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Reviews for Madison Greenhouse Event Venue

Madison Greenhouse Event Venue

Madison Greenhouse Event Venue

Newmarket, Ontario
3.4 out of 5 rating, 26 reviews
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Reviews

3.4 out of 5 rating
26 reviews
  • Quality of service
    3.4 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    3.5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    3.2 out of 5 rating
  • Value
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  • Flexibility
    3.3 out of 5 rating
57% Recommended by couples
  • L
    Lauren S. Sent on 06/03/2024
    1 out of 5 rating
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    Do not pick this venue

    DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT BOOK YOUR WEDDING HERE!

    I know this is a gorgeous venue, but there are others out there that will give you a better service.

    I had my wedding on February 17th and I waited to hear back from the venue, but i had to reach out after 2 weeks to discuss everything that went down. I have given them a chance to respond through email and they have been lack lustre.

    The day before my wedding I asked if there were appropriate outlets for the rental oven (as you can’t cook on site) and they responded that there were, so when we arrived on the wedding day and there wasn’t, you can imagine my shock when we had to scramble to figure out how to cook our food. My husband and the groomsmen were asking the venue and maintenance for help in trying to figure out how to make it work with there rental oven, to which the venue responded “YOU’RE SHIT OUT OF LUCK”. My father in law even tried rewiring the oven. Eventually my husbands uncle went to our house and took our own home oven so that we could have food for our wedding.

    The caterer also found out last minute that there was no water that they were able to use, and when they talked to the venue they were incredibly rude and unhelpful. This really pisses me off because it is not only compromising the caterers liability, but due to the venue making me sign something, it also compromises my liability. It is actually illegal due to health and safety to not have running water as a caterer. Thankfully the bartenders helped out and showed us the water that they used.

    I dropped off items on Friday(my wedding was Saturday) and there was a specific area for mine. It was a small box with some decorations and care package for the bathroom. There was a wedding happening on the Friday and they had their items put in their specific area (clearly away from my items). When I arrived on Saturday for my wedding, I noticed some of my items had been stolen. I had specifically hid them under items and someone (either the venue or the wedding that occurred on February 16th, 2024) stole those items. The venue stated that they would look at the security camera and get back to me. They never did, they just stated that they would go and grab items for the bathroom. This does not make up for hte time and money I spent running around grabbing items for my wedding.

    I also purchased the bridal suite for another $800 and when we arrived the stairs up to the entrance were not shovelled or salted and were pretty slippery. My mom had had hip surgery 3 months ago and my husband, who was also getting ready there had had spinal surgery 5 months ago. I am thankful that they did not fall, but for someone to pay extra on top of the venue, you would expect top notch service. We even saw maintenance walk around for the whole day and not do anything. I guess we were shit out of luck.

    I spent almost 16k for this venue and am absolutely disgusted with the service I got. I spent an extra $500 for an outside caterer, when to be honest I don’t understand, especially when I paid for an oven rental and also used my own. I expect to have my oven rental covered, the cost of the caterer covered. Emotional distress covered, as my photographer even came up to me and asked if I was okay, in the middle of her taking photos because she saw how distraught I was about the theft and everything else going on.

    I REPEAT, DO NOT HAVE YOUR WEDDING HERE! IT IS NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY AND I WILL PERSONALLY HELP YOU FIND ANOTHER GREENHOUSE VENUE FOR CHEAPER AND MUCH BETTER!!!!
  • L
    Lauren S. Sent on 27/02/2024
    1 out of 5 rating
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    10/10 would never recommend

    Do not be deceived by how gorgeous it is inside. I paid over 16k for this venue for my recent wedding and had an absolute horrible experience. We left items there the Thursday before our Saturday wedding and either the venue staff or the wedding on the Friday stole items from my decoration box. we also had to go and get our own oven from our house on the day of because the outlet did not accept the plug we needed for our oven. The When this oven ordeal occured the maintenance staff said to my husband "you are shit out of luck".

