The Ark
285 Chemin de Farrellton,
Denholm, QC
J0X 2C0, Canada
Your Budget Worksheet
The three largest costs for a wedding are typically the venue, the food, and the liquor.
Not only is The Ark a more reasonable priced option to the majority of Ottawa's "wedding factories", we're also more beautifu, tranquil and we allow you to do your wedding your way, with less pressure to "get in and get out" like an assembly line wedding service. You decide every aspect of your wedding and we don't dictate how you do anything. Our job is simply to help you make your vision a reality. Every event is unique and catered to your exact wishes. See the categories below for ways to save and have "Your Wedding Your Way."
A Comparison Between "The Ark"
and "Ottawa's #1 Venue"
The Ark
The Ark has been in business since 2007 and currently hosts over 7 weddings per year! The Ark is not a "wedding factory" and weddings here are not “big business”. Unlike the Strathmere who may host up to 6 weddings in a weekend, we will only host one. This means you do not have to share the grounds with anyone else, you can hold your ceremony any time you like, you can decorate any time the day BEFORE your wedding, and you can collect your things any time the day after.
Ottawa's "#1 Venue"
I used to have a direct price comparison between The Ark and "Ottawa's #1 Venue". I simply took the information directly from their website and shared it here. But last month I received an email from that venue's CEO (big businesses have CEOs, I don't think a wedding venue should...). The CEO threatened me with legal action if I didn't remove their name from my website. She didn't think it was fair for brides to be able to do a direct comparison between her venue and The Ark. But it's pretty easy for you to see for yourself how so many of Ottawa's venues price gouge their guests.
Liquor
We do not hold a liquor license. With no liquor license and no corkage fees, you’re free to bring your own home-made wine or beer. You can bring the 55-beer “octagons” from Costco or whatever duty free liquor you’ve saved up from your border crossings. Why should your guests have to pay $7.50 to enjoy a beer at your wedding?
You can use the image below to determine the number of drinks your guests will consume.
Or you can use the "What will they drink?" section and plug your guest list numbers into this super cool calculator that you can access by CLICKING HERE.
Catering
We don’t offer catering services. This means you are free to feed your guests any way you like. You can bring in your favourite caterer (we love Bytown). You could hire a food truck (we've had some killer midnight poutine parties). You could hire somebody to host a pig roast. You could use our grill and prepare your own meal. We've even had a couple of potlucks here. You could hold a weenie-roast over the bonfire if you liked and have S'mores for dessert.
The other "big business, CEO-run" venues don't give you anywhere near this amount of freedom. Your only option is to order from their menu and pay their prices. Take it or leave it.
What those big venue CEOs don't share publicly are their hidden fees. I have quotes from one of these venues. Here are some of the additional charges (with their amounts) from one of my competitors quotes
- Package Service Charge ($1,071)Food and Beverage Service Charge ($405)Security Fee ($150)"ReSound Dancing" ($26.63)
That's over $1650 you're paying for nothing. That money could provide an extremely well-stocked bar here at The Ark!
Oh, and the plated dinner prices at those high-dollar venues are about 30% more per plate than you'll pay for the same meal at Bytown.
Entertainment
You are able to hire a band, a DJ, or just bring your own laptop and Spotify list and plug it into our audio system. The Ark is a remote wilderness location far enough away from any neighbours that it's impossible to disturb anybody regardless of how loud you get.
Your Wedding, Your Way
You tell us what you want and we will make your dream day a reality. You get to use your ideas in creating your perfect wedding day...From an outdoor pig roast bonfire to a classic formal reception.