Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre

4.5 out of 5 rating 10 reviews

Burnaby, British Columbia

30 to 320 Guests

About

Update - June 2020

Intimate Weddings at Nikkei Place

Honour your wedding plans with an intimate wedding at Nikkei Place. Our spectacular gardens offer an ideal backdrop for an unforgettable event. Remember, your special day is still a special day.

With venues closing, new social distancing regulations, and restrictions on travel, many plans will need to shift to a more personal touch with close friends and family. Please tell us your story and how we can assist you with your venue and a day to remember.

With new social distancing rules, we can allow up to 30 guests in the Nikkei Garden and 27 guests safely seated in the Ellipse Lobby.

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is a Burnaby-based venue that specializes in hosting weddings and events. This multi-use facility celebrates Japanese Canadian culture and includes a spectacular garden which offers an ideal backdrop for an unforgettable event. The expert staff at NNMCC will work to make sure your event is flawlessly executed the whole way.

Facilities and capacity during COVID-19 for your safety

This venue offers great facilities which operate on a first come first served basis and include reception packages depending on the facility chosen. These are:

Special Event Hall (capacity for up to 75 guests seated)
Ellipse Lobby (capacity for up to 27 guests seated)
Kaede Room (capacity for up to 8 guests seated)
Nikkei Garden (capacity for up to 30 guests seated for a ceremony)

Services offered

The services offered for most of the reception packages can include the following:

Use of Special Event Hall from 2 pm to 1 am
Use of Community Kitchen for your preferred caterer
Complimentary underground parking
Two dressing rooms
One security guard for duration of your event
Full set up and take down of tables and chairs
Portable bar rental
Podium & microphone rental
Beautiful outdoor garden for photo shoots
Entandem (SOCAN and ReSound fee)
Recommendation on catering, decoration, floral and other related services (optional)

Other facilities

It also offers other facilities for smaller gatherings which include:

Intergenerational Room 105
Tsubaki Room 200
Kaede 210
Sakura 250
Matsu Room 201

Other services

It also offers services for:

Meetings
Exhibits
Birthday parties
Bridal / Baby showers
Graduations
Christmas parties
Memorials / Celebrations of life

History

The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre is a building that was designed by architects Raymond & Jason Moriyama. Its sustainable and award-winning design reflects the venue's values and commitment to preserving Japanese Canadian heritage.

More information

What is the minimum number of guests required to book your venue?

No Minimum

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

Describe your venue:

Banquet hall

Museum

Describe the style of your venue:

Classic

Garden

Modern

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor

Uncovered outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony

Reception

What event services do you offer?

Clean up

Outside vendors

Set up

What bar services do you provide?

Outside alcohol

What event items are available?

Chairs

Tables

What transportation and access is available?

Parking

Wheelchair access

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$3,700

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$2,700

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$1,000

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$750

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Chairs

Tables

Parking

Rated

4.5

out of 5.0

Quality of service

4.5 out of 5 rating
Response time

4.4 out of 5 rating
Professionalism

4.5 out of 5 rating
Value

4.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility

4.5 out of 5 rating

Order by:

Guen R. Married on 27/01/2018

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Beautiful Venue

I chose the Nikkei Centre as both my ceremony and reception venue because of how gorgeous the venue already is. I found that I did not have to decorate much of the inside because the venue itself was clean and had an air of pride and culture. We had our ceremony in the lobby and I was able to walk down the stairs towards the altar. I found that walking down the stairs allowed all of my guests to see me and I to see them. The reception area was large and it fit our 140 guests, 17 tables, photobooth, bar, DJ area and dance floor comfortably. The venue has a stage but we opted for the raised mini stage to allow our guests to come up to us. The kitchen is very large and was highly praised by our catering team. The venue also had a security guard walking the perimeter to ensure the safety of our guests.

Most importantly the Nikkei Centre allowed my best friend, my dog to be our Ring Bearer. I wrote to the Nikkei Centre requesting for permission and they granted me this wish. I truly am grateful for this.

Karah the venue coordinator was very friendly and easy to communicate with. She answered my questions promptly and ensured that the rehearsal and wedding day went smoothly. The Nikkei Centre's team set up the tables and chairs, which was very helpful.

I have no complaints about this venue. It was worth every penny.
Sent on 31/01/2018
Celia A. Married on 13/05/2017

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We had our wedding ceremony on the lawn and the reception in the lobby area for about 90 guests. The whole experience went without a hitch and the event coordinator was super easy to deal with - almost too nice. The venue itself was super unique and they were extremely open and accommodating to all of our requests (some odd ones in there). Choosing this venue made our wedding actually very stress free because they helped so much coordinating with all of the other vendors. 100% recommendations for Karah and the Nikkei centre staff and venue.
Sent on 16/07/2017

Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre's reply:

Thank you Celia and Alvin. It was such a pleasure hosting your special day at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. We look forward to seeing you again! You're Takoyaki stand was fantastic and the entire day was filled with joy and fun. All the best from all of us at Nikkei Centre.
Alex M. Married on 02/08/2015

