The Ultimate Guide To Getting Married In Ontario
Getting married in Ontario is perfect for any couple that values natural beauty, great food, and world-class hospitality — usually all within the same location! Bustling cities like Toronto and Hamilton offer thrilling nightlife and a world-class arts and entertainment scene, while the surrounding lakeside regions are covered in deep, gorgeous forests and breathtaking waterfront vistas.
If you’ve been wondering how to plan a wedding in Ontario, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our ultimate guide to getting married in Ontario!
1. What Time Of Year Is Best To Get Married In Ontario?
It all depends on your personal preference and style! September is the peak of wedding season, so if you’re planning on a September wedding it’s a good idea to book your vendors as early as possible.
One other tip: Even though the weather can be beautiful in the summer, bugs can be pretty bad in Ontario in June and July, so you’ll want to keep that in mind when choosing your wedding venue.
The change in seasons will also affect the times of sunrise and sunset. This will have an impact on the best times for Ontario wedding videography and photography, so the whole wedding timeline will change slightly throughout the year. For example, in the late fall and winter, we always encourage first look photos due to the early sunsets.
Don’t Count Out A Winter Wedding!
Ontario is truly beautiful in the winter! An indoor wedding could be the perfect opportunity to take in the snow-covered forests and sparkling frozen lakes from the comfort of one of Ontario’s historic barn venues or botanical gardens.
Winter is the off-season for weddings, so that means more availability for your favorite venues. It also means more flexible packages and pricing. A winter wedding in Ontario is definitely an excellent option to consider, so don’t count it out!
2. Style And Decor
Don’t Be Afraid To Express Yourself!
When it comes to the decor of your Ontario wedding, the important thing is to be true to yourself. You can hire a design company, take the DIY route, or do a mix of both. As long as you end up with the wedding of your dreams, there’s no wrong way to approach the decor!
Follow Your Heart, Not The Crowd
New trends show up every wedding season, but don’t feel pressured to do something just because it’s trendy. If you genuinely like it, go for it — it can be a cool way to commemorate the time when your wedding took place. Choose a decor that showcases your personal style and you won’t go wrong.
Start With A Colour Palette
A great first step when choosing your wedding decor is to decide on a color palette that will set the aesthetic tone for the whole event. Pinterest can provide some great inspiration to get started!
3. Picking A Venue
Ontario is full of so many wonderful spots for weddings. We’ve put together a list of the absolute best venues for Ontario weddings, no matter what kind of celebration you’re planning.
1. Cambium Farms
Cambium Farms is the perfect blend of rustic charm and romantic elegance! The Carriage House is an intimate space with an outdoor patio that’s perfect for weddings with your closest friends and family, while The Barn can accommodate up to 250 guests for larger celebrations.
Cambium Farms is also an amazing spot for some classic Ontario wedding photography. The historical architecture and the natural beauty of the surrounding farmland give Cambium Farms wedding photos a particular type of beauty that you just can’t find anywhere else!
2. The Barn 1906
The Barn 1906 offers a one-of-a-kind simple, stripped-down beauty that makes it one of the most unique and breathtaking places to get married in Ontario. Located on 104 acres of gorgeous Ontario farmland with forests, rolling hills, and a winding stream, this rustic two-story barn offers plenty of space for you and your guests to spend the whole day celebrating in style!
3. Cranberry Creek Gardens
This charming wedding venue in Lynedoch, Ontario has its own chapel, a rustic barn for receptions, and a stunning seven-acre manicured garden that blooms year-round (awesome for first look photos). The chapel’s historic architecture provides a perfect backdrop when we’re capturing couples exchanging vows. Cranberry Creek Gardens is an absolute dream for an Ontario wedding photographer!
4. West Avenue Cider House
Weddings at West Avenue are filled with delicious, authentic ciders and plenty of amazing food! This award-winning cider house harvests apples from its own beautiful orchards, and is a unique, enchanting spot for stunning wedding photography — especially when the light shines through the leaves at sunrise and sunset.
5. La Petite Chapelle
With towering arched ceilings, gleaming chandeliers, and beautiful stained-glass windows, La Petite Chapelle is hands-down one of the most stunning wedding venues in Ontario. There are spaces for both ceremonies and receptions, a dining area perfect for a post-celebration brunch the next morning, and even a bridal suite so that you don’t have to worry about travelling anywhere else once you’re done celebrating!
