Planning your Vermont wedding can feel like a monster of a task, with endless to-do lists, infinite errands to run, and an overwhelming amount of emails to send. Fortunately for you, I’ve made your job a whole lot easier with this step-by-step guide to getting married in Vermont, where I walk you through everything from creating your guest list to putting together your timeline! 

Pro tip: Bookmark this tab to come back to throughout the planning process—it’ll be a lifesaver to have in your back pocket.

Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Married in Vermont

1. Take a breather + take time to celebrate

Woah woah woahhh there, slow down a sec—you’re telling me you just got engaged, and you’re already taking the wedding planning beast head on?! 

Let me tell you something: you deserve to CELEBRATE before you dive headfirst into the planning process. Yes, wedding planning can be fun af (duh), but it can also be stressful, time-consuming, and can bring up a lot of emotions. So before you even think about searching Google for a long list of the best 100 venues near you, can you give yourselves a little time to celebrate? To bask in the feeling of being newly engaged, ready to spend the rest of your lives together?

Maybe this looks like taking a day to throw an engagement party with your loved ones, or maybe it looks like waiting a couple of weeks before really getting into the nitty-gritty. Wedding planning will probably be taking over your life/mind for the next few months up until the big day, so promise me you’ll come back here once you’ve taken a little breather to celebrate, k?

2. Allow yourselves to dream a little

Alright: nowww we can get into it. The wedding planning world is your oyster, baby, and it’s time to start dreaming! I find that so many couples dive right into the logistics and the numbers of wedding planning without even letting themselves dream. Without allowing themselves the time and space to dream about all the possibilities, to explore all the options, to envision the most beautiful and magical day free of limitations.

I know what you’re thinking: “But Ali, that’s just not realistic. We’ve got bills to pay, vendors to hire, budgets to stick to, and family members to please.”

Trust me, I get it. I’ve been exactly where you are, and I’ll be the first to tell you that without giving yourselves the freedom to dream at the beginning of the planning process, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters to you. To get lost in the numbers, the dates, the vendor deposits, the guest lists, the random requests from your aunt and long-lost cousin who you haven’t spoken to in years. . . 

So before you face the realities of planning a wedding, give yourselves permission to DREAM. Make a date out of it and set up a Pinterest board (or a real-life vision board!) where you just get to add whatever the heck you want—the craziest dress, the most insane venue, the most out-of-this-world floral installation, you get the picture! This will help you really get an idea of what your biggest dreams are together before money, time, etc. come into play.

3. Get clear on your wedding day priorities + values

In that same vein, it’s crucial that you get clear on your wedding day priorities, and that you get on the same page about what’s most important to you, early on in the process. When you’re aligned on what you want your wedding day to look and feel like, you’ll be able to make clear, confident decisions when it comes to choosing venues, vendors, guests, etc!

Here are a few questions you can ask yourselves to help with this:

• How much one-on-one time do we want to spend together on our wedding day? How important is that to us?
• How can we use this day to celebrate our relationship and one-of-a-kind love story?
• How can we infuse our unique personalities into the feel and experience of our wedding?
• What do we want our wedding to feel (not just look) like? What emotions do we want the day to invoke for not just ourselves, but for our guests?
• What would make us leave our wedding day feeling SO joyful, grateful, and blissful?
• How do we want to feel when we look back on our wedding day? 

You also want to make sure you’re clear on your values as a couple, and what you will value most + least on your wedding day (and in the many years after). For example, if you value joy and gratitude over perfection, it’ll probably be more important to you to plan ways to create moments of JOY at your wedding, rather than spending time/money on perfecting every little detail.

I’ve created a list of common wedding-related values + priorities below to help you identify what matters most to you as a couple. Feel free to copy and paste this into your Notes app and add check marks next to the ones that feel accurate to the two of you and your relationship!

• Quality time with loved ones
• Quiet, alone time together
• Atmosphere and setting
• Laid-back/relaxed vibes
• Adaptability/flexibility
• Community and connection
• Aesthetics and visuals
• Perfection and detail
• Joy and gratitude
• Religious/cultural beliefs and traditions

4. Get clear on your financial priorities + values

Time to talk money, honey—next, we gotta get clear on your financial priorities and values. Notice how I didn’t title this step “Set your budget;” while you will obviously need to create a budget, we want to make sure you feel good about that budget, and that you’re spending your money in ways that feel aligned with your vision. 

