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! 

Covid winter weddings - small, outdoors, special

 We had a few very small, very cold, and very lovely weddings in December.

Here's a couple on their back porch, (pretty cold! the ink in our pens wasn't running very easily!)

Covid Back porch wedding, December

And this brave couple is having a 'first dance' in the park, to a cell phone tune, while their family holds sparklers.  AND it snowed JUST for the wedding.  Very cold, very pretty, very special.

Covid park wedding, December

And a bit of snow at UofT

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

A "Rush" tribute wedding at Queen's Park

Queens Park Souvenir!

This lovely couple were RUSH fans, and so they wanted to be married on 12/21 in front of Queen's Park.  If you know RUSH, you know what this means.
Of course Queen's Park won't LET YOU DO THIS.
But we found the little parkette by the Physics building down on College,  and we held the wedding where we could SEE Queen's Park behind us!  Clever!  And then we sneakily went up to Queen's Park Circle and took some photos anyway.  The guard was a bit huffy, but we distracted him enough to get a photo!

RUSH wedding Dec 21

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!

Winter weddings can be bright and tinkly!

winter ice storm wedding!

You can never plan on the weather! The wedding party entered in parkas from the side door, and managed this great pix in the ice storm. But all was warm and cosy inside, and you just have to build in some time for late arrivals, delayed transit and such.     

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

Toronto Hotel Elopements - cosy private weddings

I'm reposting this article on Winter Weddings, as I'm too busy with winter weddings to put up a new post!  But you can read about winter wedding ideas here

Several couples chose to hold small private weddings and elopements in Toronto hotels this last couple of weeks, specifically, the King Eddy, the Windsor Arms, The Grand Hotel on Jarvis, the Gladstone, and the Templar Hotel on Adelaide. [this month, include the Radisson, Trump, Four Seasons]. It's a nice way to have a special event, and some privacy. The witnesses were mostly friends, family, or in one case, their children.

It's your choice whether to inform the hotel you're holding a wedding.  It can have benefits, or it can add costs.  One couple informed the staff they were getting married, and they got 'upgraded' to a penthouse.  (They also moved the furniture out of the way a bit, scattered some biodegradeable rose petals and brought a guitar along instead of an IPAD). note: the Windsor Hotel has some rooms with guitars - they are, however, mostly out of tune...  Some rooms also have pianos, tho this might be more useful in the sitting room than the bedroom?

 

Windsor Arms Hotel Suite with Piano

Another couple BOOKED a penthouse room, but just said they were 'celebrating an occasion',  A third was so discreet I don't think the hotel ever realized we were holding a small wedding.  Some couples chose to go to dinner afterward (in the hotel, in a couple of cases) or just to the bar for oysters and champagne to celebrate.  Finding ourselves without one witness, one hotel sent up a Concierge, who had a lovely time and even got a little verklempt!

We have held larger family weddings at hotels that cater in-room events, like the Four Seasons and the Plaza and the Trump. They will deliver drinks, a cake, and at the Four Seasons, even a chef.  But if you just want a quiet romantic elopement, find a nice cozy room with a view, and bring your own champagne. Check Groupon! Get upgraded!

Small Private Wedding at Templar Hotel

Small Private Wedding at King Edward Hotel

Romantic winter elopement - Hilton Hotel by the fireplace

We had planned an outdoor ceremony - perhaps on the waterfront, or on the ferry, or even on the island.  Then we thought about Grange Park by the Bell Tower, or even the grounds of Osgoode Hall.  But the weather turned nasty - so we asked the downtown Hilton if they had a room we could use.  They kindly said that they would open the tower lounge just for us, for a short private wedding.  Hurrah!

and after the wedding, the view...

Winter Weddings in the Park - Leslieville and Trinity Bellwoods, happy and cold

We're all very happy, but I've got long underwear on  :-) Note that we went back to the house, in each case, to sign the license and have some celebratory drinks....

