Interesting New Wedding Venue: Neubacher Shor Contemporary (NSC)

*Updated on April 25 with a venue link*

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email inviting me to the launch party of a new venue, something that, as far as I could tell, was simply called “The Venue”. While the picture included in the invite looked intriguing, I couldn’t find anything online about this place and its location, 5 Brock Avenue, confused me because I know that area and I couldn’t imagine where this place would be.

Then I saw this article over on BlogTO, a review of some place called the Neubacher Shor Contemporary (NSC). It was the full name for what I was calling “The Venue”.

As the article explains, this space is both an art gallery and an event space, with the event side of things being called NSC The Venue.

The picture to the left should explain why I couldn’t figure out where this place was located. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. But the inside, which offers 3,000 square feet of loft-style space, would make for an ideal, contemporary wedding space. (In case you can't the copy on that top image, this place fits 150 sitting; 250 standing.)

Annoyingly, I can’t find a website for this venue but based on the invite I got, I’m thinking that the catering company Eatertainment is providing the food so if you’re interested in this space, maybe they can put you in touch with the right people.

Thanks to Jasmine for the venue link!

Vendor Reviews Round One: Cake & Venue

So I wanted to wait to do my vendor reviews until I had all my vendor-related dealings wrapped up but since I’m still waiting for my photos, I’ve decided to start posting them now, two at a time.

Let’s start with two of my favourite vendors (all ratings out of five).

Cake: The Sweet Escape Patisserie
Rating: 5 out of 5

No debate here, we picked the perfect bakery. Michelle, the owner, was great to work with, her prices were amazing (we paid somewhere between $300 and $400 for everything) and the cake and cupcakes she made were an all-out smash hit. We order 12 dozen cupcakes and we had exactly 99 guests. Despite having way more cupcakes than guests, we ended the night with fewer than ten leftovers (and I know some people didn’t have one). So that pretty much says it all right there.

The only downside was that I didn’t get to taste all of the dozen flavours that we ordered.


Venue/Food: The Berkeley Church
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

If we had to do it all over again, we would definitely pick the same venue. While it wasn’t cheap, going with the Berkeley was money well-spent in the end, particularly since we were able to save money on alcohol since we brought in our own and we décor since the Berkeley really didn’t need much.

We loved the look and the feel of this place and I think our guests, for the most part, liked it. I do know that they pretty much all loved the food and the generous portions they were given. And more than a few of them also quite liked the Berkeley staff’s openness to having a great party.

Our only issues with the Berkeley had to do with communication, a complaint I’ve heard about from others. Our initial planner (who I believe no longer works there) was flaky. Our new planner, Kathy, was much better but the transition was a bit bumpy (we’d booked some meetings with the OP and then things had to change when we got Kathy) and I think we missed out on getting some key info early on (we didn’t find out some details about candle usage until two weeks before our weddings; candles

were a key part of our décor).

But I will give them full credit for starting us off with a very detailed, very useful proposal that allowed us to have a clear understanding of costs as well as what was due when, an idea that many other wedding vendors should look into

Spent Vs. Saved

So as promised in yesterday’s entries, here are five areas where we’re glad we spent the cash and five areas where we’re glad we saved.

Spent

The venue – As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Berkeley Church isn’t cheap but it was exactly what Shawn and I wanted and we received tons of compliments on the venue as well as the food. The staff was always friendly and while we had some communication snags with our initial planner, the planner who replaced her, Kathy, was quite helpful.

Open bar – No question, an open bar was the way to go. It certainly helped to get people up on the dancefloor, speaking of which…

DJ – So my original plan was to go with DJ iPod, an idea that Shawn shot down and I have no problems saying that I’m glad he did. We ended up getting a great DJ who closely followed our playlist while adding in his own touches at just the right moment.

At-home hair & make-up – I think being able to get ready in the comfort of my own home, and not have to worry about rushing to and from somewhere, really helped to make the wedding day more relaxing.

Hotel room – This is one of those areas that I initially thought was a waste of money but the truth is, being able to head to a hotel after the wedding was a nice treat, as was the swim we got to take the following morning. We stayed at the Thompson Hotel and its lovely rooftop pool totally made up for the alarm clock that went off at 6 in the morning and the scent-heavy detergent used on the bedding (and no, I’m not one of those anti-scent people).


