Wedding Venue suggestions?

[flamesgirl18]

We got married last summer at the Rimrock Hotel in Banff and loved it. We had some similar criteria - wanted an outdoor ceremony with a nice view and we had 100 people. In the end we were between the Rimrock and Silvertip in Canmore but there were a number of reasons we went with the Rimrock.

Silvertip books years in advance so they weren't able to offer us any Saturday dates even though we were booking a year out. Also, they were nickel and diming on every little thing like charging us per chair to set up for the ceremony. Also, the fact that there wasn't a hotel for our guests there was a huge factor.

The one downfall of the Rimrock in your case is that they won't let you bring your own food or drink in but the food there was amazing. Our budget was initially 25k which ended up being more in the end (due to decorations, flowers, dress alterations etc.). Be warned that things add up quickly and there are a lot of costs that people don't think about for weddings! 20k for the amount of people you are planning on having will be tight - a decent photographer will take up 15-20% of that budget off the bat. That being said, if you're not picky about decorating the space, spending money on flowers or anything and just keeping it simple then it's probably possible! We saved a lot of money by doing a lot of the decorations ourselves and I'm still planning on getting some money back by selling what's left on kijiji. (Side note - anyone getting married, I have a lot of white and grey wedding decorations to sell if you're interested, haha).

If I had to do it over, I would probably get on a plane with my close family and friends and just get married on a beach in Hawaii...less stress, less cost, and you're still married in the end!

Just my two cents! Highly recommend at least checking the Rimrock out though

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by habernac

I got married at Heritage Park, outside at the Didsbury Bandstand. Reception was in the Wainwright Hotel, loved that venue.

Went to one where the ceremony was outside at Quarry Lake in Canmore, that was spectacular.

Same with me.

Except we booked the Moyie and got married on the Lake.

Reception at Wainwright.

[crazy_eoj]

Outdoor spaces in Canmore and Banff are excellent!

I recommend the Tunnel Mountain Reservoir and Buffalo Mountain Lodge although you might be too big for that hotel already.

[skudr248]

Don't get married, and save the money!

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Wedding Pavilion is running about...

Base venue 15k? ish (including gratuity)
Booze 1-5k? (depends on the group)
Photography 2-4k? (depends what you want and need)
Cake $300-700?
Flowers $300-700?

We were married at the Banff Springs Hotel and I don't think the cost of the reception was all that different than this, with the exception of the flowers, which are a personal choice anyway. That said, it was everything else, other than the reception, that inflated the price dramatically. Getting married on the terrace, for example, was very pricey. Once again, these were choices (thanks to a lot of pressure from one set of the parents) that really increased the price. Don't let parents into the decision making imo. Wedding vendors (linens, chairs, flowers) in Banff and Canmore aren't cheap at all.

edit- I guess "don't let parents into the decision making" only works if they are not really contributing to the cost.

[MacDaddy77]

I'm not sure if they are still hosting weddings but we had our outdoor wedding at the Leighton Centre. http://www.leightoncentre.org/

Its amazing there, it's elevated so you have a view of a green valley with small water sources and green rolling hills and the snow capped mountains in the background.

from there we had our reception at the Dewinton Community hall for 175 ppl. We bought all our own booze and hired a bartender and charged $2/drink until the cost of booze was paid for and then had an open bar after that.

if they are still allowing outdoor weddings I would HIGHLY recommend this venue

[Sliver]

Are you doing this on debt? If so, I'm going to throw out a suggestion for finding a free location. My friend got married at a random spot on the side of the mountain on the way up to Mt. Norquay from Banff. It was beautiful and cost $0.

In general, I don't think people like wedding ceremonies. They're formulaic and boring, so spending too much on them is a waste of money (if funds are limited; if you're wealthy with no debt, no mortgage and current on your savings plan then go nuts). This logic applies to photographer, cake, DJ, etc. (As an aside, fondant tastes awful and should be avoided at all costs on a wedding cake. You can make a homemade cake that actually tastes good - you know, the point of a cake - for ~$5/10 people. It's easy and will take an aunt/friend/you a fun afternoon in the kitchen and cost next to nothing).

