Everything was perfect. Linda was so kind, professional and flexible. Everything was amazing and the food was delicious.

Working with the Strathmere was a disaster. I do not recommend booking the Strathmere for any event, let alone a wedding.

The main issues we encountered on the day of/day before:
-The venue set up for the wrong event, and we were ten chairs short, despite being the only event on the property that day
-They served a palate cleanser containing alcohol to two pregnant guests, who I had indicated were pregnant on the seating chart. (Thankfully I had warned the guests beforehand and they refused the palate cleanser, but it was genuinely appalling.)
-We were served coffee with no cups, so guests drank out of the paper cups provided for poutine
-The late night poutine was served with no forks and guests had to request forks from the bar
-The water was frequently empty and I personally asked for it to be refilled 3 times
-No bussing/garbage removal throughout the night, so there was garbage and plates and empty glasses throughout the venue


Leading up to the event:
-They approved our seating chart of 8 tables in October 2024, then 2 weeks before the wedding informed us we could only fit 7 tables. We had to reprint our seating chart the week before because of their error
-We were told they had microphones, they did not. We had to arrange with the DJ to arrive early and provide microphones
-We were told they had dance lights, they did not
-We had booked a brunch with the Retreat onsite, we were reminded the week before the wedding to “book breakfast.” I panicked and thought they didn’t have the event on file despite already paying for it, so I had to call and confirm
-The coordinator did not have the right processional order despite being sent the document, was not present throughout photos or anything to help timekeep, didn’t do any extra items like lighting candles on the tables

I lost all confidence in the Strathmere’s ability to handle allergies, intolerances, or food sensitivities with care. If they serve items containing alcohol to pregnant guests, what else are they mishandling?

There was no single point of contact up until the event. The coordinator is only assigned 6 weeks before the wedding, which would be fine if we got consistent information from the venue up until that point. My husband and I had to reach out to ask about tasting dates, decorations, set up, everything. We were never proactively provided information by the venue.

The entire place is extremely disorganized. One arm of the organization obviously does not speak to the other.

After I brought the slew of issues to the venue’s attention after the event, we were offered a massage at the Strathmere as an apology, or a meal at their owned restaurants that they claim had a value of $1,000, as an apology for our wedding day that was less than 5% of the cost of the event. The auto gratuity alone for the service was $1,800.

Dealing with the owner’s lackey Kevin was also extremely unpleasant and drawn out. From giving the feedback to receiving the small refund was *49 days*, included a missed call from the owner himself, and weeks of unanswered emails.

My husband and I fell in love with the Garden house at Strathmere. It was the perfect place for us to get married and celebrate with family and friends. The food was delicious 😋 we loved the chicken dish. It was nice that we got to have 4 guest rooms for the night for people traveling from out of town. Thank you Jenna for coordinating our wedding.

My wedding was stunning in their facility and I had no stress. Linda was on top of everything and planned the night perfectly, any bumps in the day she handled well and executed perfectly. every guest was impressed with the event and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

I can't say enough good things about our wedding at Strathmere, but I'll try to do them justice in this review!

The location
The lands and the heritage buildings offer a very quaint, romantic and timeless elegance fit for any wedding. When you have a setting as stunning as this, you've automatically elevated the overall feeling and frame for your special day. The grounds are well kept, there are lush fields, beautiful gardens, majestic trees and each building has so much personality. Absolutely wonderful!

The venue (The Farmhouse)

We picked the Farmhouse venue. This is the smallest option at Strathmere, which was perfect for our intimate 42 guest wedding. I personally felt it was also the most romantic and vintage looking building, which really matched the classic and elegant wedding theme we were going for.

The farmhouse has personality, my guests are still raving about all the different areas they could choose to spend time in, from the bar area, to the salons, lounges, outdoor veranda, dining hall, or even outside by a cheery crackling fire with overhead fairy lights. This allowed all of my guests to gather, get to know each other, share beautiful moments, in a very comfortable and elegant setting.

The Rooms (Schoolhouse and Farmhouse)

Every room was perfectly kept, everything was clean and well stocked. We wanted for nothing. Beds and pillows were comfy. Considering we had a June wedding in a heritage building I need to absolutely praise the AC systems that have been put in place! I'm delighted to say I was cold at night and did actually need to curl up right under the blankets, which is preferred on a hot summer night.

