Vancouver Wedding Photographer | Green Wedding Venues
There are a lot of ways to have a beautiful wedding without it taking a toll on our beautiful city. Having a green wedding can mean a lot of different things, you can opt to support local green businesses such as caterers, florists, photographers, wedding venues and wedding dress companies that offer eco-friendly & sustainable options to their clients.
Today we’re going to discuss venue options for green weddings.
Outdoor Wedding Venues:
We are truly blessed to live in a province that offers such a wide variety of scenic locations for weddings. While you may require a permit from the city for some locations you may find that an outdoor wedding is not only cheaper, but is much more eco-friendly since you do not necessarily require lights, or heating, especially in the daytime or summer months. That being said, the weather in Vancouver can be unpredictable and therefore a tent rental may be necessary. An important note to make is that most outdoor city park locations have a limit of how many guests can attend the wedding.
Some of our favourite outdoor locations include:
Caulfield Park – Rugged cliffs and ocean sets the scene for this gorgeous beach wedding location. This hidden gem
Power House at Stave Lake / Hayward Lake – An old Hydro Plant at Stave Falls in Mission, BC converted into an industrial wedding venue in the middle of the forest, perfect for an offbeat wedding, and you can bring your own chairs, tables, caterer & bar in to ensure your wedding is sustainable!
Indoor Wedding Venues:
Indoor weddings provide shelter from the elements, and are a great option for off-season weddings when the weather is less predictable. Some venues have environmentally friendly policies, others offer local cuisine, and raw spaces allow you to bring in whatever you like including caterers and a bar that is easy on the environment.
Love Tree’s favourite indoor locations:
Bloedel Conservatory – A conservatory full of tropical birds and flora and fauna, perfect for small, intimate weddings. No worries about guests damaging local parks, this indoor garden has a special area for weddings.
Vancouver Aquarium – Guests can learn about ocean conservation, and you can breathe easy knowing the menu is made with local Oceanwise foods.
Fairmont Waterfront – This green hotel is not only a great place for guests to stay, but their menu is also eco-friendly.
Heritage Hall – Bringing your own caterer, and bar into this historic raw space will ensure you can use the greenest wedding vendors out there. No need to even put decorations up at Heritage Hall, the place is gorgeous as is!
Flexible Wedding Venues:
This specialty wedding venues allow you to have a wedding indoors or outdoors weather permitting, and we love that flexibility! Not to mention the views are breathtaking at both. If you are looking for a great way to showcase the city these would both be great options, and both offer menus with local & sustainable foods!
Here are a couple of our favourites:
Capilano Suspension Bridge – A stunning canyon view tucked away in the forests of North Vancouver create endless photo opportunities, not to mention their onsite restaurant uses local produce, beef and Oceanwise seafood. Be sure to try their seared BC halibut with fruit salsa.
Grouse Mountain – A phenomenal view of the entire city in rustic wooden lodge. No matter what time of year, this wedding venue is stunning. With a variety of local dishes to create a menu from including curried Salt Spring Island mussel soup, you will have your guests in awe by hosting your green wedding here.
Restaurant Wedding Venues:
You can be sure that the menu at your wedding is sustainable and gastronomically green by choosing a restaurant that offers local fresh fare. Local food is fresher, and tastier, and it’s not shipped across the country wasting precious resources such as fuel or leaving as big of a carbon footprint to get it to the restaurant.
Our favourite restaurant wedding venues include:
Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar – Offers an elegant and romantic setting for a ceremony in their courtyard. The brick walkway offer a perfect setting for an elegant and urban photo op. Organic veggies and local wines and cheeses make this a perfect place for a more elegant eco-friendly wedding.
The Refinery – A cool and sophisticated urban setting for a smaller wedding (up to 50 guests) with a local menu that will make your taste buds do backflips.
Dockside Seafood Restaurant – Granville Island is already a very cool place to hold a wedding with its colourful buildings and lively market. This Vancouver staple is the perfect place to showcase the city for out of town guests and the Oceanwise menu at the Dockside Restaurant in the Granville Island Hotel is sure to excite some taste buds, not to mention they have an on-site brewery with local beers!
There are a lot of different ways to have a green wedding in Vancouver. If you had a green wedding and have some tips for brides, be sure to leave them in the comments below!