Northridge Inn Wedding | Muskoka Vows in the Tall Pines
A Northridge Inn wedding in the tall pines
I have a quiet, ongoing list of places I’d travel just about anywhere for. Northridge Inn, near Algonquin Park, sits at the very top.
You turn off the highway, follow the road in through the trees, and something in you just settles. Tall pines and old maples shade the winding black asphalt. It feels like an immediate deep breath in–and slow exhale– even before you reach the lake.
Tess and Dave picked this place and it made immediate sense. It has that rare quality where it doesn't feel like a "venue" at all. It feels like the kind of place people want to escape to, to visit often. The interior is all worn wood and natural light. Little cottage curios abound and I could have just wandered around in there for an hour honestly. There's something genuinely beautiful about a space that feels accumulated rather than designed.
If you’re looking for a cottage country wedding in Ontario, Northridge Inn is worth considering slowly. It’s the kind of place people tend to come back to in their minds long after they’ve left.
One of the quieter gifts of a Northridge Inn wedding is how many places there are to step away for a moment. Before all the guests arrived, Tess and Dave took a moment for a truly special first look tucked in the forest that surrounds the whole property. Tess looked so beautiful in her handmade gown from Bisou Bridal, Dave couldn’t help but cry the moment he turned around and laid eyes on her. Tess’ tears immediately followed and they held each other’s hands and quietly read handwritten, private vows.
If there’s a more picturesque ceremony location in the province than the long cottage dock at Northridge Inn, I’ve yet to see it. Brilliant white in the summer sun and leading to an iconic island straight out of a Group of Seven painting. Guests sit with a cool breeze off the bright blue water, and the setting is quintessential northern Ontario that makes for photographs you will never tire of looking at.
Northridge’s reception space is every bit as stunning as the nature that it’s set within. An expansive back deck makes for ideal cocktails & dancing. Inside, a large chandelier made from whitetail antlers hangs in front of a stately granite fireplace. Shelves filled with antique bone china and rich prints on the wall make the dining room feel like some grand, historic hall. Dinner service here is always a highlight of the experience.
We stepped away once more to soak up the last moments of summer sun, letting things slow a little.. When the sun finally dipped below the treetops and twilight fell, it was time for DJ MasterMix to make the evening come alive. Guests were soon barefoot in the cool summer air dancing the night away, and that dance floor did not empty all night long. It was the type of party you felt you wanted to last forever.
Tess and Dave, thank you for having me and trusting me with this. Genuinely one of my favourite days in a long time. You two are so easy to love and be around. Which, I think, is what made everything else unfold the way it did.
Here's to you both. For a very long time.
— Frances
Venue: Northridge Inn
Gown: Bisou Bridal
Florals: Three Birds Flower Farm
DJ: DJ MasterMix