    DO NOT USE THIS AS A VENUE, THERE ARE OTHER VENUES THAT HAVE SIMILAR QUALITIES IN LOOKS BUT YOU WON'T GET TREATED LIKE CRAP!
  • Rebecca
    Rebecca P. Sent on 03/12/2023
    3.6 out of 5 rating
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    November Wedding Review

    I want to make this as comprehensive as possible for people looking to book Madison Greenhouse as their event venue.
    TL:DR - the wedding turned out amazing, the venue was gorgeous and we got a ton of compliments on it, but it was not without hiccups along the way.
    The Good - stunning, unique, we walked in and immediately knew we had to get married here. It was like European patio vibes while being in the GTA. Lily and Theresa from the venue were lovely to work with, as was the owner. Also, as much as it was extra work, getting the SOP and bringing in your own alcohol is a massive money saver at the end of the day, since you can return anything you didn’t drink. Also the bartenders that were provided by the venue, Kim and Jess, were amazing.
    The Bad - initially you think this is a great deal on a venue, but once you realize that all they provide is tables and chairs (and you have to obviously upgrade to the nicer chairs), you have to add the soft bar package, get your SOP etc. the extras do start to add up.
    Also, you do not have the venue for the entire day, guaranteed. They will book a wedding lunch/ceremony in the morning before your wedding. Which means when you are doing your first look, people will be tearing down the previous event and setting up yours. If I didn’t have a day of coordinator, this would have been a massive problem and source of stress.
    Also, the manager, Shawn, was extremely rude to me on many different occasions (compared asking about bringing Arabic drummers to asking about bringing elephants into the venue). She tried to have us pay $1000 extra as a deposit to bring in drummers, then when I asked for the owner’s information she didn’t email me back for a week. We ended up contacting the owner ourselves and came up with a solution without having to give the extra money. Lesson learned, just deal with the owner or someone that isn’t Shawn. Additionally, Shawn made a final details meeting with us on a Sunday at 11am. Myself and my husband came from Hamilton, and our coordinator came after being awake until 3 doing another wedding the night before. No one seemed to know that we were coming and Shawn didn’t show up. We were all extremely disappointed with the lack of planning and professionalism. Also, don’t bother to book a rehearsal with them there. They will book something on that date and move your rehearsal date literally the week before. We just didn’t bother after it was changed. As much as we loved the venue you can tell some people there only care about profit, not about your experience.
    A lot of reviews here shared parts of our experience, so if you are good with all of that, then yes, I would still recommend this venue!
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  • A
    Andy Sent on 03/08/2023
    2.4 out of 5 rating
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    Stunning venue - needs a reality check

    We had a Fall wedding here in 2023. Honestly I’m only writing this to inform other potential engaged folks.

    I will start by saying the venue itself is amazing. Truly one of a kind and your guests will swoon. It is a Newmarket institution and as beautiful as ever. New restrooms which are clean and spacious. The venue was clean. There is a lovely bridal suite.

    The venue will provide bartenders at a cost. There is no open bar package, so you’ll need a license.

    We had a host of problems. Ownership changed hands after we had paid our deposit and signed the contract. We found this out from a Google review. No one ever called or emailed us. They later apologized for the lack of communication. However the contract did change on us which was not ideal. It was shocking that not even a courtesy letter went out notifying us.

    Be cautious that the venue can have two events in one day. This means that your wedding might be after a morning to early afternoon event. This was a huge concern for us and when we asked about booking the whole day (which we originally did with our first contract), they wanted an extra $3k. Unreal.

    Service fees are charged on everything. Credit card fees. Leaves a bad taste when you are shelling out $14k for a night. This was for the venue, suite, bartenders, and service fees. Nothing else was included.

    This place used to be a staple wedding venue in the GTA. Unfortunately now it looks like they are turning it into an event factory. They will tell you not to worry about an earlier event on the day of your wedding- but try telling all your vendors that they can only show up 2 hours maximum before your start time. Our florist looked at us like we were crazy.

