Capitol Event Theatre

My husband and I had our wedding (both the ceremony and reception) at the Capitol Event Theatre this past January (2012). And we are extremely happy that we did. I am a corporate event planner for a living and as such I have very high expectations for venues. Thankfully, all of my expectations were met and some were actually surpassed.
They were able to work within our budget (being off-​season helped too), and the value was absolutely fantastic for such a beautiful venue in uptown Toronto. It was large enough to comfortably accommodate our party of 130 but still felt intimate. It was very convenient to have the ceremony and the reception in the same place. We kicked things off with the ceremony at 5pm followed by cocktail hour/​passed h’or deouvres (on the balcony level) and then a seated dinner and late night snacks around 11pm and open bar all night long.
I cannot rave enough about how good the service was. Caterina, our event coordinator made us feel at ease leading up to the big day and answered all our questions. Mark made sure that we stayed on track during the big day and cued the DJ and the person operating the lights. All the servers, including the head server Dalton were extremely on the ball. The bartenders Chris and Gary were a delight and their repertoire of shots/​shooters rivals most bars I’ve been to. They also named the signature cocktail after me which was very cute.
Oh, and the food — the most important thing! As a foodie, I normally wouldn’t order chicken in restaurants let alone for my wedding reception. But the chicken was out of this world. Super juicy in a balsamic reduction. The guests absolutely loved it. We also had the salmon. I thought it was done nicely but fish is a tricky thing because people tend to be pickier about how its cooked. The h’or deouvres were all solid but the lamb chop loliipops were absolutely AMAZING.
We had many out of town guests and booked a room block around the corner at the Best Western Roehampton Suites. It was clean, convenient and had much better rates than we could find anywhere downtown.
All that to say that we (and our guests) simply adored this venue. Sincere thanks to the gang there!
I would not hesitate to recommend The Capitol Event Theatre to anyone looking for an original venue, with lots of charm, fantastic service and delicious food.

I cannot even begin to express how pleased we were with the Capitol Event Theatre, where we held our May 2011 wedding. Everything about our wedding surpassed our expectations. Our guests were so impressed with the venue and loved the fun atmosphere. The huge bar and lounge area really set a fun tone and create a social setting unlike a standard wedding/​banquet hall. The grandeur of the main room (with hardwood floors and a huge chandelier and stage) is classy and traditional, but with a modern vibe. We also loved that we could use the original marquee outside to put our own names and customized posters.
We held both our ceremony and our reception at the Capitol, with a cocktail reception on the Mezzanine level in between.
The meal was delicious, and we received such great feedback on all the various menu options (we started with a broccoli soup with goat cheese ravioli in it, and for the entrée, guests had an choice of chicken or braised short ribs — the nice thing was, they got to order their choice AT the venue, rather than having to make up their mind in advance via the RSVP. For dessert, we had crème brulée, and my Maid of Honour tells me it was the best dessert she ever had). We have heard nothing but raving reviews, even from the celiac vegetarians, who must have been a challenge for the chef. The food was still of top quality — my braised short ribs fell off the bone and practically melted in my mouth — and the presentation was also impressive. The late night snacks we chose were comfort foods — mini grilled cheese, sliders, and regular and sweet potato fries. Everyone enjoyed the meal so much that we heard many people say that were too full to enjoy the late night snacks. A good problem to have!
But above all else, the service was the most notably impressive aspect of the day. The staff at the Capitol were so incredibly accommodating to any and every request we made. Upon our arrival, my Mom asked how difficult it would be for me to get a cup of tea to calm my nerves before the ceremony began. We were worried that we would be putting the staff out during a very busy time — but the staff were so eager to help, and delivered a hot cup of tea to the «Green Room» (bridal suite) faster than we could have imagined. They also ensured that the Green Room was well stocked with water, wine, and anything else the bridal party might have wanted. They servers kept asking us if there was *anything* we wanted. We truly felt like VIPs, all night long.
During the dinner, the staff kept the napkins folded on the tables. And one thing that really impressed our guests — at each table, the plates were all laid by the servers at the exact same time. It felt like such a classy affair!
The bar staff (who even concocted a yellow drink to match with our wedding colours) and serving staff were amazing — so personable, so accommodating, and of great spirits all night long. All this while maintaining top-​notch professionalism and class. Our guests truly felt welcomed, and I believe that the friendliness of the staff significantly contributed to that.
Leading up to the event, Carmelinda and Katelyn (a student I believe, who has since moved on) were both very pleasant to deal with, and quite organized. They really ensured that all our special requests were made. My only issue, which really had no impact on my day — was with the in-​house A/​V guys (Evolved Entertainment), who were slow to respond to emails and not overly helpful. We brought in our own DJ, but had to still pay $ 750 to use the Capitol’s audio system.
We cannot stop talking about what a perfect day it was. We recognize what a unique and customized event it was, and don’t believe that we could have achieved that same feeling at any other venue. We have not one single regret about our day. We will be very quick to recommend the Capitol to anyone looking to throw a big event.

so i got married here. hows that for an opening and a vouching for. for a modernized old theatre its a real grand place. theyve got a great balcony with a few different levels with comfy chairs and tables and a bar. this overlooks the main floor where the wedding took place. the ceilings are incredibly high so you feel like you are in a ballroom of sorts. there is a stage for speeches, a band or a dj (who sounded pretty good from what i remember… which thanks to my alcohol consumption was not very much… except that it was all awesome.) when you walk in you are greeted by an enormous oval bar that can be adorned with your flower arrangements, and based on your choice can be stocked with a myriad of different beers and cocktails. we fit about 220 people there which was 10 people at 22 tables that were all square in shape — nice change from the predictable banquet hall setup.
when you are the bride and groom, you get your own green room where you can make yourself up, get down and dirty and take some behind the scenes pics.
what is the best about this place is who caters the food. its flow restaurant and only flow. if you were to ask anyone who attended our wedding what the best part was, it would not be our speeches, the witnessing of our joyous union or me on the dancefloor. it would, of course, be the food. nothing short of heavenly.
so i suppose this is kind of a combo review because youll have to go to flow restaurant to taste that goodness or get married here. Either option is not cheap. in fact it is certifiably expensive. but you do get some good memories… unless your the drunken groom… then you barely have any memories.