Everything You Need To Know About Getting Married On Prince Edward Island In Spring
Spring is one of my favorite seasons and one of the best seasons to get married — and there’s one place that stands out in my head. Prince Edward Island. A place brimming with gorgeous views, amazing sunsets, tons of seasonal sights, sounds to take in, top-tier venues, vendors and wedding planners to boot. Getting married on Prince Edward Island in spring is simply stunning!
There’s something magical about the beauty of spring. The way that the earth beneath your feet is veritably springing to life with blossoms and blooms. Birds are back for the season, chirping their lilting songs into the breeze as it bristles through the leaves, dancing their way back to life on the stalwart branches that have been awaiting their return.
It’s a dream, a vision and a Disney movie all at once. The world comes to life in a way that no amount of photoshop or filters could re-create. A spring wedding makes it all the easier to make your wedding dreams a reality!
What’s So Special About Prince Edward Island?
Located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, not far from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island (PEI) is one of Canada’s maritime provinces known for its red sand beaches, world-renowned seafood (especially lobster) and lighthouse littered coastlines. In fact, there’s so much coastline to take in here, that no point on the island is farther than 16km from the beach! No matter where you are, it will take you no more than 15 minutes to find a beautiful shoreline to watch a sunset over.
As if romantic red-sand beaches at every turn wasn’t enough, Prince Edward Island is covered in wildflowers. In ditches, on lawns, and covering sprawling roads, hills and thoroughfares, the pink, white and purple flowers known as Lupins are found as far as the eye can see. In the spring, when they first come back to life, it seems as if every step you take is bursting with color in PEI.
The flora isn’t the only thing that makes its way through the lands of PEI. Nearly half of the island is blanketed in forests. A mixture of beech, oak, spruce, hemlock, pine and — of course — maple, cover the ground. The area is so beautiful that Prince Edward Island doesn’t allow for billboards along any of the highways. They don’t want anything to take away from the natural beauty of the landscape that surrounds you as you drive.
Honestly, I could spend the next few scrolls worth of your reading time listing all the reasons why getting married on Prince Edward Island in spring is so special. So let’s get down to the good stuff!
How to Plan a Spring Wedding on Prince Edward Island
By now you’ve gathered I’m a big fan of PEI. When it comes down to it though, I’m an even bigger fan of getting married on Prince Edward Island in spring. Don’t get me wrong, Prince Edward Island weddings in general are an absolute win, but the spring offers so many benefits, and not just the ones that come with the natural landscape.
Prince Edward Island sees about 1.5 million tourists a year on average, about 10 times the population of the island itself. The spring season, despite its beauty and splendor, is considered one of the slower seasons for tourism on the island — and it’s the slower season for PEI photographers, planners and venues. You’ll have the creme de la creme from each industry to choose from! Plus, since you’ve already got me as your PEI wedding photographer, you’ve got one less choice to make!
When it comes to getting married on Prince Edward Island in spring, there are tons of things to plan and consider. The right venues, the right locations for photos, the vendors to contact, the make-up artists that know how to work their magic. Here’s a guide to help point you in the right direction!
A Guide to Spring Weddings on Prince Edward Island
Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork
Before planning the perfect spring wedding on PEI, let’s get the technical stuff out the way. You know. The paperwork. The crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s. All the un-fun legalese we must make sure is handled before attempting to get you two married. With that said:
First things first, you must have already applied for and been granted a PEI marriage license before you can legally marry on the island. The application can be found on the Prince Edward Island government website. It doesn’t matter whether you were born there or live there, anyone can marry there — however, if your birth certificate is not printed in English or French, you must submit a translated copy of it along with your original certificate. Just a head’s up!
Once you receive the license, it’s valid for three months. So while planning ahead is good, over planning ahead could backfire on you. Make sure that you apply for it with enough time to get it approved before you get married, but not so much time that you have to re-apply because it already expired!
Location, Location, Location
It isn’t just the real estate market that knows location is important! Location is equally as important when it comes to picking the ideal wedding venue. There are quite a few to choose from, but here are the best spring wedding venues on PEI that I’ve been lucky enough to photograph. No matter which one you choose from this list, you are guaranteed to find you, your guests and your PEI photographer very happy!
The Grand Victorian
The Grand Victorian is a location full of history. Once a dilapidated church and swath of land for sale, The Grand Victorian has been transformed into a boutique wedding venue that has been fully restored to original glory.
The venue has a soft, whimsical energy that can fit parties as small as ten and as large as 120. My tip for couples is to hold your ceremony outside and your reception inside – this way, we can capture gorgeous photos from the best of both areas!
The indoor space is stunning, with natural light flowing in through the windows onto the white walls, creating a bright glow and clean aesthetic. Ceremonies outside will benefit from the romantic white church as a backdrop for your wedding photos! Take a look at their Instagram to get a better idea of the setting.
New London Carriage House
The New London Carriage House is a stunning wonderland come to life. Overlooking the wondrous Southwest River and located atop a wooded hill, the New London Carriage House offers a beautiful getting ready area for the girls with an abundance of natural light, and a separate large area for the groomsmen to get dressed, relax and play pool.
The venue’s outdoor ceremony area offers the best natural light while the smaller, illuminated indoor space is a great backup plan in case the weather isn’t in your favor. The bright reception barn can accommodate bigger weddings, with a stunning dance floor, its own bar and the option of hiring your own booth rental or snack bar!
