The John M.S. Lecky UBC Boathouse is a floating venue in Richmond, British Columbia located on the historic Fraser River. Boasting stunning views of the North Shore Mountains, it is conveniently located near Richmond's business and entertainment district as well as Vancouver's International Airport. The venue is perfect for hosting any type of event and is sure to make an impression on guests. Special care and attention to detail is taken by the staff, who strive to help couples create the wedding day of their dreams.
Facilities and capacity
The venue takes advantage of its distinct setting throughout. The interior event hall features floor-to-ceiling windows that welcome in the scenic vistas that surround the boathouse. The space is completed by a fireplace and lounge furniture as well as artistic wood carvings that are cast in relief by its ample natural light. The venue has a capacity of up to 150 guests for a seated dinner, and space for up to 180 attendees to enjoy a sophisticated cocktail party. Vows can be exchanged outside on the lower dock, which is also an ideal space to gather in the interlude between ceremony and reception.
Services Offered
The UBC Boathouse’s staff includes experienced events specialists. They offer a wide range of services including a coordination service that makes planning big days that much easier. Their multi-media package takes care of all a couple’s audiovisual needs, and they can provide access to furniture rentals. The management also offers access to a private get-ready space for the wedding party to avail of. The staff can help set everything up for a couple’s big day and will assist them to take everything back down again after the party has ended.
History
The John M.S. Lecky UBC Boathouse was named after a former UBC rower who won the silver in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Currently, it houses the UBC Thunderbirds rowing program and the St. George’s School’s rowing program. The venue also frequently hosts other rowing and paddling programs in the community.
Great experience - flexible and accommodating, especially through COVID-19
Everyone at UBC Boathouse has been amazing to work with, especially given everything going on with COVID-19 and needing to reschedule our June 2020 wedding to June 2021. What could have been a very stressful situation was made so much easier because of how accommodating and understanding they were. We would highly recommend them based on their responsiveness, flexibility and just simply being good humans!
Sent on 24/08/2020
Brittany
· Married on 16/02/2020
4.8
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
4.0
Professionalism:
5.0
A perfect spot and experience!
The venue was absolutely perfect for our wedding! The location and space were gorgeous, and the staff were incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. Their preferred vendors were also fantastic, and very much appreciated.
Sent on 05/04/2020
Thea
· Married on 09/09/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
A perfect blank canvas to customize your own wedding.
We had a medium sized wedding of 60-80 people and it was the perfect size for everyone to be able to mingle without being cramped. The venue itself is so beautiful, we only needed to decorate minimally for our ceremony and then the water and the sunset was our backdrop. The staff were very responsive and flexible, we had a lot of odd requests that we ran by them when doing the first meeting (ie. rose petal confetti cannons, sparkler send-off, a theatrical sword fight) and they didn't even bat an eye. This venue gives you a lot of flexibility on how you want to customize your wedding, they don't restrict you to a specific catering company or any other vendor.
The venue was very affordable and booking times are flexible. It is easy to get to for guests by transit and has plenty of free parking. Overall, a great venue and I would recommend it to my friends.
Sent on 12/11/2019
Elena B.
· Married on 23/06/2019
4.8
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
4.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Best venue in the Lower Mainland
We had our reception and ceremony here for 100 people. It's an absolutely stunning venue with great West Coast vibes, with the option for an outdoor ceremony and a back-up option in case of rain. The UBC Boathouse team was incredibly responsive whenever I had a question, straightforward and clear with their contract and pricing, and the day-of venue coordinator I worked with (Morgan) was on game during the event. Would recommend to anyone looking to host an event!
Sent on 10/07/2019
Elizabeth C.
· Married on 12/10/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Stunning Venue!
My husband and I got married at UBC Boathouse in October, and it was picture perfect! We were able to get some pictures on the docks as the sunset, and they came out absolutely perfect! The space was perfectly sized for our medium wedding (110 people), although we're sure it would accommodate more or less equally well. The staff were amazing and worked with us from day one to make the day unforgettable!
