Niagara Falls – Taking the Plunge

When it comes to celebrating the love and commitment you share with your partner, you want to go big. Everything the two of you share is so spectacular that it only makes sense to get married at one of the most majestic locations on earth: Niagara Falls, Ontario.

It’s an historic place for romance. The daughter of the third United States President, Aaron Burr, honeymooned there in the early 1800’s, as did Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother. People still flock there today to pledge their love.

Honeymoon Capital of the World

Niagara Falls has been a popular destination for wedding ceremonies and honeymoons for hundreds of years, leading to its fame as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World.” Perhaps it’s the beautiful spring weather or the rainbows that dance in the mist of the falls. Something about the beauty of the location puts its seal on forever.

Fallsview Weddings

Many couples that get married in Niagara Falls want one thing, to wed somewhere overlooking the falls. The Tower Hotel features a wedding chapel on the 25th floor, where the special couple and guests can take in the awe-inspiring sight. During the day or night, both the Canadian and American sides of the falls can be viewed from this chapel. It’s a match made in Heaven, a perfect place for your wedding, since you’ll already be floating on air.

Niagara-on-the-Lake

In this quaint town just outside of Niagara Falls, you can say your vows in an historic church or a romantic vineyard. Many of the hotels feature spas for a before-the-event pampering session. Cozy inns will enchant you and your guests and the friendly town is colorful and full of life. In the spring, the smell of flowers fills the air.

Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens

Couples who want to celebrate their special day surrounded by nature can take advantage of the botanical gardens’ lush greenery. The secluded wedding arbor provides an intimate ambiance, and the hidden willow pond will make you feel as though you just stepped out of a fairy tale. The reception can be held in the Butterfly Conservatory Terrace for a unique experience. Or get as close as you can to the falls without getting wet in the Elements on the Falls Restaurant.

Maid of the Mist

Thrill-seekers can seal the deal on the Maid of the Mist boat tour. This is the closest you can get to the falls, but be careful about getting some water on your wedding gown. The roar of the water and the phenomenal view from below the falls will take your breath away.

A Winter Wonderland

If you’re not worried about getting cold feet, get married at Niagara Falls in the winter. During the colder months, an ice bridge forms from one side of the river to the other, and the snowy backdrop is striking. Snuggle up to your love after dark when multi-hued lights illuminate the falls. The transformation of the icy panorama to a rainbow-colored fantasy world is absolutely stunning.
You don’t have to go over the edge in a barrel to take the plunge at Niagara Falls. The thundering cascade is every bit as extraordinary as your wedding will be. Fireworks reflect off the mist many nights during the year; perhaps they will explode over your special night. Whether you celebrate the moment overlooking the falls or in a picturesque nearby village, your wedding party will share the event of a lifetime.

Gina Hamilton is an insurance consultant and a resident of London, Ontario. She also contributes content for Kanetix, a full-service insurance company; including home, business, vehicle, travel and health (including visitors to Canada).

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Your Backyard Can Be a Wedding Venue!

For those with backyards, they can make that space an excellent venue for their special day. And a backyard wedding can vary in size and complexity – a lot depends, of course, on just how large your backyard is. There’s another advantage to using your own property for a wedding – you can have a large amount of hard earned money. But there are a lot of factors you have to weigh in when you hold a wedding in your backyard, and this article will help you understand all the things you’ll need to have on hand when you have a backyard wedding.

1. Think Of How Much Room You Have

Consider space, because this is all important in a backyard wedding, especially if your space isn’t all that large. Allocate a certain amount of space per guest, and calculate how many guests can fit into your yard, then edit your guest list accordingly. Factor in waiters and other staff members as well.

2. Don’t Let It Rain On Your Wedding

Special arrangements need to be made in case of an unexpected change in the weather, as in an unexpected rain fall. Remember that if you set up some sort of marquee, the sort that you choose will depend on the amount of yard you need covered.

