Rochelle Sent on 02/27/2017

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We just got married there (winter wedding) and had the most wonderful experience. First of all the venue is incredibly beautiful. We said vows upstairs in front of the stained glass windows, had the cocktails in the basement and the reception and dancing on the main floor. Our venue coordinator was Alexia who was great and very helpful - a delight to deal with. The appetizers were so-so but our mains (black cod and braised beef short rib) were out of this world (all our guests commented on it), and I have to say the food was extremely important to us as major foodies - we also got a lot of comments about how great the desserts were - we had by far an exceptional food experience and frankly a fantasy wedding in every respect. Staff there was great too and I heard very positive feedback from our guests. I cannot recommend this incredible, beautiful venue enough. They really helped to make my wedding day amazing. Another plus is you have to bring the booze so you can save on paying the markup other places charge and get the alcohol you actually want if that's important to you.

Katy Sent on 04/15/2016

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Great staff to deal with. Food was amazing. Everything ran smoothly! Would totally recommend using them for your wedding!

Stephanie Sent on 10/24/2015

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We could not be happier with Berkeley Church as our wedding venue. Not only is it one of the most beautiful and unique venues in the city, but it was one of the most affordable and flexible/easygoing.
- Because it was so beautiful, we were able to spend less on decor and flowers.
- The venue also allows you to provide our own alcohol, which was a great way to save.
- The ceremony, cocktails and reception are all in one place, which is both a time and money-saver and was much more convenient for ourselves and our guests
- They were also very helpful in that Liz, the venue-provided coordinator even helped us fill vases with water and set up the tables, they hung string lights for us, and clean-up in included in the price.
The food was SO fantastic and we got great reviews from our guests. They allowed us multiple tastings so we could select the perfect dish and kept all of our guests' dietary restrictions in mind.
Liz our coordinator walked us through every detail multiple times, accommodated all of my very specific/crazy requests, walked us through the rehearsal many times and totally calmed me down during the ceremony.

This is such a fantastic venue and I could not be happier with the service. I would definitely recommend it! Thanks Berkeley Church for making our wedding so perfect and beautiful!

Ariane Sent on 02/26/2015

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We had our wedding February 21, 2015, on a very snowy day. Our coordinator was Liz, and let me just say how fantastic she has been since day one! We had many questions for her and she was always pretty quick to respond and explain anything to us. The day-off went off without a hitch. All the events went as planned and we have Liz to thank for that. All of our guests have high praises about the food, especially the beef ribs and the dessert! We had exceptional service throughout the day. When we were taking photos, a server was assigned to myself and my husband to provide a plate of appetizers and drinks which I thought was a very nice touch and I would not have been able to get a taste if they hadn't done that. They were very helpful in holding back the guests when we were still in the Circa Lounge for photos. During the dinner hour, my husband and I were busy mingling and when we came back to the head table, Liz was quick to replace our soup which was probably already cold. One of the bartenders came to our table a few times to take our drink orders. Claudia who took over for Liz later in the night was also fantastic. They cut the bottom layer of our cake for us so that guests who wanted more dessert can grab a plate, and packed up the rest so that nothing was wasted. They packed up the leftovers from our candy bar as well and our things that needed to be taken the following Monday.
We also found it convenient to have a safety deposit box in the venue. Our day-of coordinator (one of our friends) was instructed to empty out or money box every so often and put the cards in the safety deposit box for safekeeping. Being able to bring your own alcohol was also a plus. We saved quite a bit of money doing this.

Overall, we were more than happy about how everything turned out. We can't say a single negative thing about the service, the food, the beautiful venue. If you are looking for a unique setting for your wedding, this is the place!

Nona Sent on 01/27/2015

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I cannot say enough about how amazing this venue is. We got married at the Berkeley on Jan 10th and our coordinator Liz was beyond fantastic. From start to finish I can not find one thing that we would change or were not happy with. The food is amazing, the staff are top notch and the building is gorgeous. 10/10!

Diane Sent on 01/25/2015

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The Berkeley Church is such a beautiful and unique venue and we are so happy we were able to host our wedding ceremony and reception at this location. The entire day went so smoothly, thanks to our coordinator Kathy! She was was organized and responded to all of my concerns and questions the days/weeks leading up to the event. We definitely appreciate that we were able to purchase and bring our own choice of alcohol. Other than that, we didn't have to worry about anything else.
On the actual wedding day, the staff were kind and on point! The food was delicious! The venue was gorgeous! We had an amazing stage that was absolutely perfect for our live band.
I would recommend the Berkeley Church for anyone looking for a beautiful venue right in the heart of the city.

