Mark and Geoff were awesome. We loved every minute of it.

margaretbyrne

Catamount Country Club http://www.catamountcountryclub.com/

Hartness House  http://www.hartnesshouse.com/

Sunset Ballroom  http://www.vermontspecialoccasions.com/

I booked Sunset

mpalmero

Not sure if this is too late, but try Quechee Club, close to Woodstock, VT. It's beautiful, and fairly cheap. The main dining room rents out at 700, the farmhouse at 500 with all the fixin's minus flowers. You might get a deeper discount given that you're doing this on a Sunday. Plated dinners range from 1935 per person. If you skip hors d'oeuvres, limit dinner options to just the cheapest options, and go with just a wine and beer bar, 5000 would work.

cacollins09

<div>Check out Jay Peak! My fiance and I are getting married there in March 2014. The Venue Fee was $1000 since we are only using one room for the ceremony and reception, but you can add a separate ceremony site for about $500 (this is an astonishing comparison to the $3500 venue fee and approx. $50 per person seasonal quote at other venues closer to Burlington). Food starts at approx. $25 per person. If you are flexible on the date, the wedding venue is FREE if you book between November 1st and December 23rd, 2013. I would check and see if they will offer you the same incentive in 2014! </div><div>
</div><div>Best of Luck!</div><div>
</div>In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_vermont_budget-friendly-venues-in-vt?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:131Discussion:1f88d569-25b8-4487-92a7-0f40d319fd37Post:26b71960-8d66-4d71-b762-b554024faae8">Budget-friendly Venues in VT?</a>:
[QUOTE]My fiance are looking to be married in December of 2014, but we are on an INCREDIBLY tight budget.  He's under the (misguided, in my opinion) impression that we can do the wedding and honeymoon on just $5k.  So now I'm looking for wedding venues that are both beautiful in the wintertime and also VERY budget-friendly...and I'm kind of running into a lot of dead ends.  Any ideas from my fellow VTers?  Or should I step up the part-time job hunting a bit? 
Posted by MandaTifa[/QUOTE]

ngrinste

In Response to Budget-friendly Venues in VT?:
[QUOTE]My fiance are looking to be married in December of 2014, but we are on an INCREDIBLY tight budget.  He's under the (misguided, in my opinion) impression that we can do the wedding and honeymoon on just $5k.  So now I'm looking for wedding venues that are both beautiful in the wintertime and also VERY budget-friendly...and I'm kind of running into a lot of dead ends.  Any ideas from my fellow VTers?  Or should I step up the part-time job hunting a bit? 
Posted by MandaTifa[/QUOTE]

MandaTifa,

Hi, check out Dreaming Mountain in Johnson, Vt. It is amazing in the winter. I am the event coordinator and we would love to host a winter wedding! it is so beautiful. Come check us out. Our winter capacity is 60, and approx $3000 for a 24hr...which includes lodging for 15-20. 

dreamingmountain.com

nicole g.

annksaw

A bit far from b-town, but check out sumnermansioninn.com

Its a gorgeous venue in Hartland, VT. Rental (with chairs, tables, cutlery and all those extras) is $1500.

lstuart26

I would visit hartness house before booking. I live by there and was surprised how beautiful it looked on the website....

Jenjen1178

Is the sunset ballroom just for wedding receptions or can you have your wedding there also???

MandaTifa

Thanks everyone! We're going with Jay Peak!