    Despite all of this, I’d still recommend it. It is really that beautiful.
  • I
    Ivy Sent on 30/08/2023
    1 out of 5 rating
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    Terrible Customer Service

    They don’t take care of their customers at all
  • Christelle Diane
    Christelle D. Sent on 07/09/2023
    4 out of 5 rating
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    Amazing venue

    This venue was recommended to us by our wedding planner, and we are glad that she did. This venue was perfect, magical, and amazing. This venue provided the vision that we were looking for for our wedding. I was able to add my personal touch by adding my DIY centerpieces/decor and I was so happy that it meshed well with the venue. The staff were very kind and were able to help make our special day happen. Thank you for letting us celebrate our special day at your beautiful venue!
  • S
    Shanzay F. Sent on 04/09/2023
    2.8 out of 5 rating
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    Mixed feelings

    This venue is beautiful and the owners are very kind. However the on site management teams is terrible and are dishonest. It was the most stressful part of the wedding experience dealing with the site team. We had many issues with them saying yes and then no so definitely document everything. They are very inflexible unless you follow up with owners I would highly recommend for them to reconsider their team and their etiquette especially Shawn. Also they also try to randomly sneak in extra expenses so beware.
  • Lauren
    Lauren P. Sent on 30/08/2023
    4.4 out of 5 rating
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    Beautiful as long as you're aware of a few things

    When I first checked out the venue, I was a little skeptical about it being mostly bare bones. The venue itself is beautiful with a lot of areas. We wanted our ceremony outdoors but to have the whole wedding in one venue, and I didn't even look at any other venues after visiting Madison. We used the courtyard for the ceremony, terrace for cocktail hour and the fig room for reception. Aside from the venue, they offer tables and chairs, bartenders and a few preferred partners and some add ons, and thats all. Our biggest worry was the alcohol as well wanted an open bar, and they don't provide any. After speaking with a friend who had their engagement party at a venue that operated the same way we became more comfortable with the idea of getting the SOP and buying our own alcohol. In the end it actually saved us quite a bit. Another big reason we went with them is because we wanted to bring in our own catering, and even though it was at an extra cost they were actually one of the few venues that would allow us to do so.
    If you're able to navigate all the elements that you need brought in, it's a well worth it venue. My advice is to read through your BEO thoroughly. One problem I did run into was with water at the bar. I had just under 200 person wedding and didn't realize since we wouldn't have water pitchers at the tables that most of the guests would need to come up for water. They had one small water dispenser and left the glasses out, so unfortunately there was a longer wait for the water than for actual drinks. If you're aware of what does come with the add ons and what doesn't, it's a simple fix to rent the pitchers and have your servers refill at the bar. I think the venue could have been slightly more helpful in maybe listing the items we would need but I also get why they didn't-- most caterers provide these things and we just happened to have one that didn't. Other than that, sometimes the response time was slow for emails but overall everyone I interacted with during my visits and over the emails were helpful to all the questions and concerns I had. I had my wedding on a Monday so we had to have music down by 11, and finish by 12. Not sure how much that extends on the weekend but unfortunately it is due to noise level laws for the area.
    The pros aside from the staff is obviously that it's a gorgeous venue. The weather was perfect the day of but it was very comforting knowing that had it rained that day that the ceremony space inside would have been just as lovely. They have a ton of (newly renovated) washrooms, and a lounge area away from the other spaces were people can chill out, bring their hyper kids or elderly people can convene away from the blaring music. There were so many different places to take photos, so naturally after all was said and done I was told over and over again how lovely the venue was.
    I planned my wedding myself and had a lot of DIY elements, so if you have a planner or if most of your vendors can provide multiple elements that they don't, it's a great venue to go with.
  • Aubrey
    Aubrey Sent on 30/07/2023
    1.4 out of 5 rating
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    HORRIBLE Experience with Management

    We recently got married here in July as the venue was very unique and beautiful. However, we want to caution future couples of the “money-over-client-experience” attitude of management that cost us 1.5 hours of what was ‘guaranteed’ set-up time on our wedding day, and a surprise landmark fee of 10% that management quietly tried to add to our tab.

    LOST OF "GUARANTEED" SET-UP TIME: A few months before our wedding, we discovered that another event was booked on the same day. Our ceremony was scheduled for 4PM, and the other event was supposed to be packed up and gone by 2PM. We expressed our concerns to management of how they could possibly “guarantee” the party would be gone on time, but they continually persisted that this would not be a problem and we had plenty of time.

    Lo and behold... on our wedding day, my husband and I met at the venue at 2:15 for our First Look. To our horror, we saw three coach busses, with herds of guests still EVERYWHERE, and a FULL BUFFET taking place where we were to do our First Look. Guests had full plates of food, were sitting back, chatting —clearly without a clue another event was scheduled. They even told us that management told them they could stay til 4.