Saved

The dress – Technically this is an area where my parents saved but whatever. My dress, which I quite liked (I’ll post a picture at some point) was quite reasonable for a wedding dress of its style. All in, including alternations, the veil, fancy dress bag and taxes, the dress cost under $1,500 which while not cheap, is a good deal considering its size and the amount of detailing it had.

The wine – Our wine was $11.95 a bottle and personally, I thought it tasted just fine, as did many other people. As any wine expert will tell you, the cost of a bottle of wine has nothing to do with its quality so don’t feel like you need to spend big bucks on your dinner wine.

Décor – We cheaped out big time here. All our décor, including our centrepieces and the few flowers we used for the head table/ceremony and the escort card table came to maybe $500. And some of that we’re getting back because I’m selling what I can on the bridal boards (actually, I should probably post that stuff on here too). While we certainly could have spent more here, I don’t think we really had to. The inside of the Berkeley is quite pretty with its stain glass and fireplaces. Plus it helps that the Berkeley includes coloured up-lighting and dozens of tea lights all over the place.

The flowers – The flowers we got were beautiful; Picasso lilies are now my new favourite; but we didn’t have a lot of them and in the end, I think that was fine. Our cake was actually supposed to be decorated with fresh flowers but for whatever reason the florist forgot to bring those so the cake went flowerless. At first I was a bit annoyed but then, as I thought about it, I was OK with what had happened because I realized that I no longer had to pay $35 for something that would be used for a few hours and then thrown out.

Transportation – We didn’t pay for any special transportation and while fitting my big dress in the back of our SUV was a bit awkward, it was certainly preferable to paying some obscene amount for some tacky vehicle.

The Berkeley & Budget

While making Monday’s post, I noticed that I had a blog comment waiting for moderation. It was from someone named Natasha and she was asking some great questions about the Berkeley. I approved the comment and then went to answer it but I couldn’t find it anywhere. So I’m going to paraphrase Natasha’s questions here and answer them now.

Natasha is interested in having her wedding at the Berkeley but she has a budget of $20,000. She was wondering if the Berkeley would do a cocktail-style reception and if that would cut her costs.

The Berkeley certainly will do a cocktail-style reception but I don’t know exactly how much that would drop the cost. I know we tried playing around with our food costs and things didn’t budge as much as we would have thought though we are having a sit down dinner so that does make things a little different. I think the Berkeley does have a minimum food cost (at least for weddings) and if you want to use them you need to meet it.

That being said, I think Natasha should figure out what she’s comfortable paying for her venue/food costs, present that figure to the Berkeley and see what can be done.

As we experienced first hand, doing a wedding at that venue for $20,000 is tough but it could be done and here’s some tips on how that could happen:

• Have it on a Friday
• Have a cash bar
• Have your wedding cake double as the dessert
• Get a reasonably priced dress
• Have the wedding night at home
• No limos
• No DJ/live music
• Get hair and makeup done/paid for as a gift
• Simple DIY invites
• Simple everything else
• Follows some of the advice mentioned on these sites

The good thing about the Berkeley is that it doesn’t need much in terms of décor and its florist, Jennifer from Flower Girls, is great at working with small budgets. So I wouldn’t worry about the flower budget.

The photo budget on the other hand, well, maybe Natasha has a friend who’s a photographer.

In all honestly, I think Natasha could pull off her wedding at the Berkeley if she could get the venue at about $13,000 or less. I don’t know if the Berkeley would go for that number but as the saying goes, it never hurts to ask.

Green Wedding Services in Toronto

Green weddings are the in-thing these days and if you want to make your big day as environmentally as possible, check out this blog post over on BlogTO that highlights some of the city’s greenest wedding venues.

Here my thoughts on a few of the places they’ve highlighted.

Cabaret Vintage: a must-stop for any bride who wants vintage, or vintage-style dress. While the dress prices are hardly steals, they are reasonable for a wedding dress.

Vert Catering: I’ve heard great reviews about these guys but I’ve also been told that they are on the expensive side.

Mill St. Brewery: I don’t drink beer but Shawn and many other beer drinkers I know love this brewery. I think we’re actually going to get these guys to provide all the beer for our bar.

