Eloping to Niagara Falls? Check out the Rainbow House

By Lisa Kroulik © June 5, 2011

Why go to the Honeymoon Capital of the World and stay at the Holiday Inn? Something about that equation just doesn't add up! If you are headed to Niagara Falls, New York, for any reason in the the realm of the romantic, whether it is a wedding, honeymoon, anniversary or just because, I highly recommend checking into the Rainbow House and leaving the Holiday Inn for your next business trip.

What's So Special About It?

For starters, you are a guest in someone's home, and it's not your run-of-the mill cul-de-sac. The Rainbow House is a restored Victorian home that is over one hundred years old. From the moment you walk into Rainbow House, it is impossible to be in a bad mood. Knickknacks and quotations devoted to love adorn just about every area of free space, and that is just in the entranceway and living room.

You will be treated as an honored guest at Rainbow House. Laura Lee Morgan, the proprietor and wedding officiator, really does go above and beyond the call of hospitality. When my fiancé and I needed our marriage license and didn't know how to get to the local court house, Laura Lee drove us there. For real.

And the food, oh my goodness, the food. Our nostrils were greeted each morning by the smell of homemade cinnamon buns, a staple at the Rainbow House. We were in for even more of a treat when Laura Lee made us eggs in any style we wanted. Additionally, we had our choice of beverages, fresh fruit or cold cereal if we desired. Each morning, there were different guests to talk to. It was kind of a kick for us Minnesotans to engage in conversation with a couple from Tennessee. I don't think we understood each other's accents very well, but we still enjoyed getting acquainted.

The Rooms

There are four distinct guest rooms available: The Honeymoon Suite, Garden Room, Seaway Room and the Country Room. Each is decorated in a style unique to its theme. Since I was there to get married, I can't speak to the experience of the other three rooms, but I have no reason to think they are not as cozy and quaintly decorated as the Honeymoon Suite.

I have never felt more spoiled in my life. As if the king-size bed with the most comfortable pillows ever weren't enough, we also had our own refrigerator and enclosed porch with a swing. There were journals to record your experiences and books about love and romance to read. Like the rest of the house, there were romantic knickknacks as far as the eye could see.

The Wedding Chapel

Just adjacent to the kitchen is a small, tastefully decorated room which serves as a wedding chapel. Laura Lee Morgan is a licensed wedding officiator and will work with you to give you the wedding of your dreams. We are a low-maintenance couple who just wanted a simple exchanging of vows indoors; however, she also performs ceremonies at Niagara Falls State Park if that is your inkling. You may choose the type of vows you want at your service, such as standard or Christian. She will work out all of the details with you over the phone well in advance of your arrival.

There are various wedding services available as well. We had a video made of our eight-minute ceremony for $75 and had a professional photographer on site. These are all people who Laura Lee contracts with and were the only guests at our wedding. Eloping was romantic and stress-free, and if I wasn't already married, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The Sights of Niagara Falls

While eloping to Niagara Falls was an adventure in itself, we were not adventurous enough to attempt driving in New York. There really was no need to. The breathtakingly beautiful Niagara Falls State Park was just a few blocks away from Rainbow House. Both of us were in photographer's heaven and spent our first day there just exploring the park.There are a number of tourist information centers strategically placed around the Falls. We found them to be quite helpful, as we did not have a set agenda for our honeymoon. A clerk at one of them helped us book two half-day tours, one to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and the other to the Lockport Dam.

When Can I Go Back?

Our first year of wedded bliss is flying by, and in just over one month, it will already be our anniversary. Should I tell my husband now or do you think he can guess what I want?