Summer Garden-Inspired Wedding at Elora Mill

This garden-inspired wedding at Elora Mill tops the list of our favourite weddings of all-time. We got to work on a fun, warm, colour palette that inspired us right from the beginning. From a warm terracotta to a soft romantic peach, paired with tiny hints of yellow and purple supported by a backdrop of green made everything feel so punchy and perfect for this late summer wedding.

Once our palette was set, we started the floral design with Forever Wildfield. Michelle wanted a lush garden-inspired wedding, but I knew that it could quickly fall into overload and feel overwhelming if we weren't smart about scaling the florals appropriately to the size of the room and available table dimensions. This meant creating some very cool winding floral arrangements down the guest tables that were taller than they were wide, using the available vertical space without interfering with conversation across the table. We then worked on creating focus around their sweetheart table so it didn’t feel small and out of place in a large room with 180 guests. We then worked on the tabletop pieces so that some elements seemingly blended away into the florals (ie. the tan-coloured glassware and terracotta and peach-coloured candles) and the charger plates, napkins and menus offered loads of texture layered on the tabletop, playing to both the sight and touch senses.

Now that all the big picture elements were lined up, we could start pulling details from them to give guests their first taste of what was to come through the invitations. Melissa from Statue Rue is one of my favourite Toronto wedding invitation designers. Having a love for paper, it’s no wonder her designs appeal to the sense of touch with hand-made cotton papers, natural hand-torn edges and printed with letterpress to reveal the impression of the text in the paper. It was fun to incorporate a delicate flower wreath around the invitation as a nod to the floral glory that was to come at the garden-inspired wedding reception.

The Elora Mill wedding team did an impeccable job ensuring Michelle’s dream came to life with their attention to detail on the day - from the wedding concierge to the catering team, we think they’re pretty important in making the days run so smoothly for our clients.

The team includes Jeff Shuh Photography, Forever Wildfield, Statue Rue, Simply Beautiful Decor, Allyssa Helm Beauty, Sweet Celebrations, 586 Event Group and Leith Quartet. Michelle’s dress is a Galia Lahav design.

Service: Full Planning and Design

THE FLOORPLAN

The Elora Mill Grand Room is an asymmetrical shape making it sometimes hard to imagine something new, especially if your guest count maxes out the room. We didn’t do too much here to change things from the norm, but we did find small ways to make it unique with a round sweetheart table and a division between two of the tables at the back of the room. We also changed around which green and white charger plates were used at each table to create a bit more of a difference between the tables.

You can see more of our Elora Mill weddings and their floorplans here.

Taylor Swift Love Story Inspired Wedding at Elora Mill

All this talk about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love story has come at the perfect time to share this gorgeous Elora Mill wedding. I’ve you’ve ever wondered what Taylor Swift’s wedding might look like, we’ve got a good idea for you. This wedding has garnered a lot of attention on florist, Forever Wildfields social media and we are thrilled to finally be sharing it ourselves today.

We begin with the romantic setting of the Elora Mill, a top destination wedding venue in Ontario. Elora is a picturesque town just an hour from Toronto and it makes for the perfect weekend getaway with a quaint downtown area, fantastic restaurants, and options for exploring the gorgeous scenery.

The Elora Mill is full of beautiful design details and furniture inclusions that give it a natural effortless romantic vibe, so it’s not difficult to have a beautiful result, but the challenge comes from making it not feel like every other wedding there each weekend. Allie’s dream wedding vision was full of romance, candlelight, and soft textures, something we’re always on board for so we jumped at the opportunity to create a design that met all of these goals in a way that felt fresh.

Soft, warm hues of pink, creams, and sandy taupes made for the perfect romantic palette. Lots of candlelight and florals galore were the goal and my goodness did Forever Wilfield take it and run with it! Red Bicycle Paper Co. created a timeless invitation suite with flowing fonts and wax seal details and we worked with Simply Beautiful Decor to provide the most elegant table accent details from charger plates, napkins, and runners.

We can’t forget Allie’s gorgeous wedding gown feels like a modern take on the gown from the Love Story video. We’re still dying over this Taylor Swift Love Story Inspired Wedding at Elora Mill. Scroll to see the photos and the vendor list below!

