It’s no wonder SoVT has become one of the most popular wedding destinations.
“Brides” magazine reports that with two royal weddings under its belt, 2018 felt like the year of weddings. With so much hype, there have never been more options and ideas for planning your own. Looking into to 2019, SoVT, as one of the most popular wedding destinations, is ready to bring on the romance. Whether you prefer cozy country inns, rustic barns and farms, outdoor beauty, old mills and industrial buildings, covered bridges, or grand resorts and mansions, we have you covered.
More and more brides are turning to social media for inspiration, especially when it comes to the food—always a hot topic. Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, Urbanspoon, and Grubhub have created a generation of foodies. Your reception’s food and drinks not only fuel the party, they also provide another chance to infuse personality and style into your unique celebration.
SoVT is known for its local food movement and contemporary fare that showcases the bounty of the surrounding landscape and what’s coming out of the best kitchens around the world. As it seems that everything happens around food, we asked our favorite SoVT cooks, chefs, and caterers for their best wedding catering and food ideas that came out of 2018 as inspiration for your special day.
Sharon Myers of Sharon Myers Fine Catering suggests that wedding parties trended larger last summer.
“Normally weddings are 100 to 120 people, but last summer we did three that were over 200,” Myers says. “Pig roasts were in, and we did quite a few of those with the usual home comfort food to go with: mac and cheese shooters, rolls, potato salad, coleslaw, pasta salads, and traditional green salads.”
She adds that she’s been getting requests for Indian-themed weddings for 2019.
Finally, Myers, says, the cupcake craze has calmed down and clients are asking for small wedding cakes and a dessert buffet. [www.sharonmyers.com]
Speaking of Indian food, Dosa Kitchen in Brattleboro reports that it’s booked several wedding events for this year—not the whole wedding, but dosa stations and griddle set-ups for mini dosas for cocktail hour. Dosas, a popular Indian street food, are thin rice- and lentil-based pancakes that can be stuffed with or dipped into a variety of flavorful fillings. Ask for Dosa Kitchen by Nash Patel and Leda Sheintaub. [www.dosakitchen.com]
Chef de Cuisine Erin Bevan of Four Columns Inn is finding a desire to keep it homey, relaxed, and fun.
“More often than not, clients are skipping right past the standard three-course menu and choosing things like a pulled pork slider station or our Country Table, a mix of local cheese, charcuterie, and other nibbles,” Bevan says. She adds, “We’ve even had clients who just wanted our casual tavern fare: burgers and entree salads. When it comes to dessert, people are choosing a selection of sweet bites as opposed to a plated, sit down course. I think today’s couples want to keep the atmosphere light and lively, focus on the party, and give their guests more to choose from than beef, fish, or vegetarian.” [www.fourcolumnsvt.com]
The classic wedding cake has returned, says Evelyn Trier, owner of Let’s Make Magic Events in Newfane. “More couples are looking for the wow factor of a tiered cake. Even smaller weddings may have couples saving their top tiers again or opting for a faux layer to get the full visual effect. Multilayer cakes also mean multi-flavor options, so don’t worry about bland wedding cake any time soon!”
Trier also reports that while classic and bohemian styles still reign, couples are not shying away from color this year. Go rustic, elegant, or glamorous but do it in color and in style, mixing bright hues such Living Coral, Pantone’s 2019 “Color of the Year,” with soft yellows and greens or dramatic jewel tones with natural, earthy elements. [www.letsmakemagicevents.com]
Olivia Johnson, Grafton Inn’s director of sales and marketing, says desserts really stood out from last year’s wedding season. “Couples are really satisfying their guests’ sweet tooths and late night munchies. This past year we created so many dessert bars. Couples chose one- or two-tier wedding cakes (to cut and save) and displayed them among a dessert bar with a variety of homemade desserts. The desserts varied from apple cider donuts, miniature chèvre cheesecakes, chocolate tortes, and more.”
Greenery continues to be a classic with flowers and foliage becoming more colorful and lush. From foam-free flower installations to wedding dresses that use ethical practices and wedding cakes made of locally sourced ingredients, the options for hosting an eco-conscious and ethical wedding are rising—thanks in part to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
All of these trends fit right in with the eco-friendly and green living lifestyle SoVT offers. Here is just a small sampling of some of Southern Vermont’s top wedding destinations and activities to explore.
An Art Deco treasure with its 1930s wall murals, marble sculptures, and Romanesque columns, the Latchis Hotel and Theatre in Brattleboro is a unique wedding venue, to be sure. More traditional, but still offbeat is a stone church—stained glass windows, ivy vines, and all. Known as one of the best small arts towns in America, Brattleboro sports a true small-town Main Street, lined with unique artisan boutiques, local coffee shops, and a bevy of restaurants. After a stroll and visit to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (another wedding option), your guests can stop by Hermit Thrush Brewery, McNeill’s Brewery, or Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery and sample their locally crafted microbrews.
Just outside Brattleboro is the 571-acre Scott Farm Orchard, growing since 1791. In addition to rolling hills of heirloom fruit trees, Scott Farm hosts weddings in its rustic-chic Apple Barn. Your guests can stay in the historic Landmark Trust USA properties, including Naulakha, Rudyard Kipling’s Dummerston home, where he wrote “The Jungle Book” and “Captains Courageous.”
In Newfane, Silhouette Hill has a unique rustic charm that flourishes in all four seasons. Surrounded by the Green Mountains, the hill has a wide variety of both intimate and more formal settings for the perfect romantic wedding or other celebration.
Grafton, named one of the most beautiful towns in the world, is a picture-perfect wedding destination. Home to the Grafton Inn for your guests, you can marry in a classic white steeple church and stroll down the road to host your reception at the Phelps Barn Pub.
Manchester and its surrounding mountains offer stunning views and vistas, cozy inns, historic mansions with manicured gardens, rustic barns, and old-world resorts with elegant ballrooms. Guests can occupy themselves with the best outlet shopping in the region, as well as antique shops, art galleries, spas, and a variety of wonderful restaurants. A relaxing spa day can be a welcome respite from the flurry of wedding activities; an expert facial or stress-relieving massage will do wonders for your bridal glow. The Wilmington and Halifax areas of SoVT provide numerous options for your destination wedding, including a winery with vistas of two states, a blueberry farm and orchard, and many charming inns that host tented weddings.
Bennington houses historic inns, homesteads, monuments, museums, and mansions, all available for your wedding venue. Wander Bennington Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of Grandma Moses paintings. Be sure to see the Bennington Battle Monument, commemorative of the Revolutionary War. And you must shop Bennington Potters and Hawkins House. Afterward, sample local craft brews at Northshire Brewery and Madison Brewing Company Pub & Restaurant.
Whenever—and wherever—you choose to host your wedding in SoVT, the experience is certain to be magical and yummy.
Credits for the wedding photography in this section: Janice Boudreau Steve Holmes Courtesy photos Grafton Inn, Four Columns Inn Sally Carpenter Photography Vic Pellicier Karen Becker