6. Dyment’s Farm
Dyment’s Farm combines gorgeous architecture with stunning natural beauty. From the sprawling, breathtaking farmland filled with rolling hills and dotted with beautiful barns to the rustic indoor ceremony site, Dyment’s Farm has something to offer for every couple.
7. Belcroft Estates
This tree-lined venue offers acres of scenic beauty, but what truly sets it apart are the unique landmarks that dot the landscape. A gorgeous covered bridge stretches over a placid stream, and a lighthouse stands on the banks, providing a truly unique backdrop for wedding photos. Weddings are held in either a historic two-story barn or a spacious outdoor tent.
8. Earth To Table Farm
Whether you’re looking for an intimate indoor wedding or a large outdoor celebration, The Farm has something for everyone! The outdoor chapel lets couples exchange vows against the backdrop of 97 acres of gorgeous farmland, and the historic barn lends a rustic, understated beauty to any wedding reception.
9. Royal Botanical Gardens
These sprawling gardens — the largest botanical gardens in Canada — offer six different venues, which are an absolute dream for Ontario wedding photography! The Cherry Hill Tent is enclosed in a cozy enclave of trees and topiary that’s perfect for a more intimate ceremony, while the Rose Garden Tent seats up to 300 guests, surrounded on all sides by gorgeous rose blooms and intricate fountains.
10. Kehoe & Kin
This down-to-earth, family-owned venue offers simple beauty and understated elegance. Kehoe And Kin’s centerpiece is its fully restored barn, which makes for a stylishly rustic setting for any wedding ceremony. The surrounding farmland is a perfect scenic backdrop for your wedding photos!
11. The Doctor’s House
Over the course of several renovations and expansions, The Doctor’s House has maintained its historic authenticity and charm. From the elegant and stately chapel to the grand wooden beams and stone fireplace of the Heritage Ceremony Room, every inch of the Doctor’s House feels like a journey into the past in the best possible way.
12. Whispering Springs
Located just 90 minutes from Toronto, micro wedding hotspot Whispering Springs will make you feel like you've been transported into an entirely different world. The venue is tucked away in the heart of an old-growth forest that provides an awe-inspiring setting for the perfect wilderness wedding. Its Forest Chapel incorporates the natural beauty of the surrounding trees into its stunning design.
13. Kortright Conservation
Located on the grounds of a sprawling woodland preserve, Kortright Eventspace allows couples to fully incorporate the surrounding forest into their wedding. Whether you’re holding the ceremony beneath a towering canopy of trees or celebrating under the stately wooden beams of the gorgeous reception space, Kortright Conservation offers tons of breathtaking vistas.
4. Tips for Choosing A Hotel
Pick somewhere close to your venue for a stress-free day. The less time you spend traveling, the easier the day will be!
Make sure your hotel room has an aesthetic you love, since your Ontario wedding videographer and photographer might want to capture some shots there. Rooms with plenty of natural lighting and white ceilings make for the best photos and videos.
An Airbnb or a parent’s house can be a great alternative to a hotel. You’ll have more space and flexibility! Just make sure you like the way the space looks and that surfaces are tidy for photos.
Before the big day, it can be fun to have the various wedding parties stay together in an Airbnb or go off to do something fun together like golfing, pool, or a spa day.
Have fun in your space! Hotels and Airbnbs are great places for playing your favourite music or meeting up for a morning brunch or sunrise yoga session. Wherever you stay, focus on relaxing and having fun. This will make for the best possible getting ready photos.
5. Planning Your Timeline
Don’t Forget The First-Look Photos
First look photos are an amazing way to build excitement before you officially tie the knot! We always recommend getting together with parents or your wedding party (or both!) to capture this powerful moment on film. It's a great way to get some organically emotional photos that you’ll be able to treasure forever.
Most importantly, it also gives couples an extra chance to have an intimate moment together — just the two of you. In the whirlwind that is your wedding day, it can be hard to find time to take a breath together and soak everything in, but a first look is a great way to steal a moment for yourselves.
Tips For The Getting Ready Photos
Getting ready photos can be a ton of fun and create some beautiful photos, but there are a lot of moving parts. We recommend finding a member of the family or wedding party who really knows everyone and putting them in charge of getting ready photos.
This designated person can also help you keep track of all the important accessories like shoes, flowers, rings, special keepsakes, and any other treasured items you’ll want in your wedding photos. They can also help the photographer coordinate things so that all the best “getting ready” moments are captured (stepping into dresses, doing up ties and pinning boutonnieres, etc.)!
