151-200 guest capacity
This venue can host up to 200 guests
About this vendor
The Notch House is a nine-bedroom inn, vacation rental, and wedding venue. The house, built in 1860, was the first vacation home on Lake Willoughby and is ideally perched on the south end hillside, centered between Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor, the two mountains that form the dramatic Willoughby Gap. In addition to the majestic house, the property includes a one-bedroom guest cottage, a large, timber-frame event barn and a private path that leads down to the beautiful, south end coves and beaches. The property, surrounded by over 7,000 acres of Willoughby State Forest, is completely private.
The Notch House is the ideal place to create and host your wedding, civil ceremony or celebration for up to 120 people. Raised in the Summer of 2021, The Lake Barn is the perfect combination of old and new - a 32’x60’ timber frame with salvage windows, stone patio and cathedral ceilings.
Sip evening cocktails, host a late am brunch or hold your ceremony under the Maple tree on the sprawling Great Lawn, framed by the Willoughby Gap. At night, sit under the stars by the bon fire. The Amphitheatre and The Gardens are two additional picturesque ceremony sites that face Lake Willoughby and are surrounded by 7,000 acres of lush Vermont forest. Set up chairs and an alter and make it your own.
THE LAKE BARN
The Lake Barn, raised in 2021, is a gorgeous 32’ x 60’ timber frame with a stained concrete main floor, massive arched wooden braces and large antique arched windows throughout. The Main floor, with cathedral ceilings and iron chandeliers, spills out the sliding barn doors onto a large stone patio. Have your bartender serve your favorite cocktails or showcase an elaborate hors d’oeuvre spread on the long L-shaped bar. Walk up the wide staircase or make a grand entry from the Notch House lawn and across the high drive ramp to the second floor mezzanine — perfect for an intimate wedding ceremony or back up rain location, cake cutting or late night dancing. It has thick barn board floors, antique balusters and hand carved newel posts and looks North to the Notch.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Invite your favorite people to stay with you. The property has accommodations for up to 34 guests in the Main House, Carriage House and four Forest Cabins (Coming in 2022). The Main House sleeps 16 guests and has historic gothic charm with luxury linens, antiques throughout, and a fieldstone fire place. The large chef’s kitchen is set up to cook for a crowd with industrial Garland stove, soapstone counters, large farmhouse sinks, and a copper top bar. The wrap-around porch, stone patio and 2 balconies are wonderful places to congregate, sip coffee or read a book. The Carriage House Suite sleeps 2 guests. A kitchenette and stone fireplace downstairs and King bed, full bath and private screened in porch upstairs. Coming in 2022, four Forest Cabins nestled in the woods with screened in porches, can sleep 2-4 guests each. At the Notch House, your celebration with your favorite people doesn’t ha
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Business Attributes
- LGBTQ+-owned Business
- Woman-owned Business
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
- Second Wedding
Guest Capacity
- Up to 200
Settings
- Backyard
- Ballroom
- Barn
- Farm & Ranch
- Beach
- Waterfront
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Bar Rental
- Cakes & Desserts
- Cupcakes
- Other Desserts
- Destination Weddings
Reviews
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4.7
out of 5.012 reviews
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We had our dream wedding weekend at The Notch House in August 2024. The property was absolutely beautiful and so great to work with. So many of our guests asked how we found such an amazing gem of a venue. The property was extremely well maintained and very clean, our guests really enjoyed it.
The manger Kelly and owner Polly were extremely helpful and great communicators. They had great vendor recommendations and were quick to answer any questions leading up to the weekend. They worked to ensure we had the perfect wedding weekend.
The property was a beautiful backdrop for our ceremony and the Barn provided an excellent location for our reception. There was plenty of space for our guests to spread out both indoors and outdoors. It was like having our own piece of NEK heaven for the weekend.
We got married in August 2024 at the Notch House. We had the entire property with guests staying in the main house, apartment, and cabins, while we enjoyed the cozy and private Carriage House.
Simply put, we had an amazing experience at the Notch House. From the first email we sent to Polly, to accommodating us touring the property a second time, to Kelly greeting us upon our arrival, we always felt so welcome and at home at the Notch House.
We also held our rehearsal dinner in the Lake Barn. We had initially planned for dinner outside on the lawn, but the weather had much different plans. First, it was comforting to have such a natural contingency plan for dinner on property. There ended up being quite a storm, and we lost power right as some speeches were about to begin. Without Kelly on site that evening, we would have been dead in the water! There was a short delay of maybe 45 seconds in which Kelly had managed to shut off a loud alarm and get the property transferred to generator power.
Dinner had mostly been served, but we also had other guests arriving later that evening for our welcome reception! We were delighted to discover that the loss of power was really a minor blip in our weekend - the generator was able to power all structures, living quarters, etc.
Power was back on around noon the following morning, and it was like it never even happened. We are truly grateful to Kelly and the Notch House’s infrastructure for keeping our event humming along and, in the end, perfect.
The grounds and gardens were immaculate. A wonderful feature of this venue is that it speaks for itself - you can take it easy on the florals. Every bedroom is charming and unique. The cabins were a huge hit with our guests, and people placed elsewhere were jealous.
We will miss congregating in the kitchen of the Main House, croquet on the lawn, getting our feet muddy on a walk down to the lake, and taking a midnight dip under the stars.