Pure + Simple & Elixir Organic Spa: While I’ve never been to either of these spas, I’ve heard great things about both of them and am considering both for them for my pre-wedding pampering.

Toronto Botanical Garden: We checked this out last spring and my review is over here. It’s a nice place, just not for us.

Kortright Centre for Conservation: Another venue we checked out and that review is here. Kortright is quite pretty and eco-friendly, but it was a bit too far out-of-town for us (plus it didn’t have AC).

The Great Hall's Gotten a Makeover

Want to get married this summer in Toronto at a unique downtown venue? Then you’ll want to check out the Great Hall. This was actually the first place we looked at and while we liked it, the fact that you couldn’t bring in your own alcohol and that it had peach walls knocked it out of the running for us.

But since then the Great Hall has under gone quite the makeover and while you still can’t bring in your own booze, the peach walls are gone. Check out this article in this week’s Eye to find out more about the transformation and see some pictures.

Then head over to the Great Hall’s blog to see what dates they have available (this calendar is great idea and something more venues should have). While the blog is a little light on other booking info right now, I’m sure the new people behind the Great Hall will be quick to answer your questions over email.

Or head down this weekend to the open house and ask those questions in person while you check this appropriately named venue out.

Questions to Ask Before Your Food Tasting

So it looks like Shawn and I will be doing our food tasting near the end of March. In preparation for this big day, we’ve been asking a lot of questions, some of which you’ll want to ask your venue/caterer:

• How many people can I bring?


• How long will it last?


• Will it just be us or will there be over couples? (Unlikely but it could happen)


• How many hors d’oeuvres can we try? How many appetizers? How many entrees? How many desserts? (You get the idea)


• We want something that’s not listed on the menu. Can that be made for us? (Note: this is really the type of question that should be answered before signing any contracts since many places don’t allow for custom requests)


• How much can we change/substitute items? For example, salad B sounds great but we’d prefer it with pecans instead of walnuts.


• Does the tasting include a wine pairing?


• Will the table be set like it will be set for our meal? If not, can that be arranged?

If specific costs have yet to be given to you, do get this information before you try any food. Also find out if it costs more to offer three meal choices instead of two, if there are any allergy-related substitution costs (generally there isn’t), etc. Basically you want to have the money side all figured out before you put anything in your mouth.

Food tastings are one of those things that really vary from venue/caterer so be prepared to ask way more questions than the ones above. Of course, maybe you’ll luck out and get a company with such amazing communication skills that all of the above questions and more are answered before you can even think of them (hey, it could happen).

If you’re not getting answered, or you’re not getting answers that make sense/match what you were originally told, do speak up and push the venue/caterer for better communication. Now, I’m not saying you should harass them but do make it clear that you won’t be ignored or pressured into something you don’t want. There’s nothing bridezilla about making sure you’re properly informed, especially when it comes to your big day’s food!

Unique Toronto Wedding Venues

I’d just like to take this moment to remind everyone about the WedTO Venue Chart. It lists over a dozen Toronto wedding venues that are hardly your typical banquet halls. Venues profiled include The Carlu, the Steam Whistle Brewery, Casa Loma and the Gladstone Hotel.

I hope you find it helpful!

We Have a Venue

We've finally picked a venue - the Berkeley Church. Now just to pick a date.

Here are some pictures we took of the Berkeley when we stopped by there last night for a final look.

Fun With Caterers

Shawn and I were hoping to have picked a wedding venue by now. However, because we’re still waiting on catering quotes we’re still waiting to figuring out whether it’ll be the Berkeley or the Steam Whistle Brewery.

While Berkeley only works with one catering company, Steam Whistle works with seven. Dana, the events manager at Steam Whistle, told us to send a mass email to all seven that contains our wedding’s basic details (number of guests, what sort of food we wanted, when we were having it, that sort of stuff). So I did that and six caterers emailed me back.

Three wanted more details over email. They wanted to know things like where we were having the ceremony, approximately what time dinner would start and what my fiancé’s name is. So answered all those questions and one caterer, Rose Reisman Catering got back to me with a proposal. While the end number is likely a little too high for us, the proposal was very thorough and it’s very clear that this company consists of true professionals who would be great to work with.

