posted by: missmiellen
Before I get started, I wanted to clarify that J is the FI and the J that I blogged about here is my MOH. I hope I didn’t confuse anyone else because I actually confused J (as in the fiance). Hahaha! He thought I wrote an entry about him but it was actually about MOH. Sorry! So to clarify, my fiance is NOT my maid of honour, and I am not marrying Miss Pro Nails.
Yesterday, J the fiance and I set out to see our first batch of wedding venues. We started the day pretty early, at breakfast by 9 and heading downtown by 9:30 to get to our 10AM appointment at the Arcadian Court.
Arcadian Court
I didn’t blog about Arcadian Court previously, but it was on my list of places to see. I spoke to a few people who said it was nice. Arcadian Court is a space on the 8th floor of the Simpson Tower, also known as The Bay’s head office. It’s right at Bay and Queen, so we parked underground at City Hall and took a 1 minute walk over to the building. Relatively close and convenient. During the day, Arcadian Court is actually open to the public for breakfasts and lunch, so anyone could go in and check it out.
My first impression was, “damn, is this ever ugly”. The building is old, and it really shows in the foyer. Carpeting is dark and ugly, the ceilings are low, and it just looks dated. Not a good first impression. When you actually go into the space, it’s a different story. It is ginormous. The 48-foot vaulted ceilings definitely define the space. It comfortable seats 220-250, which works for us. The marble floors however, were a disappointment; we were not into the salmon/cream combo.
Cocktails are held on the mezzanine level, which you reach thru stairs in the foyer or elevator (I think). It’s also pretty huge, and wraps partially around the court in an L-shape. You can overlook the court from above. Pretty nice view, but the mezzanine itself was dark and needed a lot of work. There’s also a bridal room, which you can use and lock up – great for taking a break, and storing gifts during the ceremony.
The best part of Arcadian Court? The price. It was very affordable. There were 3 packages you can start off with, and all of them included a 5-hour open bar, taxes and gratuities. It was actually the only place we saw that offered all inclusive pricing. Sandra, the catering consultant we met with, was also super nice.
Pros: price, large, super-high ceilings, parking close by
Cons: needs a lot of decor in the foyer and cocktail areas, carpeting and marble floor was yuck; J hated it.
view from the mezzanine
the mezzanine, where cocktails would be held
Hyatt Regency
I’m not going to get into the details of the Hyatt Regency, because this place was DISAPPOINTING. For those who aren’t aware, the Hyatt Regency is the old Holiday Inn on King West (white building, near the Princess of Wales Theatre?). They just completed their makeover recently. When you first enter the hotel, it is gorgeous. Really gorgeous. J and I were so excited – very urban chic, espresso woods, brushed metals, glossy marbles and granite textures. But… I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
Downstairs, by their bar and restaurant. Hot!
Photo belongs to Hyatt, but it shows the new look of the hotel. Hot!
WTF... yes, this is the ballroom.
Design Exchange
I blogged about the DX already, and the space didn’t disappoint. It does, however, require A LOT of imagination, because when we went to see it, it was completely bare. It’s very spacious, and how you want to arrange the space is up to you. But – with this comes a price tag. We will have to bring in kitchen pieces, tables, china, cutlery, lighting, decor and staff into this space.
Pros: spacious, bring in any caterer we fancy, design and decorate the space as we want
Cons: lots of decorations needed, rental costs, service costs
Huge... but you'll need to have an imagination
Trading Floor decorated
Trading Floor decorated
Le Méridien King Edward
Out of all the spaces, the King Eddy had the most promise pre-venue-visit. I had corresponded with Breia, the catering sales manager, and she sent me a photo of the Vanity Fair ballroom that just made my jaw drop (don’t worry, I’ll show you below). I had seen some really nice photos on Boston Avenue as well.
The King Eddy is located on King Street East, just east of Yonge but before Church. The first impression of the hotel is that it’s a very elegant and exquisite space. The large ballroom is the Vanity Fair, which is located just up the stairs from the main foyer. When Breia opened up the glass doors into the ballroom, I was… underwhelmed. Blame the incredible pictures that I had seen before, but in real life, the Vanity Fair ballroom is not as big as it appears. I guess it’s very photogenic.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s still very beautiful. It was probably the most traditionally beautiful space we had seen all day. The cocktail area is also great. It’s just outside of the ballroom, on and overlooks the downstairs grand foyer.
When we sat down to discuss prices, we started to get more concerned. The King Eddy is not cheap. It could very well be double the price of Arcadian Court. Breia mentioned that the hotel offers 100% valet parking – at $40 a car!!! Our eyes almost fell out on that one.
Pros: beautiful, our parents will love this space, bridal suite is included in the price, photos will be amazing
Cons: price, space seems small (will it hold 220-250 comfortably?), not very “unique”
photo belongs to Le Méridien King Edward
photo belongs to bostonimages.com
photo belongs to bostonimages.com
The balroom on a regular day
Andrew Richard Designs
This is a very unique venue. Andrew Richard Designs on Adelaide is a store (the old UpCountry) that has an amazing space – and they’ve started to rent out this space for events. We didn’t meet with anyone to speak about the rentals, but popped in as it’s open on Saturdays just like any other stores. There’s the main floor, called The Atrium, which is very cool, spacious, with an area that could turn into a sunken dancefloor and bar. The upstairs is called The Loft, which is a large, long, all-white rectangular room with windows all the way through. Unfortunately this won’t hold over 200 guests.
Pros: unique, contemporary, spacious
Cons: from what I hear – the rental fee, rental costs to bring in EVERYTHING (including kitchens)
The Loft
photo belongs to Andrew Richard Designs - The Atrium (a portion of it, anyway)
—
Overall, we didn’t fall hard in love with any of the spaces we saw. Most of them have potentential for us – but we need to see a few more places before we can make a decision. Venue visiting is a tiring task!!! By 5pm we were completely beat.
