An early Fall intimate wedding at a hidden gem of a wedding venue: Polo Parc Farms

Rigaud is about a one hour drive from the heart of Montreal, and a pretty easy and straightforward drive on the 40 if on the West Island or off-island. Polo Parc Farms is a large, open property with a permanent event tent on the grounds, as well as a unique bandstand-type 2-story deck for outdoor cocktails. A fairy new arrival on the Montreal wedding venue scene, it’s a great location with lots of versatility - a small, wooded area, a babbling brook, a fairy-light feature wall on the pathway towards the tent, a large bonfire pit with seating and a cabin for getting ready and cozying up on the wedding night.

Would Polo Parc Farms be a good fit for your wedding? This venue is ideal for couples who:

Would like to have a wedding out of the city
Want a peaceful, rustic experience for their wedding
Don’t mind taking care of your own details. Besides the use of the structures on the grounds, the place is a blank slate. Everything needs to be brought in by the couple or their planner (catering, tables/ chairs etc)

If you’re looking for a similar Montreal wedding venue, a country feel but less to do on your own such as catering and room setup, you can consider Auberge des Gallants. Click here to see a wedding at the Auberge.

An Emotionally charged day

Jaimie and Colin warned me that they are criers. And they didn’t disappoint! And so were many others, especially their wedding party when they received their own private viewing of the vow exchange, after Jaimie and Colin’s first look. Part practice for the real thing at the ceremony, it also became a true bonding experience for their group. I’ll admit, I had tears in my eyes too and felt part of the inner circle! It’s a great idea to consider for a wedding. Similar to a first look where the couple enjoys a private moment to meet, it’s a ‘vip’ ceremony teaser for those who committed to stand by your side during one of the most important days of your life.

The “light” reveal

In the spirit of my eternal duality, a light reveal has a double meaning:

To feature select photographs from the wedding
To comment on the light and other elements to be considered when planning your wedding photography at this venue

This Montreal wedding was down-to-earth, subdued and nostalgic. The wedding had about 50 guests. The couple opted for a first look so that they could spend time with guests after the ceremony. They also had a fairly large amount of family photographs so after that was wrapped up we only needed to focus on a few more couple portraits instead of the entire wedding party.

We did an initial scout of the property with planners Le Wedding Mill prior to the wedding, and it was a rainy day. We had a terrific day for the wedding itself, but the tent is the only shelter on this property (the owner’s home is not available for functions). Being a large property with a huge lawn and wooded pathways, rain and mud could be a factor in getting around. But I will say that the rain made for magical photographs as well - those horses!

If planning a Fall wedding especially, timing for sunsets is important - the sun sets earlier overall and it will dip beneath the tree line even earlier. To overcome this, consider an earlier ceremony so there is time before darkness falls to accomplish all of your important photographs. Even with the first look and many portraits before the ceremony, we lost light quickly once the sun hit the trees.

Watch for the full reveal of this emotional and relaxed wedding!

Here’s to joy,

Lucy