Montreal wedding locations

[rae_and_scott 1]

We will (of course) be getting legally married in the States. But then after that, once my SO has received AP, we'll be planning our "real" wedding in Montreal, which is where he grew up. Most of his friends whose weddings we've been to had them in synagogues -- I'm not Jewish and neither of us is interested in a religious thing anyway. So I'm not really sure where to look, and am wondering if any of you have any ideas. I found one website that I like a lot (http://oldmontrealweddings.com/index_en.php) for a few hotels, but other than that, have no clue where to look. All suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

[SonoranSongbird 3]

I'm not familiar with Montreal, but I can make a few kind of generic suggestions. First of all, what kind of places did your fiance's friends use for their receptions? Many reception venues also have facilities for ceremonies as well.

Hotels are often a good place for weddings, as your guests can stay in the same place the wedding is held. If you find a nice historic hotel, you don't have to worry so much about decor, since it will already look lovely. Our wedding is going to be in a historic manor that essentially just rents itself out for weddings and music recitals and other events. Many cities have similar facilities. Parks can be nice for outdoor weddings. In St Louis, you can have weddings at the botanical garden! If you want something really simple, you can even have it in the backyard of a friend or relative.

Wedding guides, goofy as they are with their "you've dreamed of your wedding day since you were a little girl" and "indulge your inner princess" #######, can be a good source of ideas for locations. Find a local guide next time you are there. There is a good local one here that gives a list of local venues and tells for each whether it includes ceremony facilities, the minimum and maximum number of people it can accomodate, whether it has its own caterer, and so on. They aren't all like that, though, unfortunately.

[SapphireDreams 71]

Are you a member of theknot.com - it's a really great resource for weddings. I believe there is a section on venues, although I haven't looked there in awhile.

[rae_and_scott 1]

Thanks for your ideas!

Yes, I just joined the knot, but sadly they do not have any info on Montreal. I'm very disappointed b/c they otherwise have a lot of great stuff.

By wedding guide do you mean a wedding planner? I never would have considered one before but now that it looks like I'll be planning a wedding from a distance in a city I'm quite unfamiliar with, I'm thinking it might be a good idea.

His friends receptions were, unfortunately, spaces in the synagogues. At least that's what I'm remembering, but I'll have to check with him on all of them.

Botanical garden is a great idea! They do that here too in NYC (but it's crazy expensive). Though I have no idea what time of year we'll be planning for, since right now everything is dependent on this dang visa. Although I know the one in Brooklyn you can do indoors as well so I'll still look into that.

[SonoranSongbird 3]

What I meant was a printed bridal magazine for your local area that is specific to the city or region. I would think Montreal might have some (being a large city). I'm in more or less the same situation--we are having our wedding in Bellingham, Washington, where my parents live. I have a friend who works in a place that does weddings and events so I have access to all kinds of resources locally, but they don't help me any!

A wedding planner can be a good idea if you do not have anyone who can help with some of the stuff that needs to be done in advance locally. If nothing else, they will know all the options for venues, catering, cakes, flowers, whatever you need or want, and you may be able to find quite a bit of that online, but it won't be nearly as complete.

Our venue has recommended local vendors for almost everything you could want, so we are just going with them. Personally, I was a little wary of using a wedding planner because the whole wedding industry seems so geared towards a lot of frou-frou fluff that I don't really want. According to the one I did talk to, I am supposed to have a theme and colors for my wedding. And a goal for the day beyond getting married and having a lovely party to celebrate. And this was in the very casual pacific northwest! #######?

[LadyJane 1]

If you're looking for an outdoor venue: There are some lovely parks on the north side of the island, along Gouin. Or Deux Montagnes. Anywhere close to the water would be very picturesque.

For an indoor venue, might I suggest an art gallery or an art co-op? Often you can rent them out and have your wedding there and the reception catered there etc. There are lots of small, intimate galleries in Old Port. Old Port would be fantastic, btw, with their horse-drawn carriages and brick streets and nice places to just walk around. It would be very romantic, and very fun for out-of-towners to see a lovely part of the city.

[rae_and_scott 1]

What I meant was a printed bridal magazine for your local area that is specific to the city or region. I would think Montreal might have some (being a large city).

...

Personally, I was a little wary of using a wedding planner because the whole wedding industry seems so geared towards a lot of frou-frou fluff that I don't really want. According to the one I did talk to, I am supposed to have a theme and colors for my wedding. And a goal for the day beyond getting married and having a lovely party to celebrate. And this was in the very casual pacific northwest! #######?

Ah, I see what you meant. Yeah, I have seen a few in the MTL airport -- and they were all in French! Not that that's surprising. I think I just need to look a little harder for an English one. In a couple weekends when I'm there I'm definitely going to do that.

I feel the same about your statement about the planner! I think that's why I've been wary of them too. But there's another girl on here who just loved hers. So maybe it's a matter of finding the one who will listen to you. I'm definitely not about what I'm "supposed" to do. That is so crazy that you had that experience in the pacific northwest!

If you're looking for an outdoor venue: There are some lovely parks on the north side of the island, along Gouin. Or Deux Montagnes. Anywhere close to the water would be very picturesque.

For an indoor venue, might I suggest an art gallery or an art co-op? Often you can rent them out and have your wedding there and the reception catered there etc. There are lots of small, intimate galleries in Old Port. Old Port would be fantastic, btw, with their horse-drawn carriages and brick streets and nice places to just walk around. It would be very romantic, and very fun for out-of-towners to see a lovely part of the city.

Ooh, thanks for your suggestions, I'm going to look into these! And I really like the idea of an art gallery; I totally had not thought of that and that would be really cool. I agree the Old Port would be just so picture perfect, and I'm sure my visiting friends and relatives would really love it too.