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Lovely staff who were accommodating and highly responsive, despite our event planning falling in the middle of a mat leave. We would definitely recommend Nikkei as a venue to others! The garden area was plus for our guests and the large kitchen and loading area was a big plus for our caterers.
Sent on 10/01/2017

Angela C. Married on 13/09/2014

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I’m not usually one to type a bad review, but with what my husband and I experienced, I feel a very strong and compelling desire to do so. After a drawn diagram of the rented space (the lobby), we paid the securing deposit. One month later, we were informed that the rented space was smaller, which also opened up the room next door with windows that face into our rented space. We were informed that this may be used by another prospective renter, however, “since we are a wedding couple, they will offer a special rate of half off”. After one week of back and forth email discussions with staff members, including the Executive Director, it seemed that the only way to secure a formal meeting was to mention small claims court for return of the rented deposit, including the securing deposit paid to the caterer. This was eventually sorted; however, our experience moving forward did not change.
With our file being transferred through several staff members, confirmed information was not communicated with each passing person. For the final two months, our file was transferred to a staff member that worked one day a week. It was a common occurrence that questions or issues were continually delayed in our final weeks of wedding preparation.
There were two venue contacts on the wedding day. There were challenges in tracking these contacts when something was needed. The boys were relying on our rented showers to freshen up on a hot day. The shower were not working. Venue staff did not make any attempt to look into the shower, stating there is nothing they could do. Instead, the Day of Coordinator & Best Man got the venue’s shower working. To top off the night, venue staff asked about the return of their corded microphone. I had to ask the Emcee, call the DJ office (as the DJ had already left) and along with several guests, confirmed that we did not use their corded microphone (we used the DJ`s wireless microphone).
This is only a small fraction of our experience.
Sent on 24/10/2014

Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre's reply:

Thank you Angela and Sean,

Thank you for your feedback Angela and Sean, I am now in charge of weddings and am looking at your comments you left for us on wedding wire. It would have been nice if you were able to relay that to me when I asked you on my follow up with you after your wedding. Your response to me is below.

We do aim to ensure that you have the best experience for your day and if we do not know what your requirements are on the day of, such as the use of the showers, then we cannot effectively double check for you to see if they are operational and working without incident. Unfortunately that is an offsite person and we need to call to bring them in for maintenance checks. Once again our sincerest apologies for your discomfort.

We wish you the very best for all future events and thank you for utilizing the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre.

Cut and Paste:

From: angela_s_chong [mailto:angela_s_chong@hotmail.com]
Sent: September 21, 2014 12:10 PM
To: Karen Duffield
Cc: 'S Kajiwara'; 'Roger Lemire'; 'Lauren Kaumi'
Subject: Re: Thank you for your note

Hi Karen,

There was a misunderstanding. I only needed you to contact me if there are any outstanding issues. At this point, we are only waiting on the damage deposit.

Regards,
Angela Chong

Thank you Angela,
Warm regards
Karen Duffield
Rental Coordinator
Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre
6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby BC V5E 4M7
T 604.777.7000 ext. 101 F 604.777.7001
kduffield@nikkeiplace.org
Krystel D. Married on 27/07/2013

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Beautiful venue. The staff were always helpful and very flexible when setting up appointments to view the venue with our crazy work schedule. Great location. Would definitely host another party here again one day!!
Sent on 05/12/2013
[Anonymous]

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It is a very nice venue for wedding, very spacious and lot of parking. Both the bride and groom's room with in suite bathroom, very convenient.
The Japanese garden is good for photo taking.
Sent on 17/02/2015
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Beautiful venue for our wedding, impeccable staff!
Sent on 17/02/2015
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Kaoru and Karen were very helpful and easy to work with! The venue provided a unique setting for our wedding ceremony. We had the option of having the ceremony outdoors (our original plan) or indoors. Due to the rain, we had to move inside, but having the option of both sites in our booking took away one less stressful thing to think about. There was ample parking for all of our guests.
Sent on 13/01/2014
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Overall, we were very happy with our experience in planning our wedding day and the day itself. The coordinators were extremely friendly, helpful and reasonable with our requests.

The venue provided us with exactly what we were looking for, a large space for our ceremonies, reception and dinner, all at Nikkei Centre. The Japanese setting, architecture, and garden were gorgeous in person and in pictures. It also had a large kitchen space for our caterers, portable bar for rental, and no corkage fee to allow for an open bar for the night.

Things to keep in mind: although this is a private event, the venue is still a public facility and there are no guarantees for privacy. We did not encounter any issues though.

The venue discourages the use of helium balloons due to the high ceiling and the risk of one escaping and setting off the alarm at night.
Sent on 13/01/2014
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Nikkei was a wonderful venue for our wedding! We had a lot of positive feedback from our guests. The only criticism I had was in regards to the contact person. We were trying to dim the lights and my wedding coordinator could not find him even though he said he'd be on the premises. It took her about 20 minutes to find him and then finally dim the lights. Otherwise, the place was nice and spacious and I really appreciated having the private bathroom for myself and my bridesmaids to use.
Sent on 05/12/2013