The other three caterers wanted to talk over the phone. I was able to talk with representatives of Amazing Food and Eatertainment restaurants/panorama/ relatively quickly and both companies promptly sent over detailed quotes.If took me a little longer to get in touch with the representative of Beyond Catering but when we finally talked, she had a ton of questions for me. However, she wanted the answers sent to her over email. While I understand that me emailing her the answers certainly makes a lot of sense, I didn’t quite understand why she couldn’t have emailed me her questions. It certainly would have saved us some time.

So now I’m off to write that email and then once we receive her quote we’ll make our decision.

Venue Review: The Toronto Botanical Garden

About It 

The Toronto Botanical Gardens are a scenic and accessible location for your Toronto wedding. Fully renovated in 2005, the Gardens pride themselves on being a “green” venue that’s also a good bang for your buck. It’s also a great spot i

f you want to have your ceremony and reception in the same place.

The Botanical Gardens offer a number of rental spaces but for most weddings, you’ll want to book either the Floral Hall (seats 200 with room for

 a dance floor) or the Garden Hall (seats 80 with room for a dance floor). The attractive Westview Terrace can be rented with the Garden Hall while the Floral Hall comes with its own outdoor space. The lobby can also be rented with either space.

Pros

- Great setting that is sure to be remembered by your guests 

- A choice of seven caterers

- You can bring your own alcohol and there’s no corkage fee

- A “green” venue

- Space is quite flexible 

- Comes with tables and chairs

- Both outdoor spaces include water features

- Basic on-site lighting and sound system 

- Decent washrooms 

- Plenty of free parking

- Air-conditioned 

Cons

- My biggest issue with both the Floral Hall and the Garden Hall is that while the outdoor spaces are great, the indoor spaces would require draping and tons of flowers/candles/whatever to look great- It's not really that cheap; the Garden Hall will run you $3000 for a Saturday night

- No real bridal room though you can use one of the smaller meeting rooms to change in

- Will host up to two events though depending on what spaces you rent, you may never see the other party 

- Choice of seven caterers; all the choice can be a bit overwhelming 

- While this is great place to do photos, you’ll need to get a permit

Useful Links

Weddings at the Botanical Gardens 

Photo Gallery 

Venue Review: Kortright Centre

About It
The Kortright Centre is “located on 324 hectares of pristine woodlands along the Humber River Valley” and is a great spot if you want a “green wedding” and don’t mind of a bit of a drive (the centre’s located out in Woodbridge).

It features two beautiful, tree-lined ceremony sites and receptions can be held in the charming glass house or even inside the actual centre itself if you need a bit more room (and don’t mind too much about décor). Dancing can take place in either place or outside on the glass house’s patio. The centre supplies plenty of candles, tiki torches and twinkle lights that result in a look that is simple though very stunning and memorable.

Pros
- Great setting that is sure to be remembered by your guests and personally I love the fact that you could dance outside surrounded by tall trees and tiki torches
- If your reception was in the glass house you wouldn't need a lot of flowers or other decorations
- All food and drink is looked after by the Centre and this does simplify things; the Centre also offers some flexibility with the menu, for example, will serve your wedding cake for dessert and then serve the original dessert as a midnight snack
- There is a strong emphasis on organic and local food
- The Centre itself is very “green”
- Only one event per evening
- Comes with tables and chairs
-Your rental includes access to the centre’s theatre; perfect for entertaining kids
- Plenty of free parking


Cons
- Kortright’s primary goal is to educate people about the environment; weddings are just something they do on the side. As a result, the condition of this venue isn’t comparable to say, a hotel ballroom. The centre itself is very ‘70s while the glass house could do with a good power washing
- Bathrooms are exactly what you would expect to find in such a venue; clean but could do with makeover
- Just to re-enforce the obvious but this is a “naturey” venue so that means that things like trees, pollen, bugs, birds and animals will be part of your day
- Not the cheapest place; it'll run you about $110 a head including all food, a four-hour open bar, wine on tables, all staff, table, chairs and and basic rentals including table covers (chair covers are an extra $3 per person)
- You can’t bring your own alcohol
- No AC though the glass house does have doors and windows that can be opened to let in a breeze
- Dancing on the patio is great as long as the weather co-operates. Depending on how you use this venue, you’ll need a back-up weather plan
- Menu is fairly straight-forward so this might not be the best place if you’re a foodie
- No access via TTC and taking a taxi up here won't be cheap; there are also no hotels within walking distance
- No on-site sound or lighting system
- No real bridal room though you can use the theatre to change in

Useful Links

Weddings at the Kortright Centre
Virtual Tour

Venue Review: Steam Whistle Brewery

About It

Located inside the historic Roundhouse (255 Bremner Blvd), the Steam Whistle Brewery features two different rooms for rent. The first and smaller room doubles as the brewery’s store/gallery while the second room is used exclusively for events and comes with a large patio.

