La Cité francophone — Attraction in Bonnie Doon

We would highly recommend having your wedding at the beautiful venue La Cite Francophone.

At first we were somewhat leary based on some of the reviews we had seen about La Cite Francophone as a wedding venue, however, we were totally blown away by how friendly, helpful, and how genuinely concerned the coordinators and caterers were with helping us have the best possible wedding. We ended up having a wedding which WAS EVEN BETTER THAN WE EXPECTED, and a big big part of that was because we had it at La Cite

We know our guests enjoyed the wedding based on the number of compliments on both the wedding and the food.

PRICE:

The price was on par with several community/cultural halls around the city. With La Cite, you have a beautiful venue set in a quiet neighborhood that opens up to a large glass wall with the sun streaming in during your evening reception.

The ability to have the ceremony in the rotunda or courtyard for only an extra $75 was a huge bonus for us, allowing us to keep the entire event from ceremony to photos in the beautiful courtyard to reception in one venue. Not having to run around the city (and have your guests run around too) allowed us to save money and made the choice to use La Cite easy.

AESTHETICS:

The courtyard is beautifully decorated with flowers and Cafe Bicyclettes outdoor patio. An excellent spot to have your outdoor ceremony and to take photos. As mentioned before the reception rooms open up to the high glass walls letting all the natural light in. If it rains, you can have your ceremony inside the brightly lit rotunda.

COORDINATION WITH STAFF AND CONTRACT DETAILS:

We made sure to keep in close communication with the coordinators and to ensure that we had all our deliverables to La Cite as early as possible. The staff were very flexible and worked with us.

Other reviewers seemed to have some issues with payment, booking and food etc. however reading those reviews more closely, I suspect that they were likely not communicating their needs to the venue. It also sounded like they hadn’t even paid the venue the week of their wedding, when it is quite clear that payment is due two weeks prior (10 business days to be exact).

The contract was very clear in what is included and what is not included and we made sure to get our guest numbers, and meal selections into them on time. We were even surprised at the flexibility the coordinators allowed us.

There were times when Ghislaine was difficult to get a hold of or away, however, Elyse - the events coordinator - stepped in and ensured that everything went smoothly.

FOOD / DINING EXPERIENCE:

The food was delicious and came out just a few minutes after the scheduled time. Everyone had ample time to get seconds and even thirds. Extra plates were handed out as soon as you needed. Dessert included with the meal is VERY generous. There was a large variety of cakes and squares.

The tasting gives you exactly what you will see at your buffet minus desserts, though I’m sure if you asked, they would provide it. In our case, I think they even gave us more varieties of salad than we expected as well as delicious grilled bread).

We noted that some guests waited a bit long (maybe 20-30 mins) for their specialty vegan or allergy meals. We pointed out the situation to the staff who were very apologetic. When the meals were received they were enjoyed by our guests and we were happy that the situation was resolved.

We booked in 2016 and the menu and prices changed slightly in 2017, they honored all of the 2016 prices, though we had to go with the 2017 menu. Not a big deal as the menu was delicious and still just as good value.

OVERALL: 10/10...

I would not recommend planning your wedding here. I provided the Executive Director a detailed list of issues and requested some answers and a refund on the food that was paid for and never received. I tried to just paste the email in, but it was too long. As I have not received a response in almost 2 months after the wedding, after multiple follow ups, they clearly do not care, so I will summarize my issues for you:

issues involved: Demanding payment in full or threatening to cancel your reservation a week before the wedding, and giving you a total of 3 hours to get the payment to them (We received the email at 2 pm on a Friday requiring payment before days end)

Double booking you, then not telling you until 3 days prior to the wedding... after the payment was verified. We booked over a year in advance and was at the site multiple times for various other mistakes through the week.

Promising you everything when you give the deposit, then slowly taking every promise away, including decorations, condiments at the bar such as salt, limes, etc.

Changing the menu completely 3 months prior to the wedding with a price increase by about $10/head and not offering any of the choices we have previously selected

advising they can accommodate allergies, and then refusing to, to the point they suggested some guests bring in their own food because they could not guarantee anything would be allergy free

refusing to take your calls or answer your emails until you show up at the door

Not knowing how to operate a buffet, it took forever for people to get their meal

Not giving anyone extra plates, so no one can go for seconds

taking away the plates before you could finish the first plate

immediately throwing all of the extra food, so when you ask for another plate to go for seconds, the food is already gone. Many people including myself left hungry. I think they threw away half of the buffet.

Not giving you all the dishes you asked and paid for

The staff ignoring you and walking away when you ask about the missing dishes

completely messing up half the menu, including forgetting to include meat on the gluten free options. It was a turkey meal, with no turkey... seriously.

When people saw the gluten free option, they decided to risk it and have the regular meal. The bride is gluten free, instead of allowing her to have seconds, they immediately through out the extra gluten free plates.

Not providing the same quality of food at the buffet that you received at the taste test. At the taste test the food was very extravagant, hand made, very good. The buffet, yes they were eggs, but very plain, not at all the same quality as the taste test. More what you would expect at an all you can eat breakfast buffet for $5.99 quality.

I honestly had more issues, this is a quick point form highlighting the major issues... I had to make my post shorter and remove stuff. These people do not know how to cater to any large group of people and are just making it up as they go along. The cook changes his mind on a moments notice, they tell you one thing and then change their mind, sometimes before you get home from the meeting.

If you have already booked here, I would recommend sending an email and including everyone, including supervisor and your spouse so the conversation is in writing and everyone has a copy. Print these emails when you go to the next meeting, because they will deny something they said in the meeting or receiving the email, so make sure it is written down...

We recently got married at La Cité Francophone and our experience was absolutely wonderful.

Tanya and Sevi helped coordinate our dream day perfectly. One of our desires was to get married in a theatre and they were so excited to help us realize this! The process was easy and smooth, and it was straightforward to book. They provided a clear timeline to us for when they needed information and decisions made. The theatre was booked for us and included a technician, so that we could give them a run of show to guide the ceremony. The following reception was held in their grand hall, and it was a fantastic venue for it. There was plenty of space for our guests (~80) and staff were so attentive to us. We felt we had plenty of time to both set up and take down our decorations, with options provided had we needed more time. Every question we had, they had an answer for. Every idea we had, they had a plan and a vision to realize it. I cannot stress how unstressed I was on the day of my wedding due to them.

Catering is included and through Café Bicyclette. The tasting was easy to arrange, and was a delightful experience. The food was INCREDIBLE, and Chef Joseph took the time to explain every dish, the main flavours, and the inspiration behind it. We had difficult decisions to make because everything was so good. We have gotten feedback from multiple guests that it was an incredible meal. The menu is gluten free and as someone who has celiac and gluten intolerant family members, it was really refreshing to be able to offer them a stress-free meal as well. They were so attentive to all dietary needs, and I am so grateful for that. We will be back to eat often at the Café!

Our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped realize our wedding day...