hi everyone welcome to our wedding planning series
episode 2 our toronto wedding venue search just a quick little background about me my name is
teri and i am from just north of toronto canada i met my now husband anthony who's from the
united states in 2016. we have been long-distance our entire relationship so we ended up getting
engaged and married in a small little ceremony in april 2021 the border was still closed and
we were in lockdown here in canada or at least ontario at the time we didn't know when the
borders would open and we didn't want to wait so we got married but we really did want
to have a wedding celebration eventually so once the borders opened we started planning
our wedding now to everyone watching this specifically my friends and family now thinking oh
the wedding is in toronto so sorry the wedding's actually not going to be in canada we started
looking in the u.s and fell in love with the very first place we toured we kept it in the
back of our minds and wanted to give toronto and southwestern ontario a chance but ultimately
we did end up picking a beautiful venue in north carolina but if you are a toronto bride or
a soon-to-be married couple looking for a wedding venue in toronto this video is for you i hope
you enjoy all right starting with the guild inn estates when you pull up there's this beautiful
column structure and you have the reception hall to your right and then the gazebo pavilion to your
left we were most interested in the gazebo but we did look at one of the ballrooms just for fun of
all the ballrooms in toronto these were definitely the most outdoorsy ones at least from what i've
experienced most of the weddings that i've been to are ballroom reception halls but we wanted a more
rustic kind of venue we wanted an outdoor element as well but this would give you kind of a
best of both worlds with the big windows you can see outside and the trees and the gardens and
everything it would be a great option if you want that best of both worlds the chairs they provide
are these clear chairs i wanted more of a rustic farm table with no full-length linens if i
could get away with that and cross back chairs this wasn't my ideal but it's provided which is
great so this is the patio ceremony spot that they planned to tent but actually hadn't done yet
they didn't have any photos of what it looked like with the tent so i was kind of hesitant about it
at the time otherwise another option for ceremony is their gazebo which they've introduced glass
paneling making it weatherproof which is awesome but this is where we were actually considering
the reception to be since we didn't want that ballroom vibe it's got a really nice modern feel
with the outdoor element which was a big thing for me the other side was just a very blank white
wall where you could do the bar or the head table you kind of had options to customize the space
in here because it was a big open square kind of room i actually found this option by watching
Nitsan's wedding video on youtube she's a youtuber and she was planning her wedding in
toronto and i found her through her series she had a reception at the gazebo at guild inn
and they did it up really nice with like lights on the top of the ceiling i really was inspired
by her wedding to tour this venue a huge plus is that there's no wedding fee with a minimum number
which was great we were probably thinking we would hit that number because i have a huge family lots
of venues do have a fee on top of your catering if it's in-house which guild inn is they would have
a per person fee as well as a venue fee but this place didn't with your minimum number they did
have a ceremony fee though i believe it was two thousand dollars prices will change they will go
up as years go on so don't quote me on the prices if i mention any in the video uh just check out
the link below for all the venues that i feature they also had a tech fee and socan fee which
all venues have that fee for weddings and their service fee was definitely the highest of all
venues which makes sense since they don't have a venue fee another plus of this venue was they have
great grounds for photo opportunities you can see lake ontario this was april 2nd so not a lot
of growth in the area to see what it would look like in the summer wedding that we wanted but
definitely lots of photo opportunities then that patio for the ceremony i was talking about is
in front of the white building that's connected so if it were raining you would travel inside
from your ceremony to your reception if it wasn't you could go outside into the gazebo if that's
where you were having a reception otherwise to the ballroom while the gazebo had a good capacity
number i want to say it was like 400 for a seated dinner or maybe less than that i'm not sure
the patio really didn't feel like it could actually fit that number and everyone would be
sitting on an angle as well people would be here and then this will be what you can see behind
i don't know just some question marks there we did explore the grounds though which like i said
would be much more lush in the summer but they've got different sculptures and columns throughout
for great photo opportunities which is awesome next up is a venue called ravine it is a winery
in the niagara on the lake region we looked at their barrel cellar as an option for a rehearsal
dinner if you are having a smaller wedding you could have it in the barrel cellar there are
60 guests seated or 80 for cocktail and canapes so if you're thinking about a smaller wedding you
could have it there and this is our charcuterie room where we cure the meat oh fun but the ravine
event center was more our vibe and what we were going for with our number their max is 250 for
a seated dinner once you walk in there there's an entryway plus a little bridal suite that would
