Small restaurant wedding - on the patio at dusk

 Here's a happy spring wedding.  The rain stopped JUST LONG ENOUGH for us to set up the lights and the flags and a table for signing, and a lovely time was had by all.

The restaurant is Her Father's Cider (we had weddings there before when it was LOIRE).

Great food, lovely staff, very very happy evening.

Happy couple at a small family wedding

30 guests at a 'micro wedding'

Restaurant Il Ponte, Family wedding on a sunny evening

 

Il Ponte restaurant, Riverdale

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. 

Lovely wedding at La Maquette Patio

La Maquette 

Here are a couple of teachers - funny and committed, to teaching, and to each other.  Their wedding was wonderful, and the ceremony was held in the outdoor patio at La Maquette.  Here they are exchanging their personal vows - and smiling all the way.  Great pictures by Agnes Wyrot, at Northern Wildflower

Cosy Winter Elopement, an anniversary, and Dutch Comfort Food

We had a number of nice winter elopements this year, in parks, in hotels, in apartments, and other fun locations, including the CN Tower & Ripley's Aquarium. [Note: please see this POST on pop-up weddings at landmarks like Museums and tourist spaces. Most places will NOT allow this, as they have lots of annoyed guards on close-circuit cameras.  The wedding at Ripley's was in the Party room, with booking permission - and then museums passes for all!]

Solstice Wedding 

This little winter solstice wedding took place in my own flat, in front of the fireplace, with just the Bride's family here in town, and the Groom's family skyping in from Sweden.  We had a LOVELY time, as it was also my own 50th wedding anniversary!
The couple went to lunch in Yorkville with their family, and then to to the Kensington Solstice Parade.  We went to St Lawrence Market to buy oysters and prosecco.

My family ALSO took us to our anniversary lunch at a new Danforth restaurant, BorrelTo.  (I actually married the owners, over on Ward's Island, AND I discovered I had also conducted the wedding of the cook's auntie!) and then we ate up the entire menu of Dutch Comfort Food.  They've never had a wedding there, but they COULD close up for a small private event - the beers are fabulous, and the food is perfect for a cocktail reception.

And now here we are, 50 years ago and now, still laughing together at Borrel.

Dec 21, 1967 - a bit of emotion

Dec 23, 2017 - still talking!

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.

Evening wedding at Le Select - ceremony, drinks and dinner!

This was a tremendously lovely wedding at Le Select Bistro, down on Wellington. A marvellous couple, and we had the best time! And of course, the staff is great (I've actually married some of them!), and the food is marvellous...  Great for a group of 25-50 people, for a wedding and dinner.

Hart House Gallery Grill - a lovely and yummy restaurant venue at UofT

Hart House: Gallery Grill

If you like Hart House at the University of Toronto, but are also looking for a great chef and a 'different' ambience than one of the halls, we've had a couple of weddings lately at the Gallery Grill at Hart House.  It's housed in the old Faculty dining room, overlooking the Great Hall.  We're having a wedding in the intimate grill area later this year, in front of the Fireplace, but this event was in the dining room.  You can have a reasonable number of people - 30-60? Just ask them - esp if this is a seated dinner, which is usual.  But it's best with under 50, I'd think. You also have the front bar area for cocktails, and then the dining room for the dinner.  So, about the same size as the Wedding at Frank at the AGO, or at Le Select, or other restaurants we've used.

Peter Pan Bistro - small family wedding downtown

Peter Pan Bistro, 2nd Floor

Had a lovely smallish family wedding this weekend for about 40 people on the 2nd floor event space at the Peter Pan Bistro, on Queen West.  Here's the space (we held the ceremony by the fireplace in the front window, then flipped the room for dinner, while they set up a bar in the back space).
The staff was wonderful, the post-wedding cocktail hour was yummy (crab cakes, cheese straws and fun things). I hadn't eaten at the PPan for 30 years or so, so it was really fun to see it transformed.

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.

Sunday Brunch wedding at Oliver and Bonacini

Sunday brunch is a really nice time for a smaller wedding - less traffic, almost everyone can come, yummy brunch, and a whole day to celebrate. Altho this looks a little dark (due to the shutters behind us) it's actually 11 in the morning, at the downtown O&B Grill. Lovely, lovely wedding.

