trying to find a venue for a small wedding

chesterfield

Hi,

I got engaged last week and am starting to look for a venue.  I've searched on the boards but haven't found anything quite right.  I'm hoping someone can help! 

My fiance and I live in London.  He is British but I grew up in New England.  We're hoping to have our wedding in Vermont. 

It will be a small wedding (about 40-60 people) and our guests will be coming from the US, Asia and Europe.  Most have never been to New England so I'm looking for a spot that would be a nice introduction to the area!  Other thoughts:

(1) hoping to have exclusive use of the venue
(2) accommodations on-site or very close (walking distance would be ideal)
(3) a decent amount outside space with a great view
(4) a casual but elegant affair, perhaps a nice restaurant, where the guests could wander around and feel comfortable.  Eat when they want, dance when they want, sit and chat when they want.

Any ideas?  Thank you very much!!

Mango9

Hey!  there are so many places you could get married in VT.  Is there a particular area you are looking into?  

There is the Inn at the Round Barn  http://www.theroundbarn.com/

The Inn at Shelburne Farms http://www.shelburnefarms.org/functions/index.shtml

The Pitcher Inn  http://www.pitcherinn.com/

Basin Harbor Club  http://www.basinharbor.com/

The North Hero house  http://www.northherohouse.com/

The Vermont Inn  http://www.vermontinn.com/

The Lilac Inn  http://www.lilacinn.com/

The Mountain Top Inn and resort  http://www.mountaintopinn.com/

These are just a few.  I also wasn't sure of your budget so there are definitely some pricey ones on the list.. Hope this helps you out a little.

chesterfield

Thanks!  Your post is very helpful.  I'll check out those sites. 

Are you familiar with the Old Tavern at Grafton?  If so, any thoughts on that venue?

Mango9

I have never stayed there!  But love the way it looks.  I actually was going to stay for a weekend sometime this summer because they had a special a couple weeks ago on Ruelala, or Hautelook, or another one of the sample sale sites.  But waited to long and never booked =(   The pictures look amazing!  I love the double decker wrap around porch.

I think it fits perfectly into the causal but elegant feel you are looking for too!

I wish I would have found this one earlier its a gem!!

emeghann

What about Sleepy Hollow Inn http://www.skisleepyhollow.com/ or the Inn at Lareau Farm http://www.americanflatbread.com/lareau-farm/ 

karmavt

Well im not sure where u want to travel to have your wedding in vermont but the Trapp Family Lodge is a great place in Stowe Vt. It is definetly a vermont setting. As a wedding planner I would recomend it.

chesterfield

Thank you for the suggestions!  I appreciate your help.

audreyevolves

Our stories are similar... I'm marrying my Brit in Vermont at the Kedron Valley Inn in Woodstock and it matched our expectations for classy food, relaxed/vintage atmosphere, and scenic Yankee cuteness. The Woodstock Inn is much larger than the Kedron, and would suit your large party. Woodstock - if you haven't been there - is a quaint little jewelbox of a Vermont town, with a tiny downtown and decent lodging options. It's horse country, and looks glorious in the fall, when New England is wearing its prettiest dress. The European/British contingent are pretty excited. 

chesterfield

Thanks for your message.  I sent an email to the Woodstock Inn but haven't received a response.  It's been several weeks.....  Maybe I'll try again!

chesterfield

I should have added......

The Kedron Valley Inn looks amazing!  Did you look at other venues in (and around) Woodstock?  I haven't visited but it sounds beautiful.

I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice or experiences that you have related to finding venues near Woodstock!

jyllyen

Something you may want to consider... If you're flying in to VT the most flexible options are in Burlington.  Many of the venues above are a 3 hour drive from the airport, so everyone will need to get rental cars as there is very little by way of public transportation within the state.  Just something to keep in mind!

Also, I definitely put my vote in for Shelburne Farms... it's so gorgeous!

chesterfield

Thanks!

But I think that most guests will fly into Boston or JFK so that they can get non-stop flights.  Plus we have people who live in CT, MA, and NYC. 

So I'm starting to think that southern VT is the best option....  But I'm still struggling to find medium-sized inns (20-30 rooms) that will respond to my emails or calls (except The Old Tavern at Grafton).

