New England wedding in January
 

Hi! It's me again. Thank you all for your ideas and advise when I presented a question regarding having a wedding this coming October. As we have been firming up our choices, we've come to some conclusions. We have decided to have our wedding the first or second weekend of January somewhere in the mountains where there is snow. We will have about 20-25 people there. Thinking it will probably be too cold to actually have the ceremony outside (please correct me if this is not accurate), we would like to have it in a room where there is a huge window looking out over the snow and possibly also looking out over the mountains. We want a location (town) which is very romantic, fun, friendly, and picturesque. From the sounds of it Stowe or Woodstock, Vermont, or the Monadnock Region of southern New Hampshire are what we are looking for. Any ideas?

Thanks a bunch!
Pauline

P.S. While I absolutely love the snow, I am not sure what things I should pack in order to be prepared for the weather. Seeing as how I am from Texas and have never been to New England, I would gladly accept any advice.

Many in New England do not plan any important events for the middle of the winter (which climate-wise is Dec-Jan-Feb) since there is always a risk of being snowed in or out - or air transportation being messed up for days because of snow. As far as what to pack, you probably do not even own enough clothing to keep you warm in the mountains in January.

As usual, I agree with Gail -- your plan is very romantic, but totally impractical.

I agree
Wait until October 2005 if you really want to have a wedding in New England. Make reervations now.

Hmmm, I don't mean for what I'm about to express to come out wrong, but I'm very confused. Why then do people plan to go to the ski resorts in the area for such important events as Christmas and New Years celebrations? And what about the people who have written in these very posts that traveling on the roads are okay as long as a person is smart about it. The majority of the guests that would be coming to our wedding are from the Chicago-New York area and have traveled during the holidays before.
If it is so unbearable in these locations, then how are there 16 thriving ski areas in Vermont alone with some of them being among "the finest ski resort in the United States". How then is Stowe called the "Ski capital of the East"? Are these not visited in Dec-Jan-Feb?
As far as what to pack, if I could not even own enough clothes to keep warm in the mountains (such as the town of Stowe) then how then do the people there survive? I am not beyond buying specific clothes for our trip seeing as how we are planning to move up north in a few years anyway.
I'm very confused...

For just a few days every winter, during snowstorms or ice storms, even the local folks can't travel the roads of New England. For a greater number of days every winter, airline travel is totally messed up because of various kinds of weather (not always involving snow, could be iciness). You can take a chance on a ski trip being cancelled, but not a destination wedding involving 20 people or more. As gail advised, "important events" shouldn't take these chances.

I cannot picture a wedding gown that is compatible with a ski parka.

fossilhiker -

I wouldn't worry about the negative comments here, just use them to be prepared.

Yes, lots of people ski in the winter. The mountains are beautiful, and it is cold. It would be a wonderful setting (but you are right about getting married outdoors - it will likely be in the teens or 20s in the mountains in January). Stick to indoors.

I think what people are probably concerned about is that there is a difference between skiing and having a wedding. Skiers like snowstorms and blizzards - gives them more snow to play on.

My parents live in NH. Two years ago, there was a blizzard on Christmas. I was there already, but my aunt and uncle didn't make it up until the day AFTER Christmas.

The point is, there is the possibility that weather could impact ability to travel from one place to another. If you find lodging near the place where the wedding/reception will take place, then that would probably be ideal. If people are flying in to come, they should do it the day before, at least, in case weather delays flights.

I think it would be great to get married up there in the winter, just take into consideration possible weather snafus when you are planning. If the sun is out, wedding pictures would be fabulous with a mountain backdrop!

Congratulations and have a great time.

