Venue

Boa tarde!

Since I got engaged I've been searching for a reception venue that was cheaper than what you would normally see. I wanted to have the reception in a hall because they have an "all-inclusive" type deal. Basically you get a price per plate and it involes an open bar with unlimited alcohol plus you don't have to pay for venue rental (at most places). Unfortunately, most halls were priced at $100 or more per plate.

Well as previously posted, I visited Toronto (which too short of a trip!) and I spent my last day there visiting venus that I had chosen.

The first place I visited was called The Renaissance. My cousin who is getting married reccommended this one to me because it is a Portuguese hall which I had been looking for (but they are all kind of pricey). She said she had been to a couple weddings there and it was quite nice.

Pros:

• Portuguese hall
• It was nice
• $74 per plate (excluding tax) but if I were to book in off-season it would be $74 all inclusive

Cons:

• The coordinator I was dealing with kind of made me feel uncomfortable
• I didn't like the low ceilings and the parking lot was kind of small (don't know why this stuck out to me haha)
• They had a minimum of 130 - I only plan to invite around 100 so that bumped my price up
• The Portuguese menu was actually around $90 per plate

When I walked out of this place it was definitely a place that was staying on the list as a contendor

The second place I visited was my first choice - this hotel that I had found online called Stage West.
 

Pros

• Cheaper than most - $74 per plate all inclusive
• It's a hotel so it was great for the out of town guests coming out and reasonably priced
• Literally right on the other side of the highway from the airport
• The lobby was impressive

 Cons

• The room was small, barely room for a dancefoor 
• To open it up to the other room I would have to have a minimum 130 guests - I would have no problem inviting that many and was starting to consider it but I didn't like the boost in the price
• The room looked like an old folk's bingo hall (thats the best way to describe it)
• Low ceilings = my short self felt closed in

Needles to say I was not impressed and kind of dissapointed because I thought this would be the one I would book. It was taken off the list.

My Stepmom decided to take me to a third place that she had been to for a baptism that previous weekend. Speranza Restaurant and Banquet Hall

Pros

• Portuguese
• The guy I was dealing with was fun and was pretty jokey so I felt more at ease
•  The rooms were quite large 
•  There was no minimum
•  Really nice details - chandaliers and moldings around the door and all that
•  The lobby was really spacious
•  $90 per plate for the Portuguese menu (which is kind of a con) BUT - a sweet table was included and again - there was no minimum

 There are no cons to this one.  I really liked this one, I loved the rooms. It is a little bit on the pricier side but we get a sweet table included, it includes the tax and there is no minimum. I calculated it out and it comes to the same price as the other would be anyway. Another plus was that it's a $2000 deposit when you book and you don't have to pay the rest until the night of the wedding - which I wouldn't do because who wants to worry about that but it is open to pay whatever we want whenever we want before the wedding as long as it's all paid for the night of the wedding of course.

We haven't booked it yet. I still haven't figured out where to have the ceremony so I want to make sure there's a date for that before I book the venue. When I go back in June for my cousins wedding my Mom will also be coming to visit her side of the family and we will go search for the ceremony venue (most likely a church) and then book this. Exciting =D 

Thanks for bearing with me for this extremely long post! It will feel really nice when I get to book something for the wedding!