Summer Backyard Micro Wedding, simple and elegant

 

You can turn any backyard into a little wedding. People can watch from the back or the sides or the deck, and weddings take about 23 minutes (enough for heat!) and then go inside and have a toast and sign the papers. Here's a lovely couple from Little Italy last week.

Popup micro family wedding at UofT on a quiet Sunday morning

 

Quiet little micro wedding at Univ of Toronto

It's summer, and University is quiet at the moment, especially on a Sunday morning before lunch.  You can pre-BOOK a few places for small weddings (Hart House, Vic College, etc.).  But sometimes you can also just wander in with a handful of family and find a quiet corner.  I liked this stone step, because I'm really short and the groom was a Big Friendly Giant.  Please contact me if you want to chat about location ideas.  

Winter locations for micro-weddings (popups, elopements, 'signings')

Brrr. Although we do conduct outdoor weddings in winter, and have ventured to snowy spots like the Brickworks. Grange Park and Riverdale Park, and even the skating rink at Nathan Phillips, I DO RECOMMEND indoor locations for your small intimate micro-wedding.  We need to have about 30 minutes for the wedding and signing, and it gets COLD, and we can't sign if it's wet.

SO!  Your apartment, my apartment, your friend's condo event room are handy.  Most restaurants will let you stand in a quiet corner at 4pm (before evening service) and hold a quick wedding, (don't say "wedding", say "private meeting" - they don't want to worry about confetti and champagne serving). But do ask about private 'snugs', small dinner party rooms at places like the Irish pubs on the Danforth.

But you can also rent a co-working room at various locations, like the Centre for Social Innovation on Spadina, etc. Just think, 'where could I hold a small meeting?', and you'll think of places you could hold a small wedding.  Contact me at marybeaty (at) gmail (dot) com, and I can offer suggestions.  Happy planning! 

Micro (popup) wedding in High Park on a sunny morning.

A "micro wedding' is a new term for an elopement or small civil wedding.  We like High Park, because it's so big you can find a nice spot for a small wedding on the day you get there.  We avoided the family picnics and daycares, and found a great spot under a trellis, for the couple, the witnesses a few friends and family and a toddler or two (who could run around a bit).  Wonderful morning, serenaded by the birds.  And then a celebration brunch.

Newly married couple in High Park

Small (micro) wedding at Victoria College

Micro elopement on the steps at Vic College

The couple booked the STEPS at Vic College, and we had a lovely small wedding in the Quad.  Around us were people taking photos for BIG weddings later in the day, but we were finished and happy and ready for the celebration dinner at a restaurant by the time the other couples were resting up for their events.

Small weddings are very traditional, actually - and quite fun. 

Small restaurant wedding - on the patio at dusk

 Here's a happy spring wedding.  The rain stopped JUST LONG ENOUGH for us to set up the lights and the flags and a table for signing, and a lovely time was had by all.

The restaurant is Her Father's Cider (we had weddings there before when it was LOIRE).

Great food, lovely staff, very very happy evening.

Happy couple at a small family wedding

30 guests at a 'micro wedding'

Legal ceremonies for destination weddings

It's that time of year!  Couples are planning 'getaway' weddings in warm places, and we provide the legal ceremonies in Canada before their 'ceremonial' weddings at the holiday destination. 
For a small legal wedding, you need a Marriage License from City Hall (good for 90 days), and 2 legal witnesses over age 18 (friends, family, neighbours, etc.), and about 15 minutes for a legal ceremony.  Then time to sign lots of papers and take a simple documentary photo (cell phone is OK).
You can save your ring exchange, vows, readings, music, family toasts and ceremonies for the destination wedding, and we will perform a very simplified legal wedding, which fulfils the government requirements.  Here's a sample text.

More information HERE

We can hold your legal wedding in your apartment, balcony, garden, or in a hotel, office, or even in *my* little apartment downtown.  Then the officiant completes all the paperwork for you and we send the documents off to the Registrar General in Thunder Bay for them to process the marriage - while you pack for your 'getaway' wedding.

informal legal wedding in a townhouse

Here are some world travelers who got married this winter, and are off to their family wedding in a few weeks.  We had a nice glass of champagne to celebrate.

Small brunch wedding, Arts and Letters Club

I love the Arts and Letters club on Elm Street.  We often have large weddings in the Great Hall, which (like Hart House Great Hall) is very atmospheric in a 'Harry Potter' vein.  This was a small, intimate wedding in the study, or "Lamps" room, which has Group of Seven portraits.  It was very suitable for an 'academical' couple!  Another option is the Library in the Grange at the AGO - perfect for a small wedding - with a little tea reception! 

Arts and Letters Club

Arts and Letter Club

Small family wedding at Home in Little Italy - Sunday brunch!

