The Ivy Lea Club

The Ivy Lea Club gives a Thousand Islands wedding the kind of waterfront romance that seems almost painted into the landscape.

Set directly on the St. Lawrence River just east of Gananoque, the property unfolds across 45 acres of beautifully kept grounds in the heart of the Thousand Islands. Water, gardens, mature trees and the marina surround a celebration that already feels like a little escape before the first guest has taken their seat.

The river is the heart of it.

Couples can exchange vows surrounded by the grounds, then wander toward the shoreline for photographs while boats move through the islands beyond them.

Inside, there are two very different ways to gather.

The private second-floor loft creates an intimate setting for around 60 guests seated for dinner, making it lovely for a wedding where everyone feels close to the story unfolding.

For a larger celebration, the main dining room can welcome up to around 110 guests for a seated reception, or 130 for cocktails. Its spacious veranda looks toward the St. Lawrence, giving guests somewhere to step outside without ever really leaving the celebration.

Then there is the food.

The Ivy's culinary team draws on produce, cheeses and meats from local farmers and producers, making dinner feel connected to the region surrounding the wedding rather than simply served inside it.

There is something wonderfully romantic about dressing for a wedding while the Thousand Islands carry on beyond the windows.

The afternoon light catches the water.

Guests drift onto the veranda.

Glasses are raised while boats quietly pass in the distance.

And slowly, almost without anyone noticing, the river changes.

Blue becomes silver.

The islands become silhouettes.

Lights begin glowing from the restaurant and the carefully planned wedding starts becoming the part nobody could have planned at all: friends lingering over dinner, somebody crying during a speech, grandparents watching the dance floor and two newlyweds realizing that all these people came here for them.

For one evening, the St. Lawrence is not simply the view.

It becomes part of the memory.