Joyland Beach Community Centre

A wedding at the Joyland Beach Community Centre has a warm, neighbourly feel, from the covered porch and grand entryway to a hall with vaulted ceilings in a lakeside community on Lake Simcoe.

The centre stands in Ramara, in the Joyland Beach community just outside McRae Provincial Park. The land was a farm bought by Earl and Ethel Joyce in 1948, and the hall sits where the barn once stood. Residents built the 5,000 square foot centre on volunteer hours starting in 1990, and a volunteer association still runs it today.

The main hall covers about 2,700 square feet and seats around 150 comfortably. It has a bar area and a certified commercial kitchen stocked with dishes and serveware, and tables and chairs are included at no extra charge.

The grounds are large enough for an outdoor ceremony with rented chairs, so couples can say their vows outside and then move indoors for dinner and dancing. There is plenty of parking.

Couples look after their own setup, cleanup, liquor licence and event insurance, which makes this a hands-on, personal kind of celebration.

For couples who picture a relaxed lakeside community wedding planned their own way, the Joyland Beach Community Centre offers a celebration that feels welcoming and down to earth.

• Outdoor ceremonies
• Gardens and grounds
• Sound system and audio-visual
• Parking on site