To start, I recommend picking a few things that are your top priority when it comes to where your money goes. This could be specific vendors, activities, or items that you KNOW are super important to you, and that you’re willing to spend a bigger chunk of money on. Oftentimes, this may look like your venue/location, photographer, planner, food/meals, or decor. There’s no right or wrong here!

Because I love getting you to ask yourselves questions to clear up your priorities, here are a few to go through:

• What are the top 3 things that we care about most on our wedding day?
• What are 3 things we don’t really care about on our wedding day?
• What would we feel confident spending MORE money on?
• What would we be okay spending LESS money on?
• What could we DIY or simplify that isn’t a top priority?

Pro tip: Make a date out of this so it doesn’t turn into some boring, stiff money conversation! Go out to a romantic restaurant, bring a pad of paper, and talk through your priorities over a glass of your fave beverage and a yummy appetizer. Or keep it simple and stay home, grab a snack, and set up camp on your couch with a bomb playlist going in the background. Money doesn’t have to be boring or stressful to talk about—it’s an essential part of creating the wedding experience you’re dreaming of, while still feeling financially secure for your future.

5. Choose a date

Grab your calendars, because it’s time to pick a date to tie the knot! It can be sooo difficult to narrow down a date that works for the two of you, your guests, your vendors. . . honestly, I’ll tell you right off the bat that you probably won’t find one that works for every single person you want to invite. And that’s okay!

You’ll want to start by choosing what season you want to get married in, considering things such as:

• Weather
• Landscapes
• Your schedules
• Time off work
• When you want to take your honeymoon
• Guest availability
• Activities/excursions you want to include
• Themed decor you may want
• Color palettes 

This will all help you narrow down a specific month, and then a day that works best for your wedding.

When is the best time of year to get married in Vermont?

I’m personally a little biased toward fall—specifically the first weekend in October, since that’s the weekend I got married, and it’ll always have a special place in my heart. Peak foliage season typically lasts from late September through early October, so if you’re dreaming of an enchanting fall wedding with gorgeous colors galore, that’s going to be your best bet. 

If you’re craving more warmth and sunshine, though, summers in Vermont are beautiful and perfect for outdoor celebrations! Those warm evenings under the setting sun are pretty dang hard to beat, and are a dream come true for romantic cocktail hours + receptions.

Spring and winter are a bit more unpredictable, with spring seeing dramatic temperature fluctuations, melting snow, and a bit of mud—though the lush greenery and wildflowers are gorgeous. If you want to tie the knot in the spring, I’d definitely recommend finding a venue that offers an indoor backup location in case of bad weather!

6. Find your perfect Vermont wedding venue

Ugh, this is always the hardest part! Vermont has SO many amazing wedding venues for every type of day, and for every type of couple, from intimate garden gatherings to elegant ballroom celebrations. 

A few key things you’ll want to think about as you begin your search for the perfect venue:

• Atmosphere/mood
• Accessibilityy
• Indoor/outdoor spaces
• Guest capacity
• Accommodations
• Transportation

Because there are just too many gorg venues to include in this itty-bitty section, I went ahead and put together an entire guide to the Top 12 Best Vermont Wedding Venues for you to browse through! It’s got a collection of laid-back camping venues, expansive farm venues, historic estate venues, and more stunners that you will notttt want to miss.

7. Create your guest list

Can I hold your hand here for a minute? Because I need to (gently, lovingly) tell you something: you do not need to invite every person you’ve ever met to your wedding. And just the same, you can invite whoever the heck you want. 

Guest lists are and always have been a touchy subject in the wedding world.

Who are you “supposed” to invite?

If you invite X cousin, you HAVE to invite Y cousin.

Won’t this person’s feelings be hurt if they’re not invited?

How do you tell your family members that you’re keeping things intimate?

Too many rules and expectations, if you ask me! Your guest list should be filled with one thing and one thing only: people who love you, support you wholeheartedly, and who you couldn’t imagine celebrating without. 

No, you’re not required to invite that third cousin who you haven’t seen in years, but who your mom is pressuring you to include. Yes, you are totally allowed to invite that coworker that you only met recently, but immediately bonded with. 

