On Location: Southern Vermont

A bride and groom enjoy autumn breezes at the Old Tavern at Grafton; Photograph by Sarah Levine

NEW ENGLAND’S LEAST-POPULATED STATE is beloved for precisely everything it doesn’t have in abundance (megahotels, Happy Meals). So when it comes to choosing a wedding venue here, think country inns, not generic ballrooms.

The grande dame of getaways is the Equinox Resort (800-362-4747, equinoxresort.com), which recently underwent a $20 million renovation. A horse-drawn carriage delivers you to this 239-year-old Manchester Village resort, where you can opt for a lavish country affair, a smaller garden party, or a boisterous gala in a turn-of-the-century pond-side pavilion.

Evening descends upon the Old Tavern at Grafton; Photograph by Dennis Curan

The Old Tavern at Grafton (802-843-2231, oldtavern.com) pulls out all the stops, serving meals in the dining room on Villeroy & Boch china with silver and crystal. Foodies should try the Inn at Weathersfield (802-263-9217, weathersfieldinn.com) in Perkinsville, named one of the top 10 culinary inns by Bon Appétit; you can host an intimate affair indoors or a bigger bash in a tent on the manicured grounds. Meanwhile, with its 1810 farmhouse, green meadow, and pristine pond, tranquility reigns at the Landgrove Inn (802-824-6673, landgroveinn.com).

A gazebo is festooned for fun at the Inn at Weston.

All of these spots will work for a rehearsal dinner. But to mix it up, consider East Dover’s Cooper
Hill Inn (802-348-6333, cooperhillinn.com), which serves locally sourced fare on its spacious deck; the Inn at Weston (802-824-6789, innweston.com), a romantic hideaway amid a profusion of plants and orchids; or Williams River House (802-875-1790, williamsriverhouse.com) at Fox Chair Mountain Farm in Chester, offering a menu of grilled meats and seafood. No chain restaurants or hotels? No problem.