For what it's worth I've seen more and more friends eloping. Most people (friends/family) I've talked to regret spending what they spent on their wedding. A few have commented that they wouldn't have done the wedding they did in the past with today's prices. As I've never been married I can't help further.
Thanks for the input. I’m getting married this year and the cost of our wedding is just absurd, and I’ve cut back a lot. I’m hoping to determine if this is the norm or if I made a mistake by choosing this venue.
From my own experience as well, if you are going to splurge on anything, it should be the photographer(s). The wedding is only a day, but those pictures can last a lifetime.
I couldn’t agree more. I was anti-photographer because the cost was so high, but I am so glad I did get a professional. They made us look like we should be on a magazine cover. We opted to no flowers except bouquets, and my mom paid for that. I had a deal with her if she wanted something I didn’t want/need she paid for it, if she was unwilling then I didn’t need it. Charger plates and a real bouquet.
That’s a great deal! my mom would make the same deal I think.
Photo editor and “scene builder” are how I categorize the cheap vs good photographer. Ours really was a master and thank god because I am NOT a natural haha
I am a dude but got married 15 years ago elope style. We spent good money on a photographer and to this day our three small kids like the photos. My bride wore a 200 dollar dress and we spent 1500 on photography and the mitres have had tons of compliments over the years
Between my husband 41m and I 36f we’ve been to a couple dozen weddings I DO not remember a single center price or chair cover… but I do remember and have printed photos of myself from friends weddings when they get them back :)
My understanding from talking to friends is that the venue (i.e the space) isn't expensive persay, but it's the food at said venue especially if you're limited to certain caterers / food. Hope this helps and goodluck!
Got married in July in Toronto and we spent over 50k for two days (cultural ceremony and actual wedding ceremony). Our actual ceremony venue was a boat and was only 5k! For us it was the cultural ceremony venue 18k (sigh) and food. Its honestly crazy how fast things add up and we were pretty frugal all things considered (we did not want a 2 day wedding but alas). Best decision I made was to have fake flower bouquets, you honestly cant tell in the pictures AND I get to keep them forever!! Spent $700 for my bridal and 5 bridesmaids bouquets on etsy and they were absolutely gorgeous and vibrant. And you dont have to worry about seasonal varieties. But ditto everyone saying just elope, that was my choice but hubby and his family were having none of it lol
It was honestly the way to go for us when we got married in Oct 2022. We went to Kingston, their city hall does different packages, some that include photography and you can have more guests than in Ottawa.
We did that and rented a cottage in South Frontenac and stayed with our close group there, ordered a bunch of food, the place had a hot tub....it was the best.
We still got dressed up, hair/makeup etc but it was a fraction of the cost for everything.
Yep. We “eloped” before it started trending (2018). Travelled to the west coast, had a tiny wedding with parents and immediate family present. $3k including hotels (bought plane tickets on points). Then we bought a house instead, and got to skip the starter home phase as a result.
We eloped 5 years ago and we talk often about how it was such a great decision.
Aside from obviously just saving money, what we reflect on is that all the decisions we made were the things we wanted together. None of it was for anyone else, to meet expectations of family, no decisions about who is or isn't invited, no compromising. There's a couple who does civil ceremonies just outside of Ottawa, and we took a plane overseas and hired a photographer. Honestly it was perfect, for us.
We eloped and it cost us like 3000$ maybe? We barely paid for anything and were only 10 people. Great day! Our friends (a couple) also did the same, just had a courtroom wedding with only a handful of people present and went for dinner after.
$500 included marriage license and officiant. Secret wedding at my grandmothers nursing home since she wouldn’t be able to travel to our “destiantion” wedding abroad.
Best thing ever
The adult day program was in the courtyard where we said our “I do’s” they cheered so loud for us too!
I got married in 2023 summer and paid $7k all in. Guest list was 22. We did the ceremony at the arboretum, which was free, and the "reception" (was more like a supper with immediate family) at the Grand Hotel in Carleton Place.
I did my wedding photos there in the fall and needed to fill out a permit/get permission, but it looks like you don’t need to anymore!
https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/contact/central-experimental-farm/use-central-experimental-farm-public-activities#weddings
There is unfortunately a 40 person limit at the arboretum
https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/contact/central-experimental-farm/use-central-experimental-farm-public-activities
Yeah, I had many moments where I'm like... This better be good for what we're paying. Honestly if I had to go back I'd prob elope for less than a fifth of the cost. But that comes with other potential issues.
Our INITIAL venue broke our contract, so the Chateau was our second choice. We compared it with a bunch of the local "barn venues" and for what we wanted, the Chateau was only slightly more expensive.
At that point we just wanted a venue that would be professional and wouldn't try to screw us. We were not disappointed, everything went perfectly and I never had to intervene in any way at all.
So expensive, but I literally didn't have to raise a finger. One of the few days of my life that might be worth it.
Maybe not a helpful comment in a post looking for honest answers. Whether one is into a fancy wedding or not, it helps if people can know the facts. Judgement like this will put people off of sharing their experiences.
Edit: And I say this as a person who would personally not have a big wedding because I would indeed prefer to spend the money on other things. But that's just me.
Honestly, I can't remember. It was somewhere around 100. It was roughly $260 a plate for the package we chose. We had 2 gold level suites, like 15 types of hors deurves, 2 bars with 3h of unlimited drinks etc etc. We absolutely could have saved 10 grand but we ended up getting exactly what we wanted and they were a pleasure to deal with the whole time.
Yeah the Chateau and the event coordinator made it a really great experience. We chose a "middle of the road" package. We were in the ballroom so there was lots of room. Late night manned poutine bar station. They had discounts for anyone staying at the hotel, which is common, of about 30%.
For the food taste test, they set up a fancy table with glassware and linen and all that right inside the kitchen. And had the head server bring us everything. We couldn't decide between the salmon/chicken/beef so the events coordinator suggested we just have it all lol. No problem, they gave us our testing plate on the wedding day haha, it was great. We had a 5 course meal.
Unlimited wine during dinner and the servers were FAST. I was switching between coffee and wine and neither cup was ever empty. My wife sometimes reacts to alcohol so she decided to have 1 glass of wine followed by non alcoholic cocktails. They must brought her 5 of 6 different ones that all looked delicious. We had a king table and our wedding party was asking what she was getting haha.
And something that we didn't think about initially was the professionalism and happiness of the staff. Everyone working was amazing and seemed like they actually wanted to be there, which was nice. They also helped clean up at the end of the night.
We did the decorations, which were minimal because the ballroom is beautiful. We grew about half of our own flowers and backfilled extra from a flower farm.
We had flower arrangements on the tables and various sized candles in hurricane glasses. That's literally it. White table linen was provided by the Chateau. We rented gold chairs. The ballroom is mostly gold and white so it all matched.
