Travel Commentary by Anthony Pierpont, St. Paul, Minnesota
Summer is the most popular season for weddings, but crisp white snow at your feet with a bride dressed in an all white winter wedding dress makes for a tempting alternative. Winter weddings allow you to miss the summer wedding rush and take advantage of some of winter’s best activities. You can incorporate a horse drawn sleigh, skiing, snowboarding, or even snowmobiles into your wedding ceremony.
Winter Wedding Locations
Because of the off-season, you can often find local wedding locations discounted in the winter. However, you should consider a location that will really show off the beauty of this season. If it is going to be cold, there certainly should be a lining of pure white snow on the ground. Anthony Pierpont says, “Ski resorts are a great location for a winter wedding because they can accommodate large groups, and there is lodging, food, and activities for all ages.” Let’s take a look at a few specific winter wedding locations.
Crested Butte Weddings
Crested Butte, located in Colorado, is the perfect place for a ski-oriented winter wedding. Known for its ski lodges, up-scale hotels, and restaurants, you couldn’t ask for a better winter wedding location. Anthony Pierpont tells us to check out the Ice Bar Restaurant. This bar-restaurant is known for its outside bar that is sculpted completely from ice during the winter. This is a great location for an intimate gathering and afterwards, you and your guests can take the lift up the mountain and ski down by torchlight.
Hedingham Castle Weddings
If getting married in a castle sounds like a storybook fantasy, think about a winter wonderland castle. Hedingham Castle has a specialized winter wedding package. Located in East Anglia – a peninsula of eastern England, this castle has entertained kings and queens during its long history. Ceremonies take place in the Banqueting Hall of the castle and then the couple and their guests cross a torch-lit bridge to the Georgian House where mulled wine is served in front of a log fire. This regal, yet cozy, environment will make everyone feel right at home.
Lake Tahoe Weddings
Declared one of the most photographed locations in the world by Kodak, Lake Tahoe is the perfect place for an outdoor winter wedding. The royal blue-green waters against the Sierra Mountains make this destination wedding local beautiful year-round, but just imagine the possibilities when the ground is covered by a white, powdery snowfall. December through April, this area, which has sun 300 days out of the year, usually has beautiful snow-covered ground on which you can take a horse drawn sleigh with your guests to the ceremony site. There are plenty of restaurants, entertainment activities, casinos, and quaint shops to entertain you and your guests during your stay at the lake.
