The Benefits of Restaurant Weddings | An Intimate wedding at Ricarda's Toronto

Hosting a wedding at a restaurant can offer a variety of benefits. Firstly, restaurants often have beautiful and unique decor, making it easy to create an intimate and cozy atmosphere. Think unique flatware and glassware, soft romantic lighting, and comfortable but beautiful dining chairs, or even wall decor to set the warm and welcoming vibe. Additionally, staff members are experienced in providing exceptional service, ensuring that guests are well taken care of throughout the entire event. Furthermore, many restaurants have in-house catering and bar services, which can simplify the planning process and potentially save the couple money. While the setup windows can be a bit tighter than with a traditional wedding venue, the task is typically a bit easier due to all those aforementioned design details that reduce the amount of decor needing to be brought in. Overall, hosting a wedding at a restaurant can be a convenient, cost-effective, and memorable way to celebrate such a special occasion.

Amanda and John chose Ricarda’s Restaurant in downtown Toronto. They broke their evening into two different groups; an intimate ceremony and dinner for their immediate families, followed by cocktails, food stations, and dancing for another 75 guests. The evening had a wonderful flow and gave them an opportunity to maximize their time with all of their guests. It also meant with their smaller dinner guest they could splurge on some of the items they important to them without breaking the bank. For example, they only needed 25 menus and place setting upgrades instead of 100. Huge cost savings. Plus, they didn’t need a seating chart for such a small group of guests. Not only was this a big cost savings but it was also much easier on the environment as a whole to remove the waste.

Photography by Robin Sassi, florals by Rikki Marcone, tabletop details from Simply Beautiful Decor, music from St. Royals, and stationery by Statue Rue.