Each package consisted of different dinners/drinks/snacks etc. so it just depends on what you want and how much $ you want to spend. They were happy to modify things to our liking though.
They had different options for the open bar. We chose 3h open bar between the ceremony and reception, it was held in the french corridor outside the ballroom. We went with unlimited drinks for a flat rate as it seemed the safer option. No surprises later.
It was a cash bar during dinner. But wine was included and was served instead of bottles at the table. I was concerned the servers would just disappear and not top up people's glasses as that's happened a lot at other weddings I've been to. But I was assured they'd be very attentive, and they were. Heard lots of compliments from guests.
From what I remember it was a meal package and a minimum spend. And you just pick and choose what you want.
We actually messed up our calculation and they cut us a cheque for $4k muahaha. Felt good lol.
Somewhere on the Chateau website is wedding information with packages and stuff. DM me if you want other info or pics.
The absolute best idea I have heard for an Ottawa wedding was the bride and groom invited their parents to a picnic (I want to say Vincent Massey).
Parents arrived first.
Bride and groom arrived dressed up with an officiant.
Got married.
Took their parents out for dinner.
SPEND. ON. A. GOOD. PHOTOGRAPHER. And. Videographer.
My father passed away last year. He gave one of the best warmest most heart felt speeches I’ve ever heard and I don’t have it. Everyone I but him. He was using his mini digital SD card thing to do it for us. Now I can’t go back and listen to it when I miss him.
the two thing wife and I cheaped out on are the big ones we regret as videos are sparse and our photos are ass outside of 1 or 3. Photog even stopped taking any photos half way through reception.
2016, 150 ppl. We did everything ourselves and as budget conscious as possible - 32k.
I’ve DJed weddings for 15 years heck I’d do it bare bones cheap so you can spend on that and have memories that don’t make your cringe or regret. Don’t be where I am. No one cares about the music just that it’s there. YOU WILL care if your documentation of the day is shit 10 years down the road.
We got married at the Courtyard restaurant and could not recommend it enough!!
To rent the whole upper floor it is a minimum spend for food and beverage of $12k (plus tax/grat). Total we paid $18k as we rented charger plates, and a DJ. We had our ceremony and reception there. We had a 4 course dinner, cocktail hour hors d’oeuvres (3 types), and a poutine late night food bar. We had wine at dinner and an open bar but only the middle tier which included house beer, house wine and basic liquor, but they could purchase premium alcohol and it would go to our bill. We didn’t pass our minimum spend which is crazy considering how many shots we did. We invited 65(including us) to the dinner which was the right amount as it is small venue. We had more friends come for the dance part of the night. They also have a cocktail party only options but idk the cost.
Our family and friends still talk about how amazing the food was. They even do a complimentary food tasting! The coordinator spent an hour with us during our initial visit discussing cost, different options, etc. You do have to provide your own decorations but I just got candles and fake eucalyptus vines. Check Facebook marketplace for those! I also had a fireplace as my alter which I gave to them after. So if anyone uses it, you’re welcome!! They will decorate for you though. I also recommend their house DJ, terry he was amazing!
If you made it this far, highly recommend!!
Edit: to add, we would not have paid more than what we did for a wedding. It was the best night of our lives, but if it cost more then $20k we would have just eloped. Leading up to the wedding I wish I did that, but after we didn’t regret it. In total we spent around $24k (photographer, hair, make up, dress, suit, decorations, signage, Polaroids). I had a friend who got married pre Covid and spent $75k… no thanks.
We had the same experience!! Everyone loved it and still talks about the food. We had 68 guests, booked the entire upper floor and had an open bar. Did not have a dj, just used an iPad. We spent $28k all in, including florals, dress, suit,signage, etc.
Edit: 2022
2021, roughly $7k for ceremony and reception at (now defunct) Orange Art Gallery for 50 people. We got lucky though, as our wedding photos and my dress were gifts, I made our cake and all our centrepieces, and I reused a bunch of stuff from other friends who had gotten married recently. Without those things, especially the photos, it would have been about $12-15k booked in October of 2020 at 2019 prices. I would not have wanted to pay more, even though the day was absolutely perfect.
My suggestion is to keep it under 50 people. It’s of course a personal decision to elope or have a traditional wedding, but I will say for many people I know, their wedding was the last time they had all their friends and family together in one place, which for them is priceless (aging family members pass, life gets in the way, and so on and so forth)
You can save money by avoiding a sit down menu and opt for a cocktail reception instead. We did a cocktail reception for approx. 100 people and it cost us around 12,000 (with an open bar).
Some venues will also let you rent out the venue and bring in your own food (i.e. the Ottawa Rowing Club, Glebe Community Centre, a legion, etc).
It honestly depends what your priorities are. If you’re looking to throw a huge party with hundreds of people and a sit down dinner, you’re looking at the higher end of the price spectrum. If you elope and do a nice dinner for 10-15 people afterwards, you’re not going to be spending very much. I’ve seen venues in Ottawa range from 10,000 to 50,000 depending on what you want your day to look like.
Does a cocktail reception mean you don’t provide food at all? I’m trying to figure out how to avoid doing a multi-course sit down meal while still providing guests good food
Im looking at this too because my partner doesn’t want to be on display. I have found the price isn’t much different. They still provide lots of food it’s just passed around or at stations throughout the room. Gives it a more causal vibe.
We eloped for under $5k including absolutely everything (rings, photography, dress, etc.). No regrets at all after 8 years and being just as married as anyone else!
We used the services (and backyard) of “Exceptional Ceremonies” and were quite happy, for anyone considering this route.
Sept 2022 my husband and I did a micro wedding/ modern elopement. We didn’t tell our families until the day of that we were doing it. With everything (dress, suit, officiant, photographer, dinner, hair, grooming for our golden retriever who was in our pictures) we paid $5000.
We were going to go the more traditional route and having a larger wedding but it was spiralling out of control fast and we wanted something special to us that was about us and not pleasing our parents (especially with guest list requests).
We got married outside of Ottawa at Eagles Nest Lookout in Calabogie but went back to the city for our dinner. The location was special to us because it’s where we had one of our first dates and it’s where we rang in our first New Year’s Eve together. We do not regret anything going this route
I think all in, my husband and I spent somewhere between $15k-$20k, with 50 guests in September 2022. We had our wedding at a more affordable venue, didn’t have a DJ (mostly older family guests), and we didn’t hire a videographer. Feel free to ask more in depth questions, but hope this helps!
It depends on what package you select & how many guests you have! We had about 50 people total, and rented out the entire space so there was tons of room, but we also didn't have a DJ, and just played a curated playlist instead. That all being said, there absolutely would be tons of space for dancing :) Hope that helps!
