With all of the photos and videos I took I decided the easiest way to send you all of the information would be to create a blog post. I’ll leave it up until your Elopement and then I’ll remove it.
Here’s everything I found in Brattleboro that might be perfect for your Elopement Day.
Ceremony Location Options
Okay so you have quite a few options. Two of them I randomly found while driving around. The first one was under the 91 overpass. West River Bridge (91) and 30.
If you want a spot that isn’t so public… and no hiking required, this might be perfect. It’s not quiet because you can here traffic going across the bridge. I thought it was really pretty. If you choose something else for ceremony, I still would love to come here for portraits if you want to.
This is the other spot I found while driving around. There’s a pull off on 30 w/ room for two or three cars and there is a somewhat steep walk down (it’s only a few steps, but it has roots and is kind of steep) I was in flip flops and holding a camera and I made it down fine but just didn’t want you to be surprised if we come here. This is super private, fairly quiet and just so beautiful. I think this is a perfect spot for the ceremony.
Here’s the google map link. There are houses across the street, but no one was here when I was. We were here just before 3pm, plenty of shade.
I also went to Fort Drummer State Park to hike and get more info. There was not a lot of parking for non campers and each hike to a “lookout” was 1/2 a mile. I asked a hiker who we passed if it was worth the hike and she said “meh” so we didn’t actually hike it, but here are some pretty photos from the beginning of the trail. It’s worth a visit for photos, but unsure if it’s ceremony worthy.
Jelly Mills Falls
Okay I LOVED this spot. HOWEVER. Apparently it is not illegal to be nude in VT and there was an old guy who stripped down butt naked and just stared at us the entire 15 minutes we were here. Just wanted to let you know ahead of time that it might not be private and we might encounter a naked person. ha ha. Here’s a link to the waterfall. No hiking required, you can see my car in the first photo. Totally climbable and super pretty.
I met a videographer (at last night’s wedding) and he recommended this spot for photos and possibly ceremony. It’s 20 minutes south of Brattleboro in Guilford, VT. Green River Crib Dam. Looks pretty but I didn’t actually visit there so not sure if it would be a good spot for ceremony, it does look pretty though.
Food / Drinks
I found downtown Brattleboro to be very LGBTQ+ friendly so yeah for that. There were pride flags and posters that said “keep trans kids safe” so it felt overall very safe and welcoming. The downtown is a few walkable blocks with tons of brick buildings and I did see a few murals around. Tons of shopping, eateries and things to do. Here are a few spots that might be fun to stop for dessert / coffee or tea / celebratory drinks.
Breakfast / Lunch options:
The Porch
Harmony Loft Cafe
The Works Cafe
Dinner / Drinks options:
The Marina
Kiplings Tavern (opens at 4pm)
Sages Pub (also open for lunch)
Dessert
Amy’s Bakery Arts Cafe
Vermont Country Deli
Spots for Portraits / Places of Interest
Creamery Covered Bridge
Retreat Tower (a bit of a hike)
The Stone Church (music venue but outside is kinda cool!)
Cortland Hill Orchard (apple picking!!!!)
Scott Farm Orchard (more apple picking)
Madame Sherri Forest (15 minutes away but in New Hampshire)
Wantastiquet Mountain Nature Area (also in New Hampshire but has overlook)
Everything I listed says they are open on Wednesdays. Vermont is a very sleepy state and I find so many places are only open on the weekends. I called a few places to make sure and visited all of the websites to make sure.
I have umbrellas if it rains (the rain here is more mist like than downpour).
If you want to pack a lunch / bottle of champagne feel free to include this in the itinerary… you can choose your picnic location.
I don’t want to micro manage your Elopement Day, I prefer my Couples pick and choose how they want to feel and what they want to experience, so all of these are just options. We can do whatever you want. Vermont is stunning and we can even drive around for a bit and you tell me to pull over when you want photos in certain spots. That’s how I found some of the locations!