Karen

Hi fossilhiker,
Go for it! Winter weddings are beautiful and probably less expensive. And if you're lucky enough to pick a bluebird day, it'll be a gorgeous time for a wedding. Just make sure to let your guests know that they should plan an extra day or so of travel in case of foul weather. Your guests in their free time can have fun skiing, snowshoeing, going on sleigh rides etc. In Stowe, VT, check out the Trapp Family Lodge. Gorgeous setting, but very expensive. Guests from Chi/or NY could fly into Burlington Airport (BTV) which is an hour from Stowe. United flies direct from Chicago, and Jet Blue, Continental, & USAIR fly up from NY area airpots. Try www.gostowe.com for more info. I believe they actually have wedding consultants on staff there, as Stowe is a very popular town for weddings.
While not in "town", the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, NH is gorgeous as well. Not sure of the Mt. Washingon's website, but I'm willing to bet that www.brettonwoods.com has a link.
As far as what to pack, layers are key. Bring a warm hat, gloves/mittens, sweaters, long underwear, and a good, "weatherproof" jacket, such as one made out of Gore-Tex. January is one of our coldest months in VT - last winter, albeit unusual, we didnt get above freezing for weeks. Your ceremony is definately going to have to be indoors!
Congratulations and good luck with the planning!

fossilhiker,
YES, you can have a wedding in the mountains, in the snow, on the mountain in January. A little planning is all you need.

The biggest question is weather. In January, you could have anything from the legendary January thaw, with 40-50 degree temperatures (highly unlikely), to 20-30 below temperatures (more likely). Plan on mid-day temperatures between 5 and 20 degrees.

Given the weather vagaries, I strongly suggest you pick a ski area with a gondola that is somewhat close to an airport. This solves two problems. First, if it is snowing, windy or really cold, you have an enclosed ride to the top of the lift...last I heard, wedding gowns weren't made from thinsulate. Second, if you fly into Manchester, NH or Burlington, VT, that puts you Texas drivers a maximum of 90 minutes from a suitable venue.

Speaking of venues, I can think of three: Canon Mountain or Loon Mountain in NH, and Stowe in VT.

Let's discuss each one for a minute.

Canon Mountain is on the western flank of Franconia Notch, an area of breathtaking beauty. The good news is that the entire wedding party can take the arial tramway in enclosed comfort to the summit. The bad news is that it is notoriously windy at the summit, but you run that risk on any mountain in January. http://www.cannonmt.com/

Stowe is a legendary, picturesque resort in northern VT., about 45 minutes from Burlington airport. There is a chapel on mountain, with a six person gondola. Stowe has twice as much snow as the NH resorts, so the chance of a grey mountain in January is just about zero. They offer wedding packages which can be found at:

http://summer.stowe.com/services/weddings.php

Loon Mountain, in Lincoln, NH is about 20 minutes south of Canon, and about 75-90 minutes north of Manchester airport. The summit gondola takes four people at a time to the summit. Having worked at Loon in the past, I have witnessed several weddings and proposals on the summit. It is a special occaision when you share your wedding with your closest friends and family and turn around to find a larger group of new-found "friends" there to wish you well. I personally know Rev. Skip Schwarz, the spiritual leader of the Loon Christian ministry (http://www.loonministry.org). He is a man of deep faith with a baptist heritage.

Check out http://www.skigroupnh.com/weddings.html.

Closing comments...ignore the naysayers, you can do this. Just follow the advice of your mountain advisors regarding clothing. Do not consider a resort without an enclosed lift. You don't want to have to chip grandma and grandpa off the chair...that can ruin your day. And make sure you arrange travel plans that will accomodate a drive in a snowstorm.

Good luck, and congratulations!

Thank you Anonymous, your words have helped me understand this much better. After being together close to 5 years, I'm not really looking forward to waiting until October 2005 for us to be married. Would there be a better place in the New England area which would have snow and be a better choice in January?

Even in mid-January, even in ski country, you cannot be sure of having snow on the ground. The greater your chances of having snow on the ground, the greater your chances of having travel disrupted by snowstorms. As gc mentioned, you run a risk of no snow at all ("gray mountain") anyplace, but it's greater the farther south you go.