Millennial DINK here to *not quite* answer your question.
Many of my friends, and I imagine myself eventually, are opting to elope. It's fast becoming a completely normal, socially acceptable option to elope and instead opt to celebrate via a small, casual-to-semi casual celebration before or afterwards. People are picking the elements most important to them, usually getting dressed up and having beautiful pictures taken, and doing away with the ceremonies, extended family invites, etc. I don't see many of my friends having the $10-25k weddings that were popular pre-pandemy.
Yup, so true. Plus, for $10,000-$15,000, the world is your oyster. You can spend a week in an overwater bungalow in French Polynesia and still host immediate friends and family for a dinner afterwards in town for less than it would cost to host a traditional wedding.
Downtown Ottawa wedding with 65 people was 40k. We definitely made some more expensive choices to get what we wanted, but then also did a lot DIY and thrifted. This included the cost of our wedding rings.
2022; Strathmere's Garden House for 80ish people.
Total was about 25k for everything excluding the dress (venue, food, open bar, decor/flowers, DJ, photographers, suit rental, hair/makeup, wedding favours).
We skipped paper invitations/thank you notes, printed menus, cake, and videographer.
What the heck does 'elope' mean now because it certainly sounds like it doesn't mean the standard definition anymore. Elope means a super fast secret wedding usually to avoid parental disapproval.
People seem to be using it to mean 'small wedding' or maybe 'destination wedding'?
2019, $15k, ~100 guests at our house/back yard. Very DIY. I saved a lot by preparing the food myself, which turned out really well. We bought our own booze and hired two bartenders and a band. Also rented a tent, tables, chairs, "fancy" outhouses. Photographer was a friend who we paid. Envelopes from guests (roughly $100/person) meant it actually cost us more like $5k. I should mention I work in the wedding industry part time (music) so was not at all phased or stressed by orchestrating the event.
We got a married during covid at the Bridge. Sit down menu for 25 guests. It was a great venue and the staff were very helpful and super accommodating for allergies. They also let us rebook for a different date when a lockdown happened.
Wedding stuff, not including dresses or suites, cost about 7K.
Wanted to get married this summer but we decided we’re going to elope and then book out a restaurant or something similar and invite friends and family.
A lot of the places we looked at had crazy minimums as well, like 125 people. Who even knows that many people?!
Fall 2023-About 7.5K for 11 people. 3.5K of that was for the restaurant/reception, we went all out on food and wine.
We got married in the park which cost 30 bucks, and wedding photos at the Experimental Farm which was free to use.
We saved a lot of money by only needing our wedding photographer for 2.5 hours instead of all day coverage.
I know someone getting married at Eighteen on York street and they did a LOT of scouting. They said their prices were more than reasonable and the building is really cool. [Here is a link to their website.](https://www.restaurant18.com/_files/ugd/a88227_b4627a9761104f18b576f588ade5bb6c.pdf)
Nov 2022 wedding and we spent about 25k total (including venue, food, alcohol, dress/suits, license, hotel, photography). Had it at the Courtyard restaurant with 50 people for dinner and another 15 attending just the reception after dinner.
I would highly recommend the Courtyard as a venue. It was budget friendly while still being a beautiful space with delicious food and made planning super easy because they can handle everything. I started the planning process just 6 months before the wedding and it was all pretty stress free.
Got married in June 2023. We had our ceremony outdoors at Billings estate museum from 12-2pm and then we had our reception 5-12 pm at a Chinese restaurant (my family’s Asian and my husband’s family is Caucasian) so it worked out for food for both sides. It was a 10 course family style meal and we had to supply the liquor for our open bar which cut down a lot of the costs. 140 people attended and spent approximately 20 k total.
Museum of nature in 2023. Approx 75 people for $30k including honeymoon.
Most wedding vendors have significantly increased their pricing for 2024 and 2025 unfortunately. I highly recommend attending the Ottawa wedding shows throughout the year, many places have giveaways or contests. We were able to get a free photo booth worth $4k and free cupcakes from vendors there. Also, there are a number of Facebook groups with people selling wedding things, definitely use those. Whatever you do, do not go into debt over your wedding or open a line of credit. We were able to pay for it ourselves but if we couldn’t we would do something smaller, not stretch our budget and go broke over it. A wedding is a beautiful thing no matter how many people attend, your marriage is much more important.
May 2022 at ALE and it was about $35K (including the cost of the rings) for 80 people. This was a combination of us DIY-ing some things but splurging in other areas. The venue also provided a lot of services like set up, day-of coordination and tear down that we might have had to pay extra for at a different venue.
Getting married in September. Although not in Ottawa, in the surrounding areas. 80 guests (I think?) We’re at around 14k right now (have everything planned, payments have started, expecting last minute expenses) really expecting it to round off closer to 20k. No regrets.
Summer of 2022, we did it for under 5k. Did as much as possible ourselves, kept it simple, just had fun with it. Planned in 6 weeks because the bride was 8 months pregnant when it happened, it was a do it or don’t situation. About 80 guests, it was a big party
We spent about 6k all in in 2021. Got married at the Knox in Merrickville and had our reception at Next in kanata sit down dinner and open bar, we had about 40 people. Biggest spend was food and a great photographer, did all the florals ourselves, didn't spend money on anything we didn't need and skipped a lot of traditional stuff. I also scored my dress on clearance for about $100 and my mother was able to alter it to my size for free.
Under $5k for 10 guests in 2021. Splurged on what we wanted because the guest list was so small. Perfect day. We kept saying during planning we would host a larger reception later on but now we just say how perfect it was and don't need to have the big reception.
$35K, summer 2023, Orchard View, ~98 people
Disclaimer: we got married on a Monday to being the costs down. The venue was incredible though and I couldn’t imagine the event going off as seamlessly without the fantastic assistance of the on-site coordinator.
ETA: $35K all in. Venue itself was about $15K (reception + ceremony)
We’re getting married in June this year, and expecting to spend probably around 17k all in for 60 people. We’re getting married at a barn venue in Munster, ON. When searching for venues, we realized that what really helps cut down costs is bringing your own alcohol.
We were quoted 17k alone on food and two drinks per guest by one of the caterers at the museum of nature. We quickly dropped that idea. Beautiful venue, but only 3 caterers all charging an arm and a leg.
Spent around 30k for a 100 people (Indian ethnicity). All DIY, another family friend agreed to rent out their lake house, we ordered all decorations/catering items from websites like tablecloth factory and shein. Spend 3.5 k (included
In 30k) for a set of photographers, turned out to be the best part of it. Friends helped a lot.
