Age in 1894, and couples can rent it out for their entire wedding weekend. Tanglewood is another popular choice because it’ s so iconic, says Schuster. In contrast to out-of-town couples, locals often know who to call when planning their weddings and may not rely on a boots-onthe-ground wedding planner in the same way.( Turner often works with out-of-town couples who want someone local to do site visits and the legwork of planning their weekend across multiple Berkshire vendors.) Locals will often opt for an all-inclusive venue with an on-site venue manager to help the wedding run smoothly for their big day( or weekend, if the different events are held in the same all-inclusive place). Lainey Davidson and Cameron Bye, who live in Becket, chose Stonover Farm for their medieval fairytale wedding, where they held a Bridgerton-themed cocktail hour and a Game of Thrones-style reception.
“ We knew we wanted to get married locally, to capture that magical mix of wildness, coziness, and timelessness that is the Berkshires,” says Davidson, who admits she’ d dreamed about her wedding since she was a little girl.“ The moment we saw Stonover Farm, it just felt right. It had that fairytale quality we were looking for. Plus, we loved that we could stay on site and host all of the wedding events in one place. Weddings are overwhelming enough without shuttling around town.” For couples planning their wedding,
Davidson encourages them to“ do whatever they want, design-wise. Your inspiration doesn’ t have to come from wedding magazines. It can be Hogwarts feasts, Austrian traditional fashion, or Viking revels. Your vendors want to have fun and think outside the box, too. Ask for a ceremonial pig head with your pork!”
For the wedding weekend, one evolution that’ s gained traction is the night-before rehearsal dinner becoming a welcome dinner for everyone invited to the wedding— especially when guests are traveling in. Turner, who is also the event planner for the Norman Rockwell Museum, says the welcome dinner is now one of the more popular events happening at the museum. This is especially true when it’ s a Berkshires destination wedding, but also for local families whose guests are coming from far and wide, according to Turner and Alyssa Blumenthal, Director of Public Operations and Visitor Engagement at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Events at cultural venues gives out-of-town friends and family an enriching experience, says Turner.
Typically, if couples are having their welcome dinner at the museum, it’ s chosen as a complement to other venue selections for the ceremony and reception; alternatively, when the wedding is held at the museum, the welcome dinner might be at another cultural location such as Chesterwood, Tanglewood Learning Institute, The Mount,
or other regional sites. Each of the weddings at the Norman Rockwell Museum has been a creatively planned event, with lovely stories of why the museum was selected— from the engaged couple’ s love of art; a first date being at the museum, or just the desire to have a picturesque setting. Schuster says that if the wedding venue is also suitable for the rehearsal or welcome dinner and even the farewell brunch, couples often choose to have the events in the same place. But if people are looking to host their rehearsal dinner in a separate location from their wedding venue, Union Street Brewing Co. in Hudson is a popular choice for a space that’ s casual but still beautiful. Two of Schuster’ s couples are having their rehearsal dinner there this year.“ People aren ' t doing something so formal anymore,” she says.“ They don ' t want a white tablecloth sit-down dinner— they want something where people can come and have fun and have a drink and eat.” Couples should plan events where the guests get to spend time in a casual environment before the wedding, Glazer says.“ It makes the wedding that much more fun.” For their wedding, Leach and Glazer had a fun, art-filled weekend, starting at their farm in Sandisfield on Friday night, with a bonfire and apple cider and donuts from the Sandisfield Orchard right down the road. After the wedding at MASS MoCA
Carolynn Burns and Alex Jezerski, who split their time between Hoboken, New Jersey, and Pomfret, Connecticut, were married at Hancock Shaker Village this past July.( Dear Edith and Lily)
52 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday 2023 2025