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Romance in Autumn - Seattle Bride Magazine - Fall/Winter 2004
Romance in Autumn
Plan a fall celebration to remember at one of the Northwest's cozy, wedding-friendly inns.
By Sue Frause
When my husband and I were married in 1974, there weren't all that many choices for wedding venues. You were either married in a church or at home, with little in between. Oh, my college chum Dagmar did hold her reception at the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) house on Seattle's Capitol Hill, which was considered quite swank at the time.
Today's couples have so many more options—and it's not just about June brides anymore. Autumn is a beautiful time of year to get married in the Pacific Northwest, whether on an idyllic island or in the heart of the glorious Cascades. There are numerous small inns and bed-and-breakfasts in Washington and Canada that are wedding friendly (many of them with off-season rates), making them an ideal setting for a cozy fall wedding. Here are a few of our favorites.
To read more about cozy fall and winter wedding friendly inns, pick up a copy of the Fall/Winter issue, on newsstands now.
Read on for more information about other great Northwest inns.
Zipping away to a foreign land for an intimate and romantic wedding is as simple as taking a ferry or floatplane to nearby Vancouver Island. The plush, six-room Fairholme Manor Historic Inn in Victoria, British Columbia, a 110-year-old Italianate mansion tucked away in the lush Rockland area of B.C.'s capital city, can accommodate small weddings of up to 20 people. Choices include the park-like setting of the inn's lush landscaped yard or the two Grand Suites, both 900-square-feet with 13-foot-high ceilings, fireplaces and large bay windows with views of the Olympics (The manor's dining area also has high ceilings, bay windows and a fireplace and can accommodate about 15 people). Couples often have their photographs taken next door at Government House, home of the B.C. Lieutenant Governor, with its gazebo and expansive rose garden. Low-season rates ($95 to $195 per night) begin October 12. On-site catering is by White Heather Tea Room (flowers, cake and photography are also available), and music selections include mandolin, harp, violin or guitar. Innkeeper Sylvia Main, who married her husband Ross at the inn, will also arrange for dinner receptions at nearby Café Brio or Deep Cove Chalet.
Or, if you want an entire resort to yourself to enjoy with wedding party and guests, the Freestone Inn, located in Mazama on the east side of the Cascades, offers exclusive use of its facilities for wedding parties of up to 150 guests (they also host smaller weddings). Thirty-nine guest accommodations include lodge rooms, cabins and two three-bedroom lakeside lodges and one two-bedroom lakeside lodge. At this 120-acre ranch (it's right out of Bonanza), ceremonies can take place outdoors overlooking Freestone Lake or alongside a creek (autumn days here are warm with less rain than in Seattle, although evenings can be cool; tents and heaters are available for rent locally). Smaller winter weddings are often held in the Great Room, with its three-story stone fireplace. Wedding rates and room rates are less here in the fall and chef Todd A. Brown arranges such food and beverage delights as a barbecue served in the ranch's historic barn or a seated three-course plated dinner in a private room with a view. You can even arrive at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage, available for hire locally (cowboy and cowgirl hats are optional).
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