This wedding took place at The Briars Resort & Spa, a beautiful wedding venue in Jackson’s Point, located just north of Toronto on the shores of Lake Simcoe. For this wedding, the couple rented their silk personal flowers from me, including the bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. This was from my previous silk flower rental business, and I always enjoy looking back at the weddings I had the opportunity to be a small part of. While my work now focuses on naturally grown and dried wedding flowers, these weddings are still part of my experience working with couples and creating wedding florals over the years.
I’ve personally worked at The Briars several times throughout my career, both as a wedding photographer and as a florist, so it’s a venue I’ve had the chance to experience from a few different perspectives. The grounds have a beautiful, slightly wild and historic feeling that I really like, with mature trees, natural scenery, and plenty of interesting spaces around the property. One of my favourite areas is the private lakefront and dock, which creates a beautiful setting for more intimate couple photos. It’s especially lovely later in the day when couples can take advantage of the softer evening light and sunset over Lake Simcoe.
The Briars has several different spaces available for weddings of different sizes, including indoor reception rooms and a large outdoor tent. I think this makes it a great option for couples looking for a nature-inspired wedding venue without having to travel too far from Toronto. It can also be a more competitively priced option compared with some other wedding venues in the Toronto area, while still offering a beautiful setting and plenty of flexibility for different types and sizes of celebrations.
One thing couples should keep in mind is that The Briars does sometimes host multiple weddings on the same day. Because the property has several indoor reception spaces as well as the large outdoor tent, there may be other weddings taking place during yours. Personally, I never found this particularly distracting or intrusive while working there, as the property is large enough that each wedding can still feel separate, but it is something worth knowing if having the venue completely to yourselves is especially important to you.
Overall, I think The Briars Resort & Spa is a lovely choice for couples looking for a relaxed and scenic wedding venue near Toronto. Between the historic atmosphere, beautiful grounds, private lakefront, variety of reception spaces, and access to Lake Simcoe, it has a lot to offer couples who want a wedding that feels connected to nature while still being accessible for guests travelling from the GTA.