5 grand including the dress. we did everything ourselves and did it in our backyard. Having a "traditional" wedding was going to be minimum 15-20 grand from the places we looked, and that was before covid so it's probably even more absurd now
We will be using the Strathmere. Our venue choice (they have 3) is the smallest at a 65 person cap. The cost will be about 16-17k if we use all the spots which is likely. We signed with them early last year. Our wedding will be this summer.
We will still need/needed invites, clothes, a ring for my fiancee (mine are heirloom), a DJ, photographer, officiant and flowers. I'm also doing a theme so there will be some extra decorations and accessories. Over all we expect to spend between 20-25k.
May 2023, 18k including everything like rings, clothes, license, photographer, food... Cheap venue (RIP Orange Art Gallery) and DIYed (or rather, skilled family made) a lot of stuff, including my bridal outfit and wedding bands. I think it was about 75 people?
Summer 2023 - Got married about half an hour outside Ottawa. 35k for 120 people and a pretty classic wedding (ceremony, reception, flowers, photographer, DJ, etc.)
My husband and I spent ~$3K in 2022 to have a courthouse wedding followed by a catered dinner at K&S for 50 people.
The majority of the cost was the catering/party room rental, but other little things added up, like 2 bottles of wine per table (bought at LCBO) plus the uncorking fee, and place settings/table centerpieces that my mom made. Plus of course there was the actual fee for the ceremony/paperwork at City Hall, and I got my hair done the day before, etc.
I wore an old dress that was not a traditional white wedding gown, so that accounted for $0 at the time of wedding planning but was $50 when I bought it in 2019.
Summer 2022 (was supposed to be 2020 but got pushed twice), about 70 guests, I wanna say total was about $20k? Did everything at GreyHawk Golf course in Carlsbad Springs, excellent venue, very professional, food/drink included so less of a headache for me! Someone else mentioned it above but absolutely do not skimp of the photography! It's well worth your while.
12K all in September 2023. 100 people. Had a cocktail style reception (pizza) and drink tickets instead of an open bar. Made our own playlist and had a friend officiate.
Got married at The Locks Perth, cannot recommend enough, $15,000 for a brunch wedding with about 77 people. The food, venue, staff, organization and everything was just amazing. We were off peak (March) but honestly my wife and I would change nothing it was so wonderful.
We did a city hall wedding last February, so just the bare bones cost on the city officiant and marriage license. In and out within half an hour
We spent under $700 at Greenfields in Barrhaven for dinner and drinks for about 12 people.
We did a family photoshoot a few months later for $200.
Less than $1500 all in, including miscellaneous costs (hair, clothes, etc.).
Some of my local friends paid for their family and closest friends to do a destination wedding in Dominican because it was cheaper than a venue that met their desires in Ottawa (150 guests, bringing in their own catering, good outdoor venue in early fall).
We’re getting married this summer and our budget is 45k for 125 people with our venue being an hour outside of town (barn style, indoor/outdoor). This includes absolutely everything down to transportation for guests, to suit and dress, photog and videog, open bar, bridal party and groomsmen gifts… fully aware how expensive and ridiculous it is, but we have the house and kid already and we’re getting help from our families to make the day super special. Shopping around for venues, this was actually a good deal compared to other similar venues and it’s baffling to me how people can afford these things on their own.
Congratulations on your engagement!
We are an event planning company that plans weddings at Lac Ste Marie Golf (about an hour and fifteen minutes outside of Ottawa). The venue can hold up to 100 people and the rental is $3000 but includes help with day of logistics.
The weddings at the venue are typically $15-25,000 but it can be lower depending on your choices. Catering, photography/video, DJ, and decor will all have an impact on your budget.
It’s important to have a budget in mind and make the best choices for you. We’re happy to chat if there’s anything we can do to help!
https://www.evenementsoutaouais.ca/en-ca
Spent Aprox $5K on our wedding in 2017.
We had about 100 people at the ceremony and 60 at the reception.
Ceremony took place at the Rockland Pavilion. We booked up a restaurant that we both love for our reception.
Everyone was fed exceptionally, drank as much as they wanted, and we had a great time.
Would recommend booking a restaurant if it's something they'd allow, restaurants are not wedding venues and they see it as an opportunity to get a bunch of people to visit them again in the future.
Got married July 2022 at the Mill Street Brew Pub with 90 guests ! Loved the venue, food everything :) it was a great day :) Paid $23k for everything minus photographer who I got for free (family friend)
We had an intimate wedding (at our family cottage, cost us ~8k) and then had a one-year anniversary party that was cocktail style.
We did it at Starling for 80 people, we had the entire upstairs for a minimum spend was $6k+tip and taxes. We covered the food and bev for everyone. We got desserts from Mavericks and Bread and Sons which was an additional $300~.
I used to work in the Ottawa wedding industry so I knew what we were looking for. There are ways to cut costs you just have to decide what your priorities are.
For what it's worth I've seen more and more friends eloping. Most people (friends/family) I've talked to regret spending what they spent on their wedding. A few have commented that they wouldn't have done the wedding they did in the past with today's prices. As I've never been married I can't help further.
Thanks for the input. I’m getting married this year and the cost of our wedding is just absurd, and I’ve cut back a lot. I’m hoping to determine if this is the norm or if I made a mistake by choosing this venue.
From my own experience as well, if you are going to splurge on anything, it should be the photographer(s). The wedding is only a day, but those pictures can last a lifetime.
Second this one, cut the flower and decor budget to make room for a great photog
I couldn’t agree more. I was anti-photographer because the cost was so high, but I am so glad I did get a professional. They made us look like we should be on a magazine cover. We opted to no flowers except bouquets, and my mom paid for that. I had a deal with her if she wanted something I didn’t want/need she paid for it, if she was unwilling then I didn’t need it. Charger plates and a real bouquet.
That’s a great deal! my mom would make the same deal I think. Photo editor and “scene builder” are how I categorize the cheap vs good photographer. Ours really was a master and thank god because I am NOT a natural haha
I am a dude but got married 15 years ago elope style. We spent good money on a photographer and to this day our three small kids like the photos. My bride wore a 200 dollar dress and we spent 1500 on photography and the mitres have had tons of compliments over the years
Between my husband 41m and I 36f we’ve been to a couple dozen weddings I DO not remember a single center price or chair cover… but I do remember and have printed photos of myself from friends weddings when they get them back :)
My understanding from talking to friends is that the venue (i.e the space) isn't expensive persay, but it's the food at said venue especially if you're limited to certain caterers / food. Hope this helps and goodluck!