Also, keep in mind that getting ready photos aren’t for everyone. You might choose to skip them entirely in favor of some more formal portraits or first look photos before the ceremony.
6. Picking The Right Wedding Photo Locations
The most important thing when choosing a location for your wedding photos is picking a spot that you love and that’s meaningful to you. A good photographer can make any location beautiful, so don’t stress too much about whether or not your location is “technically” a good photo spot. We’ll be able to deliver gorgeous wedding photos regardless of the location!
Lighting Is Everything!
Great lighting makes great photos. This is especially true during the ceremony, where the type of lighting can dramatically affect the look of the photos. Direct sunlight will create harsh shadows, backlit photos will have blown-out skies and backgrounds, and partial shade will cast uneven shadows across faces. Keep this in mind when choosing your ceremony location!
There are two types of lighting photographers focus on to capture the best shots: light that comes in at a 45-degree angle to the right or left, or from the back; and something called golden hour — the period just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the lighting is at its best and most flattering. We always recommend that couples spend some time taking portraits in this kind of light, particularly at sunset.
7. Planning And Prep
Share Your Vision
As wedding photographers, we want to capture the moments that will mean the most to you. Be sure to share your most desired photos or the ideal aesthetic you want your gallery to reflect. We recommend making a ‘shot list’ of your must-have photos along with some Pinterest photos for inspiration so that we can make sure to prioritize your most important images!
Prepare For The Big Day With An Engagement Photoshoot
An engagement photoshoot is a great way to get comfortable in front of the camera before your wedding day arrives. It’s a much more relaxed atmosphere, and you can get a little more creative and playful with these shots. An engagement shoot will also provide you with stunning photos that you can use for invites and decor!
Let Yourself Have Some Fun!
Don’t be afraid to let yourself have some fun with your wedding photos! You can incorporate some creative elements like a vintage rented car, a photo booth with props, trendy sunglasses, sparklers, or anything else you think would be fun for you and your guests.
Shoot For Some Variety
While your wedding photographers will be documenting all the most important moments of your special day, it can also be fun to set up some disposable cameras or Polaroids around your wedding. This will give your guests a chance to take their own photos and put their own unique spin on the shots.
You can add even more variety to your final photo gallery by opting to add film photos, which have a unique look and feel that differentiates them from typical digital shots. And if you really want some one-of-a-kind shots, you could even incorporate some drone photography for cinematic aerial shots of your wedding.
8. Ontario Marriage Requirements
Before your Ontario wedding, you’ll need to make sure you have all the proper documents and meet all the legal requirements.
First, you’ll have to apply online for a wedding licence in Ontario. Just fill out this form and your marriage licence application should arrive in six to eight weeks. Once you’ve received and signed it, you’ll need to go to your city hall to get the actual licence in person. The cost of a marriage licence is $160 at Toronto City Hall, and the price varies around the province.
You’ll need to provide two pieces of government-issued identification for each person getting married (e.g. a valid driver’s licence, birth certificate, Canadian Citizenship Card).
Ontario Marriage Certificate
Once you’ve tied the knot, you’ll need to obtain a Marriage Certificate. An Ontario Marriage Certificate application can be filed online or by mail. It can take anywhere from 10 to 16 weeks after your wedding for your marriage certificate to arrive.
9. Choosing Vendors
Finding planners, caterers, make-up artists, musicians, and other wedding professionals who match your style and work well with you is essential for a great wedding. In our experience, these are some of the best:
Ontario Florists and Decor
Ontario Wedding Dresses And Bridal Wear
Wedding Hair And Makeup In Ontario
Wedding Stationery
Ontario Wedding Planners
Ontario Wedding Officiants
Ontario Caterers
City Farm Catering
Weddings Bands / Live Music
No matter which vendors you choose, it’s important to vet them through reviews and by taking a look at their work. If they’ve got a trail of happy customers, that’s a great sign that they’re professional and dedicated to doing amazing work.
You’ll also want to make sure that their style meshes well with your own personal taste so that you’re always on the same page when it comes to your wedding’s look and atmosphere. A great way to see if you and a potential vendor are a good fit is to speak to them over the phone or Zoom!
Finally, be sure to read a potential vendor’s contract carefully to make sure you’re protected and all your bases are covered.
10. Let The Adventure Begin!
We’re Anika and Carson
Ontario wedding photographer and videographer
If you’re getting married in Ontario and you’re ready to start planning, get in touch any time! We can’t wait to help you make the wedding of your dreams a reality.