Both rooms feature high ceilings and post-and-beam features while the larger room features two walls of windows, one which looks into the brewery and one which looks onto on a small park and the base of the CN Tower. The smaller room features a large, permanent bar and can be included with the larger room for a reduced rate.

Pros
- Dana, the on-site events manage was very friendly and seems like she’d be easy to work with
- You can bring all your own alcohol except beer and there's no corkage fee
- Choice of eight different caterers
- The smaller room features tons of original artwork that changes roughly once a month
- Tons of historic charm; both rooms would require minimal décor
- Hosts only one event per day
- Comes with a coin-operated photo booth machine
- Comes with free ice
- Steam Whistle supplies the bar staff who also double as tour guides and will give tours of the brewery during the reception
- Great bathrooms
- Accusable by the TTC and cab-friendly
- Air-conditioned
- Lighting system that’s more sophisticated than what most venues have

Cons
- Vague “yeasty” smell in the air (it is a working brewery after all!)
- Only Steam Whistle beer is allowed
- Choice of eight caterers; all the choice can be a bit overwhelming 
- No on-site sound system
- No real bridal room though you can use the staff lounge
- As of April 2009, there is construction going on on the outside of the Roundhouse, including on the patio area. The patio construction should wrap up by early summer 2009 with the rest of the construction wrapping up later this year but who knows...
- There may be some internal construction going on in the large event room next year
- No free parking and paid parking can be tight depending on what’s happening in the surrounding area

Useful Links
Planning Your Event at Steam Whistle
Photo Album
Room Rates

Venue Hunting

Two weeks from today I’ll be looking at three different venues: the Steam Whistle Brewing Roundhouse, the Toronto Botanical Gardens and the Kortright Centre. I’m hoping that by the end of April 17, Shawn and I will have picked our venue.

We’ve already looked at two places – the Great Hall and the Berkeley Church. We both loved the Berkeley Church and we’re still considering it but I think the Great Hall might be out. It no longer allows you to bring in your own alcohol and that’s something we’re looking for because buying alcohol through a caterer is not cheap. Plus, by being allowed to bring in our own alcohol, we can decide what we want to have served, from specific brands of beers to certain vodka flavours.

While we did like the overall look and feel of the Great Hall, we just found that the Berkeley Church had a similar look and feel but with air-conditioning, outdoor space and nicer details.We expect that the Roundhouse, another 19th- century building heavy on period charm, will be the Berkeley Church’s main competition and I’m curious to see how the two stack up.

Meanwhile, the Botanical Gardens and the Kortright Centre will be offering something a bit different. Both of these modern venues have an emphasis on the outdoors and on being “green”. From the pictures that I’ve seen, both are stunning spaces with tons of possibilities and they both offer the beauty of an outdoor wedding while at the same time, providing the security of a great indoor space.

Friday, April 17, is certainly going to be a busy day for Shawn and me and I’ll be sure to share all the details of our venue hunt.

What To Ask When You’re Looking For A Venue

If you’re shopping around for a venue like I am, you’ll want to check out this list of 20 must-ask questions.

1. Can this venue comfortably hold X number of guests for a [details]? 
   
2. How much does it cost to rent the venue on [week day] night? 
3. Does that fee cover all staff and if not, what are the additional staffing costs?
4. What kind of deposit is required and what happens if we cancel?
   
5. Will I be “sharing” this venue with other wedding parties?
   
6. Is there a special place for the ceremony and if so, is that place shared?
   
7. What’s the average per person food cost for [details]? Do you have any sample menus that you can send me?
   
8. Are outside caterers allowed?
   
9. What’s the average per person alcohol cost for [details]? Do we have the option of bringing in our own alcohol?
10. From what time until what time would we have the venue from?
11. Do you have any restrictions on décor? 
12. Do you have any restrictions on photography/videography?
13. Do you have any restrictions on music?
14. Is there a bridal suite?
15. Is there air conditioning?
16. Is there a sound system and microphone?
17. Is there free parking?
18. Do we need to pay for a liquor license?
19. Do we need to pay for a SOCAN license?
20. Do you charge for any of the following:
    - tables and chairs
    - security deposit 
    - cake cutting
    - coat check
    - clean up

But that's my idea!

