Eco Reception Venue on a Budget

Trying to keep an eco-wedding on a tight budget as we are can prove to be a real challenge. It is easier to meet green needs when you have more green to spend. For simplicity sake, we wanted a venue that not only offered a beautiful natural outdoor setting for an outdoor ceremony, but also within walking distance of our reception hall. This meant fewer maps needed to be printed for guests and less gas needed to be consumed to get from one place to the other.

We lucked out on a recommendation of a previous co-worker who also happened to be a chef. She highly recommended a cultural club in Breslau, near Kitchener, called the Slovenian Club or Sava Club for short http://www.savaclub.ca/index.html. There simple but nice hall, highly recommended food and kitchen staff and flexibility when it came to bar and menu selection made them a perfect choice. It was not until 6 months or so before the big day that I approached the wedding coordinator Theresa about serving an organic meal and they agreed to work with us on it. We had recently found a fantastic farm store, Well Fed Food http://www.wellfedfood.com/ that we were buying all our meat from. We asked if our wedding meal of beef and chicken could be sourced from here or another organic producer as we were sure our guests would notice the difference as we did (the chicken is the best we have ever tasted!)

Because we are able to bring in our bar (the Sava Club will be supplying the bartenders) the sky is the limit on what we can bring in for wine, beer and liquors. We have chosen to use Peele Island Wines http://www.peleeisland.com/, who uses integrated pest management and promotes eco-business practices. They are excellent, affordable local Ontario wines. The beers are a selection of locally produced beers, many of them also organic. For those who can't get away from the big brands, we are offering Bud Light. Steam Whistle Pilsner will also be on hand and they practice green business like using green bottles (which can be used twice as much as brown bottles), using brownspace for their brewery, hybrid vehicles and biodegradable cups for tastings. Cameron's Cream Ale and Auburn Ale are a few other brews we will have available, Cameron's was recently nomiated for the best green business in Oakville and participates in 100 Mile Diet themed events in southern Ontario. Nickel Brook Organic Lager and possibly Organic White will also be available for guests, using organic ingredients and no preservatives. We may also offer Muskoka Lakes Cottage Breweries Heffe Weissbier, another quality organic brew. Last, but not least a favourite of the groom and the best man is a rich stout made by Hockley Valley, a great local micro-brewery.

The biggest challenge in our eco-bar was finding organic spirits, being that we live in Ontario. The LCBO has very few and expensive options available, however a much wider selection is available just south of the border. We were able to source Juniper Organic Gin here, but we had to travel to Buffalo to pick up Rain Organics Vodka and Papagayo Organic White and Spiced Rums. Organic whisky is not yet readily available here, so instead of importing a European options, we kept it in Canada and purchased the only whisky made by a completely Canadian owned company and made in Ontario, Pure Gold. Where possible, we are sourcing organic and natural juices to round out the ecobar.

We are having the traditional wedding photos following the ceremony, so we were fortunate in that our hall had a nice large lot attached including Bocce Ball and Horseshoe courts to keep our guests entertained while we snuck off for wedding photos. We are also including a few other games to keep guests entertained, like mini-putt and badminton. Our wedding guests can also enjoy the park where the ceremony will take place or follow us a very short drive down the road where some stunning trails along the Grand River are located.