As Toronto’s top catering company, we have in-depth experience in both wedding catering and wedding planning. We recently wrote about the “Pros and Cons of Having a Backyard Wedding in Toronto” and were really happy to hear how this helped many couples with their wedding plans. As summer is almost over and we are heading into the fall, we wanted to share some of our expertise and experience for people considering getting married during this beautiful season. While they are wonderful, fall weddings aren’t without their own unique challenges.
It’s without question that fall weddings have significantly grown in popularity in recent years. And why wouldn’t they? The fall in Ontario has a lot to offer to make your wedding spectacular. From gorgeous foliage colours to an increased availability for popular outdoor venues, you can often have the best options available. As well, you have an abundance of fresh, seasonal, local fruits and vegetables that can be utilized by your caterer, and this on its own an compelling reason to get married in the fall! Having an understanding of the challenges that you may face when holding an outdoor fall wedding will help you make an informed decision on the best venue in Toronto for your special day.
Based on our 30 years experience catering weddings, the two biggest challenges many couples face with holding a fall wedding are timing the date correctly to the foliage changes and handling the unpredictable weather.
If your date is too early you’re going to have a lot of dark greens, while if it’s too late you’ll end up with a lots of brown leaves on the ground. Having said this, it’s better to be early than late. Early, you’re going to get a lot of colourful red and yellow highlights in the sea of greens. If its too late, you’ll end up with a lot bare branches and dead leaves. In Toronto, a safe bet is typically the last week of September and the first week of October.
The other key challenge couples face is the unpredictability of the weather. We are all aware that it rains more frequently in the fall, so with that in mind we can plan accordingly to be better prepared. Our team of expert wedding planners have seen it all over the years. Depending on the venue’s facilities you may have access to an indoor area for your reception and ceremony. and If not, arranging for a tent is a must. This way, if the weather turns for the worse you can always move your ceremony to an area sheltered from the rain.
Now that we’ve covered some of the benefits and challenges for holding an outdoor fall wedding, lets take a look at our 5 top picks for the best Fall Wedding Venues in Toronto. We’ve chosen these locations based on their closeness to nature and facilities that help mitigate some of the challenges.
Toronto Botanical Gardens, Event Space in the Fall time
Toronto Botanical Garden
Toronto Botanical Garden designed its space to merge the outdoor and indoor environments. This venue is surrounded by a variety of tree species creating a truly spectacular colour palatte in the fall. With both indoor and outdoor facilities, it’s easy to plan for the best weather while still being prepared to have an amazing wedding should you need to move inside. Learn more about the Toronto Botanical Garden
Evergreen Brick Works Fall Wedding Venue
Evergreen Brick Works
Located at the bottom of the Don Valley, Evergreen Brickworks offers a variety of scenery, from iconic heritage buildings built in the late 1800s to the small marshlands surrounded by native trees and shrubs populated by diverse species of birds and animals. This picturesque turn of the century industrial space is both beautiful and practical for weddings.
Why we love Evergreen Brickworks:
- The surroundings are perfect for taking indoor and outdoor wedding photos.
- The building itself is huge and versatile accommodating a variety of wedding sizes.
- It has ample space to setup a catering kitchen indoors away from any potential bad weather.
- It has small walking trails your guests can discover.
- There are turtles living in the ponds!
Miller Lash House Weddings
Miller Lash House
Known as a summer wedding venue this event space is absolutely spectacular in the fall and while it’s a little further east of the city, it’s certainly worth the trip. Nestled away in the Highland Creek Valley just off Kingston Road, Miller Lash House was build by a Toronto businessman who fell in love with its natural surroundings in 1913. Fast forward 100 years or so and the grassy fields, forests and rushing stream are still captivating the attention of anyone that visits the property. Miller Lash House has a permanent tent and indoor facilities available making planning that much more convenient.
Learn more about Miller Lash House
Fall at Todmorden Mills – Toronto Event Space
Todmorden Mills
Tucked away off Pottery Road and minutes away from Evergreen Brickworks, Todmorden Mills is a hidden gem amongst Toronto’s best wedding venues featuring a gorgeous natural scenery and heritage buildings.
Owned by the City of Toronto, this property operates as a museum and cultural centre. Few people actually know it’s available for weddings. Of course, this is good news for you as it means there are a lot of available dates to choose from. Additionally, the space rental is very reasonably priced and has a lot of parking available on site.
Learn more about Todmorden Mills
Caterer, CN Tower, Catering
The Globe and Mail Centre
Looking at the previous 4, you may ask how The Globe and Mail Centre fits into this blog post. Simply put, it’s the view! The south side looks over Lake Ontario and Tommy Thompson Park, to the east you have the Don Valley that extends north. So, while you may not be as close to the nature, the 360-degree view of Toronto’s lush red, orange, yellow and greens certainly give you the impression of being right in it. One of our favorite features is the 17th floor terrace, that is perfectly located for outdoor wedding ceremonies. As the terrace closes early fall and reopens in the spring, be sure to confirm it’s availability before booking the venue. Overall the venue is incredibly sophisticated both because of its integrated technology and its stunning finishes.
Rooftop Terrace – The Globe and Mail Centre
We hope you have found our list of the five best Fall wedding venues in Toronto helpful for selecting your wedding venue and also in planning your wedding. If you are in the process of trying to select your wedding caterer and are unsure of what questions to ask, please see the “Top 10 Questions to ask your Toronto Wedding Caterer”. In this post we provide helpful advice on what to ask to to make sure your special day is truly magical.
