Why I can’t stop talking about these Niagara Venues 

When it comes to venues I hear that need for an insider perspective, so I’m here with of my favourite wedding venues in the Niagara Region. Here are 10 indoor and outdoor wedding venues in Niagara to help you find exactly what you need during your wedding planning process. 

I might be biased but, when it comes to memorable wedding settings, Niagara just doesn’t quit. Vineyards, sunsets, escarpment, waterside views, historical character… Niagara, you deliver it all. 

How to Choose Your Wedding Venue, and feel great about it:

You’ve heard it from a million people now – book your wedding venue right away, they fill up fast! So, you’ve been searching for a wedding venue that will be the perfect setting for your wedding day (while feeling a bit of that pressure to act quickly). 

The problem is that finding your ideal wedding venue can feel really overwhelming – there are so many options, you don’t have limitless time to visit them all, and you often have to book your wedding venue before you’ve organized all the other details of your wedding. Gah, stress! (Right!?). 

I find that when my clients have the help and support they deserve (without that scarcity voice saying, “Hurry up, you’re going to miss the boat if you don’t cross everything off your list today”), then they actually end up making great decisions, more quickly, and without a stress headache afterwards. 

As a wedding photographer, my highest goal is to take beautiful photos – the kind of photos that will light you up with joy when you see them for the first time and still make you feel the love and romance you felt on your wedding day ten years later.

I also know that in order to do this, you need to feel blissfully calm and comfortable in the environment you spend your wedding day in. That’s why I also take it upon myself as a photographer to help you with other aspects of your wedding day, like helping you form a timeline and also providing you with recommendations when you have big decisions to make.

Great pictures start with feeling great, so without further ado, let’s take a look inside ten of Niagara’s best locations to help you feel incandescently happy on your wedding day.

So, in the spirit of having fun and staying curious, let’s explore more of Niagara’s gorgeous wedding venue options. 

Here’s a summary of the locations I’m going to cover in this blog:

“But wait, you’re a photographer right?”

Yes, you’re very correct, I photographer who also loves to help you find the answers you need to plan your wedding. After being actively involved in the wedding industry for the past 10 years, photographing over 250 couples’ wedding days, I have a lot of advice to share to make your wedding planning journey easy and even fun. 

What to Look for in a Niagara Wedding Venue:

Here are the most important things to ask yourself, and the venue coordinator when you’re researching wedding venues: 

• Can this venue accommodate the number of guests on my list? 
• Does it fit the vibe I want for my wedding decor and the wedding photos I want to receive? 
• Do you want a blank canvas to decorate yourself, or do you want a venue that offers loads of charm and decor on its own, so you don’t have to worry about it? 
• What locations in the venue are best suited for photos? (Decor and lighting are key here) 
• If the venue offers outdoor space for roaming and photography, ask where the sunset would be in the evening. (We want that golden-hour light!) 
• Is on-site catering available for dinner, or will I need to bring in a caterer? Or is outside catering allowed? 
• Do you want to have on-site accommodations available for your out-of-town guests? (This is common if you expect to have a large number of guests travelling to your wedding) 
• How do you want your guests to spend time between the ceremony and reception? 
  • Do you want them to be in one place without travelling between locations? 
  • Do you want to offer a cocktail reception after the ceremony? 
  • Do you want them to walk around the corner and find a downtown core full of shopping and restaurants? 
  • Or do you want natural scenery for guests to wander through and enjoy? 
• Do you have your heart set on indoor or outdoor settings? For example, a church ceremony or an outdoor ceremony? A hall reception or under the stars? 
• If you’re looking for outdoor options, always make sure you know what the venue’s rain policy is 
• What key features of your wedding day do you need a venue to accommodate? For example: 
  • A dance floor
  • An area for a live band or DJ
  • A bridal suite to get ready in 
  • A private spot to hold your first look as a couple 

Pro Tip:

This list might seem overwhelming, but honestly, your gut will tell you the answer to most of these things. When you go to visit, can you see yourself getting ready in front of that big, gold mirror? Can you see yourself walking down that aisle? Do you see where your nieces and nephews will play hide and seek in the gardens? 

When it feels right, you just know – just like with your fiancé, your wedding dress, or finding your new home. We’re already so excited for you to have “that moment” when you know you’ve found your perfect wedding venue. 

10 Niagara Wedding Venues that Will Make You Swoon:

With a wedding at Ravine, your photos can feature:

• Sunset photos in the vineyard
• Vast green backgrounds set against the escarpment
• The sleek elegance of windowed venues
• White background of their colonial-style farmhouse

Photographing Your Wedding at Queen’s Landing:

Vintage Hotels has done it again with their enchanting venue, “Queen’s Landing.” You’ll enjoy your wedding in that ballroom glow of ornate gold accents and crystal chandeliers.

Queen’s Landing is a breathtaking lakeside Georgian Mansion overlooking the Niagara River. If you’re searching for a venue that offers fairytale-level elegance and tons of character, you must add Queen’s Landing to your list. You and your guests will bask in the best of Niagara’s natural scenery while also enjoying an elevated wedding day experience in one of their four romantic event spaces:

• The Imperial Ballroom: This ballroom will wow your guests with its elegant gold accents and chandeliers dripping with crystals. You’ll feel like a princess in glass slippers walking in to join your guests for an evening of elegance. This room seats 120 guests. 

• The Georgian Ballroom: This ballroom is the largest indoor wedding space at Queen’s Landing, able to host up to 250 guests. Your large wedding will feel magically intimate in this elegant space.
  
  I’m always amazed by their handcrafted chandeliers and golden drapery. Your reception photos will have that warm, romantic glow perfect for an evening celebration. 

