Banquet Hall vs. Hotel Wedding Venue: Which One Should You Choose?

Finding the ideal venue for your wedding is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Naturally, you want to create a memorable experience and enjoy a wedding that goes off without a hitch.

As a result, your wedding venue must cater to couples with a staff who understands how to reduce stress with flawless planning and execution. In this article, we will compare banquet halls in Vaughan to hotel wedding venues to help you decide which one is best for you.

Banquet Halls in Vaughan: The Pros and Cons

Banquet halls in Vaughan are specifically designed to host large events and special occasions. Some have a single space, while others have several rooms of varying sizes and designs. Thus, they tend to feel more exclusive, with a specific ambience and elegance suited to wedding clientele.

Here are the pros and cons to help you decide if they will meet your needs:

The Pros of Banquet Halls

• Less competition from other events and guests: Banquet halls have a single purpose: to provide a space for special events. Because of this, you are dealing with staff focused on a few clients, as opposed to a hotel with several booked events and individual hotel guests.
• Function: Again, as a venue specifically designed for events, the function of the space tends to be more suited to weddings. Guests don’t have to make their way through a bustling hotel lobby to try and find the reception or struggle to find parking in a congested area. They simply arrive, park, and enter the venue stress-free.
• Privacy: Banquet halls often have separate entrances for each event, providing privacy for your wedding. Guests don’t have to mingle with hotel guests. Instead, they have a private entrance where they are greeted by attentive staff and faces they recognize, immediately putting them at ease. It’s nicer for you as a couple as well, as it creates a sense of exclusivity.
• Dressing room: At a hotel, you might have a room where you can get dressed and relax between your ceremony and reception, but it’s miles away from your reception area. With a banquet hall, you have a private dressing room right off the main event area. As a result, you can relax as a newly married couple, interact with your wedding party if you like, and then simply walk a few steps to make your grand entry—no elevator rides with strangers!
• One-stop shop: As an event space, banquet halls offer a one-stop shop for all your wedding needs. You can reduce stress and costs by working with a venue coordinator ready to help with all aspects of your wedding, from flowers to catering and linen choices to decor.
• Specialty catering: Hotel food lacks customization that speaks to who you are as a couple and may not reflect your family traditions. At a banquet hall in Vaughan, you work one one-on-one with a chef who prepares a customized menu for a truly elevated dining experience. Whether you want a five-course sit-down meal, like the idea of servers offering appetizers as people arrive, or want to set up buffet-style food stations with different themes, you can create a menu with your own unique twist.
• Photo ops: A high-end banquet hall offers photo ops onsite, including lovely patios, fireplaces, and grand stairways. Photos are taken in the privacy of the venue without strangers passing by and gawking at the newlyweds!

The Cons of Banquet Halls

• Accommodation: Although there are likely nearby hotels, if you’re entertaining a lot of out-of-town guests, banquet halls don’t have accommodations in the same building.

Hotels: The Pros and Cons

Hotels are a traditional wedding venue that many couples choose for destination weddings, as well as weddings with many guests travelling from out of town. Here are the pros and cons to consider for a hotel wedding venue:

The Pros of Hotel Wedding Venues

• Onsite accommodation: The main benefit of a hotel is that accommodations are available onsite. This convenience is undeniable for destination weddings or (as mentioned) when you have many out-of-town guests. It is also great for local weddings if guests want to “sleep it off” or attend a wedding party brunch the next day.
• Flexible halls: Most hotels have flexible event rooms that can be physically adjusted to accommodate the number of guests you invite.
• Catering: Hotels offer onsite catering, making it easy to manage your drink and dinner menu.
• Amenities: Some hotels offer amenities for guests, such as a salon to have their hair and makeup done, a spa to relax before the wedding, or a bar to have drinks while waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. This takes the pressure off of you to keep people entertained while also reducing your bar bill as people imbibe at their own expense until the reception begins.
• Wedding packages: Most hotels sell wedding packages with a set price structure and choices you can select from a standard menu. Some couples prefer this over having customized options.

The Cons of Hotel Wedding Venues

• Expensive: Most hotels have set prices for weddings, including a price per plate for meals. This can add up and make it harder to meet your budget needs. They are also notorious for tacking on additional fees for silly things like cutting and serving your wedding cake.
• Lacks ambiance: A hotel reception lacks ambiance. Although you can likely bring in some decorative items, many hotels limit your decor to flowers and maybe lighting.
• Restrictions: Hotels tend to have more restrictions for weddings, as they need to consider their overnight guests. This might include the bar closing at a set time, the music being turned off by 11 p.m., or limitations on what amenities you and your guests can enjoy.
• Multiple events and more traffic: Hotels are not known for their exclusivity as they often host several weddings/events on the same day. Everyone, including hotel guests, will use the same entrances, elevators, and parking. This creates congestion, noise, and a general feeling of disorganization that detracts from the guests’ enjoyment.
• Service: Although hotels pride themselves on creating unique guest experiences, it is easy to get caught in the shuffle with other events, visitors, and weddings. This can lead to frustration for you and your guests.
• Poor quality food: Due to set menus, mass production, and a lack of chef oversight, most hotels serve food that is sub-par.

Contact the Banquet Hall Experts

Before deciding on the best wedding venue for you, narrowing down your preferred venue helps make it a less daunting task. With careful planning, you can find the right venue and create the dream wedding you deserve.

For more information about the best banquet halls in Vaughan, call us at 1-888-529-8573 to set up a tour and meeting with the accommodating staff at Château Le Jardin. You can also contact us here.