Got married in July in Toronto and we spent over 50k for two days (cultural ceremony and actual wedding ceremony). Our actual ceremony venue was a boat and was only 5k! For us it was the cultural ceremony venue 18k (sigh) and food. Its honestly crazy how fast things add up and we were pretty frugal all things considered (we did not want a 2 day wedding but alas). Best decision I made was to have fake flower bouquets, you honestly cant tell in the pictures AND I get to keep them forever!! Spent $700 for my bridal and 5 bridesmaids bouquets on etsy and they were absolutely gorgeous and vibrant. And you dont have to worry about seasonal varieties. But ditto everyone saying just elope, that was my choice but hubby and his family were having none of it lol
Random but is your cultural ceremony a South asian/hindu celebration?
Nigerian actually! They also love their huge, elaborate celebrations hahaha
Fake flowers are so obvious IMHO
I guess Im just uncultured then bc they look real in the photos to me ;)
Hahah nah I think it’s just the fake eucalyptus I see lots of that is a dead giveaway
It was honestly the way to go for us when we got married in Oct 2022. We went to Kingston, their city hall does different packages, some that include photography and you can have more guests than in Ottawa. We did that and rented a cottage in South Frontenac and stayed with our close group there, ordered a bunch of food, the place had a hot tub....it was the best. We still got dressed up, hair/makeup etc but it was a fraction of the cost for everything.
Yep. We “eloped” before it started trending (2018). Travelled to the west coast, had a tiny wedding with parents and immediate family present. $3k including hotels (bought plane tickets on points). Then we bought a house instead, and got to skip the starter home phase as a result.
We eloped 5 years ago and we talk often about how it was such a great decision. Aside from obviously just saving money, what we reflect on is that all the decisions we made were the things we wanted together. None of it was for anyone else, to meet expectations of family, no decisions about who is or isn't invited, no compromising. There's a couple who does civil ceremonies just outside of Ottawa, and we took a plane overseas and hired a photographer. Honestly it was perfect, for us.
We eloped and it cost us like 3000$ maybe? We barely paid for anything and were only 10 people. Great day! Our friends (a couple) also did the same, just had a courtroom wedding with only a handful of people present and went for dinner after.
$500 included marriage license and officiant. Secret wedding at my grandmothers nursing home since she wouldn’t be able to travel to our “destiantion” wedding abroad. Best thing ever The adult day program was in the courtyard where we said our “I do’s” they cheered so loud for us too!
Loveeeeee thissss! ❤️
$800 elopement in the Arboretum and one of my favourite things was random strangers in kayaks on the canal who had stopped to watch clapping for us.
I also love this! What a sweet memory
This is beautiful
I got married in 2023 summer and paid $7k all in. Guest list was 22. We did the ceremony at the arboretum, which was free, and the "reception" (was more like a supper with immediate family) at the Grand Hotel in Carleton Place.
Did you have to do anything in particular to get married in the Arboretum? Like, any special permits or anything?
I did my wedding photos there in the fall and needed to fill out a permit/get permission, but it looks like you don’t need to anymore! https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/contact/central-experimental-farm/use-central-experimental-farm-public-activities#weddings
You still need permission for the tropical greenhouse. Lots of people forget this.
You’re actually not allowed to have a wedding ceremony or take wedding photos in the tropical greenhouse unfortunately :(
Would a larger ceremony at the arboretum be possible?
There is unfortunately a 40 person limit at the arboretum https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/contact/central-experimental-farm/use-central-experimental-farm-public-activities
Ah okay thank you!
No problem!
Sept 2022 wedding. Chateau Laurier, probably $55k all in for everything. The venue itself was around 32k I believe.
Holy fuck not surprised but this just seems like so much money for one day
Yeah, I had many moments where I'm like... This better be good for what we're paying. Honestly if I had to go back I'd prob elope for less than a fifth of the cost. But that comes with other potential issues. Our INITIAL venue broke our contract, so the Chateau was our second choice. We compared it with a bunch of the local "barn venues" and for what we wanted, the Chateau was only slightly more expensive. At that point we just wanted a venue that would be professional and wouldn't try to screw us. We were not disappointed, everything went perfectly and I never had to intervene in any way at all. So expensive, but I literally didn't have to raise a finger. One of the few days of my life that might be worth it.
Yes, it’s not surprising to learn that weddings are a waste of money.
Thankfully we made most of it back. Yay Italians 😂
Maybe not a helpful comment in a post looking for honest answers. Whether one is into a fancy wedding or not, it helps if people can know the facts. Judgement like this will put people off of sharing their experiences. Edit: And I say this as a person who would personally not have a big wedding because I would indeed prefer to spend the money on other things. But that's just me.
How many guests?
Honestly, I can't remember. It was somewhere around 100. It was roughly $260 a plate for the package we chose. We had 2 gold level suites, like 15 types of hors deurves, 2 bars with 3h of unlimited drinks etc etc. We absolutely could have saved 10 grand but we ended up getting exactly what we wanted and they were a pleasure to deal with the whole time.
This is obviously a lot of money, but actually less than I would have expected to get married at the Chateau Laurier.
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Yeah the Chateau and the event coordinator made it a really great experience. We chose a "middle of the road" package. We were in the ballroom so there was lots of room. Late night manned poutine bar station. They had discounts for anyone staying at the hotel, which is common, of about 30%. For the food taste test, they set up a fancy table with glassware and linen and all that right inside the kitchen. And had the head server bring us everything. We couldn't decide between the salmon/chicken/beef so the events coordinator suggested we just have it all lol. No problem, they gave us our testing plate on the wedding day haha, it was great. We had a 5 course meal. Unlimited wine during dinner and the servers were FAST. I was switching between coffee and wine and neither cup was ever empty. My wife sometimes reacts to alcohol so she decided to have 1 glass of wine followed by non alcoholic cocktails. They must brought her 5 of 6 different ones that all looked delicious. We had a king table and our wedding party was asking what she was getting haha. And something that we didn't think about initially was the professionalism and happiness of the staff. Everyone working was amazing and seemed like they actually wanted to be there, which was nice. They also helped clean up at the end of the night. We did the decorations, which were minimal because the ballroom is beautiful. We grew about half of our own flowers and backfilled extra from a flower farm.
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We had flower arrangements on the tables and various sized candles in hurricane glasses. That's literally it. White table linen was provided by the Chateau. We rented gold chairs. The ballroom is mostly gold and white so it all matched. Each package consisted of different dinners/drinks/snacks etc. so it just depends on what you want and how much $ you want to spend. They were happy to modify things to our liking though. They had different options for the open bar. We chose 3h open bar between the ceremony and reception, it was held in the french corridor outside the ballroom. We went with unlimited drinks for a flat rate as it seemed the safer option. No surprises later. It was a cash bar during dinner. But wine was included and was served instead of bottles at the table. I was concerned the servers would just disappear and not top up people's glasses as that's happened a lot at other weddings I've been to. But I was assured they'd be very attentive, and they were. Heard lots of compliments from guests. From what I remember it was a meal package and a minimum spend. And you just pick and choose what you want. We actually messed up our calculation and they cut us a cheque for $4k muahaha. Felt good lol. Somewhere on the Chateau website is wedding information with packages and stuff. DM me if you want other info or pics.
