How to find the best Toronto brewery for a beautiful wedding
With the rise in popularity of craft beer in the last decade, many couples are now looking to book their wedding day festivities surrounded by the beautiful sights and smells of a craft brewery. They come with so much charm and character.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” One of the surest ways to make your wedding a happy one; go straight to the source of happiness and ‘hopiness’! You may be asking how to find the best Toronto brewery for a beautiful wedding, since there are now 300 active craft brewers in Ontario alone! Do you love vintage things and delicious beers? If so, here are some of the top picks for a Toronto brewery wedding venue!
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The most special brewery tour you will go on…
Like craft beer, having lots of options when looking at wedding venues is always a good thing! Here in Toronto your options for a hip wedding at a craft brewery is going to boil down to a few things. Are you looking to prioritize location, history of the building, the type of beer(s) they serve, or capacity? Many Torontonians opt for the classic: the roundhouse venue hosted by Steam Whistle brewing. Their beer hall has a capacity of up to 500 people. The beer hall also has the charm that comes with being the revitalized John street roundhouse where old locomotives were fixed up . Only drawbacks, they have one beer style and you won’t be exactly immersed in the fun of the brewing process. The roundhouse is located across the street from the Rogers Centre so you’ll be right downtown with lot’s of options for accommodations.
An oldie, but a goodie
Another great craft brewery for hosting your wedding is Amsterdam Brewery. Located up in the neighbourhood of Leaside, this brewery predates the boom in craft beer. They were creating craft beer before anyone even saw the trend taking off. They have a certain charm that comes with being one of the early beer icons in the city of Toronto. It is certainly special for Torontonians to celebrate their wedding day with a nice bottle of boneshaker IPA! Nothing get’s someone dancing quite like a 7.1% IPA with off the charts hopiness! They’ve got all the things, big and little, you want in a wedding venue. They have a good line-up of beer, free parking, lots of space, and a distressed wooden bar.
The new train in town
I recently shot a wedding at Junction Craft Brewing, and it’s clear why they are becoming a popular place! Many people will opt for getting married at Junction Craft Brewing because they seem to bring it all together. They are relatively new, opening their doors back in 2011. If you’re looking for a hip, charming, and vintage-inspired wedding venue, all tracks lead to the junction! All aboard!
So what makes Junction Craft Brewing so special?
Aside from their yummy assortment of craft brews, Junction Craft Brewing is such a perfect wedding venue because you actually get married on the brewing floor. You and your wedding guests will be situated right in glorious place where their beer is made. The perks of this include: great backdrop potential, the incredibly intoxicating smells of beer coming to life, and the fact that you have made all the beer lovers in the audience very excited for the bar to open up. Nothing gets you thirsty quite like sitting beside fermenting tanks, and taking in all the aromas of the hops and malted barley doing their magic.
A cathedral of beer!
I had the privilege of capturing the nuptials for high school sweethearts Jenna and Tony at Junction Craft Brewing back in July, 2018. This wedding was so much fun from start to finish. The Junction neighbourhood is such a fun little hide out just beyond High Park. For many years it was one of Toronto’s best kept secrets. A true diamond in the rough. It has a cool history being a railway junction between 4 lines running through the city. So you could say that the Junction has always had a history of converging paths and bringing new people together, just like a marriage.
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Next station… Love!
Sometimes location is one of the most important parts in choosing a wedding venue. You want to be comfortable and happy with it. You want your guests to be as well. The venue should be easy to reach, and have some good accommodations nearby as well. The location of your venue is also super important because a lot of guests could be coming from out of town. For those traveling guests the neighbourhood is likely going to be a whole weekend for them, so better if it’s a fun place.
Hop on and enjoy the ride!
One of the great parts about a wedding at Junction Craft Brewing is that you can really have it all. For the men in the wedding, check out Rod, Gun & Barbers for a great pre-wedding haircut and/or amazing straight razor shave. Men also like looking their best on the big day! They have a fully licensed bar, cigars, live music on weekends, and host bachelor parties! The junction is also home to a great restaurant scene. Check out Playa Cabana Cantina for some great eats, Roux for some southern comfort, or head over to the Indie Ale House if you just can’t get enough delicious craft brews!
Contact me if you’re interested in having a wedding at a brew pub!
Vendors:
Venue: Junction Craft Brewery
Flowers: Nancy Henderson
Hair: Michelle O’Shea at Studio 67
Make-up: Jenia O’Connor
Videographer: Cedar Box Theater
Caterer: Food Dudes
Cake: Bride’s mom!
Officiant: Lori Lytle
Rings: Fair Trade Jewellery Company
Dress: Maggie Sottero
Suit: Sydney’s
by Gillian Foster