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About

On WeddingWire since 2015

Last update: January 2025

Your Wedding at SAIT

Nestled in the heart of Calgary, Alberta, SAIT offers a stunning backdrop for your wedding day. With breathtaking city views and elegant interiors, this venue ensures a memorable celebration. Conveniently located just minutes from downtown Calgary - and approximately 18 kilometers from Calgary International Airport, SAIT is the perfect setting for weddings of all sizes.

Veues and Capacity

SAIT boasts a variety of versatile spaces to suit your wedding vision:

  • Macdonald Hall: Step back in time with the classic 1920s architecture of Macdonald Hall. This venue exudes timeless elegance and can host up to 210 guests for a ceremony, 152 for a reception, and 128 for a seated dinner.

  • Irene Lewis Atrium: For larger celebrations, the Irene Lewis Atrium is an ideal choice. With soaring three-story-high glass ceilings and a romantic ambiance, this space accommodates up to 500 guests.

  • Lounge 22: An intimate and modern option, Lounge 22 offers floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning mountain and city views, perfect for a smaller, sophisticated gathering.

Services Offered

At SAIT, our experienced event coordinators are here to make your wedding day effortless and enjoyable. From connecting you with exceptional vendors to managing every detail of your event, we ensure a flawless experience. Our venue provides an array of services to support your celebration, including:

  • Setup, teardown of SAIT's inventory
  • Pre- and post-event clean up
  • Chairs, tables, linens and tablewares

Food Services

Experience the culinary delights of Curated Catering Powered by Hotel Arts, SAIT’s exclusive on-campus caterer. Enjoy a personalized menu crafted for your special day, with options ranging from delicious buffets to plated dinners, complemented by a selection bar offerings.

Accommodations

Your guests can enjoy comfortable accommodations in the SAIT Residence, offering fully furnished hotel-style units. Couples can also book our penthouse suite on the 22nd floor of Begin Tower, offering breathtaking views of the city and mountains.

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Frequently asked questions

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

We have three spaces to choose from

Describe your venue:

Banquet hall
Historic

Describe the style of your venue:

City
Classic
Glamorous
Modern
Preppy
Rustic
Vintage

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal shower
Engagement party
Rehearsal dinner

What event services do you offer?

Accommodations
Bridal suite
Catering / bar
Clean up
Liability insurance
Outside vendors
Set up

What catering services do you offer?

Buffet
Cocktail reception
Dessert
Family style
Hors d'oeuvres
Outside cake
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
Tastings

What bar services do you provide?

Bartender(s)
Cash bar
Champagne toast
House beer
House wine
House liquor
Limited bar
Liquor license
Open bar
Premium liquor
Signature drink
Specialty beer
Specialty wine

What event items are available?

Aisle runners
Audio equipment
Drapery
Furniture
Chairs
Tables

What food and beverage items are available?

Barware
China
Chocolate fountain
Flatware
Glassware
Linens

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?

$1,000

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

$1,000

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?

$1,500

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

$1,500

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Set up
Clean up
Chairs
Tables
China
Flatware
Glassware

Which of the following are included in the cost of wedding catering?

Server(s)
Dessert

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

Limited bar
Open bar
House beer
Specialty beer
House wine
Specialty wine
Champagne toast
House liquor
Premium liquor
Signature drink
Bartenders
illustration notebook

Any other questions?

Reviews for SAIT

Alyssa
Alyssa Sent on 27/01/2025
3.6 out of 5 rating

Space beautiful, everything else fell really flat.

I would recommend SAIT for the beauty of the hall. I would not recommend it for anything past your ceremony. We experienced a lot of unprofessional behavior before our big day, on our big day, and after. The space is worth it because of how beautiful it is, but that is about it.
J
Jason Sent on 02/06/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Everything was amazing

They helped make our wedding absolutely magical
Robin
Robin Sent on 02/12/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful Venue

SAIT is a stunning venue, we hosted our ceremony outside Heritage Hall and had the cocktail hour and reception in MacDonald Hall and the Atrium. There was so much space for us to accomplish our Harry Potter themed vision, the atrium gave us the exact great hall feeling we were looking for and the area around SAIT is great for photos.

