NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE NAVY HALL WEDDING // AMANDA COWLEY EVENTS

Wedding InspirationReal Weddings

Oct 17

Written By Eva Filer

“The wedding was a celebration of our love, but also a little love letter to Niagara.”

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Planning + Styling: Amanda Cowley Events | Florist: Lush Florals | Desserts: Sweet Celebrations

From planner, Amanda Cowley of Amanda Cowley Events —

“I can't express the joy it was to finally be able to celebrate a perfect day for Jen + Ben in Niagara. Intimate, tender, made with love, every single detail woven into their day had meaning or depth behind it and I can't stress how special it is to keep this in mind when planning a wedding. Originally a Niagara girl with a love for all things Wet n' Wild, locally-grown or made, cats and books, Jen found herself in Ottawa where she met Ben. A musician, equally obsessed-cat-fan, and silver fox.

It was always the plan to get married in Niagara and share this piece of Jen's heart with their loved ones. Sourcing the venue was our greatest + most satisfying challenge as we made our way along the escarpment through the Beamsville benchlands, across the valleys of Jordan and the vineyards sprawling NOTL's wine country until we eventually hit the Niagara River, the furthest point we could go. My biased heart beamed as they stepped into Navy Hall for the first time, sparkly eyes seeing the potential to create just about anything within the wood + stone walls of the kitschy dream that served as the site of Upper Canada's first provincial parliament during the late 1700s. A mature treeline frames the opening to the river providing the prettiest ceremony backdrop that allows the birds flying by or the sailboats cruising along to pop in and out of view, like a live painting constantly telling a story in motion.

The story of loved ones gathered, promises made, cups, and hearts so very full. Jen + Ben walked down the aisle as a married couple to an instrumental version of 'You Can't Hurry Love' by Phil Collins played by Grace Notes, the most apropos choice for a love story made to wait due to the pandemic. Nothing about the day was hurried, it was slow and sweet and savoured by all. Myself, gratefully, included.”

From bride, Jen —

“Niagara is an incredibly special place, both in general and to us as a couple. There was never any question: our wedding would be in Niagara! We travel to the area several times a year to see friends and family, and we have so many places we like visit, food we love to eat, and of course, wine we enjoy. When it came time to design our wedding day, we wanted the vibe to be that of a great dinner party with our friends and family. And with it being a destination wedding for many people, we wanted to really make sure our out-of-town guests were getting a delicious and gorgeous Niagara experience. The wedding was a celebration of our love, but also a little love letter to Niagara.

One of our very first decisions, and the best one we made, was to work with Amanda Cowley for our event planning. All of the magic of our wedding day really stemmed from her guidance, suggestions, and impeccable taste. Amanda loves Niagara as much as we do, so it was a perfect match! Once the venue, with its rustic and cozy interior and gorgeous lawn overlooking the Niagara River, was chosen, everything else truly fell into place.

We knew we wanted to work with as many local vendors as we could. We were thrilled to have Megan Muir capture the photos for us, taking photos at such great Niagara locations as the Mackenzie Printery, along the Niagara River Parkway, and, of course, in a vineyard. Melanie Ripa of Lush Florals created the most gorgeous floral moments and touches, perfectly capturing the season and the vibe for the wedding and reception. Grace Notes provided us with gorgeous string arrangements for the ceremony, gamely learning three new songs for a quartet and providing such beautiful ambiance. Trish Archibald of Cathy Davis and Co. made for the perfect officiant.

While our catering was provided by City Farm Catering from Hamilton (and it was divine!), we truly went all out in creating a delicious Niagara-centric dessert table: wedding cake by Sweet Celebrations, doughnuts from Beechwood Doughnuts, empire biscuits from Niagara Home Bakery, pies from Niagara Food Company, and (our favourite!) butter tarts from 13th Street Winery.

And what is more Niagara than wine? Naturally, we kept our wine local, with red, white, and rosé from Vineland Estates Winery and bubbles from Château des Charmes. We were also able to offer our guests an entire bar menu made up of local products, with selections from Dillon's Small Batch Distillers, Forty Creek, Blackburn Brew House, Niagara Cider Company, and the Niagara College Teaching Distillery.

Not content to stop there, we wanted to make sure our out-of-town guests had a sweet little Niagara welcome when they arrived. Amanda had suggested the most fantastic NOTL tote bags sourced from Bloom and Co., which we stuffed with suggestions for things to do in the area, custom cookies from Willow Cakes and Pastries, and some fun flavoured popcorn from Shriner’s Creek Kettle Popcorn.

Our wedding day could not have turned out more perfectly. It was a gorgeous day, with our favourite people, in our favourite place!”