A Convenient Ceremony Spot, But...

J and I are very excited to have our reception at the Diamond Alumni Centre (hereafter referred to as the DAC). Not only is there a personal connection, but we know the food is delicious and the location has a great mix of woodsy and modern atmosphere. Since Burnaby Mountain is about 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver, it would be convenient for our guests if we had the ceremony and reception in one place.

The DAC has two meeting rooms on the lower level that can be combined to provide ceremony seating for 120. The altar and signing table are positioned at the east end of the room in front of a stone fireplace, and the wedding party begins the processional through the deck at the west end. Large windows line the entire north wall which lets in lots of natural light and makes the stunning forest a large part of your decor. The room is essentially a blank canvas with neutral walls and carpeting. There are white lights strung around the ceiling of the east wall, but otherwise you are free to dress this room up as much as you'd like. It seems like most couples who choose this spot to get married add an aisle runner and let the greenery outside speak for itself.

In this picture the ceremony space is divided into two rooms

As for ceremony music, if you're having a larger wedding there probably isn't room for a musician to play in the room so you would hook an iPod up to the in-house sound system and create your own playlist. Getting to this lower level involves a winding and narrow staircase, but there is an elevator so all of your guests can arrive comfortably. Once the ceremony is finished, you and your guests have access to a charming deck for chatting or some quick pictures and then it's upstairs for cocktail hour while the wedding party has photos taken around the university campus. 

In the end we decided not to have our ceremony at the DAC. Because the room is long and narrow, I was concerned that the only way guests have to reach their seats is by walking across or up the aisle. The configuration of the room also makes it difficult for a photographer to get good pictures of the ceremony without blocking other people's views. The deal-breaker for me was that the room felt so generic and we just weren't creative enough to figure out a simple way to fancy up the joint. I know this spot has worked for many couples, but I couldn't get over the fact that we would be exchanging vows next to an emergency exit sign.

For now, we have both levels booked and plan to use the lower level as additional space during the cocktail hour or a quiet spot for guests (or us!) to escape the dancing.   

So where will our ceremony be? Stay tuned...