From quaint and cozy, to sprawling and expansive, you’ll find whatever you need here! They can also be found on Instagram, where you can take a longer look at the space.
The RiverShed
Rural, isolated, surrounded by nature. You can find all of that and more at The RiverShed! One of the newer wedding venues in PEI, The RiverShed is on the waterfront and surrounded by forest as far as the eye can see. Located in Oyster Bed Bridge and super close to Cavendish Beach, I always recommend heading there for some dreamy beach photos!
The RiverShed reception area is super cozy, filled with golden wood that will make your wedding style pop! With beautiful light that pours into the venue, your RiverShed wedding photography will look absolutely incredible! This beautiful venue gives you the space to feel like your wedding is the only thing to exist in the world.
Dresses, And Make Up, And Hair, Oh My!
So many choices to choose! So many things to decide! Which is why having a few vendors at the ready when you get to PEI is crucial. I’ve had the luck to be able to work with a ton of different folks over the course of my career, but when it comes to PEI these are some of the creme de la creme that you heard me mention before, broken down by category.
Hair Stylists
Monique at Styling Your Beauty
From casual elegance, to luxury and grace, Monique at Styling Your Beauty has done it all and done it well. Her magical hands have coiffed and styled dozens upon dozens of brides for every version of their special day. Take a scroll through her Instagram to get a better idea of her work!
When it comes to cut and color, Lindsey at Locks by Lindsey could teach a master class. She brings out the natural beauty of your hair while seamlessly enhancing it through highlights and lowlights, in a way that truly captures a glow you didn’t know could exist in a natural crown around you. Added bonus, the right highlights can appear absolutely magical in spring wedding photography in PEI. Just throwing that out there.
Brittany at Black Sheep Beauty Bar
Brittany is a wizard. A sorceress. A true magician when it comes to the lightening process of hair, and doing hair in general. As the co-owner of Black Sheep Beauty Bar, Britt has been practicing her craft on all manner of hair. Long, short, dark, damaged, it doesn’t matter!
Make-Up
I can’t rave enough about the work of three make-up artists!
Kaitlin McCarville can do it all. High fashion, wedding, special FX, you name it — she can make it happen. Want to combine high fashion and wedding? Done. Want to add a little … special FX into your shoot? I can’t see why we couldn’t.
The amazing Jacki Peters brings a unique aesthetic that makes her clients feel totally comfortable – and glow! She gets booked up quickly through the wedding season, so get in touch with her through her Facebook page!
Whether you’re going for bronzed glam or peachy tones, Emily Maxfield is incredibly skilled at making your natural beauty shine through. Emily always does trail runs with her brides, so you can rest assured your wedding day will be perfect.
Bridal Shop
Once Upon A Wedding is more than just a cleverly named bridal shop. It is a true one stop shop for all things gorgeous when it comes to prepping you and your bridal party for the big day. Private fitting rooms, huge dressing areas and nearly 2000 sq feet of all things wedding. I can’t recommend Once Upon A Wedding enough. They not only have all that you could need, but their staff is so wholly accommodating, and makes you feel comfortable from the moment you walk in. They want your day to be as beautiful as you do.
Wedding Planners
Whether you’re planning a mini wedding or a larger affair, Kristina at Elysian Wedding & Events covers it all! Her team has planned hundreds of weddings and their passion really shines through — their goal is to ensure your wedding is one-of-a-kind and stress-free!
Kara and the team at Polished Weddings understand that planning a wedding can feel like a part time job for couples! As wedding managers, they take charge of every detail and pull it all together, so that you can fully enjoy your engagement and know that every aspect of your dream wedding is in place.
Flowers, Food, Cake, Music, Video!
I know, there’s so much to think about already and so many decisions to make! I will say though, that when it comes to flowers, food, cake and even the music, there are definitely going to be more choices to be made. Luckily, I already have a big list of recommendations in those areas too!
Like DJ Dexter Shea, who will provide the soundtrack to the wedding of your dreams and keep everyone buzzing! Or professional videographers like Alex Corbett and Simon Reid, who can beautifully capture the most intimate moments on film alongside your photographer.
Like the team at Cured Creations who will provide an unforgettable feast for any budget (everything from unique wedding buffet spreads to five course tasting menus) or Bruce at Sizzler BBQ Catering who will cook a mouth-watering wedding meal cooked on site for you and your guests (think whole succulent roast pig or a hip of beef)! And Kel’s at KGJ Bakeshop, who can take your wildest cake fantasies and make them into a reality!
Like Alisha at Sakurah’s Flower Studio, who can transform any blank canvas into a lush indoor landscape for your dream wedding! And of course, Marsha Weeks, the absolutely amazing wedding officiant that will make sure your big day is articulated in a way that you will never forget.
Let’s Do This!
That’s just a few of the many recommendations in my guide to spring weddings on PEI! Having me as your Prince Edward Island wedding photographer means you not only end up with gorgeous photos that you’ll cherish for the rest of your lives, you get a photographer who knows so much more than good lighting and composition.
I’ve spent hours upon hours of hands-on time with wedding parties in PEI — and I have a few hidden gems, a few tricks up my sleeve and a few super-secret locations that I’d love to share with you! Reach out to me and we can start the next steps on your spring wedding journey!
