Best Outdoor, Rustic and Mini Destination Wedding Venues Just a Short Drive from Montreal
When it comes to weddings, I’ve been shooting them for 20 years and I’ve seen a lot… Here’s a list of some of the current best options for outdoor, rustic, out of the city and mini destination wedding venue options, including some of my personal favourites!
The Forest and Stream Club. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
Five Star Options
While this list isn’t in any particular order, I have a soft spot for Manoir Hovey, a Relais & Chateau property. This top rated hotel in the Eastern Townships is majestic. Situated on Lac Memphremagog, it’s a dream to photograph there with climbing ivy on the main building, endless photo opportunities, roaring fireplaces and so many suites with individual personalities and gardens to shoot in too. I could go on and on and on. Though it comes with a price tag to match, it’s a place where wedding dreams come true. For a similar vibe, experience and location, Ripplecove’s iconic yellow original building welcomes visitors and is the perfect backdrop to a picturesque wedding on Lac Massawippi with gorgeous grounds for all your wedding needs.
Manoir Hovey. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
The Beautiful Countryside
Now exclusively a private events space, the Auberge Willow Inn is synonymous with Hudson country chic. On the waterfront, with space for a tent or utilizing the Inn’s own building, the options are many and the photos match the locations’ beauty. Other similar venues offering charming outdoor properties with that something special to each are, Le Peaches & Cream with it’s combination of manicured spaces marrying perfectly with the wild lushness of their country location. Le Beatnik Hotel with it’s iconic barn for ceremonies that opens it’s oversized doors on both sides, which shares a property with Spa Balnea, the perfect wedding hangover detente. Also the Verger du Flanc Nord where minimalism meets the orchard to make the perfect setting for your wedding.
Auberge Willow Inn. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
Hottest trend: Vineyards
The biggest thing in venues for weddings over the last few years has been vineyards. On the scene for a while has been La Bullerie. With a rustic space for weddings of max 130 people and a tent on the property for ceremonies, it’s a nice spot. Though, this past year the most popular venue by far has been the newly minted Chateau St Agnes. It’s taken social media by storm with its Italian country side vibe, located in Sutton, Qc, and stunning old world buildings, it’s easy to see why. A personal favourite of mine when spending an afternoon wine tasting is Domaine du Ridge. Their stunning pergola covered in ivy and grounds of the vineyard are on the smaller side yet inviting and make an amazing venue for a vineyard wedding that’s not so much about the show but about the love in a great setting.
La Bullerie. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
Elegance with Outdoor Space
For elegance meets the outdoors, no where does it better than the Forest & Stream Club. This venue sits on a point on the waterfront in Dorval and gets the most glorious golden hour. The property also has beautiful willow trees, not to mention the mansion itself and the photo opportunities are many. Another venue offering a similar vibe with their own unique look is Manoir Maplewood. With it’s stunning white fenced wrap-around porches, hard wood floors and exposed brick and bright white common rooms, this venue offers so much. Its sister property, Manoir Davis, has more of a vibe on the outside of a historic old fort, and inside has a stunning sweeping staircase that begs for wedding photos whenever the chance. Chateau St Antoine offers something a little different in the way of a permanent covered terrace as an extension of the main building. with lovely gardens, this older style venue has it’s own distinct look.
The Forest and Stream Club. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
Just A Little West of the Island
Synonymous with weddings in the West of Montreal, Chateau Vaudreuil has a long history of hosting weddings on their waterfront property, with the golden hour casting many couples in that beautiful hue. While not the most modern of properties, it is stalwart in the wedding world and the grounds are stunning and with easy access to Montreal, it’s a hard combination to beat. For something smaller and quaint, yet not too far from Montreal and also offering outdoor space for your ceremony and photos, there’s the Café de l’Horloge in Rigaud. This former historic post office has charm and offers versatility and the gardens are so welcoming.
Chateau Vaudreuil. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
Hidden Gems
The private Hudson Yacht Club is a gem just outside of Montreal and has a rustic reception hall, with a large covered porch, a gazebo and a private beach. A stone pier also offers great photo perspectives of the whole property. Heading in a different direction, ever imagined driving on a race track to get to your wedding venue? Parc Jean Drapeau offers two great options that surprisingly feel like you're in the forest, but to get there you need to borrow a page from Gilles Villeneuve, just maybe slow down a bit. Both Pavillion La Toundra and La Jamaïque. Both offer large windows to let in tons of natural light, very distinct looks to each pavillion, gardens for photos and ceremony and are in the heart of Montreal.
Hudson Yacht Club. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
In the Woods
For a venue that has all the best parts of the outdoors and yet is just one exit off the island of Montreal, there’s the Pointe du Moulin. It sits on the tip of Ile Perrot and offers ceremonies outside literally on the point of the island, all the photo taking opportunities in a spot close to my heart and the best golden hour ever and the reception space is rustic yet not dark, a home run! There are some similarities to the well known Cabane à Sucre, Sucrerie de la Montagne. A bit of a difference between these two options is the Sucrerie is in the forest on the mountain in Rigaud, and affords a slightly different landscape and some chalets on the property for getting ready and the reception space is much darker than the bright and airy Pointe du Moulin, which is open or transparent coverings on three sides. In the same spirit but also completely different is none other than Auberge Lac Taureau. It’s a giant wood cabin on a lake, also darker and rustic inside their reception space and forest and a lovely beach which would be so fun for photos! For that mountain view with all the amenities you can ever want, two of the best options depending on your preferred location would be Le Belvedere and Auberge de la Montagne Coupee.
Pointe du Moulin. Photo by ©Studio Baron Photo
