Royal Botanical Gardens

We had such a great experience working with Brookelyn and Emily to plan our special day - they were organized, accommodating and did everything possible to make sure the day was perfect! The venue was gorgeous - our guests had a wonderful time exploring the gardens and we got beautiful photos to remember our special day.

The RBG was our dream venue! The gardens speak for themselves. But the staff - they are one in a million. Emily and Brookelyn did everything they could to make us feel special and well taken care of on our day and everyday leading up to it. They took all the uncertainty with covid in stride and made us feel secure in all the decisions being made. We didn't need to think about one detail, they did all of that for us. The day was nothing short of perfect.

Robin and her team went above and beyond to ensure our day went well. They were always there to answer any questions and put our minds at ease. The catering staff was very friendly and worked very hard. We are so thankful and happy we chose such a stunning venue as RBG for our big day.

Robin, Deanna and their teams were absolutely wonderful to work with. We had a specific vision for our wedding to be a celebration of both of our cultures and they were able to make that happen. Our friends and family are still talking about how much they enjoyed the food!

I have to start by saying Brooklyn and Robin played a big part in making our wedding wonderful. Brookly’s energy is just what I needed to ease any jitters I had that day.

The gardens are absolutely beautiful and with the renovations they recently have made it picture perfect.

I had my wedding reception at the RBG in July of 2017 and I am so glad that it was suggested to us by a good friend! I would highly recommend this venue! It is beautiful!
Robin was amazing to work with and we emailed back and forth almost weekly it seemed. She was always quick to respond to any questions I had. Her and the team made my day so so special!
The food was amazing!!! We had nothing but compliments on the service and food itself! Because we did not want a traditional sit down wedding, my husband and I opted for a cocktail reception. There are so many options and packages you can build on which made it so easy for us! We had Hors d'oeuvres being served throughout the entire evening along with a taco and poutine station. These were definite hits with our guests!
Our pictures turned out beautifully and were so convenient as you have access to the gardens for the duration of your reception, as do your guests!
Another great aspect is you receive a one year membership to the RBG after your wedding!!!
I was extremely happy with how everything turned out and came together! It was such an amazing experience to plan my wedding with Robin and her team, and I could not have wished for a more beautiful day!!!!!

We are so very happy that we decided to hold our wedding ceremony at RBG. It was an absolutely gorgeous place in the rose garden and everyone kept raving about its beauty.

We had our reception in the Peter and Camilla Dalglish Atrium and it’s such a stunning space. I loved how we didn’t need to give too much thought to décor because of the beautiful green living walls, glass walls, and glass ceiling. We used the living walls as backdrops for our Polaroid table. It definitely didn’t feel like your typical wedding venue. The food and service were excellent, it was comparably priced to other similar options, and for the most part, the venue was pretty accommodating with our requests leading up to the day. My only note is to make sure to have a list of questions ready before you sign with them, and get answers in writing. As I have heard is the case with a lot of venues, sometimes the information you get at your first meeting doesn’t reflect what you should actually expect. Overall we are happy with the reception party and felt it was perfect.

Despite the heat, the venue was beautiful and provided accommodations for our guests. We’ve heard nothing but praise for how magical the whole day was, and we couldn’t have imagined it anywhere else.

However, there were a number of difficulties we experienced during the wedding progress, leading up to the day itself, and even some hiccups during the wedding in progress. Namely, there was massive miscommunication between the head coordinator Robin and us, the brides, in terms of expectations for what would happen on the day of.
I was told multiple times by multiple people that I would not find out any information about set up until quite literally the day before the wedding. For such a popular and established wedding venue, it is incomprehensible for me as a client to understand how schedules are not available well ahead of time. In initial correspondence with Robin, we were assured that we would not be responsible for setting up the reception area, but rather we would be able to “drop off bins” and the catering staff would set up the decorations for us. It was not until Friday, the literal day before the wedding, that we found out what time we could come in and set the decorations up ourselves because it was our responsibility, no theirs. For a wedding venue, this kind of last minute change in expectations and instructions is completely unprofessional, and frankly, unacceptable by any standards. I was diligent in checking in months and weeks ahead of the event to plan these sorts of details, only to be deferred until the last minute and leaving us scrambling to set up our own reception when I should have been dedicating the morning exclusively to preparing for the wedding ceremony itself. Setting up decorations in itself is not an ordeal – having been misled for over a year in terms of planning is unacceptable.

During the reception, before the bridal entrance, we were pulled aside and informed that the bar staff were charging our guests for soft drinks. First of all, nowhere in our contract, nor in any correspondence in finalizing the drinks menu, was it mentioned that soft drinks would be available during the reception. If that had been communicated and finalized better by either Deanna or Robin, we could have anticipated the additional costs for our guests and amended that. However, we were put in a position to make a decision on the spot to add soft drinks onto our consumption bill; something we were not anticipating due to no mention in our previous correspondence, and something that should not be hoisted on the brides during the reception. Thankfully, our catering coordinator during the wedding day, was very accommodating and patient while we addressed this gaffe, but in the weeks prior to the event, I wasn’t given my full range of options upfront, and the costs were never addressed unless I specifically and repeatedly asked for them. I can appreciate the busyness of organizing multiple weddings for your business, but as a bride who has never planned (and never will again) a wedding before, it was difficult finding out the costs and options upfront for things, especially for things that are not clearly outlined in the Wedding Package, like alternative menu and beverage options.

Overall, the wedding day and the venue was lovely. We have no regrets with choosing the RBG as our wedding site. We have to praise Emily for being incredibly helpful during the rehearsal, answering all of the questions we’d been building for months, and guiding us through the process. Emily was very flexible and understanding with our concerns, and was a champion in making the day run as smoothly as it did. We would also like to praise the caterers for the exceptional food. Our guests loved the buffet, both in terms of options and of quality, so we’re very happy with the dining experience we had during our wedding.

The RBG was a beautiful venue, but it is important for us to voice our concerns and frustrations over how poorly Robin communicated with us to set out realistic expectations for setting up decorations, as well as answering promptly all of our questions to full satisfaction so that we could anticipate and plan any and all costs relating to food and drinks before the wedding day; not during.