Small, winter wedding destination B&B w/ young kids
 

I'm planning a small, family-only winter wedding the week between Christmas and New Years this year. There would be about 9 kids invited between the ages of 2-8. I would like to have a small intimate ceremony at a New England B&B or inn with a J.P. followed by a cozy dinner. The only problem is that I believe not many B&B's accept such young kids at their establishments. Does anyone know of any places that do? If it was in an area with winter sports activities that would be a bonus, too! THANKS.
ps - I live in the Boston area, so would be driving up...

Suggest you start by looking for B&Bs that are laarge enough that they can host a wedding and have as many rooms as you need (perhaps in bridal magazines and websites) - then start from there to see which will allow small children.

There is a B&B in Rockland Maine(don't know if you will consider that area specially since it's winter) that has been reviewed consistently highly and the reviews on their excellent customer service is also quite exceptional. It's called Limerock Inn. They also host weddings as a matter of fact. They made quite an impression on me due to the consistent glowing reviews and also becaue when I inquired with them about a possible stay, if they allow children, their response was, "Of course we do, children are humans too" : ) They were one of the very few, at that caliber, who do. Unfortunately, we never made it as we decided to base ourselves in Rockport instead(the next town, between Rockland and Camden).

I just went to Stowe for a few days and LOVED IT. I grew up skiing at Killington and at a camp in Vermont (not from there) and I was HIGHLY impressed with Stowe. Even though it was summer it was gorgeous, and now of course I want to return this winter to ski. There were many, many lodging options although I'd book now. Certainly there are things to do besides ski, like sleigh rides and stuff like that.

Legally, Maine does not allow accommodations to refuse children. But, some places may not legally be able to do weddings, or have the space to accommodate.Also, the dinner may be an issue as a place would have to be licensed for that. Lots of smaller places may close that time of year too. Just need to pick an area and do some research, check a lot of websites and go from there. You should have plenty of time to pull this together though!

Several years ago we went on a Currier and Ives cookie tour in NH's Monadnock region. One of the inns was a family resort. Families were having a gingerbread house making weekend. They looked like they were having a lot of fun, very casual place. It might have been The Inn At East Hill Farm. In my google search I came across a NH wedding planning site.
http://www.weddings.visitnh.gov/wedd..._suppliers.php
You can find the link to Inn at East Hill Farm on this site.

I don't live in the area, but was recently (last week) there. If a small B&B doesn't work, would a larger but quaint hotel work -- I'm thinking something like the Woodstock Inn in Woodstock, VT?

I suggest the Mountain Top Inn, in Chittendon VT. Lots of winter activities and choice of lodgings, really great food, great scenery. They have wedding info on their website.

Hi, maxmox and congratulations. Starting with the number of guests is a great suggestion. You are right - in Maine, smaller, owner occupied B & B's are not required to host children so a larger property would work - they also may offer dinner and can coordinate the JP for you. The Bethel, Maine area would be perfect for winter activities - skating and skiing. I would not linger in the planning - Christmas to New Years is high holiday season in most areas, especially for winter sports. If you are able to move your date to January 1 or 2 (Saturday/Sunday), you may have more options. Local Chambers of Commerce generally have a wedding packet. A winter wedding sounds lovely.

Wow, thanks SO MUCH for all the great responses. I am going to look into each and every one of your suggestions! :)

There would only be about 20 or so guests tops, and that would include 7 kids. It will be a family-only event, I'm envisioning a small intimate ceremony with a JP, a nice fireside dinner with champagne (and hot chocolate for the kids), and with some fun-filled winter/holiday activities during the day! Perhaps sledding and a sleigh ride??

I better got on it fast, I know! Will the week between Xmas and New Year's be booked solid by now?? It can be a Mon or Tues, as long as its within those dates... so hopefully I will find something that works out.

Thanks again!

I know this is in the Adirondacks, not New England, but how about here:

http://www.copperfieldinn.com/

Or here (still Adirondacks):

http://www.friendslake.com/index.htm

I stayed with my kids (then ages 8 and 10) at the "Farm by the River" in North Conway, NH and we had a wonderful time. They have sleigh rides and horses.

http://www.farmbytheriver.com/index.html

maxmox, The Farm by the River saw you coming, I just found their page about weddings! "In the cool season small intimate weddings of up to 20 can be performed in front of the fireplace, afterwards enjoy a sleigh ride then go out to dinner at one of our fabulous restaurants in the area or a reception in the inn can be arranged with one of our participating caterers when the entire inn is occupied by the wedding party and their guests." Also, their rate table has a specific rate for kids, so apparently they're welcome.

http://www.farmbytheriver.com/weddings.html

How about Wequassett down the road from you in Chatham, Cape Cod.
How about the Sagamore on Lake George.

Maxmow,

Have a look at the Blackberry Inn in Camden Maine. The website indicates they do weddings, and under policies, they indicate they will take children in appropriate rooms.
We had a very pleasant stay there.

http://www.blackberrycommon.com/innw...nweddings.html

We went to a beautiful wedding reception at the Inn by the Sea in Maine; you might check with them.

http://www.innbythesea.com/

I just may have the perfect place for you. It's a private residence in New Hampshire. Not sure if it's kid friendly. Check it out here http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog...new-hampshire/

I attended a wedding at the Harpswell Inn in Harpswell and it was really lovely. The accommodations were great. It's on a bay so it's not a "winter," destination. They are open in the winter, I think.