This week I took a “break” from all my holiday event planning and went up to Stowe to check out some of the areas venues for a few of my clients. I was really impressed! Not only was is really fun meeting with other event planners, it was inspiring looking at their venues and visualizing what my clients’ weddings would look like if they took place there!
While Stowe may tend to be on the pricier end of the wedding spectrum, there are some very affordable options available to the savvy bride and groom! And, there is no question that if you choose a high end venue, you get what you pay for there! Each venue I toured had excellent staff, fully dialed in on the wedding logistics. Their in-house services are first rate and the venues themselves are simply stunning. Some offered views that take your breath away, while others offer ornate and exquisite details and extra touches that really make everything that much more memorable!
When planning your wedding, the basic rule that follows you around is that everything will cost you; you either spend time or money. The venues that I toured this week are mainly on the higher end of most of our budgets, (if not out of them altogether,) but the time and energy you save by using some of these facilities is equally as important to think about as your wallet! I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down and did the math as the costs didn’t really add up to be too much more than using a less-inclusive venue and independent vendors. Plus you get pampered by some of these places and that has to count for something!
This is the first in a series of venue/vendor tours that I am planning to do! It’s always fun to see new venues so if you ever have suggestions, throw ‘em at me!
Here are links to this weeks tour stops with a few of my notes from the tour:
- Stowe Mountain Resort – Tons of ceremony and reception options with competitive pricing. Impressive staff!
- Trapp Family Lodge – Just like the movie! Stunning ceremony settings with lots of on-site services!
- The Green Mountain Inn – Ideal for smaller weddings, this location is beautifully laid out and very accommodating
- The Stowe Mountain Lodge – Can you say Luxurious? This place will pamper you, plain and simple!
Meg’s Tour Fun Facts
- 1/2 tank of gas and 107 miles put on my Matrix (over two trips from Meg’s to Stowe and back)
- Six cups of coffee, two Odwalla juices, three liters of water, a small bag of Pirate’s Booty, a yummy veggie sandwich from Harvest Market and one muffin consumed (over two trips – two!!)
- Two deer sightings
- Two dozen wild turkey sightings
- Two Hummer sightings
- One jay-walker
- One minor clothes-lining incident involving Christmas lights being put up and me walking out the door at the wrong time… Oops! Sorry!
- One not-so-surprising but always delightful siting of my old wine distributor
- One new ipod playlist listened to – and approved of – in full
Trapp Family Lodge
Several of Stowe's locations
The Green Mountain Inn