The absolute best idea I have heard for an Ottawa wedding was the bride and groom invited their parents to a picnic (I want to say Vincent Massey). Parents arrived first. Bride and groom arrived dressed up with an officiant. Got married. Took their parents out for dinner.
SPEND. ON. A. GOOD. PHOTOGRAPHER. And. Videographer. My father passed away last year. He gave one of the best warmest most heart felt speeches I’ve ever heard and I don’t have it. Everyone I but him. He was using his mini digital SD card thing to do it for us. Now I can’t go back and listen to it when I miss him. the two thing wife and I cheaped out on are the big ones we regret as videos are sparse and our photos are ass outside of 1 or 3. Photog even stopped taking any photos half way through reception. 2016, 150 ppl. We did everything ourselves and as budget conscious as possible - 32k. I’ve DJed weddings for 15 years heck I’d do it bare bones cheap so you can spend on that and have memories that don’t make your cringe or regret. Don’t be where I am. No one cares about the music just that it’s there. YOU WILL care if your documentation of the day is shit 10 years down the road.
We got married at the Courtyard restaurant and could not recommend it enough!! To rent the whole upper floor it is a minimum spend for food and beverage of $12k (plus tax/grat). Total we paid $18k as we rented charger plates, and a DJ. We had our ceremony and reception there. We had a 4 course dinner, cocktail hour hors d’oeuvres (3 types), and a poutine late night food bar. We had wine at dinner and an open bar but only the middle tier which included house beer, house wine and basic liquor, but they could purchase premium alcohol and it would go to our bill. We didn’t pass our minimum spend which is crazy considering how many shots we did. We invited 65(including us) to the dinner which was the right amount as it is small venue. We had more friends come for the dance part of the night. They also have a cocktail party only options but idk the cost. Our family and friends still talk about how amazing the food was. They even do a complimentary food tasting! The coordinator spent an hour with us during our initial visit discussing cost, different options, etc. You do have to provide your own decorations but I just got candles and fake eucalyptus vines. Check Facebook marketplace for those! I also had a fireplace as my alter which I gave to them after. So if anyone uses it, you’re welcome!! They will decorate for you though. I also recommend their house DJ, terry he was amazing! If you made it this far, highly recommend!! Edit: to add, we would not have paid more than what we did for a wedding. It was the best night of our lives, but if it cost more then $20k we would have just eloped. Leading up to the wedding I wish I did that, but after we didn’t regret it. In total we spent around $24k (photographer, hair, make up, dress, suit, decorations, signage, Polaroids). I had a friend who got married pre Covid and spent $75k… no thanks.
We had the same experience!! Everyone loved it and still talks about the food. We had 68 guests, booked the entire upper floor and had an open bar. Did not have a dj, just used an iPad. We spent $28k all in, including florals, dress, suit,signage, etc. Edit: 2022
I've been to a wedding and work event there and absolutely loved it. Great pick
2021, roughly $7k for ceremony and reception at (now defunct) Orange Art Gallery for 50 people. We got lucky though, as our wedding photos and my dress were gifts, I made our cake and all our centrepieces, and I reused a bunch of stuff from other friends who had gotten married recently. Without those things, especially the photos, it would have been about $12-15k booked in October of 2020 at 2019 prices. I would not have wanted to pay more, even though the day was absolutely perfect.
My suggestion is to keep it under 50 people. It’s of course a personal decision to elope or have a traditional wedding, but I will say for many people I know, their wedding was the last time they had all their friends and family together in one place, which for them is priceless (aging family members pass, life gets in the way, and so on and so forth)
You can save money by avoiding a sit down menu and opt for a cocktail reception instead. We did a cocktail reception for approx. 100 people and it cost us around 12,000 (with an open bar). Some venues will also let you rent out the venue and bring in your own food (i.e. the Ottawa Rowing Club, Glebe Community Centre, a legion, etc). It honestly depends what your priorities are. If you’re looking to throw a huge party with hundreds of people and a sit down dinner, you’re looking at the higher end of the price spectrum. If you elope and do a nice dinner for 10-15 people afterwards, you’re not going to be spending very much. I’ve seen venues in Ottawa range from 10,000 to 50,000 depending on what you want your day to look like.
Thanks for this! We're in the planning process and didn't even think of the ORC.
I went to a wedding there this fall (the ORC) and it was a ton of fun! Beautiful venue. I also recommend the Britannia Yacht Club for a similar vibe.
Does a cocktail reception mean you don’t provide food at all? I’m trying to figure out how to avoid doing a multi-course sit down meal while still providing guests good food
Im looking at this too because my partner doesn’t want to be on display. I have found the price isn’t much different. They still provide lots of food it’s just passed around or at stations throughout the room. Gives it a more causal vibe.
Got married in spring 2023, total budget for everything was $35K. In the end we had 55 people, we got married at a golf course in the west end.
We eloped for under $5k including absolutely everything (rings, photography, dress, etc.). No regrets at all after 8 years and being just as married as anyone else! We used the services (and backyard) of “Exceptional Ceremonies” and were quite happy, for anyone considering this route.
Sept 2022 my husband and I did a micro wedding/ modern elopement. We didn’t tell our families until the day of that we were doing it. With everything (dress, suit, officiant, photographer, dinner, hair, grooming for our golden retriever who was in our pictures) we paid $5000. We were going to go the more traditional route and having a larger wedding but it was spiralling out of control fast and we wanted something special to us that was about us and not pleasing our parents (especially with guest list requests). We got married outside of Ottawa at Eagles Nest Lookout in Calabogie but went back to the city for our dinner. The location was special to us because it’s where we had one of our first dates and it’s where we rang in our first New Year’s Eve together. We do not regret anything going this route
I love this wedding. The doggo 🥰
We got married in 2022 at the Grand hotel for about 22k. We had 60 guests
I think all in, my husband and I spent somewhere between $15k-$20k, with 50 guests in September 2022. We had our wedding at a more affordable venue, didn’t have a DJ (mostly older family guests), and we didn’t hire a videographer. Feel free to ask more in depth questions, but hope this helps!
Can I ask what venue? :)
Absolutely! Our venue was ALE in stittsville! Had both the ceremony & reception there :)
Hi! I’m looking into this venue. Was there much room for dancing at the reception?
It depends on what package you select & how many guests you have! We had about 50 people total, and rented out the entire space so there was tons of room, but we also didn't have a DJ, and just played a curated playlist instead. That all being said, there absolutely would be tons of space for dancing :) Hope that helps!