Yesterday, while tweaking this blog, I noticed that one of my co-workers had left a comment on my post about the Berkeley Church. It mentioned that one of our co-workers had recently gotten married at that particular location.

Now, you’d think I’d be happy to read that; that now I could ask someone about his first-hand experience with what’s become my current pick in the venue race. That would have been the practical reaction but weddings rarely bring out practical emotions.

Instead, they bring out petty feelings, like annoyance. “His wedding was at the Berkeley?” I thought, scrunching my face in irritation at the screen, “But I wanted to use it!”

I realize how stupid that sounds. I am well aware that many other people have already gotten married at the Berkeley and I have no bad feelings towards my co-worker who thought of the idea first; it’s not like I think he contaminated the venue or something.

But still, the fact that I actually know someone who already held his wedding there makes it seem like a less original idea, like it really is something that’s already been done.

Unlike me, Shawn, my other half, was pleased to hear that I knew someone who’d rented the Berkeley. He also pointed out that at least this “someone” was a co-worker and not one of our guests; that to them, the Berkeley would be a new and fresh venue. This is an excellent point.

Plus it’s not like we’ve decided 100 percent on the Berkeley as our venue; there are still a few other places that we want to check out once the snow melts.

The WedTo Venue List

Introducing the BlogTO Venue Spreadsheet! Okay, so it’s clearly a work in progress but over the next few months I plan to fill it out with details on some of Toronto more interesting wedding venues, venues that I’m considering for my own summer 2010 wedding.


All of these venues will hold at least 100 people for a sit-down dinner; are open at least until midnight on a Saturday night; aren’t ridiculously expensive and aren’t your standard banquet halls. I hope you find it useful!

The Berkeley Church

Tuesday, Shawn and I stopped by the Berkeley Church for its open house.

Located at 315 Queen St E., the Church was built in 1871 and now acts as one of Toronto’s more interesting and original wedding venues. Actually, it’s two venues in one—there’s the original church part and then a newer, small addition called the Field House.

First the good news. The Berkeley is truly an eye-catching venue that is sure to be remembered by your guests. It’s quite flexible, no picking from one of four dinner packages here, and is staffed by friendly people who reply quickly to emails.

Now, in all honesty the actual church part does show its age however, overall, the room is impressive. It has a 60-foot cathedral ceiling; original wood floors; 17-foot stain-glassed windows; two fireplaces; a large, ornate bar and a stage. There’s also a massive mezzanine and a small though adequate bridal suite.

The Field House, which opened in 2007, is smaller and plainer than the actual church however it’s brighter and more intimate. Its plainness also lends itself to more decorating possibilities. But the Field House’s real asset is its huge garden that contains a creek, a small bridge, a gazebo

and a “tree house” that’s complete with A/C and heat. And if that’s not enough outdoor space, there’s also a spacious rooftop garden off the large bridal suite.

Now the bad news. The Berkeley Church is not cheap. It’s also not expansive either but if you’re looking for a deal, look elsewhere. At the open house, we were given a quote of about $130 a head though we were warned that our actual cost would likely be higher since we’re only having 100 guests. So I emailed the Church to try to get something more specific and was sent back a very thorough quote package that added up to $141 a head.

That price doesn’t include alcohol or an elaborate meal (it was three courses, nothing fancy) but it does include the venue; all staffing including an event planner and a mandatory security guard; linens; furniture; soft bar and post-wedding cleaning up.

For now the Berkeley is staying on our venue shortlist but that price might eventually push it off.

Some basic facts about the Berkeley Church

Capacity: up to 400 for a sit-down dinner in the church part; up to 150 in the Field House though you can set up a tent in the garden and grow that number
Rental fee: $3,500 Saturday; $2,800 Wednesday-Friday; $2,400 SundayTime: noon—2 am
Bring your own alcohol: Y
Outside caterers: N
Outdoor space: Y
Parking: N