Home wedding

We were originally planning on Trinity Bellwoods, but the weather did not cooperate, so we had a small home wedding instead at their home near Little Italy.  Lovely and light, just the family, and then everyone went out to brunch to celebrate - and I moseyed on to ANOTHER wedding up on Bathurst, where they hosted a family brunch in the house, with uncles and aunts and cousins and all.  Lovely busy sunny family wedding day!

Snowy outside, tropical inside: Allan Gardens wedding

Allan gardens

This happened at noon on a Monday in February - squirrels and turtles and carp inside (and it was toasty and lovely in the cactus garden) and the groom in a kilt and the bride in lovely short sleeves were nice and warm.  Allan Gardens can be very crowded on the weekends, and it closes at 5, and you really can't have more than about 15-20 people, but if that suits your needs, it's a great option. You must BOOK it through the city Parks Department, and bring the printed booking receipt with you for the guards. Contact me for details.

NO POP-UP WEDDINGS PERMITTED.

Allan Gardens February

Cosy Winter Elopement, an anniversary, and Dutch Comfort Food

We had a number of nice winter elopements this year, in parks, in hotels, in apartments, and other fun locations, including the CN Tower & Ripley's Aquarium. [Note: please see this POST on pop-up weddings at landmarks like Museums and tourist spaces. Most places will NOT allow this, as they have lots of annoyed guards on close-circuit cameras.  The wedding at Ripley's was in the Party room, with booking permission - and then museums passes for all!]

Solstice Wedding 

This little winter solstice wedding took place in my own flat, in front of the fireplace, with just the Bride's family here in town, and the Groom's family skyping in from Sweden.  We had a LOVELY time, as it was also my own 50th wedding anniversary!
The couple went to lunch in Yorkville with their family, and then to to the Kensington Solstice Parade.  We went to St Lawrence Market to buy oysters and prosecco.

My family ALSO took us to our anniversary lunch at a new Danforth restaurant, BorrelTo.  (I actually married the owners, over on Ward's Island, AND I discovered I had also conducted the wedding of the cook's auntie!) and then we ate up the entire menu of Dutch Comfort Food.  They've never had a wedding there, but they COULD close up for a small private event - the beers are fabulous, and the food is perfect for a cocktail reception.

And now here we are, 50 years ago and now, still laughing together at Borrel.

Dec 21, 1967 - a bit of emotion

Dec 23, 2017 - still talking!

Wedding at short notice - delightful midday ceremony

This great couple were working out plane tickets and witnesses, and a license - and a location - all in a short space of time.  It all came together, with wedding outfits and delighted friends and a luckily available room at the University Multifaith Centre,  and a beautiful sunny winter morning.

Looking for Green Space: Elopements and outdoors ideas

The little pathway between the ROM/ Royal Conservatory and Trinity College is a lovely wooded walk we have used over the years for little informal weddings. Lots of nice trees, and a little paved nook or two to stand quietly in a circle.  Yes, people are always passing by, and you have to watch for the music camp children running around for recess (quite busy now in July, several camps - best at 5pm), and sometimes there are sports events at Trinity field, but it's a public space and you can't get/don't need a permit for 4 or 5 people to stand under a tree for 20 minutes.

Philosophers Walk 

NOTE: You MUST get a PERMIT for the main UofT campus, by Hart House, so don't even try holding an informal wedding or anything resembling a wedding photoshoot, or the security staff will stop you. Alternatives nearby are Queens Park (if there isn't a fair or expo), or some of the little Annex parkettes.  To the west, we had a little wedding in Bickford Park (south of Christie Pitts), under a nice tree, tho we had to compete with Saturday morning soccer! Once again, just 6 people. You can't bring a large group.  Rule of thumb: Over a DOZEN PEOPLE usually requires a permit. Because a dozen is a GROUP.  Write me if you have questions, please.

Trinity Bellwoods

Trinity Bellwoods still works for small groups, and Dufferin grove, tho you should ask the committee for larger groups than 8-ish. In the East, you can take a small group to the bottom of Withrow Park or Riverdale, or some other local small parks.  Don't even think of holding an elopement in the Distillery without a permit, tho. You can work out something with the Brickworks, and have lunch at Cafe Belong. Brickworks will want a permit and a fee for anything other than a small 'standing around-doesn't-look like a wedding' group. Be aware.
Northwards, there are little parks around Walmer, a nice little memorial park at Avenue Road and St Clair, and we've had little weddings in a few little community parkettes by people's homes.

Allan Gardens

In terms of downtown permits /rentals, (for elopements and slightly bigger groups, 12-30) you can 'rent a garden' inside Allan Gardens, Here we are last week. You can also get a permit for the Rose Garden at St James Park.  You can also RENT Casa Loma's Conservatory for just yourselves, or a group - same price for both ($$$$$). Be creative, scout your neighbourhood. Condo parks are great, because you can bring a group. Back gardens at restaurants are pretty.  You can get a picnic permit for the Island for a group event, or just wander over and find a spot - or arrange a little wedding at the Cafe garden, and yummy lunch!

