Stowe VT Wedding Photographer

The town of Stowe has been viewed as a picturesque escape from reality, particularly for the more affluent people of New England. A short distance from I-89, Stowe has the feel of a small village nestled in the mountains while still being much more accessible than say, Switzerland. Em grew up in the Upper Valley are of Vermont and New Hampshire, a region located not far from many major ski resort towns, and has always viewed Stowe as the cream of the crop. Today we frequently get the opportunity to revisit an area she remembers from her childhood, charged with the important task of documenting one of the most important days in our clients' lives.

Stowe offers many excellent options to host weddings, none more memorable than the Stowe Mountain Resort. As the birthplace of Stowe’s skiing culture, the resort started back in 1933 when former logging trails were repurposed into downhill paths, perfect for the pastime that was new to Vermont at the time. The Stowe Mountain Resort has grown into the top rated ski resort on the east coast, bringing with it international fame. This popularity, paired with the venue’s capacity not only for reception space but also guest rooms, has made this resort a desirable location for the destination weddings Stowe is famous for hosting.

Stowe Mountain Resort offers a variety of spaces that cater to weddings, the grandest of which is aptly named The Great Room, located at Spruce Camp Base Lodge. We are big fans of locations that provide cozy indoor spaces while still incorporating the appeal of everything outside. The Great Room accomplishes this with both a series of sliding doors that open up to an impressive stone patio and a gigantic fireplace, standing thirty feet tall and using stones quarried in the area. The interior space is an obvious choice for receptions, complete with a built-in bar, while the outdoor space on the patio allows the ceremony to be just a few feet away. Many couples may choose to have their ceremony held elsewhere, but the patio space outside of the Great Room provides a great opportunity for people to congregate during cocktail hour.

The concept of pairing beautiful outdoor spaces with impressive and functional indoor spots is also featured at the base of the famous Toll Road with the Mansfield Ballroom and the Terrace Garden. Since they are right next to each other, the views are nearly identical whether taken in from all directions while in the garden or while peering through the tall windows of the ballroom, arched at the to near the tall ceiling. For views of the mountains from ground level, this pairing does the trick.

For a those seeking a higher elevation, the Mountain Chapel is a small stone and wood building about halfway up the Toll Road. Perfect for smaller, intimate gatherings, the Mountain Chapel is an easy rive from the base in the summer, or you can ski into it during the winter. While too small for many wedding ceremonies, the chapel can be a quick stopping point while doing portraits along the Toll Road. If your ceremony fits into the chapel than your reception should fit into The Cottage, with a capacity of forty people. Some of our favorite wedding experiences have come from gatherings of fewer than fifty people, as the intimate setting makes everyone feel closer to the action and more a part of the wedding day itself. Having spaces that appropriately match the guest count in size help enhance this feeling of connectivity.

If you love the mountains and you want something awesome and unique, cap your guest count at 75 and book the Cliff House at Stowe Mountain Resort. Seeing the mountains from the ground is impressive, but being perched on the edge of the tallest one in the area is awe-inspiring. If you think arriving via gondola suits you, the Cliff House is perfect for you, since that is the only way to get to or from this stunning edifice. Using the location to its fullest advantage, the Cliff House features a glass wall to allows views of the mountain and valley below from nearly every corner of the warm, cozy space. After spending the winter months in Florida, we get a kick out of casually tossing around the word “alpine” when frolicking around stunning places like this.

We often point to overlapping aspects of our two seemingly different markets of Vermont and South Florida, and we consider the Topnotch Resort as a perfect blend of the two. Vermont is known for its Green Mountains, clean air, open spaces, and awe-inspiring views from its many inn, bed and breakfasts, and ski resorts. Topnotch Resort offers pristine examples of all of these and channels its inner Palm Beach through the modern decor, high class ambiance, world renowned tennis facility, stunning spa, and even an equestrian center. If you could blend our two hometowns into one place, this would be the result. We are notorious for collecting top ten lists for destinations across the US and around the world, planning ahead for future travel when working and vacationing. The Topnotch Resort has found its way onto many of those lists multiple times over the years.

As the demand for wedding spaces has grown exponentially across the state of Vermont, many couples are now opting for the ease and convenience of a holding their receptions in tents. There are a few great positive aspects to tent weddings, including blending the outdoor space with the protection afforded by a covered area, and the ability to have a very large space under a single “roof.” Some drawbacks frequently present themselves early in the planning process, such as limited plumbing facilities, a lack of parking, obscured views, and sacrificing an elegant space for a simple open field. The Mountain View Pavillon Tent at Topnotch Resort addresses all of thee concerns and was constructed specifically with them in mind. The tent has its own bathroom and parking lot, keeping it a separate facility despite being so close to the resort itself. The tall sides are enclosable with clear plastic drop downs for any days with less than perfect weather or chilly evening temperatures, providing a glimpse of the nearby mountains ridges. Finally, despite being able to seat 250 people for dinner, the tent is surrounded by sloping gardens, giving the tent space an enclosed, almost cozy feel to it.

Holding a wedding reception outside in Vermont is a good idea during summer and fall months, but even then weather can be a variable affecting wedding days, frequently in extremely good ways, but occasionally in a way that is not exactly ideal. Having a backup plan for a rainy or snowy ceremony is usually fairly easy, but having a weather backup plan for the entire reception can be a challenge, as the decision of whether to not to move it inside must be made so early in the day. To avoid this possible variable, many couples desire their reception to be inside, and Topnotch has just such a place. Actually, it has two of them, with the signature Pinnacle Ballroom being nearly twice the size as the adjacent Summit Room. Each one can hold a wedding of different sizes, but for even larger events they can be used in tandem, increasing seating capacity dramatically. For a simple and natural flow, the Summit Room may be used for cocktail hour, providing a simple transition into the Pinnacle Ballroom for dinner and dancing.

