A beautiful location on an island on the Bow River in the middle of the city. All you need to add is love. At River Café they have created a beautiful place in an extraordinary setting and have tended to the details that make you feel at home with staff who care, chefs who are passionate about quality and the regional seasonal ingredients that bring to your palate a taste of place. River Café sits in the heart of Prince’s Island Park - a unique restaurant housed in a space that felt as though it had always existed and belonged naturally in its setting along the Bow River. The restaurant has the feel and nostalgic appearance of an old Rocky Mountain fishing lodge with its open-hearth fieldstone fireplace and orchard wood burning oven. The outdoor patio provides an opportunity to step out and enjoy the panoramic views of the park and Calgary’s dramatic cityscape beyond.
Facilities and capacity
River Café can accommodate up to 100 guests for a seated lunch, brunch or dinner event and up to 150 guests for a standing cocktail reception Whether you choose a Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall wedding, it’s the ideal environment for couples that want to experience the natural beauty of Prince’s Island Park. Enjoy the sun-washed garden and trees blossoming in the spring and summer, glowing orange leaves and crisp air during a cozy fall day in the park, and the snow dusting the ground and branches in a winter wonderland setting. Numerous vistas offer many breathtaking backdrops to your perfect day and magnificent photo opportunities abound both inside and out. Celebrate your special day surrounded by friends and family in the unique elegance of River Café.
Services offered
The venue has an amazing team of staff who will help you plan your day. The services they offer include:
We wanted a wedding that was focused on good food, great friends and a casual atmosphere and the River Cafe was able to achieve this!
We had an evening ceremony and cocktail reception in the beautifully romantic space. Guests were wow'ed by the food and were amazed at how much there was! We were nervous that as a cocktail style reception, guests would not get enough to eat and this was definitely not the case - our guests left feeling full and satisfied!
It was all hands on deck when it came time for the quick turnaround from the breakfast and lunch service and we only had a few hours to get the space ready so I would definitely recommend having a clear plan and someone who is ready to delegate tasks on the day of. The whole River Cafe team was pitching in to ensure our what we had planned for decor was accomplished and they were ready with warm apple ciders and hot chocolates as guests started arriving!
The wait staff were absolutely amazing throughout the whole evening, explaining every dish they were passing around with detail and even began to remember those with food allergies or intolerance's and made sure they were getting the options they needed. They were warm and friendly and we were completely amazed at how their energy never seemed to falter even late into the night!
You'll get to have great planning sessions with their events coordinator and get to try a few drinks too - we booked a table for dinner just before the wedding as well so we could get a better sense of the seasonal menu and what our guests might experience.
This space is great for a smaller wedding and with our 95 guests the space felt really comfortable and definitely not too tight. There were some small issues with the mic they had provided but luckily our ceremony singer had her own and we used that - would recommend renting if you will be using a mic for speeches. This I would say was a small hiccup in our most perfect day!
We were able to have our dream wedding because of the River Cafe!
Sent on 20/03/2020
Esther
· Married on 18/05/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
River Cafe Fall Wedding
The River Cafe was the perfect venue for our fall wedding. The River Cafe had exceptional food, service, and atmosphere. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone getting married in Calgary!
Sent on 22/12/2018
Bailey M.
· Married on 22/12/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Spectacular!
We booked our December wedding with the River Cafe and couldn't be any happier with how beautiful the day was! The venue is so tasteful and really speaks for itself. So there really isn't much to decorate as the River Cafe is very charming. You really feel out of the city in this venue, even though it's right downtown. The food was just incredible, and our guests really enjoyed the food. We also couldn't speak highly enough of June Doan and the staff. Planning with June was a dream, she's so attentive and really works hard to ensure that your wedding day runs smoothly.
There aren't enough words to describe how happy we were to be able to have our wedding at the River Cafe. Our photos at the venue are just lovely! We highly recommend the River Cafe and their services!
Sent on 01/03/2020
David H.
· Married on 10/11/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Amazing venue for a wedding
We had our wedding in November of 2019 at the River Café. Everything turned out better than we ever could've imagined. The event coordinator June went above and beyond helping us make sure everything was perfect. The staff at the river cafe are incredible, the service was exceptional, the food was fantastic, and our his and hers cocktails were a really fun touch. The restaurant is beautiful, with only a few of our decorations it made for a cozy intimate setting and the fireplace was a wonderful backdrop for our ceremony. We cannot recommend the River Café enough as a venue for your event.
Thank you,
Dave & Rebecca
Sent on 11/01/2020
Marcela R.
· Married on 01/09/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Great Wedding
Our experience with the River Cafe was exceptional. The food, atmosphere, and service exceeded expectations.
Graduating from the Hospitality Management program at Calgary's Southern Alberta Institute for Technology (SAIT), Brooke comes from a background of coordinating weddings and events at wineries in Kelowna, BC in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. Brooke recently moved back home to Calgary, AB and has now joined the River Café Group of Restaurants family as the Event Manager for River Café and Deane House.
