The Ponds at Bolton Valley — Attraction in Bolton

We hosted our entire wedding weekend at Bolton Valley, including the rehearsal dinner, welcome party, and farewell brunch at The Inn at Bolton Valley, and the ceremony and reception at The Ponds. At each event, the team went above and beyond to create an atmosphere that felt simultaneously very classy, and very Vermont. Working with Bolton meant that we could personalize the events to align exactly with our vision, all of our questions/concerns were handled up front, and our needs were completely anticipated by the team - which allowed us to actually sit back and enjoy our wedding weekend stress-free! It was evident that Heather and her team are working hard to make sure Bolton is the premier wedding venue in Vermont, and they delivered on or exceeded our every expectation. We had the pleasure of working with Heather Frazee as our onsite coordinator. Throughout the pre-wedding planning, Heather brought a wealth of expertise to the table that helped keep us on track with our budget and goals; her advice in managing vendors was a big help as well. She was up front about costs and which ones may or may not be worthwhile. We appreciated that she never tried to upsell us, respecting our budget while allowing us to customize certain aspects, like the catering menu or bar package, to put money towards what we wanted most. In the months prior, she dutifully answered every one of our many questions via phone and email, and gave us peace of mind during what could otherwise have been a busy and stressful process. Going through wedding planning for the first time, we found her expertise and advice to be priceless. Having Heather there to coordinate the Bolton team and all of our vendors in the months leading up to and the weekend-of made having a wedding planner unnecessary. Bolton catered every event (rehearsal dinner, appetizers at the welcome drinks, the wedding, and the farewell brunch). We were expecting good food, but the passed hors d'oeuvres and meals served at our wedding wouldn’t have been out of place at any of the finest restaurants in the state. From the effusive feedback we have gotten from our guests, they agreed too. Bolton took care of the tables, linens, flatware, glassware, and seating which was one less thing for us to plan. The Village Cafe was perfect for our rehearsal dinner and welcome reception with beautiful natural light, plenty of space, and a deck area on which to get some fresh air. The staff ensured the evening ran smoothly, even allowing us to hook up our own music. The team kept the appetizers coming and the bartenders were excellent, even with our large welcome party of nearly 80 people. The Ponds was absolutely stunning for the ceremony and reception, with plenty of outdoor space (the staff even set up cornhole for our guests during the cocktail hour) and a beautiful reception hall that allows guests to filter in and out of the building onto a large deck. Heather was very attentive to our vision, helping create a “memory table” with pictures of family weddings; coordinated with our vendors to set up a photo booth and area for a string trio to play; and helped to arrange our favors, table numbers/seating chart, guest book, etc. We also had access to The Ponds for the rehearsal and to set up decorations the night before the wedding. The hotel and hotel staff were phenomenal as well. Chelsea Hunter facilitated our guests’ 44 room bookings and kept us updated in the months prior with regular email updates so we knew who had and had not booked yet. The rooms are clean and comfortable and many have balconies on which guests get a beautiful view of the mountain. The front desk staff helped to distribute the welcome bags we had made to each guest at check-in. We also booked the Evangeline suite for bridal hair and makeup and it was an excellent space for hosting throughout the weekend. All of this to say we cannot recommend Bolton Valley highly enough, and that is in large part thanks to Heather Frazee, who was reliable, supportive, and a true pleasure to work with over many months...

We can best describe our daughter’s wedding as not just a one day event but rather a weekend of celebrating with friends and family!! This weekend would not have been possible without the staff and employees of Bolton Valley Resort. We started our planning with the hope of planning a beautiful Saturday wedding for our daughter. As we continued to work with the staff we were eventually able to plan a welcome party for 150 guests, a wedding for about 200 guests and a Sunday morning breakfast.

Our primary contact for the wedding was Heather Frazee. We simply can not say enough about her!! Prior to the wedding she met with all of us to plan our daughter’s special day on many different occasions. She made recommendations for vendors and helped to identify what needed to be accomplished in the months leading up to the big day. When we had specific ideas in mind for the event she went out of her way to make them happen and when we were unsure what we wanted, she guided us to decisions using both her experience as a planner and her understanding of the couple’s vision and style. As the day got closer, she maintained contact with our vendors so that we were able to relax and just enjoy the weekend. As we were walking out the door at the end of night - she provided the bride and groom with a to go bag of food from the wedding (a midnight snack). It was a much appreciated touch, one of the many ways that she helped to make the event fun and easy. Thanks Heather for making this so seamless and enjoyable for us!!

Audrey was the coordinator for the Friday night and Sunday morning events. Her coordination with Heather was seamless and she was so in tune with the vision for Friday night that it provided a fun night for our guests with its own vibe. It was a wonderful opportunity for guests to connect with friends and family before the main event!! If something went wrong at any of the events it was unbeknownst to us as both Heather and Audrey clearly handled everything behind the scenes - Thank you so much for that!!

Finally, a shoot out to all the employees and staff at Bolton Valley!! A wedding guest commented to us on Sunday morning that they found everyone at the resort to be extremely friendly and helpful from the hotel staff to the event staff to the van drivers!! With so many out of town guests It meant a lot that they saw this as an enjoyable...

If you’re looking to create a truly unique, full weekend experience for your guests, Bolton Valley Resort + The Ponds is the perfect wedding venue — and we truly couldn’t be happier with our choice. We had looked at a bunch of places in Stowe, but all were very "swank" or just too cookie cutter....and we really wanted to make it our OWN with a laidback vibe that allowed us to throw a big party for the weekend.

Our goal was to bring our family and friends together in one place for an entire weekend and throw a big party where everyone could "choose their own adventure" — hiking, biking, relaxing by the pool, or just soaking in the mountain air. And that’s exactly what we got.

Heather, who manages weddings at Bolton, is an absolute gem. She was there for us every step of the way, and the entire staff went above and beyond — genuinely some of the kindest people we’ve met.

From riding the chairlift to capture dream photos in the wildflowers, to saying our vows with the Green Mountains as our backdrop, to having plenty of space for guests to wander — whether that meant a walk around the pond, chillin by the fire, or relaxing on the deck — every part of the weekend felt spacious, intentional, and grounded in nature. We have several people tell us it was the best wedding they have been to!

With ~180 guests, we basically rented out the entire resort — it truly felt like we had the whole mountain to ourselves. It gave us the “adult summer camp” vibe we were dreaming of, with the freedom to spend real quality time with the people we love while throwing the best party of our lives.

Bolton is truly unique — not your swanky Stowe hotel, but an old school ski resort -- and that’s exactly why...