So, without further ado, we announce our wedding will be at Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm!
The reception is taking place in the South Lawn Tent; without a doubt, you'll want to take a look at the photos on the virtual tour page:
This 'tent', which should really be called a canvas house, has a gorgeous front door, bathrooms on-site, and a built-in bar. It is here that we will dance the night away, enjoying our potluck dinner with friends, family, and some new friends met through the P:P project. Guests who want a break from the music and crowd can wander out for a moonlit stroll around the grounds.
Earl, owner of Stanley's, was the kind and amazing fellow who offered us this venue; to avoid infringing on busy wedding season bookings (which at Stanley's, runs year round--picture a snowy wonderland at their sugarbush!) we have worked out that our wedding will be on Monday, August 22. Yes, it's not a typical Friday or Saturday, but we're totally happy with it. It is a little earlier than we originally discussed--I had a momentary panic attack at losing 30-60 days of planning time--but it's going to be so beautiful, and we won't have to worry as much about Ottawa's wild autumn weather patterns.
The tent will easily hold our 200 guests, and for those that are thinking this venue is amazing but have a larger or smaller event in mind, take a look at the virtual tour on the site: they have an adorable house on the property with a giant sundeck that suits a smaller wedding with dancing on the porch. And for giant affairs, they have a main facility that can host 800 standing, or 500 seated, guests.
Stanley's is further helping us out by providing tables, chairs, and a bartender for the cash bar. Earl, and Rhonda, who works in the Stanley's office: thank you so very much for making our wedding day even more amazing than we could possibly imagine it would ever be. We wanted a wedding that allowed us to be close to nature without being at its mercy; a venue that would allow us to embrace our giant families wholeheartedly; and a place that would be flexible for our offbeat wedding ways. We are still in awe that this venue is ours.
Equally amazing in our eyes are the other venues that were offered to us. For reasons we'll explain as we go, these venues were not quite as suitable for our day; but this does not take away one iota from our thankfulness, our joy and appreciation of the offers, and our absolutely positive experiences in communicating with the owners. Let's review!
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Our first offer was from the Herb Garden in Almonte. Learn more at their website, http://www.herbgarden.on.ca/. As I mentioned before, I have been to the Herb Garden many times for their summer HerbFest, a wonderful gathering of vendors who offer or work with herbs, newage type goodies, and food. I love this festival and since its discovery, I have only missed it once when I couldn't get out of work. The grounds are adorable; there are beds of herbs growing that you can walk through, some of them gorgeous (and all of them making me envious as I recall the scrawny plants I have managed to maintain or maim in my own efforts to be green-thumbed). The ceremony would take place under an adorable white gazebo with guests' chairs arranged on the lawn.
The grounds is full of these shady, gnarly trees, which I immediately pictured Brian climbing as he is unable to pass by a good climbing tree without making the attempt.
The ceremony would be held in the old (original) barn. The light comes in from the logs, and it just has that wonderful woodiness to it.
The grounds would be ours to wander, including an herb labyrinth and a small outdoor patio. My favourite part of the grounds was actually a smaller log cabin that sits beside the main barn: the drying house. The top floor is used to dry the herbs, and the main floor can be used to seat a small dinner party of about 30. What makes this little cabin so gorgeous is the herbs that hang from the ceiling: the entire space is filled with gorgeous, colourful, flowered herbs. I asked Gerry (of Gerry and George, the Herb Garden owners) about the herbs, and Gerry said that depending on the year, the herbs can grow so well, they actually hide every inch of the ceiling. The idea of eating dinner in this space was so nice, and I felt like really, most of the decoration was already naturally supplied. We didn't get a picture of this space, though, so you're going to have to just picture it with your vivid imaginations.
So we thought this space was amazing. Who wouldn't. There were a couple of minor hitches for our particular wedding plans, however. First off, the barn is an old, original barn. In late September or early October, there is a good chance our guests would have to wear mittens and coats. Gerry and George were amazing and offered us any date in September or October that did not have another wedding scheduled on it, but when we really considered dates, we realized we may be into cold/rainy season by the time all was said and done.