We worked with a number of contacts through SAIT, all of whom worked well with us to make sure we were getting what we needed to make our big day successful.
Danielle
Danielle Sent on 18/01/2022
4.6 out of 5 rating

Beyond helpful

The team at SAIT has been beyond helpful and kind. The value for money spent is also some of the best I’ve seen for the size I was looking for. And Heritage Hall is WOW beautiful! Our wedding is April 30 and we are beyond excited to have our special day here
Jen
Jen M. Sent on 20/09/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Beautiful event space

Our wedding at SAIT was nothing short of magical! We had our ceremony in the Irene Lewis Atrium with an intimate number of guests, we used red carpets for walking down the aisle, and SAIT provided white drapery to divide the space. It didn't need much decorating as the backdrop onto Mac Hall was stunning.
Our reception was held in Macdonald Hall. It does provide such a nice skeleton to be able to decorate in any way you'd like. The round tables and chivari chairs were elegant. We rented bistro lights to add to the ambiance and we also rented a lovely back drop behind our head table. I need to give a big shout out to SAIT's wedding coordinator, Jill Glasgow as she was a dream to work with. She really took her time working with us and going over all of the details. She was always available to answer all of my questions (and I had lots). Jill gave great suggestions and really brought our vision to light. We received so many compliments on the venue! 10/10 recommend.
M
Meagan Sent on 11/10/2019
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Day!

I can not say enough great things about hosting our wedding at SAIT. There was great communication from the start, and we were able to pop in and check out details of the venue whenever we wanted. We even were invited in to the set up of other weddings to see how things were going to look. SAIT is also very flexible with timing, decor, set up, take down etc. The food choices are plentiful and both the food and bar prices are extremely reasonable compared to other venues we looked at. All of the food we chose was great, and we received many compliments on it. Amanda and her catering team did an amazing job at following all my schedule details and requests. The location is unbeatable. Inner-city Calgary makes its so easy for guests to attend. We had our ceremony in the Irene Lewis Hall, which is all natural light and brick wall backdrop, and the reception in the MacDonald hall which was beautiful and romantic. Jill and Cary did an amazing job with all the set up, and making sure every detail of our day was perfect! To top it all off, the penthouse suite in the Residence/Conference Center tower is offered to you when booking a wedding. The suite is HUGE and beautiful with floor to ceiling windows and an amazing view. I stayed there the night before, and used it to get ready in the morning, host people in the afternoon, and we came back there after the wedding. We were treated like royalty there, from the staff blocking off an elevator for us to get down to the ceremony on time, to full cleaning and turn-down service before we arrived back after the wedding, to coming back to a bottle of champagne on ice and a chocolate gift.
The day was absolutely perfect and I highly recommend SAIT as a wedding venue.
J
Jillian Sent on 21/08/2019
5 out of 5 rating

SAIT - Amazing Venue & Catering with an Incredible Team!

SAIT was the perfect venue for our wedding and the events team (Jill Glasgow) was absolutely incredible to work with. Jill & team was fun, professional and very responsive to our many calls, emails and questions. The entire time we felt we were in good hands and if there was anything we were uncertain about, she was able to answer us quickly and help make recommendations based on her prior experience. When looking for a venue, one of the biggest recommendations is ensuring you feel comfortable and trust the venue team, and I would highly recommend SAIT based on our experience with their team.

Venue - The entire venue is what we would consider a hidden gem of Calgary. Our ceremony, reception and cocktail hour were all held inside the Heritage Hall building, which is historical building that is elegant, fun and unique. A highlight of the SAIT venue is that the areas for the various events are all close together, which made the entire experience for ourselves and our guests feel easy cohesive, and connected.

