We hosted our wedding here in July 2012, and we are so glad we did. I'm going to break my review into four pieces: venue, catering, service, and value.
First - venue. It is gorgeous. It is tasteful. The entire north wall of the building is all window, overlooking forests and the Burrard Inlet. There are two patios; this makes for an absolutely smashing view. There are exposed beams, art on the walls. Fireplace (we didn't use it, because it was summer). Venue offers optional white twinkle lights & white rice paper lanterns, free of charge, of which we enthusiastically availed ourselves. Those decor elements, along with the minimal elements we had brought in createdg a really classy atmosphere. The only teeny tiny concern one might have is that is did become quite warm inside - July 7 was the hottest day of the year to date, and it did get a little close by the early evening. All the patio doors have screens, though, so there was a bit of a cross breeze going through, which improved matters.
Second - catering. The DAC is a one-stop-shop, really. They have in-house catering, and you can't bring in any other caterer, which worried us at first because it seemed like we had out hands tied and were going in blind, since they don't offer tastings. Our strategy was to attend the mothers' day brunch that the DAC hosts annually. This totally allayed any of our apprehensions - the brunch was really, really, excellent. But wow, our wedding buffet really blew the brunch out of the water. It was, without a doubt, the best wedding food I've had - and I have been to a LOT of weddings over the last 2-3 years. We opted for the $45/head Gaglardi Buffet, which featured:
nine (!) delicious salads (totally enough to make a whole meal for any vegetarian)
five (!!) fantastic platters (three of which we re-designated for our cocktail hour)
two entree selections (we took the pesto grilled chicken breast, just to be "safe" - and it was one of the most delicious things I've ever had, as well as the lamb shanks braised with caramelized onions and forest mushrooms - truly decadent)
a carving station with AAA roast of beef
dessert array
tea and coffee (Seattle's Best)
plus, my husband insisted on the West Coast Seafood Cascade, at an additional cost of $450, and I and everyone we know shall be eternally grateful he did. The quality was absolutely prime - and it, along with everything else, was categorically demolished by our hungry, hungry guests. We also added on an antipasto platter for 40 ($275) as a midnight snack, similarly sucked up with wild abandon. The food was good. The food was really good. THE FOOD WAS REALLY, REALLY GOOD. Am I being emphatic enough?
Third - service. This part was also freaking fantastic. Vivian was ceaselessly available by email, phone, and personal appointment. She took care of our floor plan, delivered cheques to vendors, received deliveries, made wise recommendations, and was generally just a pleasant person to deal with. She is also really funny. At our request, she brought in special craft beers - if you do this, you're going to have to pay bar price ($5.95/drink) for EVERYTHING they bring in that isn't in their regular rotation, and then take home the leftovers. We overestimated demand and we have about 20 6-packs of Parallel 49 Gypsy Tears Ruby Ale in our garage. Oh well. I guess we're just going to have to drink it. The Seedspitter Watermelon Wit Ale disappeared like that (*snaps fingers*). The service staff were great - they blended into the background, but kept plates & bottles cleared.
Fourth - value. All weddings are expensive, and the DAC is by no means cheap (and neither does it give the impression of being cheap). As SFU alumni, we were entitled to the alumni rate for site rental - for the main floor only, this fee is $360, which is significantly less than the non-alumni rate. You can add the lower floor (which we did, to provide a space for our folk dancers to change costumes and a quiet area for parents and their young children) for $220. The site rental rates, in my opinion, are dirt cheap, since every other place we looked at was at least $1000. The buffet was our largest expense (there are three options at $40, $45, and $52 respectively) and the bar second. Bar prices, in my opinion, are the most inflated: bottles of wine are priced at $30-40 each, bar drinks (beer, wine, highballs) are $4.95 and up. It was the bar pricing that I found to be the most irksome expense, for sure. Also, prepare to pay a 15% service charge on top of everything - this is to provide a gratuity for the servers, which I don't really mind. All in all, for venue, food, and drinks, the damage was not too great - we came in at just less than $125/head, including HST, which is really quite good.
If you are having a wedding, consider the DAC. You won't be disappointed! read more