The second hitch: the barn holds about 70 people for a seated dinner. Our moms have just recently completed their guest lists for us, and have been very good at keeping the number as low as possible; but the chances of us getting our guest list below 150 is highly improbable. Counting photographers, DJ, and our own guest list etc., we are probably still at 200 people. There is a large field that Gerry pointed out, large enough to hold festival tents and (as Gerry recommended), guests could play a soccer game or set up some tents. Unfortunately, with no leads so far from P:P on a donation of festival tents, we felt our hands were tied.
The Herb Garden is beautiful, and Gerry is such a sweet, down-to-earth fellow. He and George have owned the Herb Garden for about nine years now, and based on the friendly welcome alone, I would recommend that anyone have their wedding at this intimate, cheery locale. In the end, unfortunately, we had to decline. I do, however, find myself wondering about other gatherings I could hold in the future at the Herb Garden.
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We were offered two other locations for which no site visit was immediately necessary.
The first is the Bikers Church, located in the City Church in Vanier (a neighbourhood of Ottawa). The website: http://wp.bikerschurch.com/,The church was originally a Catholic church built in the 70's, so it's not exactly the stereotypical gothic cathedral; the stained glass is more abstract, and the shape is more rectangular than arched and pointed. I have actually been to this church on a number of occasions: my parents used to attend a particular pastor's services, and I used to tag along some Sundays because Pastor Eric was a pro at telling bible stories like action and romance movie plots. I love a good storyteller. Anyway, I am very familiar with the inside of this church, and it is, in essence, one giant open space. The pews had been removed way before my time, and folding chairs are used instead, which means that any configuration can be made up. There is a raised stage at the front (back?) of the church where the musicians usually play, and the basement even has a full kitchen. Pastor Rob of the Bikers Church offered us the venue for both ceremony and reception. I think this is such a cool idea, to get married at the bikers' church, given that Brian has specifically requested that motorcycles be involved with the wedding. As space would not be an issue, this location remained on at the top of our list for some time. The 'minuses' for our particular wedding vision were few, but important: one was, we were hoping for a certain element of nature in the venue, and the neighbourhood is not the kind with a park close-by for sunset walks. There would certainly not be an ideal location for photos. The other issue was that we very much want a handfasting ceremony, with nods to the pre-Christian earth-based faiths we both have embraced, and understandably, that may have caused some discomfort for the church. I think we may have found some sort of compromise on these issues, but in the end we were offered a venue that offered solutions to these dilemmas, so we also decline the Bikers Church.
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Our next offer was from a Bed & Breakfast in Winchester, about an hour outside of town: The Terrace Green B&B. Annette Angus, owner of the B&B, offered us use of the property for the weekend to hold our wedding. Website:
Annette was excited by P:P because her goal is to "provide couples with the opportunity to have a very nice wedding without breaking the bank". Annette stated, wisely, that she ould rather see a couple save their money for down payment on a home. Annette has completed a wedding planning course, and the B&B has hosted half-a-dozen weddings already.
This venue is, as you can see, adorable. Unfortunately for our needs, I would have to break my one promise to my dad in order to take this location: I would being having an outdoor wedding with no plan B for weather issues. So again, we had to decline.
Searching for a venue was our greatest concern with this crazy project. A venue is a huge donation, and we are incredibly moved by the generosity these venue owners have shown. We'd strongly encourage any couple to consider these venues; these people are truly lovely, extremely generous, and understanding of the issue of budget.
While venues were our greatest concern, the search was fun. It's amazing how much a venue affects your entire image for your wedding. Everything from lighting to colours can be affected by locale, much to my rookie dismay...with each venue offer, I would find myself changing my mind on areas of planning that had already been pretty much settled. Couples, beware! Don't settle too soon if you're looking at a few options, and remember that the friendliness of the venue will entirely affect your experience. We wouldn't have had to worry with any of these venues, of course, but that's what's so amazing about this project: the amazing people we're meeting, and the kindnesses being offered to us.
Now that we've settled on Stanley's, we're beginning planning in earnest. I am so excited, and also feeling new forms of nervousness that weren't there before the wedding had become so much more tangible. I knew we'd found the right place, by the way, as we walked around it: Brian's eyes were bright, he was dead silent in awe, and he became very thoughtful. When I asked what was up, he said that the wedding now seemed very real. I loved that, seeing him moved in such a genuine way, and it's furthering my own excitement.
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