A Classic Christmas Wedding in Woodstock, Vermont

As a New England wedding photographer, when Courtney and Sam reached out to me about capturing their Christmas Woodstock, Vermont wedding, I am pretty sure I squealed out loud. This Hallmark Christmas/ “It’s A Wonderful Life” movie inspired classic Christmas wedding was quite literally a Hallmark dream come true.

Courtney and Sam wanted to host an intimate multi-day wedding experience for their family and closest friends. They reserved individual cottages with Woodstock Inn, along with rooms at Woodstock Inn. This was the coziest and best way to host guests and keep the intimate experience. When we arrived, we had our own room in the main cottage with the bride and groom. The cottages were darling, just like the idyllic Woodstock Inn. The Inn and cottages are located just around the center of town. Everything in Woodstock is a brief walking distance to each other, making it so easy to get around town, explore and truly experience the beauty of Woodstock, Vermont.

Each day and detail was thoughtfully planned by Courtney and Sam. One day was set aside for exploring the snow-covered streets of Woodstock, grocery shopping at the local mercantile and stopping in all the adorable shops, like a flannel shirt shop, a Christmas store and sweet little toy store. It really felt like we were walking in a Hallmark movie set.

Another day was dedicated to having a super fun time skiing up on Killington mountain and playing in the snow. Every evening was spent cozied up around a fire with wine, charcuterie boards, watching classic Christmas movies like White Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life.

Wedding day was magical in every sense of the word. Once the bride and groom were dressed and ready to go, we all walked down the street to the beautiful Catholic church for a gorgeous, intimate wedding ceremony. The church was just as you’d picture it in your head, beautifully simplistic, history visible in the wooden beams of the cathedral ceiling and wooden pews, arched stain glass windows and velvet ribbon bows tied around candle light fixtures.

After the beautiful ceremony, everyone lined up outside on the church steps for a perfect church exit! I personally love ceremony exits. Everyone rang bells (movie reference to “It’s A Wonderful Life”) while a few family members held a garland lined sign that said, “Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that an angel just got his wings." (You guessed it, another reference to their wedding theme – “It’s A Wonderful Life”).

While the guests made their way to the sit-down dinner reception at the Simon Pearce Glassmaking factory, we went around classic spots of Woodstock and took portraits with Courtney and Sam. After freezing our butts off for incredibly amazing photos, we also made our way to the gorgeous Simon Pearce. This place took my breath away. During cocktail hour, we were given the opportunity to watch some of the glass-blowing craftsmen work on the stunning glassware sold in the store. It was incredible to watch.

At dinner, each guest had an assigned seat and a beautiful, classic red or green ball ornament at their table setting. It was a wonderful night filled with laughter, delicious food and heartwarming conversations — truly, the most memorable intimate wedding experience for their family, friends and us, too! <3