La Salette Historic Church

At La Salette Historic Church, couples meet at the front of a red carpet beneath soaring vaulted ceilings, with coloured light falling through stained glass in a quiet corner of Norfolk County.

This Gothic Revival church stands in the small hamlet of La Salette and is owned and run by the community as a home for weddings, concerts and theatre. First built in 1881, it was rebuilt in 1913 after a fire, and its interior holds its own against the big city cathedrals of Montreal and Toronto.

The church is 113 feet long, with a 90-foot entrance tower and a roof carried on 12 columns. Guests come in under the choir balcony, and the ceremony takes place on the raised chancel at the north end. It seats more than 300.

Outside, a pavilion, lawns and gardens offer spots for photos, and there is plenty of parking.

Next door, the La Salette Community Hall started life as a one-room schoolhouse in 1906. It now rents for gatherings of 10 to 150, with a full kitchen and a backyard patio, a fit for a family dinner or a smaller celebration.

La Salette is less than an hour's drive from Hamilton, Cambridge and London.

For couples who picture a grand church ceremony with stained glass and lofty arches in a peaceful country setting, La Salette Historic Church offers a wedding that feels both historic and heartfelt.

• A historic setting
• A patio or terrace