    When we went to the Office for help, management told us they were "busy on the phone with other clients". This was very upsetting because we were standing in front of them clearly distraught, and there was no sense of urgency or prioritizing on their part. Finally, when management got off the phone at 2:30, they brushed us off, saying not to worry as the party would be gone soon.

    Not only were we baffled by this response, but management did not even step outside of their office to try to usher the other party out. Their continual nonchalance was absolutely unacceptable. In the end, our wedding coordinator and groomsmen had to awkwardly ask the other guests to leave, which was NOT their job and really soured the way our day started.

    At 3:30, the other guests finally left, but we had now lost 1.5 hrs of set-up time. Management continued to hide in the office, while our vendors scrambled under high pressure to set up the space with barely any time. Because of this, certain sentimental details from our decor had to be left out. And even as our own guests arrived, welcome signs and decor from the previous event were still not taken down.

    Management later tried to retort that our contract stated that we weren't guaranteed 'exclusive access' to our space until 4PM, but 'exclusive access' is VERY different from having ANY access at all to our space for set-up. This lack of responsibility was extremely unfair to our vendors and bridal party who had to step in to resolve the situation.


    SURPRISE LANDMARK FEE: Two weeks before our wedding, Madison contacted our caterer saying that starting in 2023, a 10% landmark fee for outside vendors will be added to all events.

    We were very confused since our contract was signed in 2022, meaning any new policies thereafter should not apply. Also, our caterer was a preferred vendor.

    We carefully reread our contract, and copied/pasted the section on 'Outside Caterers' (pg. 3) to refute the fee. Madison agreed to waive the fee, but our vendor told us that two other couples they worked with, whom also signed their contracts in 2022, didn’t catch on to this and had paid the 10% fee, which Madison accepted without question.

    This begs the question of how Madison could even try to apply this fee, knowing full-well that this was a preferred vendor, and that legally, any 2023 policies should not have been applied to 2022 contracts.

    IN THE END, Madison refunded us $1500 for our lost set-up time; but keep in mind, the contract states that they charge clients $500 for every 30 min of overtime use of the space — so really, this was the least they could do. In fact, they initially tried to offer us ‘free use’ of the garden space to redo our First Look photos as a solution, which just further shows their lack of understanding of good business and ethics.

    Yes, the space is beautiful, but future couples beware — read the fine print, don’t be afraid to speak up, and know your rights. Management WILL try to take advantage of you otherwise.

    Madison Greenhouse Event Venue's reply:

    We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to share your experience at Madison Greenhouse with us. Your feedback is extremely important, and we would like to address the points you raised in your reviews.

    We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not align with your expectations. We want to take this opportunity to clarify the arrangements regarding venue access and the setup process.

    Both you and your spouse have provided us with your individual reviews, expressing concerns about "Unethical management and business practices." We want to assure you that we are meticulously addressing every detail to ensure the success of our endeavors. In response to both of your reviews, we would like to clarify our unwavering commitment to upholding ethical management and business practices.

    In accordance with the terms outlined in the contract, the Renter is granted complimentary access to the venue up to 2 hours before the event start time to facilitate setup activities. It's important to note that this setup period is not exclusive, as the venue undergoes transitions between events that involve cleaning, setup changes, and decor adjustments. These transitions involve various teams, including cleaners, setup personnel, event host and decorators from both morning and evening events.

    We want to emphasize that the exclusivity of the venue commences precisely at the time specified in the contract. By providing you with the guaranteed non-exclusive setup time, we fulfilled our commitment in line with the standard industry practice. We recommend that couples, like yourselves, refrain from scheduling critical wedding activities during this non-exclusive window, as complete exclusivity during this period cannot be ensured. The venue was cleared by the morning event's guests and fully set up by 3:10 PM, showcasing our dedicated teams' efficiency in managing the setup transition well ahead of your event's 4 PM start time.

    Our team operates cohesively to orchestrate seamless event transitions on a daily basis, and our track record of contented clients attests to our commitment. We provided continuous assistance to your bridal party, offering refreshments and ensuring their comfort throughout the process.

    Regarding the Landmark Fee, it's important to clarify that this fee is a well-known component of both our vendor and customer agreements. Billing and charges related to catering services are exclusively between you and your chosen caterer.

