It’s like an an old world inn somewhere in the English countryside. The original limestone house dates back to 1860, and its lovely dining rooms and guest suites feature fine wallpaper, pleated curtains, and antique furniture. 

Out of the wide range of wedding venues in the County, Waring House, which boasts 50 rooms, is a mainstay. The celebrated, historic inn is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Wedding planner Melinda Limbertie brought her 35 years of experience here about five years ago.

While the pandemic shut down large events and catering businesses in Toronto, it put the County on the map. Couples shifted to smaller, outdoor weddings — and that has not changed. Now they just want larger outdoor weddings.

The Waring House also continues to see large demand for elopements and micro-weddings, something Ms. Limbertie attributes to tighter budgets. 

“Some people spend as much as a down payment on a house for a wedding,” she noted, but that kind of extravagance is out of reach for many. “These days the bride and groom have to pay for the majority of it.”

This shift, Ms. Limbertie noted, plays to one of her strengths as a wedding planner.

“One of the things I’m very good at is helping couples not spend too much money.”

Small things add up. Ms. Limbertie advises couples to make the wedding cake the dessert. Waring House kitchen staff will cut, garnish and serve the cake to guests, a small maneuver that saves about ten dollars per person. 

The Waring House offers packages which include a garden ceremony under the gazebo, linens, dinner, staff — and Ms. Limbertie, who is available on site all day and into the evening.  

The first package, at $120 per guest, includes a meal and reception in Waring Hall. For $150 per guest, two glasses of wine are included. The top tier, at $180 per guest, includes everything plus hors d’oeuvres and a late night snack. That puts a wedding for 100 at Waring House at about 15,000 to $18,000. A steal.

For all the other elements – photographers, florists, and officiants — they have a go-to list of tried and true suggestions. All the way through, Ms. Limbertie simplifies the process and helps couples get married without going overboard. 

It’s also a far cry from the complex coordination required in Toronto, where Ms. Limbertie worked for Daniel et Daniel, a casualty of the pandemic. Then, she brought the catering to a wedding location. 

“I had to hire my staff, I had to hire my kitchen, I had to do all the rentals, bring all the liquor. There’s a lot that’s involved when you do something like that,” she said. “Here it’s really simple, all in one beautiful place.”

In addition to offering a Bridal Cottage to the main couple, the Waring House can reserve guest rooms at a preferential rate for guests of the wedding. During peak season, about half the room bookings are from people attending weddings either there or elsewhere in the County. 

Ms. Limbertie recognizes that couples looking for a rustic barn won’t find it here. “It’s a banquet hall that we have here with round tables, and we cover the chairs and have bows,” she notes.

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful room, but a lot of brides who come out to the County are looking for that County feel, whether in a barn or a vineyard or outside underneath a tent. But that’s when it starts to get expensive. You need to rent the tent, you need to rent the tables, you need to rent the chairs.”

Instead, The Waring House ignites the hearts of couples looking for old world charm. In June, when the irises are in bloom, it’s easy to be charmed.