The venue hunt continues . . .

I was calling barn after barn after barn. I found only 5 places--4 in Vermont and 1 in Massachusetts that met my criteria (heat and capacity for 150 people). And actually, only three of these were even barns, the other two were just places I thought could work. This was even after expanding my search to New Hampshire and Connecticut. These four were:

The lovely Riverside Farm in Pittsfield, Vermont

The pictures of this place on the website are amazingly gorgeous. There are several buildings available to have a ceremony or reception. That picture is of the largest building, the Stonewall Barn. The reception room has a lovely fireplace. There are even several places to stay on the property. The only problem was the weekend usage fee for the property was ridiculously expensive and didn't include any rentals of chairs, tables, plates, etc. or even the cost of staying there. Alas, it was out.

The adorable Round Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont

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Unlike Riverside farm there is only one barn building here. But it is split into a downstairs "milking parlor" with whitewashed walls where one could hold a ceremony or intimate reception and a large upstairs barn with dark wood, high ceilings, dance floor, and bar. At Round Barn the catering is done on site by Cooking from the Heart (my mom was pretty excited about this as she owns their cookbook already), the rentals are included, and you have the option to rent out the entire lovely Bed and Breakfast next door.

The Barn at Gibbet Hill in Groton, Massachusetts


This barn was restored recently, which hurt its rustic factor. However, I loved that it had two levels. I could just imagine guests hanging out upstairs watching the dancing below. This place also had its own catering run by the restaurant next door, which has been well-reviewed. The best part about this place are its grounds, which include stone ruins and a hill with a lovely view. Such places would make lovely ceremony locations, but not in the winter. In fact, there was really no place other than the reception location in which to hold a ceremony. The benefit of this place was that it is very close to my side of the family, who would not need to stay overnight. But its location did not offer a lot of activities for out of town guests. Lastly, its more southern location meant that there would be a lower probability of snow on the ground. I really want snow for our winter wedding. After serious consideration, it was out.

The scenic Ponds at Bolton Valley, Vermont

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This is not a barn, technically. The building does, however, have some barn styling such as exposed wood beams. What I really loved about this place is that large stone fireplace. How wonderful and cozy would it be to have a warm fire going during the reception? I also liked how this place was at Bolton Valley resort, so guests could all stay at one location and even go skiing there! I called this place and unfortunately no one was available to give me a tour while I was going to be in Vermont over the holidays. Further research indicated that while the Ponds has a good reputation, the lodging at the resort did not (thanks Trip Advisor!). It was out.

The majestic Woodstock Inn and Resort, Woodstock, Vermont

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Ok, definitely not a barn, not even close! The Woodstock Inn is in one of New England's most quintessential towns. Woodstock is a quaint town complete with a main street filled with cute shops, a covered bridge, views of mountains, historic churches, and a town green. In the winter, the town looks like it came right out of the pages of a fairy tale, or maybe a Dickens novel. My family has also had some great times at the Inn, where we stayed for my father's 40th birthday to go skiing at nearby Killington. The Inn is huge (more like a hotel) and would easily hold all of our guests in one place.

After countless hours spent researching and numerous phone calls, it came down to two places I would visit while back home over the holidays. If either the Round Barn or the Woodstock Inn didn't work, we would be back to square one.

There were several other places I considered but didn't research as fully. Both Stowe and Okemo have lovely ski lodges (like the ones you keep your gear and eat overpriced french fries at when you go skiing). These lodges are actually quite nice if you can imagine them without all the people in puffy outfits and all the ski gear strewn about. Problem is, in the winter you have to wait until after the lifts close to start setting up. Hawk Mountain Resort was where we really wanted to hold the wedding because my family's vacation home is located there. They hold lovely outdoor tented receptions and are building a place for indoor receptions (with a stone fireplace!) but unfortunately, it would not be ready in time for my wedding.