be accessible throughout the day i will just point out the floor is carpet it is a nice carpet like
it looks fancier it's 4 000 square feet inside the bar would be in the back and you can hang
stuff from that like wood hanging feature which i really liked plus i liked that like rustic feel
in there the number one part that i loved were the tables they were way more my vibe than guild inn
rustic and can be left uncovered or have like a sash of fabric in the middle like a runner that's
something i really like anthony loved the huge tv made up of tvs on the side which you can use on
the day and of course the wraparound terrace and huge windows looking out of the vineyard was
probably my favorite part of all the places we toured this was definitely my favorite in canada
but unfortunately it was much pricier there were of course other places that i loved that we didn't
tour that were either not good location wise or they were just way pricier like quite expensive i
mean all of these like averaged out to 200 a head for food if they were in house catering this one
is but anyways i did like that you could make use of the terrace during cocktail hour and everything
was in one spot very close together the ceremony would be on the lawn however you wanted it to face
it was completely up to you whether your altar was by the vines or on the other end or on the side
whichever but the aisle would basically go down the stairs and wherever your altar was you would
end up last thing i'll note about ravine is their pricing was kind of unknown so the wording on the
pamphlet kind of suggested that there was no venue fee but then also suggested that there was one
when we asked on the tour they did say that there was one but it depended on what day you picked i
don't know i was just confused by that and their per person plate in-house meal was very expensive
because it was farm to table which of course i love that idea it was a hefty cost per person with
all these like add-ons that we would have wanted would have made it even more expensive so the next
one is madison greenhouse this one is in newmarket so quite a bit north of toronto this one is
situated in a greenhouse like the name suggests you walk in and there's this cute heart archway
to your left there's the possible cocktail area with the ceremony spot that's indoors right beside
it then the reception area is through the archway it's a huge rectangular space the washrooms and
small offices are around the big wall with the stone feature like kind of towards the back of
it more so to the left but the main feature is obviously the trees which were my favorite part
definitely so picturesque plus the lights that hang through it makes it super magical and they
do remain up regardless the ceremony spot is also very green and full of nature which i loved then
their cocktail hour section has a bar and space to mingle with high top tables they're mostly like
garden style with that like mosaic tile which were super nice or you could cover them if you chose
quite a few of the photo spots were tucked away right behind the altar and you know throughout
the greenhouse there's different spots for photos the ceremony spot fits around 265 people i believe
on these like folded white chairs they have a mic that hangs through the branches above the arch
at the altar which is nice this would have been our only option for a ceremony spot they do
have an outdoor one but we were specifically considering winter slash colder months because it
gets quite hot in the greenhouse i forget what she said whether it was like five degrees hotter or
something like that than the outdoor temperature summer was definitely not an option for us even
though they do have fans going it would just be too hot the gold chairs that they have on site
are three dollars per chair not as much if you were to rent them from an outside company but the
first two venues you didn't have to pay for chairs separately which was a bonus of those the dance
floor is in the middle no matter what once we headed outside they have this open air covered
spot for cocktail hour during the nicer months plus a little smoking area that she noted then
the altar would be under the gazebo chairs could be placed in the like open paved space so mostly a
summer fall option with the trees all around would make it a beautiful space jumping back inside you
have the bar which maybe someone's vibe i didn't really love it myself they have a cool room that's
accessible close to there and the bonus of this venue which is not common i don't think is you can
bring your own booze by that i mean you purchase a liquor license for your event and then you buy and
bring the booze for the bartenders to serve rather than having it lumped into your catering fee that
is a great option to save money usually an open bar fee is like way more expensive than what you'd
actually be drinking our venue that we picked has that option but none of the other venues in canada
that we even researched had that option you could save a lot of money there but there is a hefty
venue fee associated with it so with the fact that the catering is actually outsourced they
have a list of suggested or i believe required caterers that they use but they're technically
outsourced so they may be a bit cheaper than some of the other in-house catering options from
this whole venue list but the kitchen was behind the bar close to the bar area and a little bit
tucked away but mostly open and they didn't have a working oven so catering companies would cook
off-site and bring in the food or bring their own cooking set up that would be outside and just
kind of go in and out from there and prepare your plated meals and then beside the kitchen there's
this spot with couches where kids usually end up is what she was saying they do have a bridal and
