How to Plan Your Wedding Transportation

Planning Considerations

Pre-ceremony timing is most crucial, so let's start there!

1. Not sure how many people or where they are? Add it as a question in your RSVP! If you can, be specific about the exact pickup and drop-off points. (ie. We are providing transportation from the Sheraton Main Street to the venue and return trips throughout the evening.)

2. Don’t forget about yourselves and your wedding party and any immediate family members staying at your getting ready location(s). What kind of vehicle(s) and how many hours do you need? Is everyone traveling together or do you need a separate vehicle for others leaving the house after you? Most limos, large shuttles, or buses work on a 5-hour split. This means you can use three hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening, but they won’t book a service for shorter periods without paying the 5-hour minimum.

3. Once you have these ballpark numbers, and where they are staying, you can estimate the size of your vehicle or if you need a second vehicle. The bigger the vehicle, the fewer trips! Err on the side of having a vehicle that is too large, that way, it guarantees everyone will fit, including those who did not initially intend to take the shuttle.
   
   Extra tip: Having one vehicle making multiple trips could impact the timing of your guest's arrival.

Timing is Everything

1. Start by using Google maps - it is your best friend! Take a look at how long it will take to drive to and from, at the same time and day as your wedding. Saturday at 4pm? Check then!

2. Once you've determined how long it'll take you to get from point A to point B and back, you'll be able to estimate the trip time. And, add some buffer. You never know what can happen, so it helps to add a few extra minutes to the regular trip time. 

3. We love our friends and family, but everyone takes a few minutes when they’re in fancy dress! Estimate 10 minutes for the loading and unloading of passengers at each end.

4. With your trip time + estimate unloading and loading time, you're ready to piece the trips together!

Pre-Ceremony Arrival

• Work backward: Start with the time you want your guests to be there and walk yourself back using your formula: vehicle arrival time + loading time + travel time + unloading time = one trip! 

SAMPLE SCHEDULE

For a 4p ceremony with a 30-minute travel time, the timeline would be:

3.30p guest arrival

2.50p departure time

2.40p load time

2.30p vehicle arrival time

Note how we have included extra buffer time in each situation. Arriving too early is always better than arriving too late.

End of Night

• Don’t forget the end of the night! More people tend to take a shuttle at the end of the night than they do pre-ceremony,  especially if you're having an amazing party. 

• Consider rotating rounds at the end of the night. For example, shuttles start at 10pm, leaving every hour, with the last trip departing 15 minutes post-event end.

• You’ll also want to make sure YOU have a drive home! Many town-cars/sedans are available for a single-trip service which is a nice way for the two of you to end the evening alone and start to wind down.

  Here are a few situations that make a difference in the total number of guests needing transportation at the end of the evening:

The venue allows overnight parking. You may find some guests drive themselves, but take the shuttle back and then pick up their vehicles the next morning. 

Your wedding party has a separate vehicle there, but needs to take the shuttle home - they'll require a spot!

Not everyone takes the first shuttle back at 10p, so plan for more people to take the later shuttles.

Extra trips and tricks TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING TRANSPORTATION

• Have concerns about the number of people requiring transportation and ensuring everyone has a spot? Create sign-up sheets at the hotel for the shuttle times you have available. This way, if you have multiple vehicles or a single vehicle making multiple trips, you don’t have half-full vehicles leaving too many guests waiting for the next trip.

• Gratuities are important and pretty much expected by transportation companies for their drivers. Many companies include a 10 - 15% gratuity in the invoice, but others do not. Make sure you double-check the invoice and be prepared to have the cash on hand and someone other than you to hand it to the driver.

Imagery is graciously provided by Christine Lim.
Rolls Royce from A Rolls Choice.