While the indoor spaces are functional and the large tent provides a respectable covered option, Vermont’s natural beauty is the driving force behind the growth in weddings, local and destination alike. The Meadowlark Lawn is the most picturesque wedding site on the property, surrounded by landscaping designed to be eye-catching while still blending into the natural surroundings. The large lawn can accommodate a great number of tables and guests, allowing brides, designers, or planners to decorate in a myriad of ways to compliment and elevate this allergy alluring spot. Meadowlark lawn features a central chandelier and string lighting draped overhead, both of which shine with our subtle reception lighting. The lawn may also be used as a ceremony location under the large wooded pergola constructed for just such occasions. For a more intimate option, Topnotch continues the pattern of catering to celebrations of various sizes by offering the Mansfield Overlook with its beautiful view of the primary mountain in Stowe. The surrounding fire pits even make the Mansfield Overlook a possibility for small winter Stowe weddings.

If you have fallen in love with Vermont, appreciate the feel of Stowe, gravitate towards the alpine architecture of the area, enjoy restaurants and spas, but yet loathe the word “rustic,” we have the perfect place for you. The history of this lodge dates all the way back to 2008 A.D. and has managed to somehow combine a fully modern resort with the standard Vermont feel that has been almost exclusively reserved for establishments that have been in business ten times longer than the Stowe Mountain Lodge. Golf, tennis, spa facilities, fine wines, meeting rooms, and a gym are just a few of the amenities offered at this South Florida, err, Vermont hotel.

As part of the Destination Hotels Collections, the Stowe Mountain Ledge has positioned itself to become the premier venue for modern Vermont destination weddings. To incorporate the views that helped make this area so famous, The Terrace is an excellent ceremony location choice for, at the very least, three seasons. Another outdoor ceremony space, Aqua, surrounds the pool and has the versatility to handle a small elopement or a two hundred person festivity. The Stowe Mountain Lodge attracts corporate retreats and large business meetings, so their reception spaces have plenty of capacity. The smaller of the two main indoor spaces holds up to 150 people but can be subdivided for a more intimate feel. If you envision yourself having a wedding where you invite all of your friends… and their friends… the stunning Tamarack Ballroom can handle it with grace and style, offering nearly 6,000 square feet of space and catering from the onsite restaurant, Solstice. If you’re thinking about hiring us to photograph your wedding but you’d like to feel us out over dinner here, Em will have the aged balsamic and brown butter scallops over butternut squash with the speck on the side for Steve, while he will take the coffee rubbed loin of venison with the juniper-candider orange dust and d’anjou pears. He could also walk you through the wine list, but he’s already decided on the Bertani Amazon della Valpolicella to pear with his rack of Bambi.

The Stoweflake is a AAA Four Diamond Award winning resort and spa, but has a different feel than either the Stowe Mountain Resort or Topnotch. The surroundings here feel more homey and relaxed, while the amenities and service provided are exactly what people have come to expect from Stowe in general. From family friendly pubs and pool spaces to their award winning wine list, the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa has something for everyone, making it a year round destination for groups of all generations. We also appreciate the catchy and unforgettable name that is fun to say: see also, Pogo Photo. 

The Stoweflake has options catering to elopements, weddings of hundreds of people, and everything in between. The resort is on sixty sprawling acres and their back lawn can handle larger gatherings and ceremonies than most other local options. Similarly, the Pinnacle Ballroom (yes, another one with that name) pairs its mountain views with the ability to comfortable serve 400 guests. For events number around 100, the courtyard lawn has a unique water feature near a colorful garden full of flowers, as well as herbs used in the onsite restaurants. Options for the early parts of the day conveniently include a spa for the ladies and a golf course for the gentlemen. (Or vice versa, if that's more your speed. Or both.)

This Hills are alive at the Trapp Family Lodge and the instant connection with the family name does not stop with just remembering a scene from a movie. The von Trapp family settled in Stowe during the late 1940s, due in part to the topography reminding them of their homeland in Austria. The lodge was originally opened to the public in 1950 and was run by the original settling members. The Trapp Family Lodge is still entirely family run, but the building is larger and much more impressive today than the original version that was ravaged by a fire in 1980. The lodge prides itself on the Austrian inspired architecture and its service inspired by the finest Europe has to offer. From the appropriately named Wedding Meadow to the signature Mozart Room, indoor and outdoor wedding options are available scattered across the 2500 acre property.

The Stowehof is a historic hotel that has grown along side the town of Stowe since 1945, just as the town was cementing its reputation for being the Ski Capital of the East. The Stowehof has changed hands a few times since its grand opening in 1950 with the current owners spearheading a project to both restore and modernize the facility. The original construction incorporated gathering spaces, including the conference room on the third floor which is designed to be a replica of a covered bridge. This connection to the local landscape and community it further represented through the use of building materials from the area, most of which are repurposed from other structure or made from the timber that once grew where the hotel now stands. The history, location, and connection to the area all help to make the Stowehof an excellent option for a Vermont wedding. When the hotel itself cannot quite physically accommodate the average wedding, the front lawn serves as a perfect location for a tented reception that can be right next to one of the desired ceremony spots. To avoid the tent option, an indoor ceremony in the One Tree Room can be followed by cocktail hour on the Mountain View Patio, culminating in a rustic reception in the Mansfield Room. With so many rooms available, the fun doesn’t need to end when the band stops playing, as Fritz Bar downstairs can have extended hours stretching until 2am. If you need to keep partying past 2am, you are going to trick our minds to thinking that we’re back in South Beach sandwiched between clubs during an after party, not in a rural part of Vermont that has a propensity to operate on farmer time.