Fort Wellington National Historic Site in Prescott, Ontario, exists to protect and interpret history. Built in the 19th century as a military defence post, it stands today as a carefully maintained record of the past—restored, preserved, and thoughtfully contextualized so future generations can understand what came before them. In a quiet but meaningful evolution, it has also begun to open its gates as an alternative wedding venue.
On an October afternoon, the site marked another small piece of history, hosting the first wedding ever held on its grounds.
For Cindy Lee and Adam, choosing Fort Wellington as their wedding venue was both natural and symbolic. Adam works at the site, and Cindy Lee works for Parks Canada as a conservator. Their professional lives revolve around the careful study and preservation of history, making this location a living archive rather than just a backdrop. In choosing it as a wedding venue, they embraced an alternative approach to celebrating their day, blending historical reverence with personal creativity.
Photography has long been one of the tools used to record history, but it has never been a perfect one. Long before Photoshop or artificial intelligence, photographs could deceive through framing, staging, lens choice, and film stock (or camera sensor now), among other things. What a camera records is shaped by what it is pointed toward and what it leaves out. And yet, despite its fallibility, photography remains one of the ways we attempt to hold onto fleeting moments, to create a record for the future. A historic site like Fort Wellington makes that tension visible. It reminds us that what survives is often incomplete, interpreted, or reconstructed and still deeply important.
Cindy Lee and Adam’s wedding embraced this idea fully. While they honoured the history of the site, they were not interested in merely repeating the past. Instead, they retained certain traditions and then deliberately departed from them, doing things in ways that felt true to them.
One of the most striking examples came at the end of the ceremony, when a “bridal army” of five women dressed in historic clothing stood to the side of the main ceremony area (for safety), and the groom called out commands as the “army” readied their weapons and took aim. It was the first time I had witnessed anything like it at a wedding, and fittingly, it was at a place defined by military history. The moment was unexpected, slightly surreal, and unforgettable – equal parts reverent and playful.
The handmade details echoed that same balance between preservation and invention. Cindy Lee crocheted her bouquet, as well as the flowers worn by the groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. In a setting where restoration is an act of care and patience, the choice to create something by hand felt especially meaningful. Unlike fresh flowers, these were made to last. Objects that could be kept, revisited, and remembered.
As much as this wedding was rooted in history, it was not about looking backward. It was about acknowledging the past while choosing to live fully in the present. Which is a beautiful metaphor for a marriage, really. The fort stands as a place where the past is studied and explained, but the wedding itself was a forward-looking act of commitment, imagination, and possibility.
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
― Søren Kierkegaard
Photography, too, inhabits this space between past and future. The images made at Fort Wellington will become records of a moment that no longer exists, imperfect but enduring. Cindy Lee and Adam did more than get married – they made history, their history. Proving that an alternative wedding venue can be a place where tradition meets imagination, and where memories are carefully and beautifully preserved.
Cindy Lee and Adam did not simply get married at a historic site. They added to its story. In doing so, they reminded us that history is not only something we preserve — it is something we continue to make.
- Venue: Fort Wellington National Historic Site, Prescott, Ontario
- Catering: Foodie Lu – Italien inspired street food
- Dress: Renewed with Love – Carleton Place
- Suit: Moores
- Bartenders: Coasters
I am Sara, an Ottawa Wedding Photographer based in the capital of Canada. If you are planning a celebration at an alternative wedding venue in Ontario, I would love to be your photographer! I’m available for engagement sessions, weddings, and elopements (mini-weddings) across Ontario, Canada, and internationally, and my style is a mix of documentary and art. I’m up for any style or tradition and would love to be a part of your adventure! Contact me today.
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Equipment used: Panasonic S5IIX and S5II with a Panasonic 70-200mm f/2.8, Panasonic 50mm f1.8, & Sigma 35mm f/2
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