Planning a wedding in Toronto, one of the most vibrant cities in Canada, can be daunting as well as exciting. Toronto weddings can be as simple as a quick city hall ceremony to an extravaganza for up to 600 guests at an historic castle. Even if you are looking for something in between, the city has everything you need to celebrate your union.

First things first. Decide what time of year you would like your wedding and for how many guests. These two details will help you narrow down the options for location. Summer and early fall may offer an opportunity to have an outdoor wedding, or reception. Early spring and later in the fall and winter tend to be quite damp, or cold for entertaining guests outside, unless you set up heated tents. If you do want to brave the elements, then there are several tent rental companies to accommodate your part.

For an outdoor wedding, consider one of several beautiful parks located throughout the city. Check with the municipal parks department to find out what event permits, if any, are required. Make sure to consider parking if you have guests traveling by car. Toronto also has a wonderful subway system for those wishing to take public transportation.

Courtyards of various hotels, or larger estate grounds offer rental spaces for weddings. Some even provide an all inclusive package that covers location, catering, and more. Others may allow you to bring in your own caterer, photographer and decorations. Compare prices for the full packages versus bring-your-own options to stay within your wedding budget.

For indoor weddings, there are obviously many churches and synagogues from which to choose for the ceremony. For non-denominational ceremonies or for receptions there are several banquet halls available. Again the cost and location will depend on the season and number of guests. Some more popular venues book years in advance during the popular summer and fall seasons. Wedding photographers, video makers and even bakeries specializing in wedding cakes may need to be reserved well in advance of your wedding date.

Another item to consider when planning, is whether to hire a planner to coordinate everything, or if you or a friend or family member will take the lead. If you hire a planner, then of course that will add to your overall cost, however, this may be worth the reduction in stress. If you are trying to save money and have a talent for details and scheduling, then go ahead and take charge.

There are some wonderful banquet halls or rooms around town that have views of the skyline, or of Lake Ontario. Places that offer a spectacular view will cost more, but you can counter this by cutting down on the number of guests or your food selections. The right photographer will also know how to take advantage of each setting to stage wonderful photos for your album. Caterers will provide several menus for you to choose combinations of appetizers, main entree and dessert, as well as open bar that includes all types of drinks or only beer and wine. If cost is a real issue then offer wine with the meal and offer the bar as cash only.

For many of the details on your list you will want to get more than one estimate, or obtain samples. This is the fun part. Visit several caterers who will present you will several dishes to actually taste test. Set up appointments with several bakeries to sample a variety of cakes to find just the right one for your special day. If you decide to hire a band, you will get to see them live at other special events where they are playing, or listen to demo discs. Photographers are a bit easier, but not as much fun as eating cake and listening to music. Most have websites with albums or videos for viewing. It is as simple as deciding whether you like their style or not and their rates.

There are a lot of parts to planning a wedding, but Toronto is one classy place to host one of your most important life celebrations. It will also be an awesome location for the many anniversary dates to come.

Author Bio: Toronto Weddings provides a variety of tips invitation ideas, Toronto wedding cakes, flowers arrangements, banquet hall, a photographer and videographer to name a few.

Category: Marriage
Keywords: wedding, wedding party, couples, love, flowers, leisure, marriage, wedding ring, hotels, celebration