fossilhiker

The past few days have helped me in my search for the ideal place for my fiance and I to have our winter wedding in New England. Not having ever been to the New England area, I've learned a lot. Thank you all for your advise and suggestions. I refer back to it often. I have another question I hope you all can help me with (please).
I really love the historic New England village that Stowe and Woodstock have, and I really love the mountains and the snow that both Vermont and New Hampshire have. However after thinking about the concerns about the weather and how cold it gets, I am wondering if there might be other towns in say, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, or Connecticut that would be a historic village and have the snow but the weather might be as less harsh. I would really like to look at all the options before my fiance and I sit down to make a decision. I have tried to find this answer but for some reason I am having a tough time.
I would love to hear any ideas...
Thanks,
Pauline

elberko

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to do a sleigh-ride for my birthday (mid-January). We live in PA. Went to Vermont. NO SNOW! ZIP. NADDA.

Good luck!

nytraveler

Any place with a guarantee of snow (and you can easily have no snow at many places in NE in the winter) will have fairly harsh weather - otherwise its not cold enough to snow. (Obviously ski resorts can make snow if the weather doesn;t provide it - but it sounds like you want a town and not a ski slope.)

Your best chance for a guarantee of snow is either Canada or the Buffalo/Niagara area.

gc

fossilhiker,

You can't have it both ways. If you want to guarantee fresh, white snow, you've got to get to where it's cold.

zootsi

The most reliable area for snow in the mountains of New England would be the northern Green Mountains of Vermont, especially around Stowe and Jay Peak. As was pointed out, the temps up there can be brutal, often below zero farenheit. Of course, much of New England will PROBABLY have snow by January, but the odds decrease as you head south. Here in central New Hampshire, we had snow on the ground from late November thru late March last year, but we get a brown Christmas about once every 10 years. I would choose someplace like Woodstock Vt, which will probably have snow, is very scenic, but will be cold!

KathyM

Check into Stockbridge, MA, the Norman Rockwell town. The "Red Lion Inn" - "picture perfect"

peterboy

Sorry but this cracks me up....I live in the Albany NY area and we all wish we could have the snow without the cold. Often we have the cold but still no snow. Lake Placid would be a good bet for snow but, as others have pointed out, snow and cold go hand-in-hand. How about a romantic tropical wedding on a beach on St. John, USVI...it's lovely there in January.

k_999_9

Pauline, we're trying our best to be nice, but your request seems impossible to fill: "I want guaranteed snow where it's cold but not too cold."

Anywhere that has a lot of snow is going to be colder than a witch's toe (see, I am being nice). Maybe you should just rent "Dr. Zhivago."

KathyM

I posted earlier-- recommending Stockbridge, MA. But as the other posters have made clear-- snow and/or not tooo cold is not predictable anywhere in the Northeast. I live in the Albany, NY area and remember Christmas Day 1969 when we had about two feet (which continued into about four feet the next week) and resulted with closing state government for a week. More recently, 28" on Christmas Day 2002. (Someone correct me if I'm off a year.) The temperature dropped to 20 below zero on Christmas Day, 1980 (I remember,because I had my little boy running around in short pants!) Yet, there have been years when we had grass on Christmas and snow on the ground on Easter! You say that you haven't been to New England. Are you sure that's where you want to get married? Or do you just have a movie image of what a "traditional New England Winter" would be like? We had a reception for my son here in Albany last year on 12/27 in a very historic home(he was married in Australia). We sweated out the weather. Nothing like paying the caterer, the fee for the venue and nobody can make it because they're snowed in!!!

Dreamer2

Hey, I've got it!
Disney's MGM sets up a Christmas Village each December, complete with falling snow suds!