Karen Sent on 03/15/2014

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Tom and the team were fantastic in making my intimate wedding amazing. We had a large group of children as guests and they accommodated them flawlessly with an additional server and a marshmallow roasting pit outside.
The food was NOT the typical wedding rubber chicken or pasta w red sauce. The in-house catering was delicious and all 4 of the main dishes were great.
We got an off season discount of 10% to time the wedding with the kids march break.
The space was perfect with flattering lighting and enough space to do both the wedding and reception all in one room.
A+

Karly Sent on 04/09/2013

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The Berkeley Church was the perfect place for our wedding ceremony and reception. We had 165 guests and it fit everyone well. Our coordinator at The Berkeley was Liz Moore, who was AMAZING! Liz was so easy to work with. She responded to questions promptly, offered great advice, was so organized, and really sweet to us and our guests. Leading up to the wedding, I owe Liz for keeping my stress level low. She was so on top of things that I never worried that things weren't going to go as planned. She co-ordinated deliveries and the timeline for the wedding day and made sure everything ran smoothly. I can't thank Liz enough for everything she did!
The Berkeley Church is such a unique venue and we truly loved it! Looking back at all our pictures we can't imagine having a better backdrop for our special day. It has so much character and charm and all the staff were wonderful. We can't recommend Liz and The Berkeley highly enough! Thanks again!

Marci Sent on 05/27/2012

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FANTASTIC, ELECTRIC, PERFECT!!

Caroline Sent on 01/30/2012

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Great venue. Very accommodating!

Canadian E. Sent on 06/22/2011

5 out of 5 rating

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I work with a team of event professionals who have done events recently at Berkeley (6 since January 2011)

The Venue is currently under new management. There is still existing members from the old team (the best ones I assume) but there is a new executive director as I heard the previous one had to leave due to family circumstances.

This change has proved to be very positive. The venue has been host to amazing events in the past 10 years however we too have noticed on multiple web reviewer sites negative responses about the customer service and quality of the space and other related circumstances. Most of them if not all prior to 2011.

Not every event is going to be perfect but our 6 either nearly or completely were. Best quality of food and customer service from beginning to night of we have experienced in any venue in Toronto after 20 years of producing events.

Specific details I have learned through the grapevine is:
Renovated stage
Re-engineered air quality control in the large church venue
quality decore installations and upgrades in the smaller venue
New inhouse high quality staffing company and event management
New inhouse high quality florist who also does wonders to their garden spaces
New inhouse and complimentry furniture
Kitchen expansions
New Venues up and coming

Very impressive organization and if you actually do your research, they have recieved some of the fewest bad reviews in the industry compared to other venues of their type and level.

Hope this helps industry players and potential takers of that space. Want to keep Toronto as a great destination spot and this venue has sent our clients back to their countries saying Toronto is the place to be.

I also have heard that that they have over 300 events booked this year, more than any other event venue, even after separating the two onsite. So I guess the nay-sayers are not affecting the popularity of this star space.

Barbara Sent on 11/12/2009

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Very good customer service. Friendly ppl.

Alison Sent on 12/09/2008

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- We attended the wedding of our friends at the Berkeley Church back in 2007. That night, before the ceremony even started, we realized this was where we would be getting married. The day after we got engaged, we picked a date and put down the deposit. There was no other venue we were going to get married at so there was no point looking. THIS WAS THE FIRST THING WE DID. We didn't have a ring OR tell our parents we were getting married. We wanted this venue.

Leading up to the wedding:
- My day-to-day vendor coordinator was Liz and she was a dream. Organized, friendly, and very accomodating to my nit-picking ways :)
- We had an incident where I screwed up our tasting date. It was that night Berkeley showed how professional they are. (Read here).
- They allowed us to leave some stuff and set up the PA the night before the wedding. They also allowed us to come back the day after the wedding to pick up the rest of the stuff. All without an extra charge.

The Wedding Day:
- Andrew was our coordinator for the ceremony. It was great having him there telling me to just relax and enjoy. That and he was there to flag down our sound guy who didn't know to turn off the music (another post for another day).
- The day of the wedding there were both Liz and Alison (night coordinator) and Andrew, artistic director to make sure our party went smooth.
- Tables, chairs, candles, couches, staff, GRATUITIES, plus many other things I know I'm forgeting were included in the venue cost. We only needed to pay for linens, flatware/glassware and extra cruiser tables.
- Catering is in house. We opted for stationed dinner and had Italian, Sushi and Carving. Everyone we've talked to raved about how great the food was.
- Greatest part, was how the staff were amazing hosts to our guests. Whether it was food, cake or a beer, they always made sure our guests, hubby and I were well taken care of. And we were treated like royalty by everyone at Berkeley. "Alison, here's a beer ... but this one is half full ... you've been drinking it too long" .. hahaha
- Over all we are thrilled we went with our gut and went with Berkeley. My guests were in love with the venue and it's uber coolness and still talk about how awesome our wedding was. There is no way our wedding would have been right if it wasn't for Berkeley.