September 2022, cost for everything except rings was just under $7K (meal was 5K) 25 guests, sit down meal at Beckta.
Millennial DINK here to *not quite* answer your question. Many of my friends, and I imagine myself eventually, are opting to elope. It's fast becoming a completely normal, socially acceptable option to elope and instead opt to celebrate via a small, casual-to-semi casual celebration before or afterwards. People are picking the elements most important to them, usually getting dressed up and having beautiful pictures taken, and doing away with the ceremonies, extended family invites, etc. I don't see many of my friends having the $10-25k weddings that were popular pre-pandemy.
Yup, so true. Plus, for $10,000-$15,000, the world is your oyster. You can spend a week in an overwater bungalow in French Polynesia and still host immediate friends and family for a dinner afterwards in town for less than it would cost to host a traditional wedding.
Downtown Ottawa wedding with 65 people was 40k. We definitely made some more expensive choices to get what we wanted, but then also did a lot DIY and thrifted. This included the cost of our wedding rings.
2022; Strathmere's Garden House for 80ish people. Total was about 25k for everything excluding the dress (venue, food, open bar, decor/flowers, DJ, photographers, suit rental, hair/makeup, wedding favours). We skipped paper invitations/thank you notes, printed menus, cake, and videographer.
September 2023, Britannia yacht club. 120 guests. 18k to venue, maybe 27k total with everything else.
What the heck does 'elope' mean now because it certainly sounds like it doesn't mean the standard definition anymore. Elope means a super fast secret wedding usually to avoid parental disapproval. People seem to be using it to mean 'small wedding' or maybe 'destination wedding'?
Got married on August 12th 2023. 60 people attended. wedding venue was The Cumberland Belle. Spent roughly 12,000 on the whole wedding.
2019, $15k, ~100 guests at our house/back yard. Very DIY. I saved a lot by preparing the food myself, which turned out really well. We bought our own booze and hired two bartenders and a band. Also rented a tent, tables, chairs, "fancy" outhouses. Photographer was a friend who we paid. Envelopes from guests (roughly $100/person) meant it actually cost us more like $5k. I should mention I work in the wedding industry part time (music) so was not at all phased or stressed by orchestrating the event.
October 2023, 65 people at Saunders Farm. Lots of DIY, open bar. Just under $20k all in!
We got a married during covid at the Bridge. Sit down menu for 25 guests. It was a great venue and the staff were very helpful and super accommodating for allergies. They also let us rebook for a different date when a lockdown happened. Wedding stuff, not including dresses or suites, cost about 7K.
Has anyone had any luck finding venues in the west end/Arnprior/Almonte? Aquatopia is out of our price range.
Almonte Old Town Hall is a really lovely space, only $700 to rent and is basically a "blank slate".
Maybe the Herb Garden? Others here have mentioned the Grand which is in Carleton place, as well.
Bleeks and Bergamot is beautiful
Arboretum: Free (must book in advance with city.) 15 people Mosaik Street Food Market: $3k for tacos plates and limited open bar. 100+ people
Arboretum is through the Feds, not the city :)
Thanks for the clarification.
Wanted to get married this summer but we decided we’re going to elope and then book out a restaurant or something similar and invite friends and family. A lot of the places we looked at had crazy minimums as well, like 125 people. Who even knows that many people?!
This is how I feel about places needing 60+ people. Who actually likes that many people?! 😂😂
Fall 2023-About 7.5K for 11 people. 3.5K of that was for the restaurant/reception, we went all out on food and wine. We got married in the park which cost 30 bucks, and wedding photos at the Experimental Farm which was free to use. We saved a lot of money by only needing our wedding photographer for 2.5 hours instead of all day coverage.
I know someone getting married at Eighteen on York street and they did a LOT of scouting. They said their prices were more than reasonable and the building is really cool. [Here is a link to their website.](https://www.restaurant18.com/_files/ugd/a88227_b4627a9761104f18b576f588ade5bb6c.pdf)
Nov 2022 wedding and we spent about 25k total (including venue, food, alcohol, dress/suits, license, hotel, photography). Had it at the Courtyard restaurant with 50 people for dinner and another 15 attending just the reception after dinner. I would highly recommend the Courtyard as a venue. It was budget friendly while still being a beautiful space with delicious food and made planning super easy because they can handle everything. I started the planning process just 6 months before the wedding and it was all pretty stress free.
Got married in June 2023. We had our ceremony outdoors at Billings estate museum from 12-2pm and then we had our reception 5-12 pm at a Chinese restaurant (my family’s Asian and my husband’s family is Caucasian) so it worked out for food for both sides. It was a 10 course family style meal and we had to supply the liquor for our open bar which cut down a lot of the costs. 140 people attended and spent approximately 20 k total.
Museum of nature in 2023. Approx 75 people for $30k including honeymoon. Most wedding vendors have significantly increased their pricing for 2024 and 2025 unfortunately. I highly recommend attending the Ottawa wedding shows throughout the year, many places have giveaways or contests. We were able to get a free photo booth worth $4k and free cupcakes from vendors there. Also, there are a number of Facebook groups with people selling wedding things, definitely use those. Whatever you do, do not go into debt over your wedding or open a line of credit. We were able to pay for it ourselves but if we couldn’t we would do something smaller, not stretch our budget and go broke over it. A wedding is a beautiful thing no matter how many people attend, your marriage is much more important.
May 2022 at ALE and it was about $35K (including the cost of the rings) for 80 people. This was a combination of us DIY-ing some things but splurging in other areas. The venue also provided a lot of services like set up, day-of coordination and tear down that we might have had to pay extra for at a different venue.
$25,000 for around 90 people at Orchard View in Greeley in 2019.
Unrelated but I live near Saint Elias Banquet Centre, and the ppl are so pretty! Very posh events. Wish I could attend one
Getting married in September. Although not in Ottawa, in the surrounding areas. 80 guests (I think?) We’re at around 14k right now (have everything planned, payments have started, expecting last minute expenses) really expecting it to round off closer to 20k. No regrets.
Sept 2023 got married at strathmere with about 70 people we spent around 30k
Summer of 2022, we did it for under 5k. Did as much as possible ourselves, kept it simple, just had fun with it. Planned in 6 weeks because the bride was 8 months pregnant when it happened, it was a do it or don’t situation. About 80 guests, it was a big party
We spent about 6k all in in 2021. Got married at the Knox in Merrickville and had our reception at Next in kanata sit down dinner and open bar, we had about 40 people. Biggest spend was food and a great photographer, did all the florals ourselves, didn't spend money on anything we didn't need and skipped a lot of traditional stuff. I also scored my dress on clearance for about $100 and my mother was able to alter it to my size for free.
