Idling along the Mad River in Warren, The Pitcher Inn is luxurious,while retaining the quaint touches that ensure New England charm. With only nine rooms and two suites, individualized service is easily achieved. Each guest room, elegantly appointed with such amenities as Jacuzzi tubs, fireplaces and steam showers, boasts its own whimsical theme; the 19th century School Room includes a large chalkboard and other schoolhouse antiques, while the Trout Room reflects a campfire theme with a king-sized bed hand-crafted from tree trunks. A stay at the Pitcher Inn includes a lovingly prepared breakfast and afternoon tea in the cozy downstairs library.

With an inn or a bed and breakfast around every turn, additional lodging can be secured for the up to 80 guests attending a wedding at The Pitcher Inn. A ceremony in the Inn's lush back gardens or next door in the picture-perfect non-denominational chapel can be followed by a cocktail hour in the Tracks Room, a lodge-inspired setting with a massive stone fireplace and leather chairs. Sophisticated receptions are held upstairs in the Garden Room, a country chic dining salon featuring inlaid wood floors and original paintings by Vermont artists. The Pitcher Inn is now also able to accommodate events with 120 guests under a tented, elevated area next to the main building. It creates an indoor/outdoor celebration that takes advantage of the entire property's graceful allure.

Using the seasons as a guide, brides and grooms can rely on the Inn's dedicated event coordinator to bring their wedding ideas to life. Would bagpipers leading a recessional from the snow covered chapel complement your winter wedding? What about chair lifting guests up Sugarbush Mountain to the ceremony? The Pitcher Inn has a variety of tricks up its sleeve to add Vermont flavor to even the most atypical affairs. Recently, the Inn accommodated a couple who held its Buddhist wedding in its orchid-enhanced gardens and brought in a troupe of traditional Thai dancers to enliven the reception. Wedding menus are also customizable, with the Inn's executive chef working closely with the couple to discover and execute its culinary vision with the freshest, seasonal offerings.

The Pitcher Inn's fanciful Ski Room (above). Cocktails in the Tracks Room (behind).

And since no destination wedding is complete without some pampering, the Inn's very own day spa, Alta, is equipped to handle the wedding party with stone massages and facials, using the renowned Parisian skincare line Decléor.

With only short periods of closure during “stick season and mud season” (late fall and early spring) for repairs, The Pitcher Inn welcomes weddings year-round. Whether your wedding corresponds with the availability of summer hiking trails, winter's popular ski season, the copious antique fairs of spring or the vivid fall foliage, gathering a group at The Pitcher Inn will feel like an expertly-planned reunion full of activity, affection and lasting memories.

A reception in the Round Barn's Hayloft (top). Nestled in autumn splendor (below).

Larger wedding groups of 200 need only travel about six miles north to the lovely town of Waitsfield, VT, where The Inn at The Round Barn Farm lives. The Inn's historic Shaker-designed Round Barn is one of the more unique and beautiful spots to host an event because it has been fully restored with this very purpose in mind. Regardless of the month, the multi-level structure can be arranged for ceremonies, cocktail parties, buffet meals, sit-down dinners and dancing. For a wedding during the warmer months, an outdoor ceremony embraced by the flora of the season is followed by a cocktail hour in the Milking Parlor on the barn's middle level. With whitewashed walls, elegantly rustic wood floors and an abundance of natural light, the versatile space can be customized with the décor elements of your choosing. The same can be said for the upper level, the Hayloft, where a seated dinner and dancing takes place under impressive curved beams. String it with lights and holiday garland and wear a fur muff; this fully heated space is perfect for a cozy winter wedding with a look the staff has dubbed “Dr. Zhivago.”

While it can hardly be considered the “cottage” Mrs. Caroline Astor affectionately called it, Astors' Beechwood Mansion is every bit as charming as a location half its size. With the historical grandeur that once made it the social center of the Gilded Age in Newport, Rhode Island, Astors' Beechwood Mansion is a thoroughly elegant, picturesque venue for a wedding.

With its oceanfront row of turn-of-the-century manors providing a glorious backdrop for a variety of tourist endeavors such as golf, sailing and touring the historic mansions themselves, Newport really flourishes in the temperate summer months. Since its first wedding in 1911, when John Jacob Astor IV was married, Beechwood has played host to dream weddings in its exquisite ballroom and on its expansive waterfront lawn for decades. Holding a wedding at Beechwood entitles one to the exclusive use of the property for an event as lavish as the imagination will dictate—and without the inconvenience of competing with another party.

Attention to detail is of the utmost importance to Beechwood's gracious staff. With dedicated event coordinators and a helpful preferred vendor list, the coordinators at Beechwood offer hands-on participation and guidance with the proper amount of flexibility for the creative bride and groom-to-be. The local vendors they provide

Perched high above the sea in Zihuatanejo like an exclusive cliffside village is La Casa Que Canta, “the house that sings.” In 2004,readers of Travel + Leisure magazine were the ones singing its praises as they named the romantic hideaway the #1 resort in all of Mexico, Central and South America. With luxurious private villas and pools and an al fresco dining room with terraces that enjoy panoramic views, it seems La Casa Que Canta was designed with the destination wedding in mind.

Located on Mexico's western Riviera coast, Zihuatanejo is a refined resort town. Quieter than the more well-known tourist spots Cancun, Cabo San Lucas and Acapulco, Zihuatanejo is ideal for unhurried encounters: pleasuring in a daylong cruise or sport fishing in Zihuatanejo Bay; horseback riding or simply lazing in the sun. For guests who require a slightly faster pace, a 20-minute ride to the city of Ixtapa offers golf, shopping, a restaurant-filled marina area and a nighttime scene of bars and dance clubs. But with its own renowned restaurant, wellness spa, yoga classes and unmatched privacy, the hotel contains everything the serenity-seeking traveler needs within its adobe walls. La Casa Que Canta has mastered the art of the escape, and when reserved for a destination wedding, it becomes the ultimate enclave for spending uninterrupted time with family and friends.

The hotel boasts 24 stylish suites, many with private terraces to take in the spectacular views. With names like Besame Mucho (kiss me many time ), the rooms are intended for romance. Each night, an ornate design of flower petals is hand-placed on each white bedspread, an artful presentation that prompts some guests to momentarily contemplate sleeping in the outdoor hammock. Two villas, El