3. Theming Your Wedding Will Greatly Enhance It

A theme for your celebration is an excellent idea. Depending on the amount of funds you have on hand you can make your special day truly exceptional. And you can do it rather inexpensively – you’d be surprised at what you can accomplish with some paint, art materials and crepe-paper. Imagination is the key, obviously, and the magic and romance that surround any wedding will supply the rest. Involve the family – make refining the theme for your wedding a fun project for everyone – you’ll see that with everyone contributing ideas, you’ll have a crystallized them in no time at all.

4. Cover All The Minor Points To Make Your Event A Success

There’s a lot that goes into making a wedding a successful event, but the nice thing is that people are all willing to help you, so make sure you take advantage of that, and let people handle lesser details while you concentrate on more important ones. One of the most important of all details that need to be arranged is sufficient parking. The easiest way to arrange this is to hire the lot of a nearby community center or church – or almost anywhere with sufficient parking for your purposes. And of course you’ll have to arrange some transport that will bring people to your residence, but that will hardly be a problem. Make sure that you have a backup power supply to cover any failure of electricity. And, elementary though it may sound, ensure that you have enough toilets – you usually need at least four for every hundred people.

5. Improvements To The Yard Will Be Investments For The Future

There are a lot of things you can do to ensure that your backyard is the best place for your wedding, and the nicest part about all this is that you can continue to use these improvements (once you’re married). This is a distinct advantage to being married on your own property. So this is the time to level out the lawn, to fill in those places where water collects each year, to ensure that the patio is polished to look like new. You can even put in some lovely benches and plant a new rock garden – each thing that will do will accentuate both your wedding and the beginnings of your married life. Imagine, after your wedding, having a beautiful, level lawn that is perfectly mowed, with a lovely rock-garden and some beautiful flowering plants. Imagine a beautifully polished patio, with perhaps an interesting swing, and some truly ornamental benches scattered here and there that allow you to enjoy the quiet beauty of your lawn and garden.

6. Work On Improving The Garden

One thing that can truly contribute to the ambiance of your wedding is to have wonderful plants in full bloom around the yard – they can be planted as part of a permanent garden, just ensure that you choose plants that will bloom at the time of your wedding, and they will add so much joy and beauty to the event. And don’t forget to get some best selling cedar porch swings for an aesthetic touch.

7. Music And Lights Set The Mood For Romance

Lighting at a wedding can make such a difference to everything. Not only should you have aesthetics in mind, but also ensure that the house and grounds are adequately lit. Bright lights on the borders of the grounds will ensure that moths don’t enter the grounds themselves. Then some soft yellow lamps around the grounds should add an aura of romance. Put in solar lamps around the walks, to ensure that no area of the grounds is in total darkness. Add to that just the right musical score and you have a wedding that contains all the magic of romance and timeless harmony.

8. Save On Glassware

Buying things like glassware for your wedding from a good discount store can save you a lot of money, but it might even save you more than you realize, if you donate the purchased items to a recognized charity. That counts as a tax-deductible amount, which means you’ll get it back.

9. Cooling Systems Are Important

Remember, if you plan a summer wedding that hot and sweaty people can get irritable, and that’s hardly the tone you want to set for your wedding. So invest in some efficient cooling – there are a lot of good systems available these days.

10. Make Your Wedding Memorable

It’s important to create a video or to take plenty of photographs of your special day. Because you’re having your wedding in your own backyard, each photograph will call up memories of your special day, and each picture will help you remember things that made your day special, moments that made you smile, or even cry, and the people who shared this wonderful day with you. This is something you don’t want to lose, so make sure you hire a professional to record all this for you – you should ideally call in both a photographer and a videographer, to give you a complete record.

About The Man Who Wrote This…

Jay Chua is the publisher of PorchSwingSets.com. He is also a laid-back resident of Vancouver, Canada, and with his wife Deisy, takes a great interest in following trends in gardening and wedding arrangement. He owns a wonderful hatteras hammocks garden swing at his backyard, and enjoyed writing & reviewing hammocks & swings such as the polyester rope hammock.

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