Don't waste your energy seeking out venues. Call Berkeley today and just do it. You'll be sooo glad you did.

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Alistair Sent on 06/07/2013

4.8 out of 5 rating

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We could not say enough good things about this venue. It's a beautiful space, the food was terrific, the staff were friendly and professional, and they helped us through every step of the planning process. Highly recommend!

Kayla Sent on 05/04/2011

4.8 out of 5 rating

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Beautiful Venue and great service! Do not look elsewhere if you are having a wedding in Toronto!

User1713110 Sent on 07/15/2014

4.7 out of 5 rating

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Our wedding at the Berkeley Church went flawlessly and we are so incredibly happy with the service we got from Kathy and the team there. Everyone raved about the food and they are like a well oiled machine. Highly recommended and great value for the service.

Kate Sent on 04/23/2014

4.7 out of 5 rating

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The Berkeley was an amazing venue for our wedding. The food is the best catered meal that I have ever had and they have some really neat and different options (our oyster bar was amazing and had everyone talking). It is a shabby/chique venue. If ballrooms are what you want, this probably isn't the place but when you dress this venue up it is absolutely stunning (the lighting is included with the venue and they use Susan Murry linens so upgrades to sequin or special linens are very inexpensive) ! The team is very easy to work with. You bring in your own booze - the bartenders provided were fantastic! They know what they are doing at Berkeley, it's a well oiled wedding machine. One downside: there are stairs - especially if you use the mezzanine for the ceremony - it worked for us, but if you have elderly guests it can be a challange.

Anna Sent on 06/23/2013

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I just had my wedding at the Berkeley Fieldhouse and literally have no complaints. The venue is so well-organized, our ceremony started right on time on a Friday evening - our guests loved the ambience, our venue coordinator was amazing and flexible, the staff were attentive and friendly and the food was amazing. I would 100% recommend this venue to anyone planning a wedding - it's such a neat unique space in the city - being able to celebrate both inside and out. We got rave reviews of the food from our guests and loved it ourselves. The staff were fantastic. Can't say enough good things about this place!! Thanks to everyone there who worked or helped at our wedding.

Jessica Sent on 08/26/2010

4.7 out of 5 rating

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We had our wedding at The Berkeley and it was absolutely wonderful! Our planner (Kathy) was amazing...very detailed-oriented and easy-to-get-along with! She was very attentive to our inquiries and helpful with organizing every last detail leading up to the day (i.e. decor, deliveries, etc.). She was also there on the day of the wedding to make sure that no one bugged me with minute details.

Our wedding day went off without a hitch. Many thanks to our host (Andrew) who made us feel well-taken care of and very comfortable at the venue....we are now a part of The Berkeley family! The best part is that they still continue to invite us to exclusive events (wine tastings, concerts, etc.)

The food was absolutely delicious! Great presentation! The chef was very accommodating to our guests. My grandfather has a severe gluten allergy. We asked if we could bring in a meal that he would be able to eat. Our planner was very accommodating and offered a delicious meal for him, no problem. This was a pleasant surprise, as that was not the case at my sister's wedding! They fed him a disgusting meal that resembled airplane food.

The venue was very straight-forward with the costs (right from the beginning) which I did not find with other venues that we researched. Other venues had add-on, after add-on, after add-on! One of the main reasons why we booked at The Berkeley is because of the customer service that we received right from the beginning, our sales person was prompt in responding to our many emails, inquiring about different dates, costs, menus, etc., etc. The venue does not charge gratuity, but the service was amazing so we choose to provide a gratuity anyways, because the service staff really deserved it! This venue is amazing; I would recommend it to anyone who is NOT into a stuffy, cookie-cutter banquet hall with chair covers. I would recommend this unique venue to a bride/ groom who is into great food, wine and atmosphere!