Smaller Spring weddings! Inside/outside

We've braved the elements this spring, in the snow, in the rain, and had some lovely lucky days, in Philosopher's walk, in some local parks, and cosy inside Allan Gardens in the spring flowers.  The back patio at Le Select is sunny now, and the Brickworks is coming up a few times soon.  We might slip into the Ravine next week for a little family wedding, and they're cleaning up the garden in front of St James gazebo.  For inside comfort, several couples have used hotels, and smaller meeting rooms or suites:  the Trump Tower, the Park Hyatt, Gladstone, Four Seasons, etc.  And I've seen lots of new condo party rooms, some quite wonderful.  Restaurants are good spring ideas, some have nice patios you can snag if the sun is out - been to Bravi, Le Select, and Terroni's, all for family-size weddings.  You can always book the Hart House chapel and have a great lunch at the Gallery Grill (but only September thru June, alas! tho they now have sunday brunch and a cocktail hour!

update - finally! hot weather! Off to the Brickworks, (stunning tonight - baby ducks, too...) then Todmorden Mills, the Ravine, St James Cathedral park, and the top deck of a few townhouses - nice to see the sky.  Some Pride weddings, in homes and backyards, and a bar or two -- Happy Summer!

summer patio at Le Select

great wedding at Le Select, and great photos (as usual!!!)  by A Brit and a Blonde

(remember this? last summer at the Pride parade? that's a Brit and a Blonde)

Rainy ideas .... the Loire restaurant on Harbord

So we were going to have a little morning wedding at UofT - but as the weather was threatening, the couple booked a brunch table at Loire, on Harbord.  They very kindly cleared a spot on the patio, and set up some chairs, and we had a delightful little wedding for 10 people, and then of course - there's the food to follow!  Spadina streetcar - easy!  For a smallish group, any restaurant with a space they can mark off for 1/2 hour is a great idea - and then nobody has to move to another spot to celebrate!

Bar wedding locations: 7 Numbers, Danforth

Fun wedding on the Danforth.

Lots more pix of this wonderful couple by their great photographers,  (JuliusandJames.com)
Bar/restaurants can be fun, and you can always squeeze in a few more family - lighting and space are sometimes tight, so we sure to talk to us when you're planning things...

Small wedding locations - private dining in Toronto

Private dining in Toronto

Here's a piece from BlogTo - with a few ideas for private dining rooms, where - of course! you can hold a wedding.  You can also book out a small restaurant for your 'private function'. (When talking to a venue, we strongly suggest you simply enquire about a private function/celebration booking before you use the word "wedding" - which may conjure up a bridezilla event). Our restaurant ceremonies are usually quite simple 15 minute functions, followed by a little champagne. You can discuss those logistics once you find out about the booking fees.

We've had weddings in private and semi-private spaces at places like Fuzion, Colborne, Local, La Maquette, Globe Bistro (both locations), Balzacs, Edward Levesques - and on patios at Le Select, Les Provences Delices, Grace, (pix above), Vertical, etc. Sometimes the rest of the place stays open, and your party can ask for the patio or an inside room for a short simple wedding, and then brunch, lunch, or dinner for all.  Suggest you simply wander in to your local bistro/boite, and chat with them - we've sometimes had the 'first' small wedding in a restaurant, and when it goes well, they are happy to experiment with more events.

Caffino - big windows in the rain

Here's a pix of Caffino, (Toronto Carpet Factory) down on King West at Dufferin, from a Groupon coupon today. We had a lovely wedding in this room, quickly moved inside from the private courtyard because of the rain, but the windows are so large they allow lots of natural light.  Good Italian food, nice big atmosphere - industrial detailing.
We've done a few weddings here, in the rain, inside, outside....

Soltice Winter Wedding in the Beaches by moonlight

First, a candlelit wedding at Kew Beach pavilion - just a few of us, standing in a circle in the cold, and watching the moon.  Then we went to Sauvignon Bistro on Queen Street East to sign the license and drink champagne.  (They have a private room at the back, which could probably be used for a small simple wedding. There were 12 of us.)
Then I went home and set the alarm and we got up at 3am for the Solstice Eclipse - and the meteor shower!! Happy Winter Solstice to all.

Locations: try restaurants with private dining rooms

Go where you usually eat!

 Just go into your local boite and talk nicely and see if they'll let you hold a small wedding between service (before lunch, before early dinner).  We suggest you don't start out by saying "wedding", but ask if they have a quieter table for a small 'presentation' or 'celebration', then you can let them know it's actually a little private wedding ceremony, no confetti, no fuss or muss, just standing in the corner for 15 minutes, and then champagne and signing things...

We've used Le Select's back terrace as well - reasonable with a prix fixe menu - a delightful wedding. And the Bistro at the AGO let us have a small elopement (6 people) at 4, just in the back when they weren't busy. We had a fun wedding in the basement of Rodney's Oyster House (just 20 people).  Here are some other ideas

Sometimes you have to use your imagination - a snug at your local pub, the window area of a cafe, the upper room at a bistro, the back patio or garden of your favourite brunch place. Just chat with the staff. If you have more than 6 people in a smaller place that does not have separate "event" staff, they will probably need to assign a staff member as your waiter/server, and they may need to re-arrange tables before and after, but as long as you indicate that you're willing to order drinks and not put too many extra demands on their staff, they'll be willing to consider your event. You might start a trend!