Wedding venues and locations

I thought it may be an idea to run through some of the wedding venues and locations that we have on offer. Most of these are (or will soon be) available through Canadian Sky Weddings as well as directly from ourselves. There are all based from Toronto.

First offering is right in the middle of Toronto. But oh so neat - and rustic!

The Treehouse!!!!!

There is only enough room for a party of 10/12 but if you're set on an elopement style or a small destination wedding - how fab!

Inside it is a little basic - just wooden benches and walls, but it can be prettied up with some decor very easily.

Still in the City, we also have

The Bank Vault !!!!!

Originally a bank (who would have guessed?) and now converted to a luxury hotel, the owners decided to keep the Vault and use it as a meeting/wedding space.

as you can see here, the door is still in place.

The CN Tower

A firm favourite with tourists and a long-term icon from the city skyline. The 360 restaurant is a treat in itself and the magnificent views make it unmissable. However, for the last couple of years there has been a new attraction here - The Skywalk. Yup, you've guessed - around the OUTSIDE. One plucky couple actually got married suspended out there!

You can find the video on YouTube. A little scary but if you have the head for adventure .....

Still based in the city but a drive out is a place like no other. 

Crawford Lake Conservation Area

Beautiful and tranquil at any time of the year, there's a meromictic lake (which means it is so deep that the water at the bottom never circulates to the top) surrounded by a boardwalk and there's also a 15th century reconstructed Iroquoian village. It's scientific and historic but boring it's not!

See that little podium on the lakeside? Have your celebrant stand there and look over the lake as you take your vows. 

And to dispel the myths from the Westerns we all watched as kids - no wigwams! The Native Americans originally lived in long houses AND were a matriarchal society. If Momma said "NO", no it was! 

Seriously though, even if it's not for you as a wedding location, it is well worth a visit. Give us a call and we'll help you locate it as it's not that easy to find if you don't know it's there. (Actually, it's at the bottom of the road where my husband lived as a kid, but won't help you find it either!)

Back into the city, again for the final venue today,

THE CHILL ICE HOUSE !!!!!

I'm sure you've all heard of the Ice Hotels in Europe and Canada, well this is slightly different in as much as you don't sleep there! It's a fab bar where you can drink, eat and party! It's decorated with ice carvings and if you hold your wedding ceremony here, you will have the opportunity to have a personalised carving. For your ceremony in a booth off the main dance floor, you will be given a black and/or white cape each which you can take away with you. 

There's always one! And this one didn't want to wear a cape - obviously a hardy soul.

The 'shoulder' season and a wedding show

I returned from Ontario last week having been there for 9 days. During this time, I had scraped snow from my car for 3 days, watched the raindrops chase down the windows for 2 and basked in glorious Spring sunshine for the remaining 4! The sequence was actually sun, rain, snow, then sun! I would have preferred to go without the rain. The snow didn't settle much and it was really neat to sit looking out of the window at what would be the last snow of the season. It was also really neat when the sun was shining to see skiers on the slopes and to know that at the base, the golfers were out for the start of their eagerly awaited season. It's a real novelty to be in Ontario as the season changes from Winter to Spring one of the 'shoulder' seasons - the other being between Fall and Winter before the snow arrives.

I was over there for The Wedding Co's Spring Show held at The Drake on Queen Street West - one of my favourite Toronto streets. The show itself was fab - they had gathered a cross section of great exhibitors. One slight(?) reservation I had was when I asked one owner if I could photograph her stand she was a little reticent and explained that she found that people took photos which they then showed to other suppliers and asked for the items to be copied. Then she told me all her items were on her website and I could use those images. THEN - she said that they were able to do anything that the customer wanted and had had several brides during the show ask if she could COPY items from another stand !!!!! Anyway, when I explained I was based in the UK and wrote my blog mainly for British brides, she gave me the ok to take my own photos. Thought her reasoning a little off and didn't really understand it but it takes all sorts .....