As for the reception, I've had as much fun at backyard receptions as I have had at swanky ones. There are a million ways to have a free reception (other than the cost of booze sans venue mark-up). As an example, do you know anybody with a shop in an industrial park? I have one and I'd happily let any friend use it for free. You could decorate the crap out of it and it would look beautiful and cost you nothing. Get a caterer in and boom. Do you have a relative with a big house? That can work, too. Party tent erected on a friend's acreage? Rent a hall/community room somewhere (say it's for a family reunion instead of wedding and the price will plummet)...

There is simply no reason young people that still need to save for retirement, a house, furnishings etc. should be saddling themselves with a giant, unnecessary expense. Not to mention in a few years you're likely to go down to one income and have kids to raise, college funds to top up, etc. The last thing you need to saddle yourselves with right now is more unnecessary debt.

Budgets of $20k or more for a party are crazy when you can have the same amount of fun, be no less married and do it all for 1/5th the price.

Again, if you are wealthy or come from wealthy families where this expense will have no material impact on your financial future, then party as hard and as fancy as people are willing to finance you for.

[ruddstud]

Canmore Nordic Center

http://www.albertaparks.ca/canmore-n...-weddings.aspx

[username]

Obviously you don't have a big budget so I'd recommend Crestmont Community Center. Has a great view of the mountains, there's a pond right out the back, and it's about a 1000 bucks. You can bring your own liquor and use whatever caterer you want.

Some pictures:
http://www.crestmonthall.com/#!gallery-/csfv

[moncton golden flames]

We got married at Quarry Lake Park in Canmore. Cost less than $100 for the permit. Chair rental was pretty cheap too.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

We were married at the Banff Springs Hotel and I don't think the cost of the reception was all that different than this, with the exception of the flowers, which are a personal choice anyway. That said, it was everything else, other than the reception, that inflated the price dramatically. Getting married on the terrace, for example, was very pricey. Once again, these were choices (thanks to a lot of pressure from one set of the parents) that really increased the price. Don't let parents into the decision making imo. Wedding vendors (linens, chairs, flowers) in Banff and Canmore aren't cheap at all.

edit- I guess "don't let parents into the decision making" only works if they are not really contributing to the cost.

Yeah, I was estimating the numbers last night. I'm at about $14k for ceremony + reception, 1.5k for booze, 4k for photography, Cake + Flowers $1k. (+/- $500 ish)

Honeymoon $6k, wedding rings $3k (sans engagement ring ofc), Clothes (both) + accessories + makeup $4k, Misc $2k (Marriage cert, Sand ceremony, guest signing, hotel for parents etc.)

Table runners, bows, napkin upgrades, centre piece upgrades, plate/cutlery upgrades are expensive. We went with basic for everything (which still looks nice). Imagine 15 tables x $150 upgrades. That's stupid. We declined the upgrades.

Uncorking fee + pouring service annoys me to no end. I couldn't get a clear answer but I think it's $10 a bottle if its from them or $20 if it's an externally suggested vendor? At minimum 1.5 bottles a table estimate (1 bottle pours 4-5 people, tables of 6) That's $15-$30 a table x 15 = $225-450 total minimum. Multiplying it 2-4x could easily occur based on how often they pour and that's just a service fee, not the cost of booze.

Luckily we didn't have issues with parental input, but we also drew a line in the sand right away in saying we were going to do it our way because we were paying for it. If there was something they wanted that was an "upgrade", they were free to request it if they are to pay for it. Otherwise, it's just a suggestion that they shouldn't be upset about if we decide not to do it. Arguments, 99% gone.

This compared to my friend who is doing a destination wedding at a cost to them of about $14k. Less operational headaches as the resort does everything and your honeymoon is there too, but much more coordination headaches (keeping eye on flight tickets, managing RSVP for room minimum, flying dresses over, relatives, foreign exchange, passports etc.)

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Are you doing this on debt? If so, I'm going to throw out a suggestion for finding a free location. My friend got married at a random spot on the side of the mountain on the way up to Mt. Norquay from Banff. It was beautiful and cost $0.

It's not technically "free" but yeah, miles below the actual cost of a "traditional" wedding.