Leslieville Playground, December

Trinity Bellwoods, December

Small private winter weddings - indoor locations

We have a small flurry of winter elopements scheduled, mostly for under a dozen family and friends. We've been outside, in a few restaurants and 'secret' city spots.  But in rainy cold weather, it's good to have an inside option, and one of the best is a HOTEL SUITE.  You can dress up nicely, pour some champagne, take lots of pictures, and everyone has a place to sit down.  You can even order room service for the cupcakes or smoked salmon.  Look on groupon and other sale sites for hotel deals -  Expedia has a deal at the Royal York right now!  You can ask the hotel about their policy of wedding photo permits, but if you are a guest, they should be helpful.  The older hotels often have bigger rooms, the newer boutique hotels are also used to requests for small weddings.  The concierge should be your friend, see what you can arrange with them (room service, even flowers).  Or just book in, call your witnesses, book your officiant, and have a lovely quiet wedding. 

Winter weddings - Allan Gardens, cosy inside!

We've had a few brave weddings in the park - though everyone had to stamp their feet a lot and we rushed back inside for warm drinks!  But it's been a loonnng winter for outdoor weddings, and spring may be the same, cold (or) muddy.  Have a backup plan!  A friend's sunny condo party room, indoors at Allan Gardens,  a nice brunch wedding at a friendly bistro, an old-fashioned wedding at home around a fireplace, if you can find somebody who has one! Check the usual places, 'private dining' is a good google/yelp term.  We're still planning outdoor elopements for a few hardy souls, but if your numbers are larger, the logistics for an outdoor wedding are tricky in early spring if you have to redirect guests to a different location due to weather problems. Thinking ahead, if you're planning an island summer wedding - buy those paper ferry tickets in advance! The lines are too long on hot summer weekends for wedding guests in dressup clothes. You also get a discount on paper tickets.  Station a friend with a guest list at the docks to hand them out.  

a Winter wedding in Gallery 44 photography gallery

a wonderful winter wedding at Gallery 44 at 501 Richmond.  Congratulations to Jeff and Len.

A nice winter morning wedding at the CN Tower, 12/12/12/ at 12noon!

So - on a wintery December morning, in the middle of the week, it's possible to have a short little wedding with just witnesses at the CN Tower which is *almost* quiet and personal.  You can see Pearson behind us.  This lovely couple then left for their honeymoon in Cuba, after a wedding lunch at the 360 restaurant.  What a nice morning it was!
[This works best when the CN Tower is not busy. And on a foggy cloudy day, tho - not much to see... be sure to have other plans available].

Winter Wedding by the City Hall Rink

Memories of winter past - here is an end-of-winter wedding outside at dusk near the ice rink at Nathan Phillips square (in front of Toronto City Hall ) Then the couple (the ones with the flowers :-) went for a skate, and we held thir dog.  Renovations at the plaza change things a bit now, but we hope that by summer the Peace Garden will permit some weddings by the fountain - dog or not!

Winter elopement in High Park ~ and one in Leslieville

Most of the action was on the Ice Rink on Sunday, so the five of us walked into the Japanese garden, and stood on the bridge by the frozen waterfall.  Great shots from the bridge below by our photographer!  Our fingers got a bit frozen, but hearts were warm, and the chickadees came to comment on what we were doing.  After a short ceremony and some great pictures in the snow, we hiked back to the Grenadier cafe for hot chocolate and the signing of the Marriage License.   A memorable mid-day wedding to start the year.




and then - a wonderful wedding by the empty wading pool in a Leslieville Park.

 I did take my gloves off, and so did the couple, to exchange rings.  But we went inside to sign all the papers - I couldn't bend my fingers by then! I call this a red mitt wedding - where your nose matches your fingers! I think it would have been warmer with snow!

Soltice Winter Wedding in the Beaches by moonlight

First, a candlelit wedding at Kew Beach pavilion - just a few of us, standing in a circle in the cold, and watching the moon.  Then we went to Sauvignon Bistro on Queen Street East to sign the license and drink champagne.  (They have a private room at the back, which could probably be used for a small simple wedding. There were 12 of us.)
Then I went home and set the alarm and we got up at 3am for the Solstice Eclipse - and the meteor shower!! Happy Winter Solstice to all.