Venues
The best wedding venues in Ottawa & the Ottawa Valley
These are the wedding venues I'd recommend to couples getting married around Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley, starting with the most luxurious and working down to the farms, barns and lakes close to home. I'm a wedding filmmaker based in the Valley, so I'm always looking at a venue for its light, its views and the places that make beautiful portraits.
What makes a venue film beautifully
It isn't about being fancy. The venues that film best usually share a few things: good natural light, a bit of outdoor space for portraits, and room for the day to breathe. A grand ballroom with tall windows, a terrace above the hills, a barn with big open doors, a lakeside lawn at golden hour. These are the places that give a film life.
The most luxurious venues around Ottawa
Fairmont Château Laurier, downtown Ottawa
Ottawa's castle hotel, right beside Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal. Its original 1912 ballroom, with an 18-foot ceiling, crystal chandeliers and tall windows, has hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. It's about as grand as a wedding gets in Ottawa, with the city's most famous views right outside for portraits.
Fairmont Le Château Montebello, Montebello, Quebec
About an hour east of Ottawa on the Ottawa River, this is one of the largest log buildings in the world, built from 10,000 red cedar logs and open since 1930. Vows in the riverside gazebo, a reception by the fire in the great log lobby, and in winter, a horse-drawn sleigh. It looks like a storybook in every season.
Le Belvédère, Wakefield, Quebec
Perched on the edge of a cliff in the Gatineau Hills, about half an hour from Ottawa, with panoramic views from the ceremony terrace. Chandeliers, big windows and a cedar deck for cocktail hour. Few places near Ottawa give you a view like this for golden-hour portraits.
Stonefields Estate, Beckwith (near Carleton Place)
A 120-acre heritage estate just west of Ottawa, with an original stone farmhouse and old log barns. You can marry in front of the farmhouse or between the barns, and they host only one wedding a day, so the whole property is yours. Quietly elegant, and timeless on film.
Strathmere, North Gower
A 200-acre country estate just south of Ottawa, with a restored barn, a garden house and a historic stone inn, plus rooms and a spa on site. Outdoor ceremonies in the warm months and fireside ceremonies in winter. Beautiful gardens for portraits, and everything in one place, from getting ready to the last dance.
50 Sussex, Ottawa
A historic building in Rideau Falls Park, run by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, with views of the Ottawa River, Rideau Falls and the Gatineau Hills. A riverfront terrace and lawn, minutes from the ByWard Market. City elegance with a natural backdrop.
National Arts Centre, downtown Ottawa
Right on the Rideau Canal, with the Canada Room looking out over the water, or the smaller Salon, with its chandelier and skylight, for an intimate day. Modern, bright and very Ottawa.
Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau
Directly across the river from Parliament Hill. The museum's Grand Hall has one of the most dramatic views in the region, with Parliament and the Ottawa River right outside its windows, and seats up to 600. The smaller River View Salon suits a more intimate day.
Wakefield Mill Hotel & Spa, Wakefield, Quebec
A heritage mill beside the waterfalls in Wakefield, with the river running past while you say your vows. Rooms and a spa on site and a cozy, romantic feel, a lovely fit for an intimate wedding weekend.
Farms, barns and estates near Ottawa
Bleeks & Bergamot, Ashton
A century-old dairy barn on rolling farmland by the river, about 35 minutes from downtown Ottawa, with a white stone courtyard and covered spaces for rainy days. Couples rave about the owners, too.
Stanley's Olde Maple Lane Farm, Edwards
A full-service country venue about 25 minutes from Ottawa, with The Maples Hall, a tent on the south lawn, stone steps, a gazebo and a maple grove. Gardens, a pond and a heritage home give you lots of beautiful spots for portraits.
Evermore Weddings & Events, Almonte
A restored 1870s barn on farmland and forest outside Almonte, about 35 minutes from downtown Ottawa. A barn veranda, landscaped lounges and an outdoor ceremony space, all yours for the day.
Temple's Sugar Bush, Lanark
A timber-frame hall with a stone fireplace in the middle of a 77-acre maple sugar bush, between Carleton Place and Perth. Say your vows in the perennial garden or in a forest glade under the maples. Warm wood and soft forest light, beautiful in every season.
Saunders Farm, Munster
A 100-acre family farm in Ottawa's southwest corner, with a log-and-timber pavilion, gardens, gazebos and an arboretum, plus its famous hedge mazes. The CiderHouse, with its wood-fired pizza oven, is lovely for a smaller wedding. Weddings run May to September.
Orchard View, Greely
About 20 minutes south of downtown Ottawa, with gardens, gazebos, a lake and a waterfall. Ceremonies at the Lakeside Gazebo and a reception room for up to 400 make it a great fit for bigger weddings.
Thee Farm, Kemptville
A brand-new venue on 110 acres in Kemptville, opened in 2026, with an event barn, a pond and cascading gardens for cocktails and photos. A fresh, beautiful option just south of Ottawa.
The Ranch, Carleton Place
A countryside venue in Carleton Place for up to 150 guests, with ceremonies outdoors or in, and lighting the team can set for your night.
In the Ottawa Valley, close to home
The Farmstead, Pembroke
Six acres just outside Pembroke, with a historic limestone house, old barns and a converted stable barn for the reception. Warm, relaxed and full of golden evening light.
Lakepoint Cottage Resort, Golden Lake
A 10-acre peninsula on Golden Lake, about fifteen minutes from my home, with water all around and big sunsets. Weddings here are do-it-yourself, so you bring your own vendors and make the day completely yours.
Bancroft Ridge Golf Club, Bancroft
A golf club in Bancroft, with the ceremony and the party all in one place. Open fairways make for clean, beautiful portraits, and the fall colour around Bancroft is something special.
Pembroke Golf Club, Pembroke
A ceremony out on the grounds and the reception in the clubhouse, right in Pembroke. Easy for guests, with everything in one place.
Worth the drive
Fort Henry, Kingston
A 19th-century fort on the water in Kingston. Ceremonies on the patio or on the South Hill with the whole waterfront behind you, then dinner in the Great Hall. One of the most striking settings in Eastern Ontario.
Getting married somewhere not on this list?
Don't worry. Many of the best weddings I film are at venues I'm seeing for the first time, and every place has its own light and character. Tell me your venue, and I'll tell you exactly how I'd film it: where the light is best, where to do portraits, and what to plan for if it rains.
Getting married around Ottawa or the Valley?
Tell me your venue and date, and I'll tell you how I'd film it. I reply within 24 hours.
Check your date