I decided to book the Schoolhouse for my bridal party, what a lovely little venue! Very cheery space, and allowed myself and my bridesmaids to get ready on site the morning of the wedding. I don't recommend using this space to get ready if you're more than 7-8 people getting hair and makeup done at this site. This was the size of my group, and it worked well, but if you're a very large group it may be too snug. Just food for thought in your decision making process!

The Food

Absolutely decadent, hearty, healthy Delicious!!! From the hors d'oeuvres, to the actual diner and late night snack bar everything was very fresh, extremely tasty and made with quality ingredients. I already tried to replicate my wedding meal at home, because the menu really was that inspiring! My guests all raved about the quality and freshness of their meals, everyone was very well fed. Great drink selection too, and reasonable pricing in my opinion considering the industry standards.

The Day of Coordinator
Meghan is legendary. It's beyond me how she manages to get everything running so smoothly, but everything went off without a hitch. I never saw her standing still, she worked so very hard on my wedding day. She is an extremely detail oriented, caring, talented and compassionate person. I'm very thankful to have been paired with her, and am very touched that she poured so much effort and energy into my wedding even though she must be doing tons of these every single week. She made me feel very supported and secure on a day that it mattered the most.

Admin
Timely responses all around, very well informed and caring staff every time I contacted them by email or phone.

A very special thank you for having accomodated my request to reschedule my wedding day due to a loss in my immediate family. You have no idea how much it meant to me to have had your support in this. Every thoughtful and compassionate act matters when someone is grieving and I will never forget the kindness Strathmere has shown me.

Thank you to all the service staff as well, who were all extremely agreeable and sweet.

Tldr, just book them they really knock it out of the park!!!

Credits:
Photography by Sophie Fortier
Hair and Makeup by Shannon Doyle

We were married at Strathmere in early September when all the flowers and the grounds of Strathmere were in full bloom! It was very beautiful and looked fabulous on camera!

The staff were excellent and our wedding coordinator, Linda, went above and beyond for us! The food was even better than I could have anticipated. While I can only speak for the staff we dealt with, everyone was kind and professional. The most impressive part for us, was we had requested Sangria for our cocktail drink and as a bride you are so busy taking pictures, you don’t get to enjoy this time. Well Strathmere made sure to keep some sangria for myself and bridesmaids!

While the cost is on the more expensive side, it’s well worth it. Don’t think twice on Strathmere!

From our first tour, taste testing our menu, planing our final details with our coordinator and the amazing & kind staff throughout our big day the experience created at Strathmere really help us to feel special and celebrated!
We loved the country feel with a large and open space created at the Lodge, which allowed us to have a 180 person wedding with all our family and friends!

My husband and I had our Fall reception of 150 people at the Garden House following our ceremony downtown. Everything went so smoothly and our coordinator was very communicative and kept things running smoothly throughout the night. We had a live brand which was key, and they were able to setup without me even noticing. We had an outdoor dance floor with cocktail tables set up outside along with vintage lights and a fire out back. Above all our guests couldn't get over the food! We opted for a buffet and it was better than some of the best restaurants in Ottawa. I recently went back to the Retreat & Spa just so I could eat there again. There is no other place like it, I would HIGHLY recommend.

Everyone loved the food and said it was amazing, the rooms upstairs are great for everyone getting ready and staff was amazingly on time and had everyone work together.
The only thing is they forgot about the buquet toss so I never got to do that.

Strathmere is breathtaking and we knew once we set our eyes on The Lodge that it was perfect. Beautiful countryside, walking trails and the leaves changing in fall - it was a winner from the start. We have received so many compliments with regards to the venue and the food that we have lost track. Our guests were blown away. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is far from easy. It was a definite roller coaster ride but Strathmere was there every single step of the way - keeping us informed, answering all our questions and easing our nerves. We met with our wedding co-ordinator and then there was a last minute change and poof - Mel appeared. Mel is the most kind, warm and helpful person you'll ever meet who made our wedding day flawless. She answered all our questions with no delay, checked, double checked and triple checked everything so nothing was missed. She was even there the night before helping us set up until close to midnight as well as midnight the day of. There are no words to describe how amazing she is. We would definitely recommend Strathmere and if you get Mel then you are in for a special treat as you should consider yourselves very lucky...as you have the best of the best.