groom suite kind of tucked away in this area as well that you would have access to they do have an
actual house that we didn't get to tour that you do have access to if you pay a certain amount more
money it is like right on site so that is a plus if you want that option for an additional cost all
right next up is Kortright center for conservation it is a bit of a walk from the parking to
the main building but it has a really nice drive on the way in that unfortunately i did not
get to film but right inside there's a gift shop that is covered when it's closed this is the main
hall reception spot or an inside ceremony spot it doesn't fit as many people as the downstairs space
which we were most interested in unlike ravine this place actually has some really outdated
carpet one of the features i really did not like about this venue unfortunately the first ceremony
spot is the forest path Kortright ceremony spots are definitely the highlight of this place when
it's all lush and green in the summer there are some really pretty opportunities for photos plus
you have the whole grounds for photo opportunities here and while we didn't explore so much of that
area by looking online there are some gorgeous epic spots that you can get like throughout the
trees definitely research the photos of this place they can get quite aesthetic and gorgeous and then
we'll have a signing table off to the side like to sign the marriage license okay and then your
guests will be right here yeah so this is called the forest path stand there at the bottom
the chairs are going to go like this and then they're flaring out and then the stump
is going to be in your photos okay but yeah all green right all of the sights are very pretty
it's just a matter of preference the one sad thing about this place though is probably the nicest
spot for reception wouldn't fit our guest list i have a huge family like i said and our draft one
list was just about 300 people and the glass house would only fit around 120 so we were planning to
have this spot as our backup ceremony spot since you could seat more people in like a theater style
but it would make a great cocktail hour space you have access to the whole grounds like i said
there's a later start time because this place is open to the public during the day but you have
the area to choose from you just need to timeline it a little bit ahead of time where you want each
section of your event to be held farther from the building is the best ceremony spot in our personal
opinion you can't actually have the lights turned on here unless you got a generator but during the
day it wouldn't really be necessary it just adds to the beauty of the space i will say that when i
was trying to figure out how many people could be seated i don't know if that many people could
be in a row so it might have a lot of rows if you have a large guest list so that was one of my
concerns so were contemplating the other ceremony spots but this is definitely our favorite
going back through and past the glass house you've got the forest gallery which would have
been our reception space it's an l-shaped space so the bar would be when you first walk in whether
from the stairs or from outside and it features ceiling to floor windows with beautiful views
you're basically like suspended in the trees which is nice but you do have to pay for the lights to
be on they have them strung on the beams and they stay there but you do have to pay to have them
turned on and because this is a conservation space there are classrooms behind those white doors on
that white wall on the left of the space the one thing i hated about the space was it that it was
so closed off because of it if only they could get rid of those classrooms and the carpet but
of course i understand it is an education space a conservation space it is a converted wedding
venue space they do have a ceremony fee they don't have a venue fee but that ceremony fee does
provide you with these white folding chairs which you can use for your reception if you want i want
to say that there was a cost for that though or it was provided i'm not sure otherwise you get
the gross plastic lawn chairs that you could cover if you wanted to but we would have had to rent
outside chairs for an event here and they do have an event company that they work with for rentals
and their catering is in-house with a company called peter and paul's otherwise there is no
reception fee so of all the places we did consider this was one of the cheaper options of them and
also one of anthony's favorite venues it was the one that we would have leaned towards the most in
canada if we chose to have our wedding in canada i really liked how they have this wraparound patio
you could use during the night as like a space for fresh air or a great spot for people to mingle
during cocktail hour you do have to pay extra for the fire spot to be lit up for a like s'mores kind
of thing just so you know the next wedding venue is club roma it is also in the niagara region it
is another reception hall with an outdoor option kind of venue i had to use the bathroom so i
filmed a little bit of the bathrooms they're quite nice and then they have this champagne
wall lying around so i believe you could use it as an addition to your event which is awesome
but we were mostly here for the garden pavilion so it's this giant covered space with side panels
that can cover the sides if you want or they can be left open weather permitting so a great option
just like the gazebo at guild inn the lights in the middle do stay on but provides a beautiful
touch to this venue and a huge fan at the top as well can be run if it were a hot day which is
awesome then you have access to a covered bar area and an outdoor space the one thing i hated
though is you could see the huge garbage bins right next to the wedding the other thing that
