Wedding Planning...

[ilovethiswebsite]

So I totally realize I should be posting this in Brides World Wide - but I am going to post it here cause I find there is more activity in this forum, plus you guys always offer great advice!

So we are trying to book a venue for our wedding. We originally wanted a destination wedding but because we are getting married next summer, it will be too hot down south and too $ (no deals during the summer).

Soooo back to the city we go... We have narrowed down our search to 3 potential types of venues. Please keep in mind we want an intimate wedding, no more than 120 people.

1) Restaurant wedding with a ceremony on the outside garden patio http://www.oliverbonacini.com/aubergemovie.html (click on gallery to view pics). Very intimate setting - and minimal planning will have to occur... Also food is 5 star and will be AMAZING.

2) A castle wedding (which only lets you rent the entire floor - which is huge - but gorgeous - but maybe more $ than we wanted to spend and very grandiose)... also - they only have Friday and Sunday available. http://www.casaloma.org/Catering/ Ries on pricescope has beautiful pictures of her wedding there... ex. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/this-is-for-you-skippy-our-wedding-non-pro-pics.71822/. Beautiful location, unique, but food might not be fantastic and it''s not the original type of intimiate wedding we had in mind...

3) A local historic inn which has a hotel, spa, reception hall and garden outside http://www.oldmilltoronto.com/index.php Great because all our family is coming in from out of town but it''s not really our style per se... very rustic and I doubt food will be as good as at the restaurant (#1)

Please let me know what you guys think .... we are having a hard time decided as all three locations have pros and cons.... We are trying to keep our costs reasonable (10-15 k range- 100 guests).

 

[ringless]

Best of luck. I''m not much help as far as ideas, but the castle wedding may be out of reach if you''re in the 10 - 15k budget. A vineyard, beach, church wedding may be cheaper options for you and can be equally as beautiful.
Btw - your ring is so pretty!

 

[absolut_blonde]

I think #1. It sounds like the best balance. Also, from the way you wrote the post, it kind of sounds (to me) like that''s what your gut is leaning towards!

 

[nclrgirl]

I would vote for #1. It sounds nice, intimate, and honestly, the minimal planning thing is great in my book! Good luck!

 

[pocahontas]

Here's my 2 cents:

1- I think it's a perfect fit - intimate, amazing menu and within budget. Admittedly, I've never eaten at Auberge Du Pommier, but I've heard great things about them. I have eaten at their other restaurant - Biff's Bistro - and the food was

.

2- Romantic, beautiful venue, but not likely to be intimate or within budget.

3- Beautiful, intimate venue. However, my cousin had her wedding there a few years ago and I thought the food was good, but nothing to rave about (imho).

Again, just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

Date: 7/4/2008 12:49:12 AM
Author: pocahontas
Here''s my 2 cents:


1- I think it''s a perfect fit - intimate, amazing menu and within budget. Admittedly, I''ve never eaten at Auberge Du Pommier, but I''ve heard great things about them. I have eaten at their other restaurant - Biff''s Bistro - and the food was

.


2- Romantic, beautiful venue, but not likely to be intimate or within budget.


3- Beautiful, intimate venue. However, my cousin had her wedding there a few years ago and I thought the food was good, but nothing to rave about(imho).


Again, just my 2 cents. Good luck!

Hi Pocahontas - that used to be my nick name cause of my long dark hair ! lol. Thanks for the advice - it helps cause you seem to know the venues personally. So the food at the Old Mill was only good huh? I guessed as much... I am going to see the Old Mill next week - but what were you impressions of the grounds? Are they well maintained or is the building more country-ish and rustic?

 

[pocahontas]

Date: 7/4/2008 12:53:16 AM
Author: ilovethiswebsite

Hi Pocahontas - that used to be my nick name cause of my long dark hair ! lol. Thanks for the advice - it helps cause you seem to know the venues personally. So the food at the Old Mill was only good huh? I guessed as much... I am going to see the Old Mill next week - but what were you impressions of the grounds? Are they well maintained or is the building more country-ish and rustic?

Too funny about the nick name because that's why I chose it. I have dark hair as well and it used to be very long, but now it's much shorter. Last summer I jumped on the Victoria Beckham angled bob bandwagon - lol! Anyways I digress. Back to your questions - I live in Toronto (Brampton actually) so I'm pretty familiar with the venues you listed.

