Historic Wedding Venues in Toronto

Toronto is pretty much every wedding planners dream. At every street corner there seems to be a stunning and unique venue. Many of my favourite venues in the city have the bonus of being historic with extensive and interesting stories. Here are some of the best of the best the city has to offer when it comes to historic wedding venues in Toronto.

1. Miller Lash House

Miller Lash House is an idyllic venue set in a wooded valley on the U of T Scarborough campus. The house is said to have been finished completion in 1913 after being bought by a wealthy Toronto businessman named Miller Lash. The house itself can host intimate weddings along with a seasonal tent location onsite. image via Miller Lash House

2. St Lawrence Hall

After a fire destroyed much of the original building in 1849, St Lawrence Hall, located north of the St Lawrence Market, was built in 1850. This historic wedding venue in Toronto was one of the city’s first large meeting halls. Today the Renaissance style building attracts engaged couples looking for a venue with character, history, and classic beauty.

image via St Lawrence Hall

3. Berkeley Church

Restored in 1999 into an event space, The Berkeley Church is now one of Toronto’s most popular wedding venues. Built in 1871, the church today maintains much of it’s history including original hardwood floors and stunning 17 foot stained glass windows.

image via 1871 Berkeley Church 

4. Fermenting Cellars

The Distillery District is known for it’s history, including the Fermenting Cellars which was originally opened in 1861 and reconstructed after the great fire of 1869. The building’s exterior looks much like it would have in 1861, and although the interior has gone through many changes over the past 154 years, the interior still boasts original beams and limestone walls. The industrial chic vibe of the Fermenting Cellars draws many engaged couples searching for a unique venue.

image via Distillery Events

5. Royal Canadian Yacht Club

The RCYC was founded in 1852, and after the island clubhouse was destroyed by not one but two fire, in 1919 the Southern-style clubhouse was built. Today the two-story regal clubhouse remains on picturesque Toronto Island. Ceremonies can take place on the beautifully manicured lawn overlooking the Toronto skyline and dinners inside the historic and nautically themed clubhouse.

image by Mango Studios via Toronto Life

6. Graydon Hall Manor

Built in 1936, the 29 room Georgian manor known as Graydon Hall Manor, is presently one of Toronto’s most sought after wedding venues. In 2000 the beautiful manor was re-designed into an elegant wedding space boasting spectacular gardens for a ceremony and a lovely dining room for a reception.

image via Life Images

7. The Burroughes

This lovely loft wedding venue was once the flagship department store for the F.C. Burroughes Furniture company. Constructed in 1906, the building was renovated to preserve it’s original character such as the exposed brick walls and beams.

image via The Burroghes

8. One King West

Located in Toronto’s financial district, One King West was originally built as a bank in 1914. The venue today, which is also a condo and hotel, hosts wedding in the Grand Banking Hall which includes stately Corinthian columns and floor to ceiling windows.

image via One King West

9. Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

Not only is the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse a charming wedding location, but it is also the oldest school still standing in Toronto and a significant heritage site. In 1849 the schoolhouse opened with space for 240 pupils. In 2008, the schoolhouse reopened after extensive interior and exterior renovations but still maintaining its Victorian beauty.

image by Brandon Scott Photography via Tiffany Pratt

10. Brick Works

Nestled in one of Toronto’s lush and green ravine’s, Evergreen Brick Works is truly one of the city’s most unique, historic, and versatile wedding venues. In 1882 William Taylor discovered that the land onsite was ideal for making bricks and 7 years later the Don Valley Brick Works opened. The Holcim Gallery and Koerner Gardens is perhaps the most notable and dramatic space onsite for a wedding featuring the original brick-firing kilns.

image via Evergreen 

11. Artscape Wychwood Barn

Known for being a hub for culture and arts in Toronto, Artscape Wychwood Barns was built in 1913 as a streetcar maintenance facility. The covered street barn, an ideal space on site to host weddings, boasts soaring ceilings and historic architecture.

image via Toronto Artscape

By Certified Wedding Planner Alexandra McNamara