White Mountains and Southern Maine Coast Venue Reviews (long)

Let's see, this has been a long weekend!  First we went to the Snowflake Inn in Jackson.  I LOVE it there but they have no indoor dining room and we'd need to rent a tent.  The rooms are super nice though -- all have a jacuzzi right in the room and all the rooms are very spacious.  There are 17 rooms and three suites.  The suites are typically used by the bride, bride's parents and groom's parents.  The Gazebo Room is the bridal suite and it has a turreted (is that a word?) alcove as a sitting room, in addition to the bed area.  There's a fireplace too and the bathroom is gorgeous.  It was my first choice out of the places we saw in the mountains. 

There's a great wedding coordinator who coordinates for the Eagle Mountain House (also highly recommended for weddings) and the Snowflake, as well as other places I believe.  She's branching out to start her own wedding planning business.  I can give you her info. if you'd like (if it's allowed).  I was very impressed with her and I'd work with her in a heartbeat if we chose the mountains.

We also went to the Christmas Farm Inn in Jackson (http://www.christmasfarminn.com/). It's a charming place but a little too rustic for me.  They have a variety of room styles to choose from, and there are also some rooms that could accomodate two couples if people want to go in on something together.  The indoor receptions are held in a barn that seemed a little…worn.  It has a very nice stone fireplace though.  The owner is very nice and accommodating.  He really believes that if you tell them what you want, they can do it. 

We ended our trip in the mountains at Nestlenook Inn in Jackson, which is one of the properties owned by Luxury Mountain Getaways.  They also own Nordic Village, which is right across the street from the LMG offices on Route 16 (right near the covered bridge to Jackson).  Nestlenook’s grounds are AMAZING and they have a really nice outdoor pool and a very quaint chapel (very small!!).  It’s like an A-framed house with no door or back.  The “alter” area overlooks the river and rocks.  It’s very romantic.  The only thing I didn’t like about Nestlenook was the pink colored buildings and the extremely Victorian inn.  I expected Miss Havasham from Dickens’ Great Expectations to come walking down the stairs.  There are only 7 rooms at the inn itself, although there are also other buildings on the property you can rent out.  One drawback if you want kids to attend is that kids aren’t even allowed in the inn.  I guess because it’s very old and I think they’re afraid of something happening to the décor or something.  I was a little put off by this, although the inn isn’t really a place where kids would want to hang out anyway.  I don’t mean that disrespectfully.  It’s just a very formal and proper place.  The grounds are another story.  I loved that the best.

From NH, we drove to Maine, where we checked out the Colony Hotel, the Nonantum Resort, and Clay Hill Farm again.  The Colony Hotel is AMAZING and perfect – a full-service hotel where you can have ceremonies and receptions.  It’s right on the water on Ocean Ave., near Walker’s Point.  I would do the Colony Hotel in a heartbeat but it’s pretty expensive.  There doesn’t seem to be a facility charge like there is at the Nonantum, but it’s still pricey.   My mom and I stayed there last night and our room overlooked the ocean.  There is a three night minimum in the high season for weddings (I believe), although the packet we got mentions that there is only a one or two night minimum for certain (garden rooms ?). 

The Nonantum Resort is very nice as well, and on Ocean Ave. as well.  You actually drive by the Nonantum before the Colony Hotel.  It’s a more casual, almost “cottagey” feel than the Colony Hotel, and the building seems a little older.  The ballroom near the lobby is for indoor receptions and it’s really pretty.  It overlooks the water.  There’s both an indoor and outdoor bar and a patio where the cocktail hour is usually held.  Although the Nonantum overlooks the water it has a different view than the Colony.  The Colony overlooks the ocean while the Nonantum overlooks the jetty (or inlet?) leading to the ocean.  The Nonantum is really expensive because of the facility charge.  If you add a tent (which I see no need for since there’s both indoor and outdoor areas), it’s even more pricey.  The good thing though is that if you consider it in the off-season like April, it’s like half the price or so.  Worth checking into if you don’t mind the off-season.  The person I spoke to was incredible friendly and helpful.  I can give you her name if anyone is interested.

Clay Hill Farm was mentioned in another thread but I wanted to add that the two wedding coordinators there are really friendly and helpful.  THey also have photo albums you can look through that include pictures from various weddings.  it was good to see those so we could get a feel for the how wededings look there.