The Floorplan

We’ve also included the floorplan we made for the Grand Room as some inspiration for your own wedding layout at Elora Mill.

Romantic Modern Wedding at Elora Mill

Rachel and Cooper’s romantic modern wedding at Elora Mill is something dreams are made of. There is something so special about the small town only about an hour from Toronto, making it the perfect quaint weekend getaway for both couples and their guests. Rachel wanted a contemporary wedding design that still felt mostly timeless and romantic and I think we accomplished that. We love working with florist, Forever Wildfield because the collaboration is always fun and our ideas scale up and down to ensure we’re not going overboard in any one area and allowing all pieces to have a moment to shine and complement each other. We made good use of the in-house chargers and menus from the Elora Mill, but freshened it up with some napkins and linens from Special Event Rentals, our favourite Burlington-based wedding rental company. It has also been a dream to work with Ottawa-based, destination wedding photographers, Joel and Justyna and to say they were the perfect fit for this wedding is nothing short of the truth. We feel so honoured to have been tasked with designing and planning this romantic modern wedding at Elora Mill. Beauty by Allyssa Helm, music from The DJ Co., stationery by Statue Rue, and cake from Fancy That Cake.

Service: Design and Management

The Floorplan

We’ve also included the floorplan we made for the Grand Room as some inspiration for your own wedding layout at Elora Mill.

A Fall Wedding at the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa in Elora, Ontario

Kelly and Nick had a fall wedding at Elora Mill Hotel and Spa in Elora, Ontario in October 2022. Like many of our clients, they reached out because, while they felt comfortable managing all of their vendors, they didn’t have a clue about where to start with design and ensuring their ideas felt cohesive. You see, they wanted to incorporate a lot of black into their design but it can quickly be overwhelming and quite harsh if not used carefully. Our Creative Direction service was ideal to support them in creating a vision that was minimalist but bold but classic all at the same time which also allowed us to use the dark grey tablecloths and napkins and the gold floral patterned menus without the space feeling like it does every other weekend for every other couple. The added black plus some dark grey velvet runners from Simply Beautiful Decor helped give the room dimension which allowed it to really pop on camera, something that can be hard to do with this space.

Alex from Forever Wildfield was a genius with her ability to incorporate the calla lilies which were the bride’s favourite flower. While Kelly said she didn’t absolutely need to include the calla lilies, I felt it was a fun challenge to ensure we did so that again, it felt different from what we usually see while still being modern and playful.

Photographer Richelle Hunter and her husband, videographer Eric Frank Cinema, did an incredible job ensuring both Kelly and Nick and the venue were seamlessly captured. They are always such a pleasure to work with! Hair and makeup were exquisitely done by Corrie Elle Artistry.

Check out more of this beautiful fall wedding at Elora Mill below!

Services: Creative Direction and Event Management

The Floorplan

We’ve also included the Elora Mill Grand Room wedding floorplan layout we designed as some inspiration for your own wedding at Elora Mill.

The Best Toronto Area Wedding Venues with Epic Food, Service and Design Experiences

After almost a decade in the Toronto wedding scene, I’ve experienced my share of wedding venues and there are a few that easily stand out from the rest. My clients want venues that offer not only a beautiful backdrop but also a culinary experience and level of service to match. I’ve compiled my favourite Toronto area wedding venues that are the best at consistently offering all three favourite requirements.

  1. THE UNIVERSITY CLUB OF TORONTO

    I’ve talked before about my love for The University Club of Toronto, so it should come as no surprise that it tops my list of favourite wedding venues in the Toronto area. This venue has everything. It’s centrally located at Queen and University and easily accessed by both public transit and car. While there are lots of hotels nearby, there are also hotel rooms available on the property. Osgoode Hall is right across the street and, bonus points, it doesn’t require a photography permit! With exclusive use of the property, there are so many options for event flow and the Presidential Suite on the main floor is perfect for getting ready on site. My favourite event flow is getting ready in that beautiful Presidential Suite, ceremony upstairs in the Library, cocktails in the Pine Lounge on the main floor, and back up to the second floor for dinner in the Ballroom and dancing back in the Library post-dinner!

    It’s also incredibly beautiful both inside and out with lots of character and architectural details and it plays really well into endless colour palettes. The food is AMAZING, the service is impeccable. Oh, and did I mention the butter is whipped and formed into swans?! Yes, swans.

