Keating Farm

Keating Farm feels like the sort of place where a wedding weekend could become a memory before the ceremony has even begun. Set in the Cowichan Valley between Victoria and Nanaimo, the working farm combines a restored late-1800s farmhouse, heritage buildings, orchards and sweeping, peaceful countryside, with couples and their closest people able to settle into the property and let the outside world feel a little farther away.

The ceremony can take several forms. Vows can be exchanged outdoors with panoramic valley views, beneath old hazelnut, walnut and chestnut trees in the orchard, inside the timber hay barn or beside the warmth of the farmhouse great hall. Receptions can follow on outdoor terraces, in the charming barn, in the farmhouse dining room or among the romantic gardens, allowing the setting to change with the size and feeling of the celebration.

On-site accommodation is available in three converted agricultural buildings, giving some loved ones the chance to remain on the farm overnight. Couples interested in a farm-to-table element can also work with caterers and incorporate products grown or raised on the property, from herbs, honey and orchard produce to other farm ingredients. Because Keating is still a working farm, only a limited number of weddings are hosted each year.

There is history in the buildings here, but the wedding does not have to feel formal or frozen in time. It can be barefoot-in-the-grass beautiful, candlelit and intimate, or full of long tables and the noise of everyone you love. The loveliest part may simply be waking up on the farm and realizing that the place holding today's celebration has been growing, changing and gathering stories for generations.

• Outdoor ceremonies
• Indoor and outdoor options, with a plan for rain
• Gardens and grounds
• A barn for the celebration
• A historic setting
• Rooms for guests on site
• A patio or terrace