You are truly able to disconnect at the Notch House. There is wifi, but you are at the mercy of the cloud coverage. We found that while there was some cell service, all of us clustered together on the property were competing for service. This was a feature and not a bug for us. Take advantage of being able to have your devices be useless. You might have to go for a drive up the road to find out what’s going on.
There are some rules to follow that the Notch House will provide you with in advance of check-in. We wouldn’t say they are any more or less overbearing than a typical vacation rental. They were not hard to follow, and we found them helpful in keeping this place the way it is.
We had an amazing wedding and experience at the Notch House. We can’t thank Kelly and Polly enough for their hospitality, flexibility, and professionalism. We will be back!
The Notch House was absolutely perfect for our wedding day/weekend! We wanted to be able to enjoy time with friends and family in one of our favorite places and it allowed us to do that. The owners and property manager were awesome, very professional, personable and attended to all of our needs. The Notch House is so special and represents the beauty and history of the NEK!
My husband and I got married at The Notch House on August 24, 2024. This venue is just something you need to experience yourself. It is magical, beautiful, and the most peaceful place to stay. The entire property is extremely clean, orderly, and managed by an amazing woman. We live 4 hours away and I would not have been able to pull this destination wedding off without the help of Polly and Kelly. I HIGHLY recommend The Notch House as your next destination in VT, and most importantly for any future weddings. The photos may be beautiful but I can promise the vision in real life is incredible. We cannot thank The Notch House enough for making our wedding dreams come true. We are already planning on returning with our future family and we cannot wait!!
The SweetBeats Band had an absolute blast performing at a wedding at The Notch House this past August! Nestled in the heart of Vermont’s scenic landscape, the venue offers not only a breathtaking, intimate atmosphere but also stunning views of the surrounding nature. The tranquil beauty of the mountains and the serene lakeside setting truly make The Notch House a perfect backdrop for any wedding.
What really stood out to us, beyond the natural splendor, was the incredible team behind it all. The staff was not only friendly but also highly professional, ensuring everything ran smoothly from start to finish.
A special shoutout to Kelly Minery-Hamdan, the wedding manager and coordinator at The Notch House, for her exceptional work. We've been performing at weddings since 2007 and have had the pleasure of working at hundreds of venues across New England, but The Notch House truly stands out in every regard. It’s a place where attention to detail, warmth, and professionalism come together to create something truly special.
We can't recommend The Notch House enough to couples looking for a memorable and seamless wedding experience!
We loved staying at the notch house! Polly was very responsive to all our question's leading up to the day. The photos we got with the beautiful barn, and rustic house, and of course the easy access to the most beautiful lake. We couldn't be happier with how everything turned out!
I had my wedding here this September and it was the perfect place for it! The house itself was great for my wedding party to stay in and I love the decor of the rooms. We used the master bedroom and its balcony for getting ready photos with the bridal party, and we used the living room with fireplace for the groomsmen getting ready photos. Both of those locations worked perfectly. There is a private cottage which myself and husband stayed in. The expansive lawns were great for yard games. It's a short walk to the lake, or a 30s drive to the parking lot. We elected to use the nearby end of the path to the lake for our first look, and then drive to the lake for golden hour photos. Be aware that that part of the lake goes to a nude beach, however, not a concern by the photo taking hour.
The highlight was the barn. As soon as I saw the barn on my first tour I knew it was perfect! With 100 guests it felt perfectly sized - full and cozy without being cramped. The details of the barn like the staircase, built in bar, and wooden details all look lovely. I got many compliments from my guests on the location and barn! Also, they have plenty of nice tables and chairs which we used (one less thing to rent!)
I'm so happy that we chose the Notch House because it created a truly magical weekend for us. I highly recommend.
Although we loved the venue, the wedding barn, the yard, the house was severely infested with mice! Because the kitchen cabinets were poorly constructed, the mice could get in to the drawers! We found mice poop among cutlery and they went in to bread drawer! Polly came told us, it was common to have mice as we were in mountains. Washed the cutlery and placed them back in the same drawers where the mice could freely roam!! She apparently has no sense of hygiene. On 3rd day after we requested she brought a trap and we caught a giant, well fed mouse! I am sure there still a big family living there.I would rent the barn but would stay away from the house if don‘t want to get hantavirus.
The Notch House was a beautiful venue for our wedding. They can conveniently host over 30 guests onsite, the gardens are amazing, the event barn is perfect for your ceremony and/or reception, and the proximity to beautiful Lake Willoughby is unbeatable.
We had our wedding on 6/24/23 and it was absolutely perfect in every way, thanks in large part to the Notch House and their team. It is a cozy, intimate venue that has the features you need to execute a well-coordinated event. Our wedding party stayed on-site in the house for the wedding weekend and they all loved the rooms, which have been thoughtfully arranged to suit this historic building. Overall, we owe the Notch House, Polly, and Kelly our huge thanks! This was the happiest and most unforgettable days of our lives!
Amazing venue - truly one of a kind! We had our wedding ceremony in the garden and reception in the red barn. The whole property is crafted with love and care, you can see it in all the details. Polly was excellent to work with, very responsive and transparent. We will definitely be coming back for family reunions, etc.
We loved The Notch House. It was a beautiful setting for a wedding.
Contact
5768 Vermont Rte 5A, Westmore, VT
The Notch House
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