Our ceremony was held in the Irene Lewis Atrium. It was the perfect location for us because we wanted the feel of a bright, outdoor ceremony, but didn't want to worry about poor weather. The Atrium has a stunning backdrop with the 1920's style brick building, beautiful glass doors, and stained glass windows. The massive skylights brightened up the entire room and made it feel like a beautiful joyful space. This space can also be used for the reception location.

The Cocktail hour was held in the main foyer space at the entrance of the building and it was the perfect location because it can fit a large amount of people, and allows for lots of mingling with soft seating, cocktail tables, and a permanent bar.

Our Reception was held in MacDonald Hall, which is a beautiful room that has been transitioned from a 1920's lecture theatre into a gorgeous event space. It has a beautiful balcony, stage, and high ceilings that make it such an impressive space. It also comes with a sound system and projector that was great for our slideshow. Many of our guests commented on how beautiful they thought the room was and that it was the perfect location for our party.

Photos - Another bonus is that the SAIT campus has so many great locations for photos. There are downtown views, historic buildings, and the unique architecture of the parking garage and other campus buildings. We found that because of how diverse and well kept the campus is, we didn't have to leave the area for our wedding photos. So far our photos have turned out beautifully and we were able to save some money on transportation costs.

Catering - The Chartwells catering team (Amanda Williams) is the exclusive catering team for SAIT events and they went above and beyond for our wedding, rehearsal dinner, and wedding morning breakfast. We received so many compliments from our guests about how delicious the meals were and how beautifully they were all presented. The catering team was super easy to work with, helped us find cost friendly options that worked with our budget, and made it feel incredibly special. Their bar team created some fun custom cocktails for the day and they were even able to supply us with a donut wall and donuts for a fun treat! (It was a HIT!)

Residence/ Hotel Space - One of the biggest perks for us with hosting our wedding at SAIT was the hotel space that is at the top of their residence tower. We had a lot of family and friends travelling to be here for our wedding and having hotel space available on site made the entire experience seamless for them as they didn't have to travel back and forth from the venue to hotels or rentals off-site. We also had many local guests stay overnight as well, because of how convenient & affordable it was. The rooms were very affordable, large and had kitchenettes. We used the penthouse suite for the night before the wedding for the bride and bridesmaids and for the wedding night. It is a massive suite with two full bedrooms, two full kitchens, two full bathrooms, and two living areas. It has fantastic views of the city and is very modern and comfortable for a team of bridesmaids to sleep and get ready in for hair and makeup. The Residence team (Hollie Coville & Samantha Smith) were also great to work with and looked after every detail for us so we didn't have much to worry about!

Overall, we had an amazing experience and highly recommend checking them out for your wedding!
L
Lelia Sent on 13/06/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Thank you SAIT!

Our experience with SAIT exceeded our expectations. The venue was amazing: the high ceiling with the fairy lights in the Irene Lewis Atrium provided such a unique atmosphere that was both spacious and intimate, and MacDonald Hall was perfect for both the ceremony and the reception. But what impressed us most was the amazing service we received from the events staff: Jill, Amanda, and Blaine (just to name a few) were so accommodating and helpful throughout the entire wedding planning process and made sure that we were completely satisfied with every detail of our special day. The events staff ensured that everything went smoothly and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Thank you SAIT events team for your incredible service; we will be sure to recommend SAIT as a wedding venue to our friends and family!
G
Ginette Sent on 14/11/2018
4.6 out of 5 rating

Prompt and informative

Sait contacted me right away with my information request about holding our wedding at their facilities. They had all the information on hand that we needed to make our decision and we truly appreciated it!
A
Andreas Sent on 31/08/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Highly Recommended Venue

Great venue. Amazing food.
The people that work there are very responsive to questions and are very accommodating to requests. We had the ceremony in the atrium (Stan Grand Center, attached to Heritage Hall) and the reception in the McDonald Hall (Heritage Hall). The venue layout is great.
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Awards

20
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SAIT Real Weddings

Rebekah & Chris
39 Photos · 24/Aug/2024
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81 Photos · 10/Sep/2022

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Map

1301 16th Avenue NW T2M 0L4 Calgary (Alberta)
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