Are you from Montreal but bored with all the wedding venues that many of your friends and family have already had their wedding at? Consider having a Québec destination wedding in the Eastern Townships.
An Eastern Townships Wedding is the perfect destination wedding from Montreal. It’s close enough to the city for your guests to drive to and far enough that it gives you a change of scenery. Plus if you don’t want city vibes you can find the rural romantic vibes you were looking for.
Here’s a list of the vendors I used for my Eastern Townships wedding at the Manoir Maplewood. I would highly recommend all of them except for one but don’t worry I also gave some alternatives.
I tried to keep everything local to the Eastern Townships to avoid paying extra travelling fees. But, we did have a few vendors come from Montreal – which is another benefit of this Québec destination wedding.
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!
Have A Unique Montreal Wedding In The Eastern Townships
Don’t just get married at the same venue every one uses in Montreal. Look outside the box (and outside the city) at the Eastern Townships.
Like I said, it’s close enough to the city for people to drive to and back in one day but far enough to have country aesthetics. There are more than enough unique Eastern Townships wedding venues to choose from as well…
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Eastern Townships Wedding Venues
There’s no denying that the Eastern Townships in Québec are a romantic place for a wedding. From the wineries, lake views, and mountain scenery, you’ll definitely be able to find the venue that fits your dreams.
We Chose: The Manoir Maplewood
We chose the Manoir Maplewood for our wedding. The Manoir Maplewood is an estate from 1865 that can now host events. You can actually have up to 55 guests sleep over for the weekend and host a 75 person wedding.
When you’re not at your wedding, you can enjoy the pool, jacuzzi, or sauna… oh and did I mentioned the wine cellar in the basement!?
You can read more about hosting an event at the Manoir Maplewood here.
Other Eastern Township Wedding Venues
The Eastern Townships are FILLED with dream wedding venues. I have to say, if you have the money, the ultimate Eastern Townships wedding venue is the Manoir Hovey. It’s a boutique hotel on the lake (see more the website here).
If you’re more low key into a winery wedding, check out Vignoble La Bauge, it’s just before Bromont. Or why not have a full on rustic wedding at La Grange Rouge – a giant red barn!
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Catering In The Eastern Townships
Our Choice: Buzz Catering
I don’t think my wedding would have been as successful as it was if it weren’t for Buzz Catering (find more information here). They were such a delight to speak to and he really planned the wedding – having been an event planner in Montreal for many years.
As it was a weekend affair, we had them cater three meals for us: breakfast for the morning of the wedding day, a lunch at the reception, and breakfast the following morning as well.
I was hesitant on having two catered breakfasts but it was a lot less stress in the end (especially the morning of the wedding!).
The food was absolutely delicious. We had a few dietary restrictions but they tailored the menu to our needs (making it completely vegetarian). They were also very understanding about serious allergies and made separate plates for our guests.
They also provided us with a bartender for the bar, served champagne at the cocktails, and drinks during the reception.
Other Catering Options For An Eastern Townships Wedding
For an upscale gourmet experience, check out Restaurant La Table à Mo. But if you’re looking for a more senior caterer in the Eastern Townships, it might be Café Massawippi. They offer all different types of options from sit down dinners, cocktail dinatoires, and buffets.
But also don’t be afraid to ask a Montreal caterer either, you may have to pay extra for transport but it might be worth it if Buzz Catering is already booked for your dates.
Photographing Your Special Day
Our Choice: Magali Fillion Photography (Ottawa)
Magali Fillion is actually one of our very good friends sister so we were very happy to work with someone we knew. She is an Ottawa based photographer, but since we had so many rooms at the Manoir, she stayed and photographed the weekend for us!
Magali was so much to work with! She works with a second photographer for your special day to make sure she doesn’t miss a moment. Taking professional family portraits and some really fun romantic shots for you to look back on!
Other Local Québec Wedding Photographers
If you’re interested in more local photographers for your Eastern Townships wedding, St- Germain is in Granby and his photos look incredible. He also offers a package with a video if that’s something you’re interested in as well. See his work here.
Wedding Flowers
I didn’t realize how important flowers were to a wedding being someone who really dislikes flowers. I mean, they’re expensive and they die quickly. But, I’ve come to realize that even the most beautiful venues need a little bit of a floral arrangement.
Whether you want extravagant floral pieces or simple – blend into the background flowers – you need something!
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Our Choice: Maison Montcalm For Flowers
Maison Montcalm is in Granby, Québec. They had done events at the Manoir before so it was very easy for us to work with them at this Eastern Township wedding venue. But, wherever your wedding is, they will flourish I’m sure.
We ordered 4 bouquets from them, a boutonniere, centre pieces for our tables, and an arch. Included in their wedding package is a bag of petals which you can use for what you want. Our plan was to use them for our flower kids, but completely forgot to take them out!
We met and spoke with the florist several times about what we were interested in for flowers at our wedding. They never tried to up sell us on anything and make us order more. They were very reasonably priced as well for great service and gorgeous flowers.
As they were making the bouquet and centre pieces, they even sent pictures to make sure that we were happy with everything.
Other Florists In The Eastern Townships
If Maison Montcalm is booked for your dates, you can also contact Bromewood Florist. We actually reached out to them first but asked us for a deposit just to give us a quote for the floral arrangements that we wanted…which we were a bit off put by…but they have very good reviews!
You can also try and see if a Montreal florist would be willing to bring up your flowers.
