Planning our Ceremony

Our wedding ceremony will be held at Oakview Terrace in Richmond Hill. Yesterday, there was an "open house"; Colin and I thought it would be a good idea to attend in order to start planning the details related to our wedding ceremony. My initial expectation was that the property would simply be open to guests. However, the "open house" ended up being a mini-bridal show with several exhibits showcasing preferred vendors and endless samples of refreshments and drinks (including wine) . Just moments after we arrived, we caught the tail-end of a bridal show and the emcee announced winners of door prizes. To our pleasant surprise, we were the first winners. We won this lovely flower centrepiece.

At the open house, we met our wedding officiant, Frank Folz. We also talked to representatives from vendors located near Oakview Terrace, which we may consider because they have worked with Oakview Terrace in the past. Most importantly, Colin and I met the Site Wedding Coordinator, who seemed nice and helpful. We'll be speaking to her later on to finalize details and timing on the actual wedding day.

Additionally, Colin and I took this opportunity to really look at the property and assess what steps we need to take in planning the ceremony part of our day. Here are some photos of the grounds (albeit under snow).

Exterior of the Outdoor Chapel

Interior of the Outdoor Chapel

Gazebo at Oakview Terrace

Unfortunately, one of the negative aspects of having our ceremony at Oakview Terrace is that we have to be off the property by 1pm. This might be problematic when it comes to the photo session after the wedding ceremony. As a possible solution, we investigated other nearby places suitable for wedding photos with our guests. We learned about Richmond Green Park, which is only a 10 minute drive away from Oakview Terrace. It's still covered in snow but we snapped the following photos:

Waterfall Gazebo
" Interesting" Structure

On the positive side, the park is nearby and there are lots of spots suitable for taking wedding photos. On the negative side, there doesn't seem to be much shade, particularly at mid-day. This could lead to a lot of squinting eyes in photos. Anyway, once we finalize the details of the morning, we can figure out if we want to take photos here or at another location.