Atlantis Pavilions (Toronto, February 2012)

February 2012

Toronto

Atlantis Pavilions

Our venue search began with Atlantis. We loved their extremely tall floor-to-ceiling windows that surrounded the room and would give our guests amazing views of the Toronto skyline. An extra bonus would be that they offer rooftop ceremonies. With both our families in tow, we trekked over to Atlantis. We parked in the huge parking lot near Atlantis, and got to the venue by crossing a long industrial-looking tunnel over the lake. Once inside, it all looked nice. 

I believe that Atlantis has 3 rooms that vary in size. We needed the bigger room, as out guest list was around 200-something guests. We checked out the medium-sized room first, which was nice, but clearly too small for us. Then we were taken upstairs to the big room. It definitely had that "wow" factor. The windows provided a great view, and we really enjoyed going to the "balcony" level, where you could either set up a lounge (it had a bar), set up extra tables (if you have more people than you can fit downstairs, or do whatever else strikes your fancy.

We were extremely excited about the venue and really enjoyed talking with the staff. They seemed to have some really good menu and bar options, and they were more than willing to work with us to customize our menu in whichever way we wanted. They even offered us free tickets to another bridal show, and pulled out a bunch of extras to cover the whole family (and we were 7 people!). 

But of course, there was a downside. The dance floor is in a corner (image a quarter of a circle), on which the head table is also placed. With such a large amount of guests (that all know how to party like rock stars, which is why we love them), this just wouldn't do. We thought about all the possibilities: moving the head table when the dancing gets going, putting the table in another area (but then half the guests wouldn't see us), and a bunch of other suggestions the staff tried to provide us with. Unfortunately, we left with our hearts heavy as we had to balance what was more important: the amazing windows or having a large dance floor.

I think we knew the answer, but tearing ourselves away from such an amazing venue was still difficult. The walk back across the tunnel over the lake was sad, because we knew that if we were ever back, it would be for something else, not our wedding.We kept brainstorming at home, trying to squeeze some miracle cure from our creativity, but no luck. Eventually we had to concede Atlantis was just not the venue for the type of party that we're having, and keep on hunting. Something should pop up, right?

Tip: It's easy for venues, and other things, to creep into your heart even if it doesn't fit your needs (or perhaps your budget). Make sure that you and your fiance know your priorities and non-negotiables to avoid being pulled into an emotional trap and making a rash decision. Take a few moments, think about it, evaluate it objectively. You don't want to jump into something you'll later regret. 

VERDICT: 5 stars

*****,

ABI