Allan Gardens is great inside, but your permit also covers the grounds and the flowers outside. Here is the flower garden, and the wedding party in front of the greenhouse.

Allan Gardens front garden

Allan Gardens front of greenhouse

Intimate legal wedding in a downtown condo

What a lovely evening.  Just the couple and their witnesses, and a quiet private wedding.  They are going to celebrate overseas and have another ceremony in the spring ceremony with family.  So, two anniversaries!

Small condo wedding

and then, another one! Also planning a fall wedding, later.

Evening apartment wedding

Small legal wedding behind Trinity College - happy and informal

A very lovely couple who are going abroad were looking for a small legal wedding somewhere around the University.   You can't do this many places, as you need a permit (esp near Hart House).  But if you don't  SEEM like a 'wedding', and you don't bother people, and there's just 4 of you, it's possible to find a little nook and be discreet.  Here's the 5 of us, looking very happy indeed, on the hill behind Trinity College - the new couple are in the middle, witnesses surrounding them. 

At the same time as we finished filling out the papers, a large wedding party marched up the path, bridesmaids in more ruffles and platform shoes than I've seen in ages.  It was quite a fun contrast - both couples very happy, and a beautiful fall day, and cheer all around.  I don't think the fancy wedding realized what we were doing, but the couple who were eloping were tickled by the other entourage!

CN Tower Skypod: small morning wedding

Here we are, up in the CN Tower SkyPod again!  Two happy grooms, and their sisters and dad - and those that are nervous about heights are holding onto the others! Note: you can't 'book' the CN tower for a wedding (unless you book the BigFancyRestaurant?), and this is in the Skypod, where you really can't fit more than 5 people - and other tourists will be passing around and beside you during the wedding, (usually smiling with delight, tho!), and often they take photos and congratulate you.  But if you want a 'special' elopement, this is certainly an idea. It's best on a WEEKDAY MORNING before school is out.  Tho' you never know when busloads of students will turn up.  But it's certainly fun!

Small Family Wedding at FRANK, AGO

Here's a nice venue for food and art lovers:  Frank Restaurant at the AGO.  This was a delightful wedding for about 40 people. You could squeeze a few more in, but not too many, if you're going to have a seated meal after.

We had the ceremony in the front gallery on Dundas street, and then moved to the private dining room behind it for the dinner.  The restaurant was still open to other dining guests, but the wedding guests had their own dining room and servers.   Nice art, lovely couple, airy and bright and easy to reach on the streetcar.  Pix is from Alicia Thurston.

New Venue for small weddings: Grange library at the AGO

Just had two wonderful winter weddings in the library of the Grange, behind the AGO. The library window is the last one on the left.  I remember taking my children here when the Grange was still a museum. And now the event planning staff is experimenting with small weddings in the wee 19th century library off the 'members lounge'.

Today we had 2 weddings; the first had a formal seated afternoon tea service (delicious! Earl Grey pannacotta!), and the second had a cocktail reception.  There isn't room to serve more than about 15/20 max at the tea tables, and 12 is about right, so a seated tea service is limited. You could have more people for a standing ceremony and a cocktail hour, but not much more than 18-20, perhaps? (Same size as Allan Gardens).
The staff will also accompany your group or the couple for photos in the galleries of the AGO itself.  The 2nd couple had cocktails and toast in the library at 5, then dinner at FRANK, which is also easy access.    Drop me a note if you want to know more! You can contact the event manager directly:  Jennifer_prince@ago.net

 This is a dinner setup, not a tea, and it's for about 24, but you can see the setting.  This is too many for a ceremony, as we need to stand together by the fireplace, so ceremony AND TEA should max out at about 18.

Rainbow wedding on an urban bridge in Rosedale

Memories of Summer! Just got this great picture from a fun wedding last year - can you guess the location?  It's actually Rosedale Bridge, and the couple entered from each end of the pedestrian bridge and we met in the middle and held the wedding over the valley traffic meandering below.  The ladies carried paper umbrellas, too - it was a delightful rainbow of colour - but it's not a good idea if you are afraid of heights.  Also - of course you have to leave space for the normal pedestrians to cross the bridge, so it makes the wedding party stand in a very straight line!  And there were only a dozen guests.  This was a unique event, because the bridge played a part in the couple's courtship.  If you have a larger group, consider a permit for somewhere nice like the gazebo at St James, or Allan Gardens, or another park-like setting.  But this was fun.

Bride and rainbow on Rosedale Valley Bridge

Rosedale Bridge Wedding

Casual Leslieville wedding on a Sunday morning

This great couple have been partners for many happy years, and we had a great morning wedding in their Leslieville sunroom on Sunday morning. Their family were witnesses, and their mom got to make a wonderful homemade German wedding cake. Then - Brunch!