Looking for a wedding venue in and around the Kitchener-Waterloo area? The Stella Co Venues (Cellar 52, Timber Barn, Elle by Stella) are some of my absolute favourite places to shoot weddings. They are all located in St. Jacobs, super close to Kitchener-Waterloo and even comfortable driving distance from places like Toronto and London, and are such a dream for photographers, couples, and wedding guests alike.

Check out the menu below to jump ahead and learn more about why I love these venues so much:

Who Is Stella Co
An Introduction To Cellar 52
An Introduction To Timber Barn
An Introduction to Elle By Stella
Five Reasons why I Love The Stella Co Venues
Jenna & tyler’s elle by stella wedding - Mini Gallery
emily & cole’s cellar 52 wedding - Mini Gallery
Alley & Jamie’s Timber Barn Wedding - Mini Gallery

Continue reading below to learn more about the Stella Co wedding venues, or get in touch today to learn more about planning your wedding photography at one of these amazing venues.

Who Is Stella Co?

The Stella Collective, or Stella Co, is an amazing women-led business that operates in the St. Jacobs area, just outside of Kitchener-Waterloo. They own a number of gorgeous venues as well as a catering business and boutique hotel. Stella Co is known for its absolutely amazing accommodations, wonderful food, and as the perfect location for couples looking to have their weddings in the area.

The Stella Collective was started 15 years ago by a group of three best friends, who grew their business and have always been dedicated to great food and helping others plan the perfect celebration. When planning your wedding, the venue is so important. The great thing about choosing on the Stella Co venues is that you know you will always be respected and well taken care of throughout the entire process.

The Stella Co wedding venues are perfectly decorated and will act as an amazing backdrop for your wedding photos, while you and your guys get to enjoy the top-notch service and all the perks these venues have to offer.

Cellar 52: An Introduction

Cellar 52 is located at 1430 King St N in St. Jacobs. It is a historic building, first built in 1852 as a lodging hotel. Now, Stella Co has completely renovated the space and it is absolutely stunning! With a perfect mix of historic charm, rustic vibes, and an elegant feel, this is one of the most beautiful venues to have your wedding.

Check out the video below shot by Bonsai Creative and a few wedding photos of Emma & Nathan’s Cellar 52 wedding to see just how gorgeous this venue really is.

Emma & Nathan’s 2021 wedding at Cellar 52 in St. Jacobs

Cellar 52 is an excellent choice whether you plan on having a larger wedding or a small, intimate gathering. They can host more than 150 guests, and no matter how big or small your wedding is, your guests will definitely be ‘wowed’ by the venue. Not only that, but this is an excellent venue choice no matter what time of year you’re planning your wedding for.

If you’re looking for a summer riverside wedding ceremony or a cozy evening reception out on the patio bar, there really is something for everyone and every taste. If you want to have your ceremony and reception at the same location, Cellar 52 does it all. Some of the exclusive venue features you’ll get with Cellar 52 include:

- Unlimited onsite parking
- Two totally decked out private wedding suites
- All-day venue access
- Options of indoor, patio, or riverside ceremonies
- In-house caterer with customizable menu & packages from Gilt Catering
- Hotel 52 accommodations

And so much more! You can check out the full list of venue features and learn more about Cellar 52 here.

Timber Barn: An Introduction

Timber Barn is another Stella Co venue located at 8 Spring St in St. Jacobs. This wedding venue is self-described as “rustic-meets-chic” and I couldn’t agree more. If you are looking for a venue that has a sophisticated feel with hints of rustic vibes, you’ve definitely come to the right place.

Timber Barn seamlessly combines rustic with modern

Timber Barn provides a gorgeous backdrop for you and your guests to enjoy both your ceremony and reception if you want a space that can accommodate both. It has two floors, which helps to provide distinct spaces for your ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and reception.

When you choose Timber Barn as your wedding venue, you’ll find these amazing features:

- Onsite kitchen
- Exclusive catering by Gilt Catering
- Local accommodations
- Gorgeous courtyard with string lights
- Pre-day and day-of coordination
- Wedding suite

This list is by no means exhaustive. Timber Barn, like all Stella Co venues, have so much to offer. Like the feel of this gorgeous venue? Learn more about what this venue has to offer here.

Elle By Stella: An Introduction

Elle By Stella is Stella Co’s newest venue addition. It’s located at 635 Hawkesville Rd in St. Jacobs. This picture-perfect wedding venue is nestled into the Conestoga riverside and surrounded by gorgeous greenery and four acres of land.

Elle By Stella has tons of outdoor space for your ceremony or outdoor cocktail hour - and the outdoor space is truly amazing. Just a few features include a beautiful gazebo, a water feature, and perfectly manicured gardens.

Jenna & Tyler’s Elle by Stella Wedding

Like all Stella Co venues, Elle by Stella has been designed with great care and is immaculate. It’s elegant, modern, and bright - and perfect for the couple who wants to take advantage of its outdoor spaces.