i didn't love is the retirement slash apartment building i forget what it was it's quite an
eyesore they did assure us that the trees would fill up in the summer and you wouldn't be able
to see it but i don't know how much i believed that because like it was right there and there
weren't that many trees but they did have like a garden space surrounding the pavilion but not as
much as what i was anticipating based on what they advertised so opportunities for photos there but
i don't know how much then their biggest outdoor ceremony spot is shared amongst the ballroom
you have a set schedule i believe the garden pavilion is designated for a certain time it is
a beautiful nice space but behind it is a soccer field which i do trust that the trees would fill
out enough so that you wouldn't be able to see it it wouldn't be that you couldn't hear it if there
was an event going on so i think depending on their schedule for this soccer club whether you'd
be able to hear it during your event so i felt like that was a bit of a gamble for me they also
have a smaller ceremony spot with trees that are like scattered throughout wouldn't accommodate our
guest list but is an option for a smaller event and then walking back inside they showed us all
of their accessories that they have they're for no additional cost so you have access to anything
on a first come first serve basis for your night which is great a very great touch to this venue
and then i think you could pick between the clear and the gold chairs for no additional cost as well
they did have no venue fee another great plus and their catering was actually quite reasonable the
least expensive of any of the venues in this video but because of how inexpensive it was and all
the additions this place was booked up their availability was quite slim and we were looking
at the venue like more than a year out they also have a locked bridal suite you'd be able to access
that's inside near the reception rooms and the bar is outside this space in the hallway then there's
also an inside ceremony space that they use for rainy days as a backup they have their two
reception hall spaces this last one was actually really cool they had a starry sky with like
shooting stars going across the ceiling which was wild and then they had the gold chairs laid out
that you can see here last but not least we toured holland marsh which is also another venue a little
bit more up north of toronto newmarket area as well it is a winery and it has these two beautiful
outdoor areas and spots for photos one by the pond and the other one is closer to the vines the
altar would probably be like right up against the tree line or really wherever on the grass area but
quite picturesque and nice as an outdoor ceremony spot another ceremony spot could also fit people
on the stone patio area would not accommodate as many people or you could do that as a rainy day
backup open the doors i think and have the chairs inside and then have your altar just outside or
what we were going to do was have our cocktail space be on this patio space you could have those
barrels used as like high top tables i believe you had access to a certain amount of them for your
wedding but unfortunately you couldn't leave the doors open so i would have liked like an in and
out kind of situation they said unless it's a ceremony we leave the doors open but not for like
a cocktail hour you would have to go like through their front door area into the reception so this
is this is where that is tiny little foyer space and then into the main reception space it gives
me like northern muskoka cottage log house vibes very much with all the like natural wood in there
and there was quite a few windows so provided a good amount of natural light which is always
great i just didn't love the orangey wood as much the bar is situated in the back and they do
have stairs going up to a space that you could use for any overflow guests that they can't
accommodate on like the main floor and then the bridal suite is up there as well very cute
tiny little space for last-minute touch-ups and getting ready and they do have their chairs stored
upstairs as well the crossback chairs were an extra charge but definitely the ones we would have
gone with otherwise they have their like banquet hall style ones to your right that wasn't a charge
i don't think but ultimately the best part of the tour which i did not expect was at the end they
were like okay ready for the best part we're like what let's taste the wines and i was like okay
they let us have a sample tasting of each of the wines that would be part of your day they did have
a venue fee at this location but they have wine included and all the house wines on the list you
get to taste so that was the best part catering was outsourced as well but they had a list of
the catering that they go with so that maybe might offset the venue cost a little bit but that
was the last venue we toured and it capped off with the wine tasting and the wine was very good
i will say so those were all the wedding venues we toured in toronto and southwestern ontario none of
them really took our breath away like the one that we picked in north carolina we were comparing
both the pricing and the outdoor features to the one that we loved and nothing price wise
and like views wise compared so that was why we didn't pick any of those venues here
they could be great options for you i hope you found some value in it like i said all
the links to each and every venue will be down below if you want to take a look if you did like
this video please don't forget to give it a like and comment down below which venue was your
favorite and please don't forget to subscribe if you have not already thanks again for watching
everyone and i hope you have a wonderful day bye
