Toronto Wedding & Lifestyle Photographer » Gillian Foster Photography

Carver’s Cottage + Royal Ashburn Wedding

How To Plan A Ceremony That’s Special For You

Your wedding day may be fast approaching and you have one last thing on your mind. Does your ceremony celebrate what makes you two special? A lot of couples have their ceremony and reception at their venue. It’s convenient and the most common way to do it. But after shooting Leanne and David’s wedding ceremony at Carver’s Cottage and then the reception at the Royal Ashburn I learned that opting to have your ceremony somewhere else can really add a special feeling to your wedding day. A lot of wedding venues will have everything you want and this won’t be an issue. However, if you want your ceremony to be more intimate, rustic, natural, scenic, personal, etc you should explore options near your venue. Your wedding day will be special, but make sure it’s special to you two above and beyond everything! So if you’re wondering how to plan a ceremony that’s special for you, here are my best tips!

A little Goes A Long Way

If you’re thinking of how to plan a ceremony that’s special for you, and you want a more personal/intimate ceremony than your venue, try to find something relatively close by. When you make it too far you can complicate many things. Timing your wedding day will be difficult with all the traveling in between. So find something less than 30 mins away if possible. If your ceremony and venue are too far apart it can also be a logistical nightmare for guests and your wedding party. The other issue that can come up is that you disrupt the flow of your day. With too much time traveling between the locations your wedding can feel disconnected.

Your Special Moment

Find a place that channels something special to you two. For some that means being in nature. For others it means somewhere smaller and more intimate for a smaller ceremony. While others want their ceremony somewhere very public and iconic, like the CN Tower or a museum. I know some couples that have been married on the property of their childhood home, and then proceed to a venue nearby for the reception. This is such a great way to capture a timeless, special place for your ceremony. Having your ceremony somewhere meaningful is a great way to remember that special place for years to come.

Finding The Right Fit

Try to find a location for your ceremony that works well with the vibe of your entire day. Sometimes it can feel awkward if you have the ceremony somewhere very casual and then transition to a fancy venue for the party, or vice versa. While there is always going to be a change in vibe try to minimize it as much as possible.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Think about how the ceremony location will show up in your pictures. The ceremony is the heart of your wedding day, so capturing the moment with my camera is the ultimate goal. I want to capture the magic of that moment you two say “I do!” in your most special location. So if you’re trying to figure out what place that is for you two, reach out and I’d love to brainstorm and help you find it! And if you do know where it is now I’d love to help you capture this momentous occasion.

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groom standing between his groomsmen underneath a willow tree during his special wedding at Carvers cottage in Pickering bride and groom kissing on a bridge over a stream during their special wedding at Carvers cottage in Pickering A wooden sign reading "CARVERSCOTTAGE" on sheet metal backing Toronto wedding photography a row boat filled with white flowers sitting in a pond next to a dock at Carvers cottage how to make your wedding special
bride and groom sitting in a row boat on a pond at Carvers cottage how to make your wedding special bride sitting next to a white floral bouquet in a row boat while her groom works the oars during the special wedding at Carvers cottage in Toronto bride and groom kissing while sitting in a row boat on a pond at Carvers cottage how to make your wedding special bride and groom holding hands over train tracks during wedding at Carvers cottage in Pickering groom smiling as his bride looks at him adoringly while they stand over train tracks during wedding at Carvers cottage in Toronto groom holding bride in his arms and kissing her while they stand over train tracks during wedding at Carvers cottage in Toronto floral bouquet sitting next to a wood birdhouse during wedding at Carvers cottage in Toronto a wooden board with white flowers on top and the word "DONUTS" written across it in white with donuts hanging below on pegs Carver cottage wedding Pickering wedding guest looking at the seating plan board before wedding reception Toronto bride laughing with her guests inside the banquet hall at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto groom smiling and talking with his guests inside the banquet hall at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto wedding party entering the banquet hall for the special reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering bride and groom entering hand in hand into the banquet hall for the special reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering bride and groom share a dance during their special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering bride and groom holding hands as they dance during their special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto bride and groom holding hands and kissing as they dance during their special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto father of the bride dancing with his daughter on the dance floor during her special wedding at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering bride and groom bow their heads at their head table as grace is being said before their reception dinner during the special wedding at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto guest book table with blue polaroid camera, flowers in vases, a guest book, and black pens during special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering father of the bride reading his speech into a microphone during a special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering groom standing up from the head table to shake the father of the bride mother and father of the bride smiling as they read their speech into the microphone during their daughters special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering bride and groom sit between their wedding party at the head table during their special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto wedding guests smiling and clapping while sitting at their table during the wedding reception speeches at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering happy wedding guests smiling during reception speeches at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto happy wedding guests smiling and laughing during reception speeches at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto table of wedding guests standing with their arms in the air and singing during the special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering small wood pieces with slits cut into the centre and name cards placed in them saying "bride" and "groom" placed on the table during special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering bride and grooms rings sitting on top of each other special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering wedding guest smiling as she reads a speech into the microphone during a special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto bride and groom laughing as they read their speech into the microphone during their special wedding reception at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto wedding guests having fun on the dance floor during a special wedding at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering mother of the bride singing into a microphone during her daughters special wedding at the Royal Ashburn in Pickering

bride and groom standing with arms wrapped around each other and holding sparklers after their special wedding at the Royal Ashburn in Toronto

Let’s Plan Your Special Ceremony

Whether you want to be surrounded by flowers inside a rowboat, your dog to make a special appearance, or have a theme based around your favourite TV show as a couple, you two will find a way to make this day special. You two just need to figure out what things are most important and then contact me  and we can start brainstorming ways we can incorporate them into your wedding day photos!

Vendors:

Ceremony location – Carvers cottage

Reception location – Royal Ashburn Golf Club

Florist – Van Belle Flowers

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