Veina & Andrew’s Tented Wedding at Belcroft Estate

Tented Weddings are here to stay! Here is a look inside a tented wedding at Belcroft Estate

Veina and Andrew had it all when it came to their wedding day, and Gentle Planner was honoured to be apart of their day. They incorporate tons of things which we absolutely loved. We will start by sharing about the venue and space they used for their wedding day and also share some unique ideas to incorporate on your wedding day.

Tented Wedding - Veina and Andrew hosted their wedding at Belcroft Estate in Innisfil, Ontario. The venue is versatile and they offers many locations for photos for the couple and bridal party. Our favourite spot is their row of trees with a giant willow tree which is a great location for photos and your wedding ceremony. Veina and Andrew’s ceremony was by the white arbour next to open field. The venue also provided a charming bridal suit and a cabin area for the groomsmen. After the ceremony, the guests moved to the cocktail area which had string lighting set up by the venue and a fireplace. I particularly liked how each area was defined to match the mood for that part of the evening. Once the guests grabbed their cocktails they moved in the tent for dinner and dancing. The tent has chandeliers, full bar and great height so that it feel spacious. As it is primarily a blank slate, there are multiple ways that you can orient it to suit your needs. The tent allows for air to be circulated in the evening as you have the option of keeping certain parts open and closed. Tented weddings really took off after the pandemic as many were trying to find ways to host events, and we can assure you its a trend that is here to stay. Tented weddings give you an outdoor feel while allowing a freedom to design them as you see fit. I had a great time working with the staff at Belcroft Estate and it was a joy to see how beautiful the property is and the various ways it can be used.

Tings to consider if you are having a tented wedding at a venue:

Time of year - Does the tent have an AC or portable heaters, based on the time of year you have your wedding think about if your guests will be too hot or cold.
Inform your guest - If you are planning on having a tented wedding inform your guests on the invitation or add it to your wedding website. This will allow guests to dress appropriately for the evening.
Lighting - During the day time there is a lot of natural light that the tent may have, but consider when it gets dark. What kind of lighting does the venue provide for the tent and are you able to add additional lighting if needed.
Audio Visual - If you would like to have a video played during your reception for your next day edit or a slide show check to see if the venue works with a particular company that does the AV for the tent.
Outlets - Where are the outlets inside the tent that can be used by the DJ or other vendors.
Decor considerations - Are there certain things that are not allowed, for example having floral installations from the top of the tent.
Dance floor - Does the tent have a dance floor installed.
Washrooms- How far are the washrooms from the tent and is there sufficient lighting for your guest to get from the tent to the washrooms.

Now that you have learned more about tented weddings and how they are awesome! Time to get back to sharing the unique aspects of Veina & Andrews’s wedding.

Combining cultures - Veina and Andrew did a great job at honouring both of their cultures and heritage on the wedding day. They started the day with a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony where they both wore traditional outfits. They also had an officiant who provided translation in order for everyone to feel included and understand the ceremony. The food was also fusion inspired and incorporated parts of Chinese culture. When Veina’s parents did their toast in Chinese, she had her sister join to also provide translation support. It is a beautiful thing when cultures come together and they were able to incorporate this in many aspects of their wedding day.

Cocktail Hour- The cocktail hour was incredible there were so many things the guests were able to enjoy. They had live musicians playing for the guests and they had an oyster bar which was a definite hit.

Thoughtful toast and performances- The toasts by their close friends were very thoughtful as many of their friends they had known for a long time. The groomsmen did a hilarious song for the groom filled with dancing and off key notes. The bride then surprised everyone by doing a special vocal performance for her husband. Her friend played the ukulele while she sang a beautiful song about how they met and their love story. The night was not over until the bride and groom had their first dance which was filled with flips, turns, and jumps. It was incredible to see and you could tell the time and effort they put into learning that dance.

Piñata Cake - Yes you heard it right! When it was time to cut the cake we had all the guest meet the couple outside, the bride had created a piñata cake that they broke which had little treats, glow in the dark items for their guest. This was a fun activity and got all their guests involved.

Details- Each guest had a favour, name card, and a menu so they knew exactly where to sit and what to expect for their food. The couple took it a step further by including special favours baskets for younger children. They were light blue baskets with pandas and lots of toys for the kids.

If your feeling inspired after reading about this wedding, Gentle Planner offers full planning, partial planning and Month / Day-of coordination services. We would love to help you bring your vision to life, contact us here to get started!

Vendor Team