Locations, big and small

Eloping in High Park

We've had lots of weddings of various sizes this season.  Elopements in Riverdale Park with that stunning view of the CN tower.  Some relaxed events at Trinity Bellwoods and deep in the woods in High Park.
We had family-size weddings in small restaurants, including, DeSotos, Peter Pan. Also event spaces like The Jam Factory, and  quirky spots like The Gerrard Art Space, as well as some favourite places, like Le Select, and Hart House and The Enoch Turner Schoolhouse.
Some students and faculty (with connections) managed to arrange weddings at faculty rooms at Ryerson and even (hush!) in the planetarium at UofT, on a quiet morning before school started.  (Well, the bride was an astrophysicist, so she had some pull!).
And we've had lots of home weddings - reviving an Edwardian tradition - often in the parent's home (bigger!) or the couple's apartment (smaller!), or sometimes on the roofdeck of a condo.

Condo roofdeck with CN tower view

Gerrard Art Space

Most of these were small family weddings, or small private elopements, but even the larger events were mostly family and friends.  Easy to plan, casual and fun, often catered by willing aunties.  Lots of time to talk (and hug) everyone. 

AGO: Frank restaurant for small family weddings

The AGO has many spaces, in additional to the large spaces, like Baille Court. New! You can book the small Grange Library (with High Tea or cocktails), and you can book one end of The Bistro (formerly Frank restaurant) - the gallery area by Dundas- for the ceremony, and the adjacent dining area for the dinner. Not sure about numbers, but maybe 40-50 people?  The backdrop will be whatever art is on show - this wedding was very fortunate, with a vibrant background. And they chose Frank because they met a chef school! This pix is by Alicia Thurston -  there's another great pix from this wedding in an earlier post.

Small Family Wedding at FRANK, AGO

Here's a nice venue for food and art lovers:  Frank Restaurant at the AGO.  This was a delightful wedding for about 40 people. You could squeeze a few more in, but not too many, if you're going to have a seated meal after.

We had the ceremony in the front gallery on Dundas street, and then moved to the private dining room behind it for the dinner.  The restaurant was still open to other dining guests, but the wedding guests had their own dining room and servers.   Nice art, lovely couple, airy and bright and easy to reach on the streetcar.  Pix is from Alicia Thurston.

New Venue for small weddings: Grange library at the AGO

Just had two wonderful winter weddings in the library of the Grange, behind the AGO. The library window is the last one on the left.  I remember taking my children here when the Grange was still a museum. And now the event planning staff is experimenting with small weddings in the wee 19th century library off the 'members lounge'.

Today we had 2 weddings; the first had a formal seated afternoon tea service (delicious! Earl Grey pannacotta!), and the second had a cocktail reception.  There isn't room to serve more than about 15/20 max at the tea tables, and 12 is about right, so a seated tea service is limited. You could have more people for a standing ceremony and a cocktail hour, but not much more than 18-20, perhaps? (Same size as Allan Gardens).
The staff will also accompany your group or the couple for photos in the galleries of the AGO itself.  The 2nd couple had cocktails and toast in the library at 5, then dinner at FRANK, which is also easy access.    Drop me a note if you want to know more! You can contact the event manager directly:  Jennifer_prince@ago.net

 This is a dinner setup, not a tea, and it's for about 24, but you can see the setting.  This is too many for a ceremony, as we need to stand together by the fireplace, so ceremony AND TEA should max out at about 18.

Little legal wedding in a Yorkville Art Gallery

Asking the witnesses participation

Signing the Marriage Register

 Here's an entirely wonderful wedding in an art gallery in Yorkville.  First comes the short ceremony (we're asking the witnesses for their legal participation in the top picture) and then after the ceremony, we're signing the Marriage License and Register.  We're all pretty happy. What a nice afternoon this was - and best wishes to them and their family!

Note about a legal wedding:
When couples are looking for a simple legal  wedding, it's possible to hold the ceremony in any location, and then we will all sit down and sign all the documents to swear that we actually HELD a verbal wedding ceremony in front of two witnesses.  The documents we sign are the record of the ceremony, because the ceremony itself is what creates the legal wedding.  

So - if you are planning a SECOND celebration (a destination wedding or even a religious wedding) please note you must have a short simple legal CEREMONY for the legal wedding, with two witnesses.  "Signing the papers" is a record, not a substitute for the actual legal ceremony.

Wedding, rehearsal, performance, events spaces in Toronto

TORONTO.SPACEFINDER.ORG

Here (courtesy of my theatre children) is a database of performance/ rehearsal/ event spaces in Toronto.  I've listed many of these before in other databases, but this is new, and searchable AND BOOKABLE.  Feel free to send us any other unique spaces you've found. Here are two art galleries, as examples.

Project Gallery

Alison Milne Gallery

Gladstone, Upper lounge - intimate location

Gladstone, Upper lounge

We usually hold weddings in the ballroom at the Gladstone (or, once, in the Tower Room suite for a family group) but lately we've had a few smaller weddings (15-40 people) in the upstairs lounge area.  Here is a nice little wedding in the upper lounge - just a small group of friend and family, and then a nice dinner downstairs.  And there's that fun elevator!  You can have some drinks set up at a portable bar, and then go downstairs for more food. 

We had another wedding here on the night of Nuit Blanche! It was very much fun, tho some art patrons wanted to see things as dusk fell.  Check the dates of Toronto events when you plan a wedding!

a Winter wedding in Gallery 44 photography gallery

a wonderful winter wedding at Gallery 44 at 501 Richmond.  Congratulations to Jeff and Len.

Candlelight wedding @ Mjolk gallery in Roncesvalles

Mjolk is a  stylish Scandinavian store in the west end @ Roncesvalles.  As a Danish granny myself, I was honoured to participate in the wedding of the owners of the gallery - who cleared out the space, added a retro 1950s fireplace, and served wonderful Scandinavian food for friends and family in the showroom - with a great jazz combo in the window space. The lovely pictures are by Danijela Pruginic