    See more of Emilie and Leo’s amazing wedding at The University Club of Toronto here.

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2. THE ARLINGTON ESTATE

Located just North of Toronto, in Kleinburg, Arlington Estate offers not only a beautiful space but a top-notch client and guest experience. They also take good care of all vendors coming in, making it an especially lovely place to work and easily on the list of favourite Toronto area wedding venues. There’s a beautiful outdoor space for wedding ceremonies and the East and West Wing Ballrooms are the perfect base and opportunity to add your own style. Everything you could imagine has been taken care of in this space with stunning bridal suites, large terraces overlooking the gardens and even espresso machines in the lobby bar. Not only is the food is impeccable but its presentation is beyond. They’re flexible with drop off and pick up times for your personal items and it’s just all-around a wonderful space to be.

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3. ELORA MILL

Perfect for an easy mini-destination wedding, The Elora Mill is an absolute gem. Elora is a gorgeous small town and incredibly quaint for the perfect weekend getaway just an hour and a half from the Toronto core. The Mill’s hotel has a spa on-site for some relaxation time and the Elora Gorge allows for some exploring and of course, epic photos. Everywhere you look, this town and property are nothing but beautiful. Both the outdoor ceremony space and the indoor rain backup of the Chapel are absolutely stunning so regardless of the weather, you simply cannot be disappointed with the backdrop. The reception spaces will take your breath away with their unique, very upscale, and elegant, yet rustic design. The whitewash oversized harvest tables pair perfectly with the linen-covered round tables to create some extra interest in the space. The culinary experience is perfect for the foodie and the service experience is unmatched. The only shortcoming is the lack of flexibility with the ceremony times, but that can be easily overlooked with the beauty of the space and when you realize how well they run their show and just how many design details come with this space.

See more of Suzanna and Kyle’s Elora Mill wedding here.

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4. THE PEARLE HOTEL

While The Pearle Hotel is a brand new hotel, there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a massive shakeup to the Toronto wedding scene. Based in downtown Burlington, Ontario, The Pearle Hotel is owned by Pearle Hospitality who also owns the aforementioned The Elora Mill. As with the rest of their properties, the aesthetics of this space are top-notch and the service will be second to none. There are hotel rooms on-site and a Hammam Spa perfect for relaxing and a weekend getaway for your guests! There are stunning views of Lake Ontario from both event spaces and also quick access to the waterfront and Spencer Smith Park which is free for wedding photos. Fitting for weddings of 150 to 400 guests, it’s definitely a space to watch and experience to have when it opens in the spring of 2021.

The Pearle Hotel Wedding Venue Downtown Burlington Wedding Planner Laura Olsen Events
The Pearle Hotel Wedding Venue Downtown Burlington Wedding Planner Laura Olsen Events

5. STRATUS VINEYARDS

Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the heart of Niagara’s wine country, Stratus Vineyards offers a beautiful blend of modern contemporary and garden party vibes. It’s about an hour and a half from Toronto and perfect for a weekend getaway experience for couples and their guests. While there are no accommodations or spa on-site, there is an endless number of options nearby. The wine is obviously amazing and all beers offered are local, which is such a plus for those who love supporting local. They have a few preferred caterers, all of whom will blow your taste buds away, and they’ll also work with Stratus to pair wines with each course for the ultimate experience.

As for ceremony and reception options, the most popular is to have the ceremony outside facing the vineyard, cocktails on the terrace, reception in the Press Alley, and dancing in the retail space. So with exclusive use of the space, you’re really able to use all areas! If you’ve got extra in your budget, you can reverse things by putting a tent out on the grass for dinner and having your ceremony inside!

There are two things to note about hosting a Stratus Vineyards wedding. The first being the strict timing they have regarding wedding party, guest arrival, and ceremony start times, but it’s all done in an effort to ensure the experience of their retail customers is a positive one. Sound restrictions can also be a concern for some couples so if you wanted to dance the night away under the stars you’ll be disappointed as there are strict rules in the Niagara area about noise levels especially after 11p so you’ll have to move your party inside the retail space for dancing.

For more images from Jane and Jason’s tent wedding at Stratus Vineyards, click here.

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