Lately, the theme of my own wedding planning as been LOCATION – as the title of this post is not-so-subtle to suggest! As many of you know, Daniel and I are legally married as per our recent romantic engagement in Vegas, but we are planning a wedding in Mexico – our “real” wedding as we call it – in early spring of 2011. Our search for the perfect venue (which I think we’ve finally found!) got me thinking about all the great places in Montreal that we’d be considering if we had decided to simplify our lives and just get married here!
The following are a few great places right here in our wonderful city. We will be shooting weddings at each of these locations this summer and we are very excited! These venues are different from a traditional reception hall, which means that your wedding really gets a unique look and feel. Thanks for the suggestions, future brides and grooms!
Entrepot Dominion | entrepotsdominion.ca
I’m excited to have this venue on our list as it is one I had never heard of but am thrilled to have discovered. I get the impression from their website that they commonly host corporate or commercial events, but the space is perfect for a modern couple’s wedding. Two of our At First Sight photographers will have the pleasure of shooting a reception here this spring and I have to admit to being quite jealous that I won’t get a chance to check it out for myself!
Time Supper Club | timesupperclub.com
Daniel and I will be shooting a wedding here next July so he took me out for a date there a few weeks ago to scope it out. The staff there told us they don’t often do weddings, although they host events almost weekly. This venue is for those with a higher budget, but the food is fantastic and there’s practically nothing to do decor-wise as it’s already completely amazing-looking! Our July couple will be having their ceremony out back on their terrasse and are having the reception inside for their 200 guests.
Lion d’Or | cabaretliondor.com
This is probably my favorite venue of the summer… and definitely the most original! Lion d’Or is a cabaret club, complete with a moody lighting, a stage and thick velvet curtains. It screams Moulin Rouge (one of my favorite movies) or even Old Hollywood. Lion d’Or’s sister restaurant, Au Petit Extra, caters their events. I’m shooting a ceremony and reception there in August and I can’t wait! I’ll have to suppress the urge to do the can-can, I’m sure!
Bronte Restaurant | bronterestaurant.com
Daniel and I have driven by Bronte countless times and one or both of us always comment on how cool it looks. The restaurant is part of the Meridien Versailles hotel on Sherbrooke and often hosts trendy launch parties or after-parties for other events so they’re all set lighting and decor-wise. Plus, I have to admit, I’ve been drooling over the menu on their website all day…
The Science Center (Perspective 235° and the Passerelle) | centredessciencesdemontreal.com
Daniel has shot a few events here in the past for Flore or Luxe and the space has always looked fabulous. It’s a very open, ultra modern environment that needs a whole team of caterers, florists, lighting specialists and furniture rentals to make an event happen, but this allows you to completely transform the space and make it your own. This might deter some, but with a good wedding planner, the whole process could actually be quite simple! We have two weddings here this summer and I don’t doubt that they will be so different from one another that we’ll hardly be able to tell that the venue is the same. Can’t wait to see what they’ll do with it!
Bonsecours Market | ville.montreal.qc.ca/marchebonsecours
One would never know by visiting the market on an Sunday afternoon, but the Bonsecours Market can make for a fierce event location! It’s similar to the Science Center hall in that it too is a huge open space with which you can do pretty much anything, but it also has the potential to host a more traditional wedding (unlike the very modern Science Center space). It really is all about what furniture you decide to bring in and the decor you select. I’ll be shooting there this summer and I’m anxious to see how the couple will transform the space. Their halls can hold between 100 and 1000 guests – talk about range!
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Hope these locations can offer you some inspiration. As I often mention, the best wedding planning advice I could ever give is to make your wedding reflect you; your personalities, your tastes, your relationship even. A lot of that is in the details, but your location will set the stage for your special day, so it too should reflect you.
Since this is a picture-less post, I’ll leave you with a few photos of our top contender, Casa China Blanca in Puerto Vallarta Mexico (photos are from their website: www.casachinablanca.com). It’s an oceanside villa with a private beach… not too shabby!
