The Little Farm at Willoughby

Welcome Dinner

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Cocktail Hour & Reception

Send Off Brunch

Fancy seeing you here! 

Welcome to our wedding website—we're so happy to begin married life with you by our side. Here, you'll find all the information you need to know about our wedding. Look at option for where to stay, find local recommendations, and meet our wedding party. Oh, and don't forget to RSVP!&nbsp;

Our Wedding

It all started when a group of friends decided to hike Mount Washington during an August weekend. Ben and Laura had met briefly once before, but Ben took the opportunity to really get to know Laura by hiking with her up to the summit. Coincidentally, Laura discovered that Ben spent the first 10 years of his life a mile from her home in Winchester. Their paths likely crossed at the Packer Ellis clay courts, skiing at Burke mountain, or at Westside field where the two grew up playing and watching sibling’s baseball games.&nbsp; Ben and Laura casually saw one another for the next year until one morning when Laura invited Ben to go strawberry picking. After spending the day together indulging on juicy berries and Fort Point on Ben’s deck in Southie, they decided to make it official.&nbsp; Four years of memories later, Laura and Ben live happily together in Somerville. On their anniversary, after a day of strawberry picking and beer drinking, Ben popped the question. He prepared one of Laura’s favorite meals and an impressive 3 layer chocolate raspberry cake, in which he strategically placed a ring box (wrapped in cling wrap). After a long day, Laura cut into the cake, found the box, and said yes!

Our Story

A large hotel at the base of Burke Mountain, where Laura and Ben used to ski as children. About a half hour away from the venue.Use the discount code BURKEWED for 10% off

Burke Mountain Hotel & Conference Center

Once a farmhouse, this hillside inn is set on 300 acres of private land and located about 15 miles from our wedding venue.&nbsp;Homey rooms and suites with private bathrooms are individually decorated with country furnishings

The Wildflower Inn

An upscale inn with beautiful views on Darling Hill road in Burke, VT

The Inn At Burklyn

A cute, rustic inn right in the heart of East Burke

The Village Inn of East Burke

Lakeside cottages with wonderful views

Mountain Lake Cottages

Rustic summer cabins right on Lake Willoughby

Green Acres Cabins & Lakehouse

Check out local airbnbs and vrbos!

Travel

Pisgah is one of our favorite hikes with beautiful views of Lake Willoughby. Trail parking is off Vermont Route 5A and the hike is about 2.5 miles with an elevation gain of 1,590 feet.

Hike Mount Pisgah 

Head to North Beach on Lake Willoughby and relax on the sand while enjoying the view of Willoughby Gap with Hor on your right and Pisgah on your left. Take a dip!

Relax on North Beach

Laura’s grandmother used to be a tour guide at the Old Stone House and Laura and Ben once spent a weekend juicing over 10 gallons of apple cider with their community cider press. This museum is dedicated to the history of Orleans County to the life of Alexander Twilight, the first African-American college graduate in the U.S. and state legislator.

Visit the Old Stone House Museum

Things to Do

Lifelong friend of the Bride, these two grew up together dancing in tutus and wreaking havoc on the quiet suburban streets with ding dong durian. She is most famous for her Olympic themed cakes and Oprah inspired green smoothies. Find Hillary on the dance floor and ask about the time she tapped her maple tree for syrup. 

Hillary Mullan 

World traveler, dog lover, and peak bagger, Kelly and Laura have been friends since high school and have enjoyed many adventures together. Ask Kelly about the time she let Laura drive the moped in Vietnam. 

Kelly Ling 

Don’t let her laid back attitude fool you, this girl is cut throat when it comes to Catan and Clue. Friends with Laura since high school, Felicia has embraced Ben as a worthy game night competitor and beer drinking buddy. 

Felicia Aguiar 

Four year teammate, three year roommate, two year co-captain of the notable Allegheny women’s tennis team, and fellow survivor of Brooks third floor, Laura and Kathleen were inseparable at college. Buy her a gin & tonic and she might work up the courage to recount the harrowing story of the tan-on-tan man. 


Kathleen McBride

Outdoorsman, woodworker, and loving father, Sam is the older brother to Ben.  While Sam now teaches professionally, he got his start delivering many memorable lessons to Ben, including how to turtle your sailboat in the middle of the lake before a thunderstorm, how to properly name your eclectic frisbee throws, and what happens when you pretend to be a Yankees fan to annoy your older brother.

Sam Borchard

The youngest of the Borchard brothers, Miles found the spotlight early and set up shop.  As the Roseman of Renne, That Street Performer, or the elusive and mysterious Hooded Terror of the Night, Miles is ever the showman.  Miles is said to have honed his performing skills at the prestigious Talcott family film school where he earned special distinction in whacking his cousins with sticks.

Miles Borchard

Older brother of the Bride, Peter lovingly tolerated Laura throughout their upbringing.  As a majestic bare legged runner, suave saxophone player, and beneficiary of the world famous Steele family jaw - which is roughly half the size of Alaska - Peter’s presence would often have Laura questioning her friends’ intentions in coming over to see her.  He can be found conscientiously and thoughtfully sipping a craft beer and contemplating the sublime out of bounds plays drawn up by Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.

Peter Steele

Chittenden County’s finest, this leather-skinned farm boy is an avid skier, climber, and surfer.  John and Ben got their start swigging pitchers at the Colby pub, but have since graduated to liters at Halftime Pizza before home Celtics games.  Though he almost qualified for the US Olympic Team for nordic skiing, his most elite skills remain explaining the details of how bulls are castrated and making fun of the Sacramento Kings.

John Dixon

As co-heads of the bridge and cribbage club, Max and Ben proudly shared the title of most popular kid in high school. Currently working on a computer science Phd at the University of Washington, Max is a veritable firehose of technical information.  Max is also a highly accomplished semi-professional interpretive dancer, pioneering dance-floor favorites like the titanic (and the iceberg), the shake-your-head-as-vigorously-as-possible, and the jump-straight up-and-down-as-high-as-you-can.

Max Ruttenberg

This well read and well spoken Sacramentan is Ben’s friend from high school and roommate for four years after college.  Whether he is salt crusting a leg of lamb, ordering a double shot macchiato at the nearby bespoke cafe, or pondering commencing work on his debut novel, he always keeps an impeccable image.  He is perhaps best known for his wine cellar, regarded by much of Somerville high society as second finest in the city after Ben and Laura’s.

Leo Moses

Wedding Party

Photos

Registry

May 2021 Update Vaccines are rolling out and we are feeling more comfortable with gathering this August, especially knowing that Ben and I will be fully vaccinated in just a few weeks! We encourage all guests to get vaccinated and are happy to help locate vaccines in your area prior to the wedding. If you are unable to receive a vaccine, we ask that you get a COVID test the week of the wedding to ensure the safety and comfortable of all. Guidelines are continually changing but currently Vermont’s regulations indicate that as of June 1, there will be no quarantine required for cross-state travel, and as of July 4th, there are no restrictions on gatherings although masks and social distancing will be encouraged. We will do our best to keep this page up-to-date as the situation evolves. November 2021 We’re so happy that you’re excited about our upcoming wedding. This year, we all need things to celebrate! Unfortunately, COVID has presented us with some really big questions as we begin wedding planning. We are optimistic that we will be able to celebrate with all in August 2021, but will continue to post updates here as our plans unfold and we navigate and monitor the current situation. Thank you for understanding!

Laura & Ben