A Winter Wedding at Whistle Bear with Mary & John

winter weddings in ontario feel rare

Let’s be real, we don’t have nice winters. They’re long, dark days. They’re cold, they’re bleak, and I think we are all just collectively counting down the days until the trees and flowers are back in bloom, and the sun is setting anytime after 6pm. So understandably ‘wedding’ season here really takes off summer into fall. While winter weddings are rare, it’s not like they don’t happen and when we have one booked in at a beautiful venue we are soooo excited! Excited for the wedding itself, but also for something to break up our long, bleak, winter lol.

Whistle Bear Golf Club, out in Cambridge, offers both a lovely indoor and outdoor space so when Mary & John came to us sharing their venue we knew that no matter the weather we were going to be protected from the elements and it would all around be a beautiful day. We were so fortunate to be able to shoot in their newly renovated ceremony space on the main floor of the club (not the outdoor, clear tent, space as many others opt to use in warmer months) and all we can say is wow at the intricate mirrored ceiling work!

But let’s back track for a second— Mary & John both got ready in their respective rooms with their respective parties and families at the Cambridge Hotel & Conference Centre. We typically asks couples for their ‘things’ when we arrive in the morning, and while not everyone has them, or even wants their things photographed, Mary & John certainly did! We are absolutely obsessed with the engraved decanters that they had done, their simple and chic invitation suite, even all of John’s details like this shoes, bow tie, and a beautiful pendant featuring a pendant in memory of his loving grandparents.

Click the photos below to enlarge and browse through

fun fact about pearle venues

Is that they typically offer a 1.5hr cocktail hour instead of your typical 1hr. As a venue this is a dreeeam! More often than not we find ourselves rushing through cocktail hour when we have to shoot both family photos, bridal party photos, portraits and reception decor and some candids when we can, especially if there is only 1 shooter with you on your day. We were so fortunate to have such a large buffer of time to get to all of this this and more at Mary & John’s wedding, all while their guests were casually mingling, having drinks, and some appetizers in throughout the venue.

The rest of the evening was spent sharing the funniest— and admittedly raunchiest— opening speech I have ever heard at a wedding (I personally loved it, and the crowd sounded like they did too), along with some emotional and heartwarming words from family members, in between a delicious dinner and lots of mingling with loved ones.