Tying the knot at Second Paradise Retreat

We know we live in a very special place, here at the end of our little spur of Second Peninsula, and we love sharing it with guests who come here on their Nova Scotia family vacations. But in addition to appealing to families who want a seaside retreat away from the hustle and bustle, we also seem to appeal to the romantic streak in couples, and so we find ourselves happily hosting weddings.

We recently hosted yet another wedding here at Second Paradise Retreat, and the event was as close to picture perfect as you can get. Under sunny skies, wedding guests strolled through the field and down the path from the Farmhouse to the ceremony site by the beach. The happy couple said their vows with the sparkling waters of Hebb Narrows as a backdrop, while dozens of guests looked on.

Then it was back up to the Farmhouse for a barbeque, followed by a party into the night at the Loft, where guests could wander in and out of the glass double-doors onto the huge deck for a view of the moonlit sea. Once the party was over, most of the guests didn’t have far to go, since many friends and family members were housed in the Farmhouse and two cottages, while the bride and groom stayed on to honeymoon in the Loft. Our many bedrooms can comfortably house about 25 people (double occupancy), so most of a wedding party can stay right on the site, an arrangement which lends itself to a relaxed atmosphere and extended visiting opportunities among family and friends.

Of course, the Second Paradise Retreat isn’t the right wedding site for all couples. We can’t host really large events because we are, after all, a small rural retreat. (The biggest wedding we’ve hosted had 63 guests, but we’re more comfortable with 30 to 40.) We don’t have massive parking lots for guests’ cars, and we rely on wells for our water supply.

We also like to keep the total environmental impact of our Nova Scotia vacation rentals business as small as possible, so we don’t like to have portable chemical toilets on the property (we have several bathrooms available in the Loft and Farmhouse), and we ask wedding parties to participate in the three R’s of responsible living: Reducing the amount of waste and the total footprint of an event, Recycling (and composting) as many of the throw-away materials from a party, and using as many reusable party items as possible.

For brides- and grooms-to-be who share this environmental philosophy, Second Paradise Retreat is a wonderful place to tie the knot at any time of the year. And if the weather isn’t ideal on the big day and an outdoor wedding was planned, the Loft can easily accommodate both the ceremony and the reception for a small wedding party.

We’ve really enjoyed working with couples to create memories of a relaxed wedding, in a beautiful and comfortable setting, surrounded by family, friends, and sea. With several more weddings already on the books, we look forward to more of these magical days here at Second Paradise Retreat.