Québec Wedding Musicians
The music was actually the hardest part about having our wedding in the Eastern Townships. We ended up with an acoustic band from Montreal but they were honestly the highlight of the wedding.
Our Choice: Jeux De Cordes From Montreal
What is a wedding without music. The band was the hardest vendor to find so they ended up being from Montreal. They were recommended to us by Buzz Catering and we could not have been happier to work with them.
It might come as a surprise, but they are a 100% acoustic band – that means no singer! We decided this was the best option for us, as we were looking for an acoustic band to play. We also didn’t know what the COVID-19 situation would be like so we realized that a singer might not be the best option for us.
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Jeux de Cordes was the highlight of the wedding. Everyone LOVED the music. The amount of people that came up to me and asked me about them was astonishing!
Jeux de Cordes added an original flair to our wedding – I mean most weddings have full fledged bands or DJs. This was a breath of fresh air that our guests really appreciated. You could talk to each other without the music overtaking your conversation. But you could also dance to it and of course sing a long!
You’re able to request one song for them to learn and they take care of the rest of the playlist based on the audience.
Furniture, Kitchenware & More Rentals
Our Choice: Le Vaisselier…But I WOULDN’T Recommend!
If you’re having more of a DIY Québec wedding in the Eastern Townships, you’ll most likely need to rent some furniture and kitchenware for your event. At the Manoir Maplewood we rented EVERYTHING.
We used Le Vaisselier and it was the worst experience I’ve ever had (not that I’ve ever had to rent furniture and kitchenware before). We decided to book with them because they’re the only rental company in the Eastern Townships. Because of that, they’re considerably cheaper than hiring a rental company from Montreal. On top of that, the Manoir Maplewood and our caterer had both worked with them before and recommended them.
I think they’ve gone through some changes during COVID-19 though, and unfortunately for the worst. The first warning sign was that they don’t set up or build their rentals (but they like to mention that if something breaks you’re charged for it…) because they are now understaffed.
Then came the actual delivery day… They were unable to provide us with a window for delivery but said it should be mid afternoon. Well, mid afternoon came and went it was now 5:00 P.M. and they still hadn’t shown up! Don’t forget, we still had to build everything once they did deliver it and then drive back to the city.
Eventually, they called to tell us they would only be able to deliver our rentals at 6:30 P.M. All around, they were not helpful or nice to work with.
So, this is your warning to not book Le Vaisselier and pay the extra for another rental company.
Other Choices For Rental Companies
Another rental company is ABP rentals in Longueuil (see their website here). We did get a quote from them and they were quite a bit more expensive than the Vaisselier. But honestly, in retrospect, very much worth it. They would have set everything up for us, wouldn’t have made us wait an entire day for the delivery to show up after work hours… I would have paid for less stress!
Eastern Townships Wedding Planners
We didn’t have a wedding planner – we just kind of winged it. We wanted a simple, low stress wedding and didn’t care if things didn’t go as planned (because let’s be real, they won’t!).
If you are interested in a wedding planner (which in retrospect we should have had someone there at least for the day of) check out Signée Andrée-Anne. She has several options from full on wedding planner to simply hiring her for the big day only. Plus, she even offers some unique rentals you can use!
Hair & Makeup
If you’re looking to have your hair and makeup professionally done for your wedding (and maybe for some of your guests too) here are a few options.
My hair and makeup artists actually drove in from Montreal. It was Sherry and Gabrielle from Avanti Le Spa. My mom was very keen on having someone she knew do our makeup and hair.
If you’re open to hiring someone new for your wedding, there are a few people in the Eastern Townships. Maria Domenica does both hair and makeup, you can contact her here. You can also contact the more official salon KDM&Cie in Sherbrooke.
Whoever you end up going with, just make sure you go for a trial first! Especially if this is your first time having your hair and makeup done with them – you don’t want any surprises the day of!
Wedding Cake
My sister is an avid baker in her spare time so we asked her to make our wedding cake for us – an Earl Grey Tea cake! It was beyond this world delicious. But of course, not everyone has a sister who can bake.
Some local cake stores are Cake Granby (see more here) or Joly Gâterie in Sherbrooke (find out more here).
Love the cake topper? I bought it off Etsy here and you can also add your furry friend here.
Eastern Townships Kennel
If you’re having a wedding in the Eastern Townships from Montreal, chances are you’re going to stay in the area for at least one night. If you have a furry friend at home, we found it was easiest to bring them to a nearby kennel in the Eastern Townships for our Québec wedding weekend.
Our Choice: Chenil Lac Brome
The Manoir Maplewood is pet friendly but we didn’t want to worry about our pets during the ceremony. We brought them to Chenil Lac Brome about 20 minutes away from Manoir Maplewood (visit their website here).
I wouldn’t recommend bringing your cat here if they aren’t used to being around dogs though. They’re in the same space as the dogs, and it’s quite loud with A LOT of barking. But, if they are used to dogs, it isn’t bad. Plus, you can request a pod with some outdoor space for your cat!
The ultimate cat travel planner!
My digital cat travel planner template has everything you need to travel with your cat: research pet-friendly places, cat packing lists and checklist. You can print it out or use it digitally on your phone, tablet, or computer.
The Fun Extras For My Québec Destination Wedding
Wedding cake topper: Etsy | Romantic Couple – Cat Add On
Wedding veil: Shop Etsy
Wedding Activity Book for Kids: Shop Etsy
Hair piece: Amazon Shop US | CA
List Of Eastern Township Wedding Vendors
Destination Wedding Must-Haves
Read More Related Posts
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Last update on 2024-05-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API