It's a bit frustrating!!

audreyevolves

Sorry about that, Chesterfield! I spoke to my fiance about whether we would recommend the Kedron. Basically, we loved it - the rooms were attractive and quirky, with different themes, and nearly all of them had fireplaces. The area by the pond was pretty and we look forward to having the bonfire there. The whole place was soaked in New England charm, so I felt at home ... and our English visitors will find it interesting and worth taking a "holiday" for. Southern Vermont will be particularly good for you, as the trees farther north will change color before your wedding. 

We don't have any reservations about the place. We met with the innkeeper, a very lovely woman who seemed to understand exactly what we were going for. Previous weddings that she'd hosted included a winter wedding in which the couple arrived by horse-drawn sleigh and ice-skated on the pond, and an upcoming summer wedding with bonfires and s'mores. The innkeeper said that they could even bake us a cake if we wanted. She got excited about our small, transcontinental, natural, autumn-themed wedding. 

A small terraced breakfast room would seat our party of ~25, though the larger dining room could suit 50. There's also a bar to retreat to in the event of rain. 

The food looks pretty good. We looked at plated dinners, ranging from $25 for a vegetarian pasta dish (coffee, bread, salad included) to $45 for a prime rib meal. The wine list has a significant upcharge, as you'd expect - a 2009 Bogle, which is maybe worth $12, is sold for $25 a bottle and is the cheapest on the menu - but there are some other decent vintages on there - just expect that a significant portion of budget will go to alcohol. There is bar service with a liquor license, and you can do an open bar, cash bar, or just allow the guests to partake of the tavern. The whole inn is quite beautiful. The porch alone. ARGH. James and I had seen it while driving at night on back roads, and it seemed so beautiful that it was obviously our first choice when we decided to get married. Seeing the place just made us want it more.

They don't have the horses anymore; they were sold when the old innkeeper died last year. It made me sad - we both ride, and it was an attraction.

Unfortunately, the next day... the innkeeper disappeared off the face of the earth for three weeks and didn't respond to calls, emails or voicemails. James was really in charge (she seemed to respond well to his accent, haha) and then after two weeks he handed it over to me. I didn't mean to be a bridezilla, but I was starting to get upset; we had our heart set on it and just wanted to hand her money to reserve our date. That, coupled with some offhand comments she'd made, led me to believe that the inn has changed hands and may be owned by the bank, with this new innkeeper brought in to manage it. It took us three weeks to find out that the venue fee was $500, and since we're paying for it all ourselves, that could have been a dealbreaker. Apparently they were quite busy, and the inn lost power during our recent thunderstorms, but it was still.... we just wanted to hand over the money, we had no idea what she was going to charge, and we had people already booking rooms.  I don't think the inn is in financial trouble -  the rooms are solidly booked and they were even doing renovations and improvements. I just think that they're not very organized due to some kind of transition. 

So I DEEPLY sympathize with "people not calling you back." I'm not particularly stressed or "bridezilla" about it, and I'm not insisting that people call me a princess or talk about my special day; for chrissake, we are having the ceremony itself on a FARM with GOATS on it. But if someone wants to hand me money in exchange for goods and services, I generally like to assist them in that ambition... Plus, we were able to reach other people at the inn, who said they had no idea that we were trying to book a reception. All of our guests were easily able to reach the inn when they wanted to book rooms. Their credit cards were charged the same day. Of course, they are all absolutely lovely and nice people there, and they do seem genuinely good at what they do.

However, he proposed on May 15, we planned the wedding by May 17, met the innkeeper May 20, asked for the contract May 21, followed up and finally reached her June 10, received contract June 13, have almost paid for everything June 28, getting hitched September 22 and really have nothing to complain about. We love the place. It's great. They're accomodating and the place is lovely. I'd recommend it heartily... just recognize that "people not calling you back" seems to be symptomatic, and it may help reduce the stress.

chesterfield

Thank you very much, audreyevolves!  I feel the same way -- I'm not particularly fussy about many of the details but I love efficiency.  So I don't need 50 emails with lots of fawning but I'd love one response with some basics! 

I may be pushing my luck but may I ask you a few more questions about the Kedron, please? 

Are you getting exclusive use of the venue on your wedding day (or the weekend)?  If so, did you have to guarantee the rooms (or a particular number of them)?  Are you using the Inn for other activities (eg rehearsal dinner)?  I've seen mixed reviews on the food....any thoughts? 

Thanks again.