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Toronto Micro-Wedding Elopement

Small weddings have always been my jam. It’s partly why I usually limit the weddings I take on to those with 150 guests or less, but my favourites are the intimate ones that feel refined but relaxed. Alessia and Ellen were set to be married in May of 2020 and when the pandemic hit, we decided that postponing to October that year sounded safe until we soon realized that our new plan wasn’t going to happen either, so we then postponed to October of 2021. Still, they wanted to celebrate in October in some capacity and decided to move ahead with a small ceremony with 40 of their friends and family at their church, sending their guests home with cake slices and then an intimate dinner for just the two of them at their apartment.

Despite all the change, they never once complained and managed to find the silver lining. They never lost sight of the big picture - celebrating with their families in a safe and realistic way.

Keeping things small means you’re able to connect with each of your guests, having focused conversations, something that isn’t often said in a traditional larger wedding format. Especially after what we’ve experienced this year, we’ll be loving these moments of connection with our friends and family.

Thank you to photographer Scarlet O’Neill, florist Hunt and Gather Floral, Jen Evoy Hair and Makeup and 10tation Catering and A Rolls Choice for being so flexible, accommodating, and supportive of Alessia and Ellen during such trying times for each of you!

The Pearle Hotel and Spa, Upscale Burlington Wedding Venue

When I first found out that Pearle Hospitality was opening their latest venue, The Pearle Hotel and Spa, I think my jaw dropped to the floor. Burlington has been in desperate need of a high-end hotel and an upscale event space that can hold larger guest counts. Knowing Pearle (who owns Spencers at the Waterfront and Elora Mill just to name a few), the new hotel wasn’t going to fall short of being anything but an incredible experience.

The Northshore Room, Pearle Hotel and Spa Wedding Photos. Designed by Studio Munge.

There’s going to be a Hammam Spa and an indoor pool. The restaurant, Isabelle, offers a dining experience that highlights the locality, seasonality, and freshness of Ontario produce with much of it grown at their very own Earth to Table Farm. Its incredible waterfront patio will be perfect for a summer lunch or dinner under the stars. Designed by Studio Munge, check out some of the incredible renderings by them below!

The Pearle Hotel and Spa, Downtown Burlington Hotel

There are two event spaces, both designed with neutral, but high-end decor, meaning there’s no worry of needing to cover up an unsightly wall or fight with an ugly carpet in your design; you just need to add your own personal touches to make the space unique to you. You’ve heard me talk before about my favourite Toronto wedding venues offering epic design and culinary experiences, and The Pearl Hotel and Spa will be nothing short of that.

The Edgewater Room

The Edgewater Room can host larger groups of up to 350 guests. Enjoy the use of the entire floor and private ceremony space. This beautiful room offers a fresh neutral décor with 16-foot ceilings and a south-facing view of the waterfront.

The Edgewater Room at The Pearle Hotel and Spa, Wedding Photos. Designed by Studio Munge.

The Northshore Room

For more intimate weddings of up to 170 guests has 14-foot ceilings and a west-facing view of Lake Ontario, this room offers fresh and neutral tones with bronze accents, perfect for bringing any vision to life.

The Northshore Room, Pearle Hotel and Spa Wedding Photos. Designed by Studio Munge.

THE PEARLE HOTEL AND SPA WEDDING PHOTOS

I was asked last summer to participate in a photoshoot on the property to help showcase the incredible views The Pearle Hotel and Spa has to offer from the event spaces. Even though it was still very much a construction zone, we made something beautiful. Check out some of the images from the shoot below.

The Pearle Hotel and Spa Wedding Photos | The Team

• Photography Cloud9 Photo

• Florals and Design Concept Sue Gallo Designs

• Stationery StatueRue

• Cake Sweet Celebrations

• Wedding dresses and styling The Modern Bride

• Beauty Amanda Zack

• Rentals Simply Beautiful Decor and Special Event Rentals

A Guide to Table Seating and Linen Sizes

I remember doing my first few weddings and realizing just how much I didn’t know. One moment that stands out was walking into a venue and finding that the linens didn’t touch the floor. Or another time, planning for a certain number of guests at each table and then finding out that with charger plates we actually had to remove one person per table because there wasn’t enough room to fit the charger plates at each place setting comfortably.

