On a tight budget. Help!

View quoted message

Love that!

View quoted message

That's because until covid hit, no one has thought to invest in an outdoor dining space for a big group like a wedding. Why make an investment on building and maintaining a space that can only be used to generate revenue for at most four months of the year? And a lot of people don't realize the real estate it would take to house a dinner setup for 50+ people. That's a lot of unused land for a ton of money. It makes sense why they would be so expensive.

We are getting married September 2023 and have chosen ancaster mill. For the ceremony with the officiant, reception, dinner with 50 guests and open bar, day of planner, maître d, take away for guests, on a Friday was about $13,000. We just need to get florals, dj and photographer.

View quoted message

I actually might have to consider that.

View quoted message Omg trust me iv tried all cheaper options like using a family or friends backyard, even airbnb rental but unfortunately no one owns one big enough, and theres too many risks for an airbnb. We’r in the same boat, outdoor venue is what im looking for and for some reason they seem to be more expensive then banquets with all closed walls. If i find a great price ill definitely give you a heads up

I’m having the same issue trying to find a place on a small tight budget without having to elope - I can’t believe the price of some outdoor venues just to have a small ceremony - one quoted me 10,000 that’s just to have the ceremony outside on their property - not even including the reception. It’s mind blowing.


If you have any friends or family with a large beautiful piece of property I would see if they would entertain the idea of having it there but you still will have to factor in: the tent rentals, chair rentals, dj, caterer/food truck, porta potty rentals, alcohol, bar tenders, etc.
In the end would it just be better off or cheaper having a reception somewhere that handled all that stuff? That’s what I’m currently trying to figure out.

Have you considered maybe getting married on a Friday or a Sunday of a long weekend? When I was searching for venues, I found that Friday's and Sundays were a bit cheaper!

View quoted message

Wasn't sure where you were, but ya 5 hours for a wedding a little much. lol Good luck

View quoted message

Ooh wow, I didn't even think about that long weekend price, your right! Thank you so much for your help!

View quoted message

To be honest, it's going to be really hard to find a Saturday during high season that won't charge a minimum of $20K in the GTA. Don't forget that you're also getting charged long weekend holiday prices because of your date.

View quoted message

Thank you, but Ottawa is a bit too far for us to travel to. 5 hours on road.

View quoted message

Hey Hank, we actually have 85 guests. And for this we actually looked into a location in Caledon, an outdoor ceremony and reception with a tent and they were charging 24,000 which was an insane price for a venue that was so simplified.

This really depends on how many people you're having attend and where you're located at. For example, if you're hosting 150 people in Toronto, that's a steal.

Ottawa has this nice little place called at the school house. Home | At the Schoolhouse they have packages based on your budget and needs.

Getting married there September 2023. I would check them out as they do everything.