So here are the images from the show with links back to the organizers, venue and exhibitors :-

The Wedding Co

The Drake

Coriander Girl 

Blair Nadeau Millinery

Scarlet's table

The Loved One 

Sweet Table 

Hoopla 

Bits & Blooms

I have to confess a soft spot for the two girls that own this company as they went to school in Leeds, UK (where my daughter lives!) AND they had masses of lily-of-the-valley which I just adore (and it was my Mum's favourite flower!)

and finally 

Taste Culinary Inc 

I only tasted the mini Greek Salad (top picture) but I could have eaten them all day! Usually I'm a sweet person and it's really unusual for me to rave over savoury but these were divine and also garlic free! Can't wait to taste more!

Coming soon: 

A complete blog post on weddings at The Drake - divine food, fabby decor & atmosphere, lovely people to work with.  Just awaiting images. Watch this space .....

Fab new find!

I'm not sure how many blogs/sites my readers follow, but my inbox is always full of updates. Sometimes they get a cursory glance before the dustbin but at other times, something catches my attention and I spend time looking through the blog/site and every now and then I find a gem. Again, I'm not sure how far my readers will go for something that takes their fancy but I buy from Internet sites in Europe and North America quite regularly. Yes, the delivery is more than it would be from a UK site but when I find something I love, I always weigh up buying a similar product with a cheaper delivery or the one that originally caught my eye. I feel I will always know that I went for second best ... (I do hope my husband isn't reading this!)

So I have a fab new find. It's called Pressed Cotton and they sell goods for gatherings! The website immediately appealed to me. I love the strap line on the home page: shop for your wedding .use for your home. Organised by style or category or products, the style headings are so evocative - Southerner, Explorer, Daydreamer, Gardener, Romantic, Eclectic, Modernist, Treehugger and Inventor. How could a treehugging, daydreaming, romantic gardener with a penchant for exploring and with an eclectic, modernist daughter NOT fall for this site?

I've chosen my favourite images from the site but PLEASE do have a look for yourself.

We welcomed 2013 in Collingwood

I must say I'm looking forward to 2013 as last year was somewhat of a mixed year for us. We lost a parent but gained a fabulous little granddaughter, so now I have a pair of a pair! My son's 2 boys, Robert & Toby and my daughter's 2 girls, Ivy and Mia. We spent Christmas with my daughter and New Year with my son and his boys in Collingwood. The boys took to the slopes at Blue Mountain for the first time and yes, Gramma had tears in her eyes when she saw them suited and booted - with helmets - for their first ski lesson. They're doing well and really enjoyed it after a few misapprehensions. I think they thought it was as easy as it looks!

Ready for the off!

Collingwood Town Hall

Ice Sculptures for New Year in Collingwood's Hurontario Street 2012

Collingwood is our Canadian 'home' town and we love it there all year round. It's where the idea of Maple Leaf Weddings started so I give no apologies for going somewhat over the top in featuring a wedding that took place there. It shows how beautiful the location is in the summer. Mimosa Flower Studio's blog reported  "This weeding was chock full of pale pastels ... lavender, blush, butter, ivory, soft green ... and seasonal florals including peonies, garden roses, delphiniums, lavender, herb and fern plants, moss, lily of the valley, succulents, lisianthus, clematis vine and other tidbits of gardeny goodness!"

Credits:

Floral Design: Mimosa Flower Studio / Wedding Planner: Distinct Occasions / Event Design: Design 2 Decor / Wedding Cake: The Caketress / Wedding Photography: A Brit and a Blonde / WedLuxe Winter Spring 2013 issue

Wedding Venue: Private Residence in Blue Moutain, Ontario

 So, there you have it. Collingwood in winter and in summer - the choice is yours. Even though the comparisons are no direct ones, let me know what you think. I'll perhaps to another blog featuring summer scenes and a winter wedding!!