“A Gorgeous Place to Get Married”

Jenna and Kevin

Date of engagement: December 26, 2014

Date of wedding: August 23, 2015

Wedding Photographer: Philbrick Photography

Wedding Ceremony and Reception: Castle in the Clouds

When Jenna and Kevin began planning their wedding, the couple wanted it to be a destination celebration. Recalls Jenna, “We never wanted a big wedding. We always envisioned an intimate gathering; originally we wanted to do a destination wedding and we were planning that for the first four or five months of our engagement.”

Plans changed, however, once the couple realized it was difficult to coordinate the travel and dates with family members. “We decided to keep it intimate, but closer to home,” Jenna goes on to say. “New Hampshire was the perfect choice. Kevin’s family has a house on Lake Winnipesaukee. He has been going up to the lake since he was a young boy. Since the beginning of our relationship, we have enjoyed many memories in the area. We often hike and snowmobile on the conservation area around the Castle – we always thought the Castle was a gorgeous place to get married and it was our top choice. We had the ceremony at the Castle and the entire reception on the Carriage House.”

There were no specific colors but burlap and sunflowers were major décor choices for the day. Also, because of the intimate nature of the wedding, Jenna and Kevin opted to go without bridesmaids or groomsmen.

After a beautiful ceremony outside the Castle (umbrellas kept away the raindrops!), the wedding reception took place on the Castle’s Carriage House terrace. The breathtaking views of the Lakes Region from both the ceremony location and the terrace made for some wonderful wedding photos.

The wedding reception was tented and the couple mingled with around 38 guests who attended to celebrate the day.

Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant catered the wedding meal, which included for the cocktail hour: a cheese platter, a veggie platter and passed appetizers of mac and cheese, mozzarella and tomato skewers, meatballs and crab cakes. The buffet dinner featured beef tenderloin with red wine reduction, chicken saltimbocca, eggplant towers, four-cheese risotto, rosemary potatoes and green beans with almonds. Dessert included gluten free cupcakes made by a friend and an ice-cream sundae bar for all of the kids (and the adults too!)

Jenna’s advice to those planning a wedding is, “Take it one step at a time. Once you make a decision, just go with it and trust your gut. Also, keep track of your expenses. Everything adds up quickly and can get overwhelming.”

The choice of a country wedding at beautiful Castle in the Clouds turned out to be the right one for Jenna and Kevin, who couldn’t have been happier with their wedding day. Jenna adds, “Our wedding was exactly what we wanted – intimate, low key and relaxed.”