Carrying Place Golf & Country Club is one of those hidden-gem wedding venues that I think deserves a lot more attention. I may be a little biased because this is where I got married, and I did all of my own silk wedding flowers, but I've also worked at the venue several times as a wedding photographer, so I've had the chance to experience it from both sides. For our own wedding, the combination of the beautiful grounds, reasonable pricing, off-season discount and the fact that we were the only wedding taking place that day made it a really easy choice for us.
One of the biggest things I loved was having access to the venue on Friday for our ceremony rehearsal and to set up the décor. This was especially convenient because I was using silk flowers. I could set everything up the night before without worrying about flowers sitting out overnight. I placed all of the centrepieces on the tables, set up the ceremony arch with my husband and attached all of the flowers to it. I also made my own bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets and boutonnieres. By the time the rehearsal was finished, everything was already in place, so on our actual wedding morning I didn't have to think about the flowers at all. It was one less thing to worry about on a day when there was already plenty going on.
The grounds at Carrying Place are also beautiful for wedding photos, with a pond, willow trees and plenty of greenery around the property. Having photographed weddings there before, I already knew there were lots of great spots for portraits, and it was really nice getting to experience them on my own wedding day. The venue is also situated on the same property as the Manor Peter & Paul, which gives couples another beautiful option nearby for photos and accommodation.
The in-house catering was another highlight for us. The food was genuinely very good, and having the kitchen and catering handled directly by the venue made things much simpler. Frank was also incredibly helpful throughout the planning process and was very accommodating with all of my very specific bride requests! I had a few things I was particular about, including having the TVs turned off during the ceremony, arranging drink tickets and choosing our menu, and he was happy to work with us to make everything happen the way we wanted.
Another huge advantage was having the venue to ourselves that day. There wasn't another wedding being set up or torn down around us, and because we had been able to do so much decorating on Friday, the wedding day itself felt very relaxed. The next day, we simply came back to pick up the silk flowers and décor. Since everything was reusable and didn't need to be disposed of at the end of the night, cleanup was straightforward.
Having now worked at Carrying Place as both a photographer and a bride, I can honestly say it is a venue I'd recommend to couples looking for something beautiful without the price tag of some of the larger, more well-known wedding venues around the GTA. The grounds are lovely, the food is good, the staff are accommodating and the ability to get in the day before was a huge bonus for me. And, of course, being able to do all of my silk flowers ahead of time and have them sitting perfectly in place before our wedding day made this very controlling bride extremely happy.
