Destination Weddings: New Hampshire’s Lakes Region

LACONIA, N.H. - July 22, 2013 - PRLog -- Destination Weddings: New Hampshire’s Lakes Region
Why You Should Have Your Wedding in the Granite State

Lakes Region, NH  -  The Lakes Region plays host to hundreds of wedding each year where couples can share their special day with friends and family surrounded by spectacular scenery, exceptional service and a variety of activities to satisfy all of their guests. Brides want weddings that will impress and be remembered. A destination wedding held in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region might make impressing guests easier for any bride.

For brides who want to follow the vintage wedding trend and still have their wedding stand out, New Hampshire has plenty to offer. They can get married in an 18^th - or 19^th-century church (believe it or not, there’s almost one in every town!) and then have their reception in a renovated vaudeville theater like the Flying Monkey in Plymouth, NH. Another option is to take advantage of a town frozen in time at The Canterbury Shaker Village, with its simple but beautiful 18^th century buildings and stone walls. Others may choose a nostalgic venue with a background that constantly changes: a 70-foot turn-of-the-century paddleboat (the Winnipesaukee Belle), or one of the 1950s trains in the Winnipesaukee Railroad that hugs the coast of New Hampshire’s largest lake. One other favorite vintage Lakes Region location for brides is Castle in the Clouds, an early 20^th-century mansion, a stunning wedding venue with its spectacular view and breathtaking setting for wedding ceremonies and receptions.

But New Hampshire isn’t all history - adventurous brides will find a lot to love within the Lakes Region. They can say their wedding vows on a zipline (at Alpine Adventures or Monkey Trunks Extreme Aerial Adventures), among glacial caves formed out of granite an ice age ago (like the ones found at Polar Caves Park), or flying on a seaplane thousands of feet above their guests! They can make their entrance on a dogsled, a go-kart, a mountain tram, a world-class racetrack, a waterslide, or even a trolley.

Brides who prefer a more traditional wedding will find plenty of resources in the Lakes Region as well. Traditional venues in the region include the award-winning Mill Falls at the Lake set in the main village of Meredith, the historic Wolfeboro Inn at the “Oldest Summer Resort in NH,” The Margate with its newly constructed West Lawn Lakeside Pavilion in Laconia, and The Steele Hill Resort in Sanbornton with its expansive views and plentiful on-site amenities, just to name a few. Also in the Lakes Region, there are more than twelve golf courses, each with their own unique scenery, and the 230-foot scenic cruise boat the M/S Mount Washington, where couples can get married by the Captain on Board as they and their guests glide around the famous Lake Winnipesaukee.

Normally, fun and unique weddings come at a steep price, but in New Hampshire, that isn’t necessarily so. Though there is more to getting married in New Hampshire than being thrifty, brides should consider the money they’ll be saving by making wedding purchases in New Hampshire without a state sales tax. While there is a room and meal tax in New Hampshire, there is still a lot of money to be saved elsewhere, since brides won’t have to pay tax on a lot of costly expenses: the dress, the flowers, the tux rental, the wedding party attire, shoes, rings, hair and make-up, ceremony and reception décor, favors, programs, photography and musicians.

The options don’t stop at where weddings can happen, though – New Hampshire’s four seasons each offer their own individuality. Pick a season in New Hampshire and it will have its own special charm to lend to a wedding. For example, alongside the emerging green buds, spring brings gorgeous blossoming dogwood and crabapple trees that contrast beautifully with the cold, crisp blue of the lakes that have just lost their ice. Summer in the Lakes Region is ideal for breezy lakeside or lake-view weddings where guests can swim, waterski, and suntan before and after the festivities. Fall means that the state has breathtaking foliage on display. And, of course, the snow glittering on New Hampshire’s evergreen trees will complement any winter wonderland-themed wedding.

Planning weddings isn’t easy, but for destination weddings in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, savvy wedding planners can take advantage of the Lakes Region Tourism Association. They provide plenty of information for destination weddings on their website at lakesregion.org. Click on the “Group Travel” button and you’ll find dozens of ideas for your destination wedding. You can also take advantage of the Lakes Region Tourism Association’s free assistance where you can provide your event details and receive proposals from Lakes Region venues.

New Hampshire may be a small state, but it’s got quite a lot to offer brides-to-be searching for ways to make their wedding special. While it may not be one of the first places that comes to mind when thinking of destination weddings, its culture, history, nature and lack of sales tax could make a Lakes Region wedding very tempting.

The Lakes Region Tourism Association is the official tourism board of the region, representing close to 100 communities, 273 lakes and ponds, and more than 400 businesses in central New Hampshire, including area attractions, restaurants, retail establishments and accommodations. For more information or visitors’ guides, visit LakesRegion.org (http://www.lakesregion.org/), facebook.com/NHLakesRegion (http://www.facebook.com/NHLakesRegion) or follow them on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/LakesRegionNH). The LRTA office is at Exit 20 on Route 3 in Tilton, NH, and it can be reached by calling (800) 60-LAKES.