Donna Sent on 10/31/2016

4.6 out of 5 rating

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It's rare to find a space that can accommodate 150+ downtown with as much flexibility as they had. We had a big, loud hard partying group that wanted to dance all night to a big band, the Berkeley Church was able to pull that off in addition to an intimate, romantic ceremony and a classic cocktail hour. We wanted our guests to relax and not have to worry about running around to different venues and the Berkeley was a perfect choice. The food was phenomenal (even for a picky Italian crowd) and the space didn't need a lot of extra decoration. Stocking our own bar was also key for us and a rare find in downtown Toronto, our planner even rented beautiful coupe style champagne glasses for us it was such a nice touch.
Although our initial contact was slow and sporadic and our tasting was misbooked (when we drove all the way from Philadelphia) they bent over backwards to make things right and genuinely cared about delivering a quality day. I couldn't have asked for more and we would do it again in a heartbeat.
The pasta was incredible, the fish and beef were perfect and everyone can't stop talking about the roast beef appetizer.

Fiorella Sent on 10/09/2013

4.6 out of 5 rating

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Our coordinator Kathy was great. She was responsive to our emails and had tons of ideas and alleviated many concerns or fears. Our guests raved about the food and the unique location. Looking back, there is no better spot we could have selected for our wedding day.

The Bad:
- not enough h'ourduerves being passed evenly. My mother went up to one of the servers and said, "im the mother of the bride. but theres no appetizers coming this way." bear in mind her english is a bit shoddy. She said they told her they were all out. The impression i got from my mom was that the servers didnt properlly go to all areas of the mezzanine during cocktail hour - thus some guests recieving more hourdeurves than others.
-the bridal party had a tray of hourdeurves near th headtable...unfortunately it wasnt even enough for everyone to have 1 bite of each. It would have been nice to have had the exact # out so everyone could try the houdeurves.
-drinks being taken while still full....
- one of our guests had seran-like plastic in her meal and unfortunately had to wait 30 minutes until she could flag someone down to tell them. She didnt get her meal until an hour later.

The good:
- the barstaff is very professional. I tried to do a shot with the amazing bartender and was quickly told he wasnt allowed. I respect that.
- The food we had was amazing. We ordered the beef french rib which everyone just loved. and the cornish hen. also many compliments.
the trio of dessert - Many told us it was the best dessert at any wedding they had been.
-ability to recreate our signature cocktails all night
-vicibility of the captain and making sure that people who arrived late were given a meal quickly.
-security was on the ball all night. no wedding crashers!

Overall we wished we could give a perfect rating but based on guest feedback we needed to be fair. But definately - we as bride and groom had an amazing time and would do it all over again at the berkeley if we could.

Andrea Sent on 09/27/2011

4.6 out of 5 rating

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We got married in the Field House in September. It was the most amazing experience. At first our mothers were a bit leery of our venue selection due to it's unconventional atmosphere but we received so many compliments from our guests. Here are some key points:
Venue - It has a wonderful outdoor and indoor space. This worked out so well because people who wanted to get some air were not separated from the party they were able to stand outside, mingle and still watch people on the dance floor. It really kept things together - great flow.
Food/drinks - The food was amazing. They venue served flavoured water to our guests upon their arrival prior to the ceremony and they had our signature drinks out and ready the minute the ceremony was over. I was so pleased.
Service - The venue made a few renovations a month before our wedding. One of the renovations included a new deck which looked great except they dismantled the ceremony trellis in the process. I was very upset because I had DIY'ed the decorations specifically for this trellis. The venue went above and beyond to correct the situation. They built a new trellis to the exact specs of the old one within a few weeks. I was very pleased at their responsiveness and understanding.

Kathy was our coordinator. She was amazing. I can see why people say she doesn't respond to emails very quickly but she is very busy and in the weeks leading up to the wedding she was completely available (aka the most important time). She really understood our vision and gave great advice.

The only downside I would say are the bathrooms. Only one stall for the men and three for the women. I have a feeling this will be the venue's next renovation.

Gillian Sent on 07/29/2009

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We booked the Field House at the Berkeley Church for our ceremony and reception. We started off with Liz as our coordinator and then were swithced to Kristin. Kristin was absolutely amazing. I was stressed about decorations and how we were going to pull everything together and she totally stepped in and supported us with great ideas and a very calm demeanor. Everything was perfect and the staff were unbelieveably friendly. We were able to bring our own alcohol so we saved on that. The food was absolutely amazing and all of our guests were dancing straight through to 2a.m.

Charlee Sent on 09/01/2015

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Beautiful place and food was delicious! Made for great pics!!

User1667900 Sent on 06/18/2014

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Everything about the venue is incredible and gorgeous - the events coordinator (Kathy) was so easy to work with and accommodated every request we had, no matter how outrageous.

1871 Berkeley Church Reviews

Reviews

1871 Berkeley Church