What matters most is that you and your partner are on the same page about who you’re inviting, and that everybody on your guest list makes you feel good + excited about who you’ll be surrounded by on your special day. Decide if quality or quantity is more important to you when it comes to your guest list, and go from there!

8. Hire an experienced Vermont wedding photographer

Well hey there, I believe that’s my cue 😉 

If you haven’t already started looking into photographers yet, this is the time to do so. Your photographer is going to do so much more than just take photos on your wedding day: they’re going to be by your side during some of the most important parts of the planning process, as well as the day itself—so it’s essential that you find someone who you vibe with on a personal level. Somebody whose aesthetic and visual style you love, yes, but also somebody whose approach aligns with the vision, values, and dreams you hold for your wedding day. 

(learn about my unique approach here!)

And here’s the thing: hiring a local Vermont wedding photographer is going to make your life a million times easier, knowing you have a trustworthy expert by your side who is familiar with the area—and possibly even your venue. I’d love to chat about your special day, hear about all the big dreams you’ve got, and capture your wild love when the time finally comes to say your “I do’s”!

9. Hire the rest of your Vermont wedding vendors

Don’t forget about the rest of the team, because they’re just as important as your venue + photographer. The reason I typically recommend booking these two first is that they often book out further in advance than other vendors, so it’s important to secure ‘em as early as you can. Your photographer may also be able to give you trusted vendor recommendations, so that you don’t have to start from square one!

Here is a list of common wedding vendors you’ll want to consider hiring, depending on your budget, priorities, and values:

• Videographer
• Planner/coordinator
• Officiant (required, of course)
• Florist
• Designer
• Calligrapher
• Hair stylist
• Makeup artist
• Caterer
• Baker
• Bartender
• DJ/band

10. Build your wedding day timeline

Your wedding timeline is one of the most crucial parts of having a stress-free day! It’s something you’ll create with either the help of your photographer, planner/coordinator, or both. Because timelines are so important and can take time to put together, I wrote a separate blog post featuring 9 Common Vermont Wedding Timeline Mistakes + Solutions that I recommend reading next.

11. Get your Vermont marriage license

As your wedding day nears, it’ll come time to get your Vermont marriage license. Where you get your license depends on your residency:

• If both of you are Vermont residents, you can apply through the town clerk of either of your counties of residence.
• If one of you is a Vermont resident, you need to apply through the county you live in.
• If neither of you are Vermont residents, you can apply through any county’s town clerk.

How much does it cost to get married in Vermont?

A Vermont marriage license costs $90, which includes purchase of the license as well as a certified copy.

Can non-residents get married in Vermont?

Yes! You don’t need to be a Vermont resident to get married here—and you can apply through any town clerk in the state.

Do you need a witness to get married in Vermont?

Nope! No witnesses are required for a marriage ceremony in Vermont, which is great news for couples who want a smaller ceremony (or even a totally private elopement).

Can you get married the same day in Vermont?

Vermont doesn’t have a mandatory waiting period, so you could technically get married the same day as you get your license, if you wanted to! Though I recommend obtaining your license earlier so that you’re not stressed about it day-of. Just note that your license will be valid for 60 days from its issue date, so you’ll have to get married within that timeframe.

12. Do the dang thing!

Ahhhh it’s FINALLY time to celebrate. All the hard work you’ve put in has paid off, and you deserve to relax, be present, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Don’t forget to find some little pockets of time here and there to be alone with your partner, as it’s super easy for your wedding to go by in the blink of an eye; these small moments of presence, connection, and quality time will make the biggest difference in the way you experience your day. Pop a bottle, get out on the dance floor, and make the most of the best day of your lives!

Vermont Wedding Photography Packages

I have no doubt that my Vermont wedding packages will be the PERFECT way to document the once-in-a-lifetime memories you create on your wedding day, and I truly can’t wait to see how it all comes to life. Reach out to book your Vermont wedding (or to simply have a chat) and let’s start this exciting journey together!

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Don’t want the fun to stop now? Continue your wedding planning journey with the following resources I created for ya:

Should You Do a First Look? How Your Choice Impacts Your Day

How Long Does it Really Take to Get Your Engagement Photos Back?