Pauline, I wish you all the luck with this one, but you're going to need it. It's one thing to have to bail on a ski trip, it's another to have to miss a wedding. I would say you have about a 1 in 6 chance that there will be problems with the weather, and maybe a 1 in 10 chance that it will be bad enough to louse up access.

That said, you might consider thinking about choosing a resort that's closer to major interstates or a major town well-served by public transport, so it wouldn't take trekking many miles down country roads. No, I certainly don't mean have the wedding at a service center on a highway! ;-) I mean if you have a choice between a resort you like that's somewhat more reasonably accessible and another, you'd want one where the roads will be cleared sooner rather than later. THey're very efficient up there at plowing, but a blizzard is a blizzard.

The other thing to think about is that some of these places aren't really set up for weddings but rather for skiing (duh!), which means sometimes even the poshest lodge smells a bit of discarded ski boots and damp mittens. Certainly try to choose some place that advertises itself as open year-round, for that reason.

Would you consider getting married somewhere lovely off the slopes (one of those really pretty inns actually in the towns) and then letting people go up into the mountains to ski as weather permits? It's still snowy and cold off the mountains, but less of a challenge to get to places.


Finally, you might be surprised at how scenic some places are that aren't quite so far into northern New England -- like in the Berkshires or some seaside places or the Wayside Inn outside Boston or even -- ta da -- North Carolina. You could do very well at either the Grove Park Inn or the Inn at Biltmore in Asheville. Yes, they tend to have snow in January and are pretty but rarely the paralyzing blizzards that make VT and NH such amazing places to ski.

And did you give up completely on October -- call enough places to know that 25 people couldn't be accommodated?

http://www.groveparkinn.com/Templates/area-home.php#

http://www.biltmore.com/plan/stay/stay.shtml

They both have lovely views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and lovely appointments (whatever that actually means...)

To Karen, bm, and gc... THANK YOU!!!!!
I was beginning to feel sad that our hopes were set to high and we would have to "settle" for something else. Thank you so much for your advise as it is much appreciated. I will follow it as close as humanly possible... :)
I have seen the pictures of weddings in the snow and loving snow as much as I do it just feels so right. Also, it fits our relationship. We had surprise snow here last Valentine's Day, up to 5 inches in some places! (which is a whole lot here since it rarely ever snows at all) It was a perfect day for my fiance to pull off his plan of asking me to marry him... Having a snow wedding in a place that we both love just makes sense.

Pauline, I'll pipe in here again.

1, There will be snow, lots of snow in northern VT. in January.
2. The ski economy depends upon people being able to get to ski areas. Snow removal and road maintenance is excellent.
3. The ski areas deal with these issues all the time. Why not ask them for a contingency plan if you encounter the storm of the century?
4. The MOST accessible area in NE is Loon. Three miles east of I 93.

I have lived in MA, the White Mts. of NH, and now in the Green Mts. of VT. The odds that you cannot plan around weather vagaries are slim.
As they say when you contemplate launching over the headwall of a double black: "No guts, no glory!"

Go for it.

The points made regarding traveling in the weather are a concern. Soccr, thanks for the tips on finding a location. I had considered trying to find a strategically placed location that would be suitable and easy to get to. Your tips are great ones! While I think it would be cool to get married on top of the mountain, I wouldn?t mind at all getting married in an inn with a window that has a pretty view. And thanks for the tips on the other locations in the New England area, I was wondering where other places would be that would be as scenic and have snow but maybe less problematic. What is the probability that the other places you mention will have snow the first two weeks of January?

And the date thing occurred as we were in the midst of rethinking this whole occasion, which we did in the midst of our guest list becoming more of a medium-large wedding instead of a small intimate one. We started realizing that a date in October wouldn?t have as much meaning as the one we went to. We started dating on December 25th and celebrate that date each year. We are planning to become official on that date then follow it up with the ceremony a week or so later with our family and close friends.

Thanks gc!