Gas
Permit fees/marriage certificate/guy to marry you
Hotels (if needed)
Party/Dinner/snacks/booze at an upscale restaurant
Suit + dress rental/purchase/accessories
Rings
etc.

I ran the numbers and it was about $6-8k including rings. (Assuming small family only ceremony of 10-15 people). Add 2-3k if you want to fly everyone out to Vegas for this.

And... also reduces potential drama stuff with stupid friends.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

I didn't see how many people you want to invite, but we had our wedding and reception at Emerald Lake Lodge. Smaller space (for 65) and a bit of a destination wedding, so it cuts down on the numbers that you can invite. Very reasonable for the space rental, food was a bit pricey, but really, really good. Booze was surprisingly not crazy, but perhaps based on the smaller numbers (I didn't invite my idiot friends from high-school, 2nd cousins I barely know or workplace acquaintances because of the limited space. Win-Win)

Edit: Should have mentioned, it was in Winter. Probably cheaper, and actually really nice.

[My2Cents]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Are you doing this on debt? If so, I'm going to throw out a suggestion for finding a free location. My friend got married at a random spot on the side of the mountain on the way up to Mt. Norquay from Banff. It was beautiful and cost $0.

In general, I don't think people like wedding ceremonies. They're formulaic and boring, so spending too much on them is a waste of money (if funds are limited; if you're wealthy with no debt, no mortgage and current on your savings plan then go nuts). This logic applies to photographer, cake, DJ, etc. (As an aside, fondant tastes awful and should be avoided at all costs on a wedding cake. You can make a homemade cake that actually tastes good - you know, the point of a cake - for ~$5/10 people. It's easy and will take an aunt/friend/you a fun afternoon in the kitchen and cost next to nothing).

As for the reception, I've had as much fun at backyard receptions as I have had at swanky ones. There are a million ways to have a free reception (other than the cost of booze sans venue mark-up). As an example, do you know anybody with a shop in an industrial park? I have one and I'd happily let any friend use it for free. You could decorate the crap out of it and it would look beautiful and cost you nothing. Get a caterer in and boom. Do you have a relative with a big house? That can work, too. Party tent erected on a friend's acreage? Rent a hall/community room somewhere (say it's for a family reunion instead of wedding and the price will plummet)...

There is simply no reason young people that still need to save for retirement, a house, furnishings etc. should be saddling themselves with a giant, unnecessary expense. Not to mention in a few years you're likely to go down to one income and have kids to raise, college funds to top up, etc. The last thing you need to saddle yourselves with right now is more unnecessary debt.

Budgets of $20k or more for a party are crazy when you can have the same amount of fun, be no less married and do it all for 1/5th the price.

Again, if you are wealthy or come from wealthy families where this expense will have no material impact on your financial future, then party as hard and as fancy as people are willing to finance you for.

This more or less echos my sediments too. Most people for fun on Saturdays dont rent halls and have a big dance. Why? Because no one overly enjoys it. However people routinely have bbq's and go for hikes and the like. So why not do something you enjoy for your wedding.

With that being said I am getting married this summer and we are just doing a small ceromony in our backyard and having some burgers and booze after. Its going to be a blast and realitively cheap.

[Language]

Originally Posted by My2Cents

With that being said I am getting married this summer and we are just doing a small ceromony in our backyard and having some burgers and booze after. Its going to be a blast and realitively cheap.

I'm jealous, that would definitely be my ideal wedding. Unfortunately, my current girlfriend (and likely future wife) has always dreamed about the fairy tale wedding, and no amount of discussion will ever seem to sway her.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by darklord700

Shriner's centre near Baker park NW would be my suggestion.

My friends got married there a few years ago. It is a pretty solid venue and a fairly good price. The interior of the lodge is a little dark and dated though but overall it is a good place.

[My2Cents]

Originally Posted by Language

I'm jealous, that would definitely be my ideal wedding. Unfortunately, my current girlfriend (and likely future wife) has always dreamed about the fairy tale wedding, and no amount of discussion will ever seem to sway her.

Totally understand this. My parents took a long while to warm up to this idea as well.

Also it hasnt been mentioned but the Ranch in Fish Creek Park does weddings, its a really nice location with the old farmhouse being the centerpiece. http://www.bvrrestaurant.com/content/6-weddings