Art of the Wedding:
7 ways to live out
your romantic fantasies

With 2022 poised to be the year of the wedding, as couples finally feel free to plan the celebrations of their dreams, the newly published Art of the Wedding by Relais & Châteaux (Rizzoli) provides irresistible inspiration while showcasing the most coveted wedding locations in North America.

The Romance of the Sea - Ocean House, Rhode Island, USA

For many couples, getting married by the water is a longtime dream. At Ocean House, in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, old-world elegance meets the barefoot, salt-tinged ease of the beach. It’s known for its glamorous receptions with oceanfront views and surprising sophistication. One creative couple completely transformed a spacious, open-air tent into a brilliant aviary filled with butterflies, a kaleidoscope of colors, and vibrant flowers spilling out of birdcage centerpieces. The inventive decor celebrated the transporting beauty of summer by the sea, but also showcased the trend for transforming a standard tent or ballroom with immersive decor stretching all the way to the ceiling.

The tent, on the lawn between the Ocean House and the actual ocean, is illuminated romantically as the sunset. © Dave Robbins Photography

City Sophistication - The Ivy Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

In a sumptuously decorated jewel of a mansion in the historic heart of Baltimore, Maryland, you can live out your fantasy of marrying in Gilded Age splendor. The Ivy Hotel, an 1889 historic residence with just eighteen luxurious suites, feels both intimate and grand, as if you had invited guests to your manor home for the weekend. Its elegant interior courtyard provides a private escape within the city, while the excellent restaurant offers the best of Chesapeake Bay seafood and specialties. As small weddings gain in popularity, The Ivy can provide turnkey services, from an officiant to flowers to music, to make your wedding or elopement not only beautiful, but blissfully stress-free.

For the editor of a Baltimore weddings magazine who knows every venue in the city, The Ivy is her first choice for an intimate, early fall wedding in the courtyard, with dinner and dancing to a three-piece combo. © Nessa K Photography

Rural Reverie - The Fearrington House, Pittsboro, North Carolina, USA

For those whose tastes lean more toward rolling green pastures dotted with cows, and farmhouses transformed into luxe yet relaxed accommodations, The Fearrington House, in Pittsboro, North Carolina, offers a historic farm village dedicated to charming you and your guests with Southern hospitality. With the current penchant for rustic barn weddings, Fearrington takes it up a notch with beautiful pergola-framed gardens, on-staff wedding planners and floral designers, and delicious farm-fresh cuisine. This picturesque village boasts a variety of venues to host the rehearsal dinner to the farewell brunch, so your guests never need leave the premises.

The brides are standing in front of the Fearrington House Restaurant. © Krystal Kast Photography

Winter Wonderland - Post Hotel & Spa, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Proof that destination weddings can be just as spectacular in winter: Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Canadian Rockies, the Post Hotel & Spa, in Lake Louise, Canada, offers stunning scenery year-round, but it’s perhaps at its most magical in winter. Blanketed and frosted in snow, and nestled among towering pines on the Pipestone River, this rustic, enchanting lodge is ideal for smaller weddings with an old-fashioned, alpine flavor. Unspoiled natural beauty and outdoor activities are the draw here, along with the gourmet cuisine and wine cellar, but it’s the warm and welcoming spirit that keeps people coming back.

A groom, at right, and his brothers and groomsmen share a laugh beside the skating rink, with the awe-inspiring backdrop of the Canadian Rockies. On the left is Mount Temple, the highest mountain in the area. © Erika and Lanny Mann / Two Mann Studios

Tropical Paradise - Las Mañanitas Hotel Garden Restaurant & Spa, Cuernavaca, Mexico

Thanks to its ideal climate year-round, Cuernavaca, Mexico, is known as the “city of eternal spring.” Surrounded by the lush gardens and exotic birds at Las Mañanitas, you will feel transported to paradise. Now that borders are open, couples are returning to the fantasy of a destination wedding in a magnificent tropical locale. This intimate, old-world hotel is known for its heritage Mexican cuisine and spectacular grounds, an ideal setting for weddings of all sizes. For the springtime wedding of the owners’ daughter, they channeled the sunny, fragrant beauty of the Amalfi coast with lemon trees, fresh herbs, and abundant yellow flowers, and set tables amidst dramatically lit gardens for an unforgettable event.

Many guests are seated for dinner in the garden. A tall pergola was constructed using all-natural materials, and dramatically lit to showcase the flowers. Candlelit tables and lighting throughout the gardens created a warm, inviting glow. © Courtesy of Las Mañanitas

A Window on the Past - Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

In the heart of Québec City’s Old Port, on an archaeological site steeped in centuries of history, Auberge Saint-Antoine melds museum with modern luxury hotel, and contemporary design with reverence for the past. Intimate weddings can be hosted in a private dining room in the 1822 warehouse where schooner sails were once repaired. Thick plaster walls, centuries-worn wooden floors, and nautical ropes imbue events with the romance of the past and the warmth of rustic simplicity. Hand-loomed linen, wood, and pewter, along with natural foliage and dried grasses, speak to the timeless warmth and authenticity of natural materials especially coveted today.

On the left: The bride and groom share a toast at their November wedding. His burgundy tuxedo and boutonniere hint at the autumnal palette of the reception, while her simple yet elegant gown provide modern contrast to the centuries-old setting.

On the right: In Canada, it is often customary for the bride and groom to sit at their own table so they can have a few private moments of conversation amidst all the celebration. Layered linen tablecloths complement the rough-hewn plaster walls, and wooden candlesticks echoed the centuries-old, wide-plank wooden warehouse floors. The flowers evoke the foraged beauty of a walk in the woods. © Cagdas Yoldas (photographer) / Foudamour Mélanie Aubin (designer)

Pioneer Spirit - The Ranch At Rock Creek, Philipsburg, Montana, USA

Feel like you’re on top of the world at the aptly named Paradise Peak at the Ranch at Rock Creek in Philipsburg, Montana. Tucked within a scenic, unspoiled valley with the Pintler Mountains as a majestic backdrop, this authentic but luxurious ranch was built around an original 19th-century homestead and barn. Weddings are generally a weekend-long affair, with everything from Blue Ribbon fly fishing and hiking to a rodeo or pig roast on the itinerary, while guests have the entire resort all to themselves. With the thunderous running of the horses across the valley timed to when a couple says “I do,” it’s a wedding experience unlike any other, which for many couples is the ultimate goal.