    We want to reiterate that we stand by the ethical and contractual commitments we've made. While we empathize with any challenges you encountered, we are confident in the correctness of our actions and agreements. Our team remains dedicated to fostering transparent and honest communication. We offer an array of resources, including informative tours, a client portal, and accessible staff members available seven days a week to address any inquiries throughout the event planning and booking process.

    We sincerely appreciate your positive remarks about the venue's ambiance and atmosphere. Should you have any further inquiries or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Your feedback is invaluable to us as we continually strive to enhance our services to meet and exceed your expectations.
  • N
    Nikolos S. Sent on 17/07/2023
    1.6 out of 5 rating
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    Unethical management and business practices.

    We were told that we could begin our set up at 2:00 for our 4:30 ceremony. The venue hosts 2 weddings a day and 2-4 is the changeover time where the previous wedding is suppose to begin tear down of their event. When we arrived at 2:00 there were over 120 people sitting around tables and eating/drinking in the area where we were told that we could have our photos taken. We then had to change our location for our first look as by 2:30 they were serving full plates of food at the buffet table that was set up. The other guests were told they were allowed to stay until 4:00 at the tables. As a result we were unable to take our photos in the courtyard. This resulted in a scramble to get our wedding set up on time and a financial loss as our hourly paid employees were unable to work. It also added so much stress to our other wonderful vendors as well as family and bridal parties that then also needed to work on our wedding day due to hired staff not having access to the venue at agreed time in our contract. When looking for management, they were in their office with the lights off and door closed. They explained they were busy on the phone with other clients rather than addressing and resolving this issue. Be careful of your contract as they also tried changing our contract from when we signed in 2022 and tried to add additional fees. It's a beautiful venue but be prepared to deal with management that clearly have no interest in honouring signed contracts.

    Madison Greenhouse Event Venue's reply:

    We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to share your experience at Madison Greenhouse with us. Your feedback is extremely important, and we would like to address the points you raised in your reviews.

    We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not align with your expectations. We want to take this opportunity to clarify the arrangements regarding venue access and the setup process.

    Both you and your spouse have provided us with your individual reviews, expressing concerns about "Unethical management and business practices." We want to assure you that we are meticulously addressing every detail to ensure the success of our endeavors. In response to both of your reviews, we would like to clarify our unwavering commitment to upholding ethical management and business practices.

    In accordance with the terms outlined in the contract, the Renter is granted complimentary access to the venue up to 2 hours before the event start time to facilitate setup activities. It's important to note that this setup period is not exclusive, as the venue undergoes transitions between events that involve cleaning, setup changes, and decor adjustments. These transitions involve various teams, including cleaners, setup personnel, event host and decorators from both morning and evening events.

    We want to emphasize that the exclusivity of the venue commences precisely at the time specified in the contract. By providing you with the guaranteed non-exclusive setup time, we fulfilled our commitment in line with the standard industry practice. We recommend that couples, like yourselves, refrain from scheduling critical wedding activities during this non-exclusive window, as complete exclusivity during this period cannot be ensured. The venue was cleared by the morning event's guests and fully set up by 3:10 PM, showcasing our dedicated teams' efficiency in managing the setup transition well ahead of your event's 4 PM start time.

    Our team operates cohesively to orchestrate seamless event transitions on a daily basis, and our track record of contented clients attests to our commitment. We provided continuous assistance to your bridal party, offering refreshments and ensuring their comfort throughout the process.

    Regarding the Landmark Fee, it's important to clarify that this fee is a well-known component of both our vendor and customer agreements. Billing and charges related to catering services are exclusively between you and your chosen caterer.

    We want to reiterate that we stand by the ethical and contractual commitments we've made. While we empathize with any challenges you encountered, we are confident in the correctness of our actions and agreements. Our team remains dedicated to fostering transparent and honest communication. We offer an array of resources, including informative tours, a client portal, and accessible staff members available seven days a week to address any inquiries throughout the event planning and booking process.

    We sincerely appreciate your positive remarks about the venue's ambiance and atmosphere. Should you have any further inquiries or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. Your feedback is invaluable to us as we continually strive to enhance our services to meet and exceed your expectations.
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