So I swore I would never make these rookie mistakes again and made a foolproof quick reference guide that allowed me to confidently plan for each wedding and remove any room for error. I’ve finally made a pretty version of it and want to share it with you, to hopefully save you any headache, too! Enjoy this Guide to Table Seating and Linen Sizes for weddings and other events!

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How to Set a Table

As long as I can remember, I’ve loved putting together pretty table settings. I loved knowing that it was formal, but still not over the top. For me, it’s about the necessities and using pieces to make it beautiful without adding everything but the kitchen sink. It’s important to remember to keep room for other dinner necessities like butter, bread baskets, and salt and pepper so overfilling a table with decor will only make the guest experience unpleasant.

Start with a beautiful tablecloth to act as a base. Then add your charger plate or placemat to the centre of the table setting. On top of this, you’ll want your dinner plate, salad plate, and any other plates required for courses. I like to incorporate the napkin into this as well, and there are plenty of ways to be creative with its placement, whether it be knotted and placed on top, folded with the menu inside, or even folded between layers of plates.

The bread plate should be placed above and to the left of the dinner plate. If you have a butter knife for each guest, it can be placed horizontally on the bread plate.

For cutlery, remember that you’ll always work from the outside in so the dinner fork will be closest to the plate and the salad fork to the left of that. Similarly, the soup spoon will be on the outside and the dinner knife closest to the plate. The dinner knife’s blade should always be facing the plate. Above the plates, start with the dessert fork placed horizontally and its prongs facing the right side and the teaspoon facing the opposite direction above this. If you have a place card, it’s suggested it go at the top of the place setting above the dessert fork and teaspoon, but you can also be creative and incorporate this into the stack of plates whether that be sitting on top of the napkin or even as part of the menu.

As for glassware, set the water glass in the top right corner, above the knife, and the wineglass (either a red or a white wineglass, depending on what you’re serving) to the right of the water glass, set slightly back, on a diagonal. If serving champagne, add this to the left of the wine glass, creating a bit of a triangle shape.

Lastly, don’t forget to add flowers and candles to your centerpiece! Flowers and candles go such a long way in making the dinner feel elevated.

Special thanks to Simply Beautiful Decor for sharing images of their beautiful tabletop pieces for the image and diagram below.

Will Reid Photo. Simply Beautiful Decor. Sue Gallo Designs.

Simply Beautiful Decor.

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The Best Toronto Area Wedding Venues with Epic Food, Service and Design Experiences

After almost a decade in the Toronto wedding scene, I’ve experienced my share of wedding venues and there are a few that easily stand out from the rest. My clients want venues that offer not only a beautiful backdrop but also a culinary experience and level of service to match. I’ve compiled my favourite Toronto area wedding venues that are the best at consistently offering all three favourite requirements.

1. THE UNIVERSITY CLUB OF TORONTO

   I’ve talked before about my love for The University Club of Toronto, so it should come as no surprise that it tops my list of favourite wedding venues in the Toronto area. This venue has everything. It’s centrally located at Queen and University and easily accessed by both public transit and car. While there are lots of hotels nearby, there are also hotel rooms available on the property. Osgoode Hall is right across the street and, bonus points, it doesn’t require a photography permit! With exclusive use of the property, there are so many options for event flow and the Presidential Suite on the main floor is perfect for getting ready on site. My favourite event flow is getting ready in that beautiful Presidential Suite, ceremony upstairs in the Library, cocktails in the Pine Lounge on the main floor, and back up to the second floor for dinner in the Ballroom and dancing back in the Library post-dinner!

   It’s also incredibly beautiful both inside and out with lots of character and architectural details and it plays really well into endless colour palettes. The food is AMAZING, the service is impeccable. Oh, and did I mention the butter is whipped and formed into swans?! Yes, swans.

   See more of Emilie and Leo’s amazing wedding at The University Club of Toronto here.

Will Reid Photography. Blush and Bloom.

