Perfect Wedding Hotel: From a Quaint Country Inn to Downtown Bustle

Wedding bouquets in waiting at the Publick House.

Wedding hotels are on my mind. My daughter is getting married next year so our quest for a wedding hotel has begun. This quest involves recollections of other hotel stays connected with a loved ones’ nuptials–whether a friend’s or a relative’s.  Here is a sampling in a mosaic of options.

Notchland Inn in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

The Notchland Inn:  White Mountains, New Hampshire. When my best friend got married, she and her wonderful hubby chose the Notchland Inn. The inn, a granite mansion in the White Mountains National Forest, has eight guest rooms, five suites, and two cottages.

Although ownership has changed since our stay, what makes this place so wonderful has not. Rooms are elegant country with a blend of richly appointed details designed to land you in luxury.

For my friend’s wedding weekend, the rehearsal dinner and the reception were held at the inn. The inn can accommodate a reception of up to 75 guests if the reception is held outside. Smaller receptions of 25 and less can be held inside.

A stay here includes a country breakfast. Wednesdays through Sundays, the inn also has a 5-course dinner that can be added on for $42 a person.

Room rates for two people range from $199 to $325 except for fall foliage and holiday season. Then rates are $275 to $380.

Publick House: Sturbridge, Massachusetts. When my best friend’s daughter tied the knot this past March, the reception was held at the Publick House where several of the guests also stayed.

The Publick House is another winner for a wedding celebration. This rambling inn, circa 1771, has a rich history that includes hosting George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and John Travolta.

Publick House garden tent.

Although on this particular visit (my friend lives in Sturbridge, so there have been many), I spent time ferrying my friend around on a series of pre-wedding errands, a stay at the Publick House should be paired with a visit to Old Sturbridge Village.

Old Sturbridge Village is a living history museum where buildings and costumed interpreters take guests back to 1790-1840s New England.

DoubleTree by Hilton: Nashville, Tennessee. Last June when my cousin’s daughter got married, extended family and friends on both sides of the couple headed to Nashville.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Nashville Downtown was chosen because of its location. Nashville bustles with nightlife and much to do in between wedding festivities. I headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame with my son, mother and a cousin’s son. Others took carriage rides and shopped at a nearby mall.

The DoubleTree worked well for wedding guests because of the breakfast area, the indoor pool and the lobby –each with plenty of space for visiting. Space for visiting, I think, is a wedding hotel must.

The lobby of the DoubleTree in downtown Nashville.

Here are other a few wedding related posts that have appeared here at Hotel Scoop.

Southern Mansion: Cape May, New Jersey. When Donna Tabbert Long checked in she saw a wedding being set up on the grounds. A wedding stay at the Southern Mansion would be a blend of history, romance and the sea.

 Coeur d’Alene Resort: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Kristin Winet picked this hotel for her own wedding nuptials and wrote about the resort’s makeover before her big day last year.

Coeur d’Alene Resort, Kristin’s wedding hotel pick.

The resort is situated on the banks of Coeur d’Alene Lake. I’ve driven through Coeur d’ Alene on the way from Seattle, Washington to Montana. It’s breath-takingly stunning in this part of the world. Great pick, Kristin.

DoubleTree Hotel: Roswell, Georgia. Kristin’s post on a wedding stay here is among my favorites, and it presents a detail that one should consider when choosing a wedding hotel–a lot of room for the women in the bridal party to get ready. In Kristin’s case, 10 women were involved in the pre-wedding flurry. She was a bridesmaid and flurried with the best of them.

As for my daughter’s wedding hotel, we’re looking in Cleveland. Hey, there’s a lake and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Plus, the wedding’s in June. The snow will be long melted. And yes, there will be space for visiting.

Post courtesy of Jamie Rhein, member of Midwest Travel Writers Association.

Photo of wedding flowers and DoubleTree lobby by Jamie Rhein. Coeur d’Alene Resort photo by Kristin Winet. Other photos courtesy of Publick House and Notchland Inn.