When you choose Elle by Stella for your wedding, you’ll get these great features:

- Access to The Garden Terrace: A beautiful stone patio overlooking the landscaped gardens with an outdoor bar, a covered veranda, chandeliers, and more.
- Gilt Catering exclusive in-house catering: Gilt Catering is part of The Stella Collective and is the exclusive caterer for this venue. You’ll have not only access to their amazing dishes, but also their curated wine selections, craft beer, and more.
- Access to The Wisteria Room: This airy and elegant indoor space features 14 feet ceilings can host dinner, dancing, and offers an alternative ceremony space if you prefer an indoor ceremony.

Want to learn more about Elle by Stella? See why I love this venue here.

Five Reasons Why I Love The Stella Co Venues As a Photographer

I have had the honour of shooting multiple weddings at all three of the Stella Co venues, and I can say with confidence that they are some of the very best in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. I love shooting weddings at these gorgeous venues, and here some of the reasons why.

1. the team at stella co is amazing to work with

As a wedding photographer, I am here to document your special day. We all know that weddings can feel stressful, but they really shouldn’t. When everything works out as planned and you have a great team of vendors and support people, you should have excited butterflies, not stressful butterflies!

The team at Stella Co has been a dream to work with as a photographer, but also seeing how amazing they are with everyone involved in the wedding. I shot a lot of weddings during the 2021 lockdowns, including some at Stella Co venues.

Watching how they adapted so quickly to all of the changes couples had to make in order to comply with government guidelines gave me the utmost confidence in the Stella Co team. No matter what got thrown their way, they always made sure that the couple had the perfect day.

2. The Venues are Beautiful

Of course, this may seem obvious, but it has to be said - the Stella Co wedding venues are absolutely gorgeous and are so much fun to work with as a photographer! The three venues listed above have their own very unique style and features, but are all elegant and modern.

It is such a great experience when you see the look on a couple’s face when they are truly in love with the venue, and so much fun seeing the reaction from all of their guests. These venues will truly make you and your guests feel so, so special on your big day and that is so worth it!

3. st. jacobs is a gorgeous location

If you’ve never been to St. Jacobs, you should definitely plan even just a few hours touring around the town. It is a super cute, quaint town located just 15 minutes north of Kitchener. It has tons of historic buildings and unique shops and cafés. It is an amazing backdrop for photos of just the couple or with your whole wedding party.

If you have a big gap between your ceremony and reception, it’s a great place for your guests to explore and grab some food while you take pictures. And one of the best parts about it is that it is a smaller town, which means you probably won’t have to deal with crowds or busy city streets when looking for photo locations.

4. i love supporting local businesses

The Stella Collective team is comprised of three local best friends who are entrepreneurs and honestly care about giving local couples an amazing experience. It is amazing to see other local businesses flourish, and it’s been exciting watching as their business has grown and expanded over the last few years.

When you work with a local business, you’ll often get really unique, personal touches that other venues may not be able to offer. It is so clear that this team cares about couples and their big days, and they always put their experience and expertise to work for you.

5. they offer ceremony & reception space

It is always a bonus when a venue is able to offer space for both your ceremony and reception. If that is something you are interested in, the Stella Co venues are really the perfect choice! A wedding photographer is there to capture your unique story, and taking pictures at the same location can look amazing when all of the photos have the same vibe and a similar backdrop.

Of course, even if you are do have your ceremony or reception elsewhere (for example, if you want to get married in a church that is meaningful for you, or plan to have your reception at your family farm), these are still beautiful and accommodating venues no matter what your plans may be.

Stella Co Wedding Venue Galleries

It has been such a pleasure having the opportunity to shoot multiple weddings at the Stella Co venues over the last few years. If you are interested in seeing what a Stella Co wedding can look like, I’ve curated a few mini-galleries for you to get an idea of what you can expect if you decide to book a Stella Co venue for your wedding.

Jenna & tyler’ s elle by stella wedding - Mini Gallery

Jenna and Tyler got married in August 2022 and had their wedding at Elle by Stella. The beautiful outdoor ceremony had perfect weather (as you can see from the photos!) and was a blast to shoot. In this gallery, you can see some of the unique features that this venue has to offer, like the gorgeous outdoor patio with elegant lighting and seating for your guests to sit back, chat, and enjoy a cocktail.

Emily & Cole’s cellar 52 wedding - mini gallery

Emily and Cole had their wedding in the summer of 2022 at Cellar 52, and it was a truly magical day! From this gallery, you will really get to see the gorgeous mix of rustic and elegant elements that the Cellar 52 venue has to offer. You’ll also get to see a sneak peak of what it looks like to take couples photos after the wedding in and around St. Jacobs (spoiler: it’s amazing!)

Alley & Jamie’s Timber Barn Wedding - Mini Gallery

Alley and Jamie had a gorgeous fall wedding in October 2022. This fall has been particularly beautiful, and you can see that from the amazing, vivid fall colours captured in their wedding photos. This gallery really captures the beauty that Timber Barn has to offer, with its rustic wooden accents, modern fixtures, and amazing outdoor space.

Meet Julie: Your Ontario Wedding Photographer

Did you love those Stella Co venues as much as I do? You can learn more about booking one of the venues for your big day here. If you’re getting ready for your wedding and are looking for a photographer to capture your gorgeous Stella Co venue wedding, I would love to hear more about your plans. I am passionate about capturing the big & little moments alike and sharing the unique story of your day. I love getting to know couples in the process and would be absolutely honoured to be a part of your special day!

Cheers. xx