2. THE ARLINGTON ESTATE

Located just North of Toronto, in Kleinburg, Arlington Estate offers not only a beautiful space but a top-notch client and guest experience. They also take good care of all vendors coming in, making it an especially lovely place to work and easily on the list of favourite Toronto area wedding venues. There’s a beautiful outdoor space for wedding ceremonies and the East and West Wing Ballrooms are the perfect base and opportunity to add your own style. Everything you could imagine has been taken care of in this space with stunning bridal suites, large terraces overlooking the gardens and even espresso machines in the lobby bar. Not only is the food is impeccable but its presentation is beyond. They’re flexible with drop off and pick up times for your personal items and it’s just all-around a wonderful space to be.

Blush and Bloom. Purple Tree Photography.

3. ELORA MILL

Perfect for an easy mini-destination wedding, The Elora Mill is an absolute gem. Elora is a gorgeous small town and incredibly quaint for the perfect weekend getaway just an hour and a half from the Toronto core. The Mill’s hotel has a spa on-site for some relaxation time and the Elora Gorge allows for some exploring and of course, epic photos. Everywhere you look, this town and property are nothing but beautiful. Both the outdoor ceremony space and the indoor rain backup of the Chapel are absolutely stunning so regardless of the weather, you simply cannot be disappointed with the backdrop. The reception spaces will take your breath away with their unique, very upscale, and elegant, yet rustic design. The whitewash oversized harvest tables pair perfectly with the linen-covered round tables to create some extra interest in the space. The culinary experience is perfect for the foodie and the service experience is unmatched. The only shortcoming is the lack of flexibility with the ceremony times, but that can be easily overlooked with the beauty of the space and when you realize how well they run their show and just how many design details come with this space.

See more of Suzanna and Kyle’s Elora Mill wedding here.

Scarlet O’Neill Photography. Hunt and Gather Floral.

4. THE PEARLE HOTEL

While The Pearle Hotel is a brand new hotel, there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a massive shakeup to the Toronto wedding scene. Based in downtown Burlington, Ontario, The Pearle Hotel is owned by Pearle Hospitality who also owns the aforementioned The Elora Mill. As with the rest of their properties, the aesthetics of this space are top-notch and the service will be second to none. There are hotel rooms on-site and a Hammam Spa perfect for relaxing and a weekend getaway for your guests! There are stunning views of Lake Ontario from both event spaces and also quick access to the waterfront and Spencer Smith Park which is free for wedding photos. Fitting for weddings of 150 to 400 guests, it’s definitely a space to watch and experience to have when it opens in the spring of 2021.

5. STRATUS VINEYARDS

Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the heart of Niagara’s wine country, Stratus Vineyards offers a beautiful blend of modern contemporary and garden party vibes. It’s about an hour and a half from Toronto and perfect for a weekend getaway experience for couples and their guests. While there are no accommodations or spa on-site, there is an endless number of options nearby. The wine is obviously amazing and all beers offered are local, which is such a plus for those who love supporting local. They have a few preferred caterers, all of whom will blow your taste buds away, and they’ll also work with Stratus to pair wines with each course for the ultimate experience.

As for ceremony and reception options, the most popular is to have the ceremony outside facing the vineyard, cocktails on the terrace, reception in the Press Alley, and dancing in the retail space. So with exclusive use of the space, you’re really able to use all areas! If you’ve got extra in your budget, you can reverse things by putting a tent out on the grass for dinner and having your ceremony inside!

There are two things to note about hosting a Stratus Vineyards wedding. The first being the strict timing they have regarding wedding party, guest arrival, and ceremony start times, but it’s all done in an effort to ensure the experience of their retail customers is a positive one. Sound restrictions can also be a concern for some couples so if you wanted to dance the night away under the stars you’ll be disappointed as there are strict rules in the Niagara area about noise levels especially after 11p so you’ll have to move your party inside the retail space for dancing.

For more images from Jane and Jason’s tent wedding at Stratus Vineyards, click here.

Mango Studios. Simply Beautiful Decor. Premier Tents.