• The Atrium: Any Jane Austen fans out there? In this venue, you’ll truly feel like you’ve found your Mr. Darcy. lf you’re planning an intimate wedding of your closest friends and family, we would recommend the Atrium, seating up to 48 guests.
  
  You’ll walk in to your wedding guests through a set of french doors, swaying past ornate mirrors and an opulent chandelier to meet the love of your life at the end of the aisle. Photos are always wonderful in here because of the large windows letting in lots of gorgeous daylight!

• The Waterview Garden: This is the outdoor ceremony space offered by Queen’s Landing, accommodating up to 300 guests. Say your vows beneath a stunning pergola, decorated in gorgeous drapery and romantic floral arrangements. Past a row of tall trees you’ll see the Niagara River bringing a stunning waterfront feel to your elegant wedding day. Your summer wedding here will result in tons of breathtaking photos. 

Old town Niagara-on-the-Lake charm meets Tuscan vineyard-inspired design. You’ve likely gotten this recommendation multiple times since getting engaged. It’s well-known and widely recommended for good reason. This historic, multi-award winning resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake provides you with an abundance of accommodations and amenities: an indoor and outdoor spa, hotel rooms for guests, catering, fine dining, patios, amazing staff and an extraordinary property for photos and exploring.

When it comes to wedding planning, you will get access to their curated vendor list as well as your choice of four spaces for rehearsal dinners, bridal suites, ceremony and reception: the Olde Library and Gallery, the Upper Canada Hall Ballroom, the Secord Room or the Courtyard Rose Garden. 

With a wedding at The Pillar and Post, your photos can feature: 

• Dark wooden beams and twinkle lights
• Gold-framed mirrors
• Colonial style architecture with tall windows
• Dark brick exterior with luscious green vines 
• Indoor and outdoor options 

Along the charming downtown cityscape of Jordan Village, you’ll find another one of Vintage Hotel’s masterpieces, Inn on the Twenty. Amidst gorgeous heritage homes, grey stone buildings and the kind of tall black street lamps that make you feel like you’re in the musical La La Land, you can also enjoy the convenience of Inn on the Twenty’s hotel accommodations, full-service spa, and prestigious Inn on the Twenty Restaurant.

Inn on the Twenty offers four unique reception spaces that can accommodate your style and needs, especially with their curated list of vendors and wedding specialists. With your wedding at Inn on the Twenty, you get the best of Niagara’s wine country as well as the quaint heritage of Jordan Village. 

Your photos can feature:

• The lush green forest areas and waterfalls of Ball’s Falls
• Stunning vineyard landscapes
• Jordan Hollow lookout point at the Jordan Museum 
• The charming textures of old stone buildings and old-town sophistication 
• Well kept gardens with a fountain and a stunning vine-covered archway 
• Glowing lights of lamp posts and regal colonial buildings 

A true classic. Think Anne of Green Gables meets enchanted forest. This historic village from the 1800s is perfectly nestled in the forest, hiking trails and two unforgettable waterfalls of the Niagara Escarpment. Ball’s Falls provides you with equally stunning venue space inside and outside.

Floral archways, rustic lanterns and flowing tulle look amazing in an outdoor ceremony with a forest backdrop. Or you may be enchanted by their historic white chapel with dark green accents where you can hold a quaint traditional ceremony. For your reception, you can choose from two indoor spaces depending on your style – an elegantly rustic barn with high beams and twinkle lights, or the large-windowed, modern space of the “Glen Elgin Room.”

There’s also a sophisticated bridal suite to get ready in, that is perfect for light and airy photos. There’s plenty to do in Ball’s Falls and nearby for guests to entertain themselves between the ceremony and reception so you don’t have to worry about a thing. 

Your photos can feature: 

• The ethereal mix of forest and waterfalls 
• The quaint heritage village views of a time long passed
• Rustic elegance in the Big Barn
• The classy cityscape of nearby Jordan Village

This is an unforgettable space of open, airy elegance. The modern spin on a heritage classic has created something simply magical. The Gate House is one of Niagara’s newest wedding venue spaces, since opening up in Spring 2019.

It’s been such a pleasure getting familiar with this new Niagara gem. The Gate House has been remodelled to incorporate aspects of its original architecture and design from the 1700s and has a patio that overlooks charming Queen Street. With white walls, this space provides an incredible canvas for creative wedding visionaries – unique floral creations, trendy tablescapes and modern sleek design elements.

This venue has partnered with the 124 on Queen Hotel and Spa to provide you and your guests with convenient, luxurious accommodations. When you hold your wedding at The Gate House you’ll have all the stunning features of modern elegance at your fingertips.

Your photos can feature: 

• Light and open interior spaces with white walls and tall windows 
• Trendy gold wall art and light fixtures
• The lively, heritage cityscape of Queen Street
• Historical sites and buildings around Niagara-on-the-Lake 
• Close to many parks and vineyards for a green setting as well  

Conclusion

Maybe you’ve noticed a recurring theme in our blogs. I love to compile what I’ve learned in our years in the wedding industry to help make the process of planning a wedding as easy and enjoyable as possible. When you trust your vendors, love your location and feel good about your choices, how could you not have the most wonderful wedding day?! 

When you pick one of these ten Niagara gems to host your wedding, you can’t go wrong. All of these venues allow you to customize details to your unique taste, and it’s part of why they made the list. Your love story is unlike any other, and your wedding day should represent that. 

If you’re wanting to know more about what it’s like to have us photograph your wedding day you can book a meet and greet right here. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Non-Affiliation Disclaimer: Morning Light Photography is not being compensated by the venues on this list. We just want to share the amazing experiences we’ve had at these venues so our clients can be supported with first-hand recommendations along their wedding planning journey.