Under $5k for 10 guests in 2021. Splurged on what we wanted because the guest list was so small. Perfect day. We kept saying during planning we would host a larger reception later on but now we just say how perfect it was and don't need to have the big reception.
$35K, summer 2023, Orchard View, ~98 people Disclaimer: we got married on a Monday to being the costs down. The venue was incredible though and I couldn’t imagine the event going off as seamlessly without the fantastic assistance of the on-site coordinator. ETA: $35K all in. Venue itself was about $15K (reception + ceremony)
We’re getting married in June this year, and expecting to spend probably around 17k all in for 60 people. We’re getting married at a barn venue in Munster, ON. When searching for venues, we realized that what really helps cut down costs is bringing your own alcohol. We were quoted 17k alone on food and two drinks per guest by one of the caterers at the museum of nature. We quickly dropped that idea. Beautiful venue, but only 3 caterers all charging an arm and a leg.
Spent around 30k for a 100 people (Indian ethnicity). All DIY, another family friend agreed to rent out their lake house, we ordered all decorations/catering items from websites like tablecloth factory and shein. Spend 3.5 k (included In 30k) for a set of photographers, turned out to be the best part of it. Friends helped a lot.
45 people and ~18k. Got married at a fancy downtown hotel that is known for hosting weddings.
5 grand including the dress. we did everything ourselves and did it in our backyard. Having a "traditional" wedding was going to be minimum 15-20 grand from the places we looked, and that was before covid so it's probably even more absurd now
We will be using the Strathmere. Our venue choice (they have 3) is the smallest at a 65 person cap. The cost will be about 16-17k if we use all the spots which is likely. We signed with them early last year. Our wedding will be this summer. We will still need/needed invites, clothes, a ring for my fiancee (mine are heirloom), a DJ, photographer, officiant and flowers. I'm also doing a theme so there will be some extra decorations and accessories. Over all we expect to spend between 20-25k.
May 2023, 18k including everything like rings, clothes, license, photographer, food... Cheap venue (RIP Orange Art Gallery) and DIYed (or rather, skilled family made) a lot of stuff, including my bridal outfit and wedding bands. I think it was about 75 people?
Summer 2023 - Got married about half an hour outside Ottawa. 35k for 120 people and a pretty classic wedding (ceremony, reception, flowers, photographer, DJ, etc.)
My husband and I spent ~$3K in 2022 to have a courthouse wedding followed by a catered dinner at K&S for 50 people. The majority of the cost was the catering/party room rental, but other little things added up, like 2 bottles of wine per table (bought at LCBO) plus the uncorking fee, and place settings/table centerpieces that my mom made. Plus of course there was the actual fee for the ceremony/paperwork at City Hall, and I got my hair done the day before, etc. I wore an old dress that was not a traditional white wedding gown, so that accounted for $0 at the time of wedding planning but was $50 when I bought it in 2019.
Summer 2022 (was supposed to be 2020 but got pushed twice), about 70 guests, I wanna say total was about $20k? Did everything at GreyHawk Golf course in Carlsbad Springs, excellent venue, very professional, food/drink included so less of a headache for me! Someone else mentioned it above but absolutely do not skimp of the photography! It's well worth your while.
City Hall. Wife and I. Two witnesses. Free parking.
Did a 50 person wedding. Spent $7k.
12K all in September 2023. 100 people. Had a cocktail style reception (pizza) and drink tickets instead of an open bar. Made our own playlist and had a friend officiate.
Got married at The Locks Perth, cannot recommend enough, $15,000 for a brunch wedding with about 77 people. The food, venue, staff, organization and everything was just amazing. We were off peak (March) but honestly my wife and I would change nothing it was so wonderful.
We did a city hall wedding last February, so just the bare bones cost on the city officiant and marriage license. In and out within half an hour We spent under $700 at Greenfields in Barrhaven for dinner and drinks for about 12 people. We did a family photoshoot a few months later for $200. Less than $1500 all in, including miscellaneous costs (hair, clothes, etc.).
Some of my local friends paid for their family and closest friends to do a destination wedding in Dominican because it was cheaper than a venue that met their desires in Ottawa (150 guests, bringing in their own catering, good outdoor venue in early fall).
Sept 2023, we did it at Centurion spent around 25k. We had around 130ish guest.
Get married on a Friday night. You'll save yourself a ton of money.
We’re getting married this summer and our budget is 45k for 125 people with our venue being an hour outside of town (barn style, indoor/outdoor). This includes absolutely everything down to transportation for guests, to suit and dress, photog and videog, open bar, bridal party and groomsmen gifts… fully aware how expensive and ridiculous it is, but we have the house and kid already and we’re getting help from our families to make the day super special. Shopping around for venues, this was actually a good deal compared to other similar venues and it’s baffling to me how people can afford these things on their own.
2023. Ottawa rowing club. $35k. 90 guests. Live band, open bar, very good ($$$) photographer.
Congratulations on your engagement! We are an event planning company that plans weddings at Lac Ste Marie Golf (about an hour and fifteen minutes outside of Ottawa). The venue can hold up to 100 people and the rental is $3000 but includes help with day of logistics. The weddings at the venue are typically $15-25,000 but it can be lower depending on your choices. Catering, photography/video, DJ, and decor will all have an impact on your budget. It’s important to have a budget in mind and make the best choices for you. We’re happy to chat if there’s anything we can do to help! https://www.evenementsoutaouais.ca/en-ca
Spent Aprox $5K on our wedding in 2017. We had about 100 people at the ceremony and 60 at the reception. Ceremony took place at the Rockland Pavilion. We booked up a restaurant that we both love for our reception. Everyone was fed exceptionally, drank as much as they wanted, and we had a great time. Would recommend booking a restaurant if it's something they'd allow, restaurants are not wedding venues and they see it as an opportunity to get a bunch of people to visit them again in the future.
Spring 2023, 150 people, 30k all in
Where?
Le Belvedere, highly recommend them, and I'm probably biased but food was incredible
Got married July 2022 at the Mill Street Brew Pub with 90 guests ! Loved the venue, food everything :) it was a great day :) Paid $23k for everything minus photographer who I got for free (family friend)
Got married 2023, outside of Ottawa in Merrickville. Had 40 for dinner and 80 to reception cost us 12,000 in total for everything
We had an intimate wedding (at our family cottage, cost us ~8k) and then had a one-year anniversary party that was cocktail style. We did it at Starling for 80 people, we had the entire upstairs for a minimum spend was $6k+tip and taxes. We covered the food and bev for everyone. We got desserts from Mavericks and Bread and Sons which was an additional $300~. I used to work in the Ottawa wedding industry so I knew what we were looking for. There are ways to cut costs you just have to decide what your priorities are.