Grounds - I thought the Old Mill was beautiful. My cousin and her husband had an outdoor ceremony in the garden area which was romantic and very pretty! It's very green and well maintained. I also liked that it was pretty secluded so even though there were other parties happening at the same time, it felt really intimate. I also really appreciated having green outdoor space accessible to us. In my opinion, this is only sacrifice I think you'd be making with Auberge, but if that's not important to you then who cares.

Food - Don't get me wrong, it was good and certainly nothing to complain about, but it didn't leave me thinking "wow, that was amazing." Keep in mind though that I was there several years ago so the chef and/or menu could be different now.

Building - Yep, definitely rustic and country-ish, but pretty. Also, my cousin had a relatively small wedding (approx. 60-80 ppl) and the dinning and dance areas were in two separate, but neighbouring rooms. Personally, I wasn't a fan of this setup, but it worked for them so that's all that matters. Maybe because you're planning on having more people the set up would be different for you (i.e one big room). But, just something to keep in mind and maybe ask about.

Sorry for the long post. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions

 

[claireabelle]

I like #1 - it''s elegant and quaint and has cute little details without being fussy. It looks intimate and the light looks really good... the decor is also fresh

#2 is nice... but it''s quite OTT - not anything like the direction you were thinking....

#3 is just a bit bland and traditional...

I really like #1 and the food is really important! I''d go there....

 

[gwendolyn]

LOVE the look of number 1, darlin''. I''m usually a castle girl, but in this case, I definitely think number one is going to be your best bet. And I think it''s so sweet that you posted a wedding planning question in here! Yay for not forgetting us!

 

[smiles]

Hi!!! I am also from T.O. ( I didn't know there were this many of us on here!!) and am also familiar with the place you mentioned.

If you originally wanted a destination wedding the Old Mill Inn is more like getting away from the city but all three venues have very different feels so it really depends what you want!! There was a PS'er who had her wedding at casaloma if you want to search her photos it was a pretty formal affair.The restaurant in my opinion is the opposite end of the spectrum..
sorry this isn't helpful but the only advice I have is to think about what aspects you really want in your wedding and what is super important to you and see which of those venues you can or can't incorporate those elements into.... kinda like a pro/con list!!

ETA: I just looked at the restaurant website and can it sit 100? I saw somewhwew 40-48 people seated but maybe I was looking in the wrong place?

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

Date: 7/4/2008 4:49:17 AM
Author: gwendolyn
LOVE the look of number 1, darlin''. I''m usually a castle girl, but in this case, I definitely think number one is going to be your best bet. And I think it''s so sweet that you posted a wedding planning question in here! Yay for not forgetting us!

hehe, of course I didn''t forget you guys! I read LIW forums daily!!! Afterall - I am still engaged - not married - therefore still waiting... ahhaah.

Thanks for the advice! #1 is my fav so far I think.

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

Date: 7/4/2008 8:20:06 AM
Author: smiles
Hi!!! I am also from T.O. ( I didn''t know there were this many of us on here!!) and am also familiar with the place you mentioned.


If you originally wanted a destination wedding the Old Mill Inn is more like getting away from the city but all three venues have very different feels so it really depends what you want!! There was a PS''er who had her wedding at casaloma if you want to search her photos it was a pretty formal affair.The restaurant in my opinion is the opposite end of the spectrum..

sorry this isn''t helpful but the only advice I have is to think about what aspects you really want in your wedding and what is super important to you and see which of those venues you can or can''t incorporate those elements into.... kinda like a pro/con list!!


ETA: I just looked at the restaurant website and can it sit 100? I saw somewhwew 40-48 people seated but maybe I was looking in the wrong place?

Hi Smiles,

The resto had a private function room but we would rent the whole restaurant which would seat 120 people max. The ceremony would take place on the outdoor patio and then the bar would be set up outside.... I found this link of someone who had their wedding at Auberge: http://www.bostonimages.com/2003/0621_Rachel_Bryan/page1.html

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

Hi Ladies,
We went to go see #1 and I posted pics on this link https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/wedding-venue.89246/. Please let me know what you think! I will probably only be upated this post there from now on.
Thanks!