Wedding season used to mean one thing: late spring through early fall, prime Saturdays, and a calendar packed tighter than a bridesmaid’s dress after alterations.
That’s changing.
At the iconic Equinox Golf Resort & Spa in Manchester, event expert Beth Crawford has seen a clear shift. “Off-season wedding dates are becoming pretty popular for a multitude of reasons,” she explains.
Translation? Couples are getting smarter and more creative.
Before we get into pashminas and ski boots, let’s talk about why this trend is snowballing.
A Couple’s Guide to Making the Season Work for You
When Peak Season Prices Melt Your Budget
There’s no romance in sticker shock.
“One might be budget constraints,” Crawford says. “Maybe you want to house your wedding at a certain venue with a certain amount of people, and you don’t have a budget that allows you to do that during the main season.”
Peak-season pricing can quietly hijack your vision. Facility fees climb. Food and beverage minimums balloon. Your dream guest count suddenly looks… ambitious.
Off-season dates? They loosen the grip.
Crawford notes that couples often find “discounted facility fees and food and beverage minimum spends.” That shift alone can mean the difference between trimming your guest list or hosting everyone you love under one roof.
The result isn’t a “lesser” wedding. It’s often a smarter one.
Escaping the Wedding Conveyor Belt
There’s another reason couples are stepping out of peak season, and it has nothing to do with money.
“I see a lot more like low-key brides too, getting married in the off-season,” Crawford shares.
Some simply don’t want to compete with a calendar full of their friends’ weddings. Others are exhausted from traveling all summer to celebrate everyone else.
Instead of squeezing into the same six-month window, they carve out their own space. Fewer competing invites. More breathing room. A celebration that feels distinct, not scheduled.
And the vibe? Intimate. Intentional. Personal.
“I definitely see an uptick in these low-key more intimate weddings,” she says. That intimacy often becomes the defining feature of the day.
If You’re Going Off-Season, Own the Weather
Planning an off-season wedding in Vermont means one thing: you’d better respect the forecast.
“Depending on your definition of off-season, I would definitely prep for weather appropriately,” Crawford advises.
Especially in New England.
In Vermont, “stick season” in November brings moody branches and crisp air. Spring can surprise you. Winter? Let’s just say it doesn’t whisper … it announces itself.
Smart couples don’t fight the weather. They lean into it.
Crawford has seen creative touches like “pashmina scarves for your guests” or “special umbrellas with the couple’s name or maybe a pet name or something on there.” These details do double duty: practical and personal.
They say, We planned for this. We care about your comfort. And yes, we thought this through.
It’s hospitality with personality.
Four Seasons, Four Opportunities
Vermont doesn’t do half-measures. It has four distinct seasons, and each one is a design opportunity.
Crawford encourages couples to “play up the season that you are in because there are always good things in every single season.”
Winter wedding? Don’t pretend it’s June.
A way to make the setting part of the story, Beth says, is “having something really fun that plays into the season, like ice luge or an ice sculpture.” The environment becomes the backdrop and the feature.
Guests remember that. It helps you to embrace the seasonality of your wedding.
The best off-season weddings feel cohesive. The season isn’t a hurdle. It’s the theme.
Ski Boots Under Wedding Dresses
Now for the fun part.
Equinox Resort sits near Stratton Mountain Resort, which means winter weddings sometimes begin on the slopes.
Crawford has seen couples skiing earlier in the day or even getting married on the mountain, before celebrating back at the resort. “We’ve seen all sorts of things from ski boots, under wedding dresses, to groomsmen in snow pants.”
Bean boots at an outdoor ceremony. Winter jackets over formalwear. Then a quick change indoors for dinner and dancing. It may not be traditional, but it’s absolutely personal.
“The off-season weddings are really special and memorable celebrations that definitely fit with the couple,” Crawford says.
And that’s the real headline.
The Quiet Months Make the Loudest Memories
Off-season weddings aren’t about settling. They’re about choosing differently.
They free up budgets. They quiet the noise of competing invitations. They allow couples to build a day around comfort, personality, and place.
At venues like Equinox Resort in Manchester, some of the most unforgettable celebrations happen when the leaves are gone, the air is sharp, or the snow is falling.
As Crawford puts it, “Some of our favorite weddings that we’ve thrown here have been off-season weddings for sure.”
Peak season may still get the spotlight. But the smart money—and the ski boots—are on the quiet months.
Ready to Make the ‘Off’ Season Your On Moment?
If the idea of discounted dates, cozy details, and ski-boot ceremonies sounds more like you than a packed July Saturday, it might be time to rethink the calendar.
As Beth Crawford shared, some of the most memorable celebrations at Equinox Golf Resort & Spa have happened outside peak season. The couples who choose these dates aren’t settling. They’re strategizing. They’re designing a day that “definitely fits with the couple.”
Whether you’re dreaming of a winter wedding near Stratton Mountain Resort, a moody November gathering, or a fresh spring celebration in Manchester, the off-season offers space to create something distinct.
Want to explore available dates, seasonal perks, and creative possibilities? Connect with our events team and start designing a celebration that works with the season, not against it.
Peak season will always be there.
The quiet months? They’re waiting for you.