How to pick a venue?!

Oh man that’s tough ! I guess have you ever envisioned yourself getting married more with a beach background or mountain scenery ?

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The hard part is that I never envisioned anything except for the church I'm getting married in, which I am still getting married in on my original date. Everything in my mind was centered around this church and the town it's in, which has a special meaning to me. But it doesn't make sense to go to that town for a vow renewal because we can't do it in the church.

If I envisioned anything, it was a ballroom, which neither venue has.

I’m a mountain girl myself so I’m biased, but I love mountaintop weddings. Either way I’m sure it will turn out amazing.

Both sound beautiful! I’m unfamiliar with VT’s reopening regulations, but I’ve seen a bunch of brides posting on here re: mass’s regulations and it seems like they’re very strict (no weddings with dancing, etc. until phase 4/there’s a vaccine). If VT’s are different, I would lean towards booking there purely for peace of mind because there’s no guarantee when a vaccine will be available to the public.

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I love a mountaintop picture! The pictures alone might push me more in that direction, I have never been as into pictures on the beach

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This is a really good point. I should look at both. I have just been operating on the assumption that the restrictions won't last another full year, but we never know

Neither option is a stand out to me as an unbiased bystander because both options sound great! I can understand why you're torn!

I think you need to give some thought to how YOU envision the day to look and feel. Both locations have meaning to you, but which one can you actually picture the vow renewal taking place at?

I am not familiar with either location being from a country on the other side of the world, but I would suggest you also factor in the weather (i.e. does one location have worse weather conditions than the other) as well as which one will be easier for your guests to get to. You mentioned both are equally distant from an airport, however is one location cheaper to fly to (and stay at) than the other?

View Quoted Comment Beach vs mountain also impacts your dress and shoes, do you have thoughts on attire? My dress and boots would be totally out of place on the beach, but they are perfect for our mountain wedding. I guess really, it impacts everything. I’m sure you can have a beautiful ceremony and reception either location. If looking at pros and cons of both locations doesn’t help you make a decision, maybe stop thinking about either and just think about the moment you two are welcoming your friends and family, that you’re walking down the aisle, that you’re saying your vows, what do you see? Are there colors you want to use- do they go better with a fall mountain wedding or beach? What kind of decor do you like- a style, specific items, specific flowers, specific greenery?
I also think what kind of pictures you want weighs heavily. I’ve seen some amazing beach wedding photos, but I am absolutely addicted to looking at mountain weddings, especially elopements. I love the quality of lighting in forests, how light filters down through the branches, the way mountain peaks and trees impact sunrise and sunsets, the feeling of being on top of the mountain and looking out at everything you can see. Not trying to sway you, just babbling.
It sucks you have such a time crunch to make this choice, try to really imagine what your vow renewal is going to look like and see if that helps you figure out where you are. Good luck!

I would love both elements, water and woods/outdoors! What a dream and what a hard decision! What does your fiancé want?

Both sound beautiful, but the one thing I didn't hear you say is what your FS wants. Both of these settings were nostalgic to you, but what about them? I think you have to choose something that is meaningful to the two of you.

Oh wow, both sound absolutely gorgeous! I see why you are having such a hard time choosing! My vote would have to go to the mountain though. I absolutely adore fall foliage, and couldn’t imagine having a fall wedding and not taking full advantage of natures decorations! 🍁

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One is definitely cheaper to fly to, that's a good point. I also think I imagined my wedding feeling more Fall than Summer, so maybe mountains?

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FH is saying it should be whatever I want. I think he leans towards Vermont because he knows I have more of a personal connection to that town. Another thing is that I can go to VT whenever I want and visit family, whereas Cape Cod would really be once in a lifetime for me. My dad thinks I should pick a once-in-a-lifetime place, whereas FH is more sentimental.

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I totally agree. Our ceremony will be at a place that means a lot to us. We also met in DC and feel connected there, but that's where his family is from, and my family considers it inappropriate to host the wedding in the groom's hometown. Whether or not I am totally in agreement with them on this, they are generously paying for the celebration and are firm on this point.

I think FH would feel more connected to the beach given that he grew up on the water, but he says he is happy either way.

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The foliage is my favorite! I think the fall in the mountains in New England is literally one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world.

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My FH is from IN, I'm from NY - we met and live in NC - we opted to do a destination wedding (FL) so it was travel for everyone and found a location special to us. Sounds like the water destination is just that.

View Quoted Comment Awe that makes it tough, those are both really good valid points. I’d go with your heart then!

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I totally agree with the aesthetic point. My dress would fit in either, but I would need different wedding shoes and probably different BM dresses for the beach one. On the beach, it seems like short BM dresses are more popular. I also really do not want a nautical theme, so I would have to navigate "beachy without being yacht clubby". Most of the pictures from the beach venue have anchor or boat knot décor, and that just is not my vibe (I've been on a boat maybe 3 times in my life). If I went with the beach one, I would want it more to feel like my childhood home than a beach house.

On the mountain one, I love the colors and pinecones and warm apple cider and all that jazz. I am definitely not as into the rustic vibe, so it would take some decorative work to make the wedding feel more classic and clean and less "ski lodge". But I do LOVE plaid and reds and pinecones.

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That is a really good point. Our celebration will be travel for pretty much everyone. Our 2020 ceremony is in neutral territory (South Bend, IN), but my parents said it's too much to ask my family to travel there twice and requested that we choose an east coast venue. My extended family will be driving 10+ hours to South Bend to see me get married because the pandemic has ruined air travel for everyone, so I guess I understand that, but it totally upended our plans.

But Cape Cod is totally neutral territory without feeling completely alien because both of us grew up on the water.

I love Cape Cod, however, I really love the mountains in the fall. We did an October wedding in the mountains and it was stunning. So I vote for the mountain lodge in Vermont!

Which venue does your fiance favor?