Reviews for Strathmere

Strathmere

Ottawa, Ontario

4.8 out of 5 rating, 118 reviews

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4.8 out of 5 rating

4.8

Excellent

118 reviews

Recommended by 97% of couples

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Quality of service
4.9 out of 5 rating
Response time
4.8 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4.9 out of 5 rating
Value
4.8 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4.8 out of 5 rating

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Kristine Sent on 27/02/2023

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We loved everything about our experience!

From our first tour, taste testing our menu, planing our final details with our coordinator and the amazing & kind staff throughout our big day the experience created at Strathmere really help us to feel special and celebrated!
We loved the country feel with a large and open space created at the Lodge, which allowed us to have a 180 person wedding with all our family and friends!

From our first tour, taste testing our menu, planing our final details with our coordinator and the amazing & kind staff throughout our big day the experience created at Strathmere really help us to feel special and celebrated!
We loved the country feel with a large and open space created at the Lodge, which allowed us to have a 180 person wedding with all our family and friends!

Strathmere's reply:

Hi Kristine,

Thank you so much for the kind words. We were thrilled to be part of your special day and help make it uniquely you (most notably the oyster bar!) We wish you and your husband all the best and hope that you come back soon to visit, we'd love to host you at the Retreat & Spa at Strathmere!
Taina Sent on 11/04/2025

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Ceremony and reception

My husband and I fell in love with the Garden house at Strathmere. It was the perfect place for us to get married and celebrate with family and friends. The food was delicious 😋 we loved the chicken dish. It was nice that we got to have 4 guest rooms for the night for people traveling from out of town. Thank you Jenna for coordinating our wedding.

My husband and I fell in love with the Garden house at Strathmere. It was the perfect place for us to get married and celebrate with family and friends. The food was delicious 😋 we loved the chicken dish. It was nice that we got to have 4 guest rooms for the night for people traveling from out of town. Thank you Jenna for coordinating our wedding.
Camryn Sent on 24/09/2024

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Perfect Day

My wedding was stunning in their facility and I had no stress. Linda was on top of everything and planned the night perfectly, any bumps in the day she handled well and executed perfectly. every guest was impressed with the event and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

My wedding was stunning in their facility and I had no stress. Linda was on top of everything and planned the night perfectly, any bumps in the day she handled well and executed perfectly. every guest was impressed with the event and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Cass Sent on 29/06/2024

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Elegant and timeless!

I can't say enough good things about our wedding at Strathmere, but I'll try to do them justice in this review!

The location
The lands and the heritage buildings offer a very quaint, romantic and timeless elegance fit for any wedding. When you have a setting as stunning as this, you've automatically elevated the overall feeling and frame for your special day. The grounds are well kept, there are lush fields, beautiful gardens, majestic trees and each building has so much personality. Absolutely wonderful!

The venue (The Farmhouse)

We picked the Farmhouse venue. This is the smallest option at Strathmere, which was perfect for our intimate 42 guest wedding. I personally felt it was also the...

I can't say enough good things about our wedding at Strathmere, but I'll try to do them justice in this review!

The location
The lands and the heritage buildings offer a very quaint, romantic and timeless elegance fit for any wedding. When you have a setting as stunning as this, you've automatically elevated the overall feeling and frame for your special day. The grounds are well kept, there are lush fields, beautiful gardens, majestic trees and each building has so much personality. Absolutely wonderful!

The venue (The Farmhouse)

We picked the Farmhouse venue. This is the smallest option at Strathmere, which was perfect for our intimate 42 guest wedding. I personally felt it was also the most romantic and vintage looking building, which really matched the classic and elegant wedding theme we were going for.

The farmhouse has personality, my guests are still raving about all the different areas they could choose to spend time in, from the bar area, to the salons, lounges, outdoor veranda, dining hall, or even outside by a cheery crackling fire with overhead fairy lights. This allowed all of my guests to gather, get to know each other, share beautiful moments, in a very comfortable and elegant setting.

The Rooms (Schoolhouse and Farmhouse)

Every room was perfectly kept, everything was clean and well stocked. We wanted for nothing. Beds and pillows were comfy. Considering we had a June wedding in a heritage building I need to absolutely praise the AC systems that have been put in place! I'm delighted to say I was cold at night and did actually need to curl up right under the blankets, which is preferred on a hot summer night.

I decided to book the Schoolhouse for my bridal party, what a lovely little venue! Very cheery space, and allowed myself and my bridesmaids to get ready on site the morning of the wedding. I don't recommend using this space to get ready if you're more than 7-8 people getting hair and makeup done at this site. This was the size of my group, and it worked well, but if you're a very large group it may be too snug. Just food for thought in your decision making process!

The Food

Absolutely decadent, hearty, healthy Delicious!!! From the hors d'oeuvres, to the actual diner and late night snack bar everything was very fresh, extremely tasty and made with quality ingredients. I already tried to replicate my wedding meal at home, because the menu really was that inspiring! My guests all raved about the quality and freshness of their meals, everyone was very well fed. Great drink selection too, and reasonable pricing in my opinion considering the industry standards.

The Day of Coordinator
Meghan is legendary. It's beyond me how she manages to get everything running so smoothly, but everything went off without a hitch. I never saw her standing still, she worked so very hard on my wedding day. She is an extremely detail oriented, caring, talented and compassionate person. I'm very thankful to have been paired with her, and am very touched that she poured so much effort and energy into my wedding even though she must be doing tons of these every single week. She made me feel very supported and secure on a day that it mattered the most.

Admin
Timely responses all around, very well informed and caring staff every time I contacted them by email or phone.

A very special thank you for having accomodated my request to reschedule my wedding day due to a loss in my immediate family. You have no idea how much it meant to me to have had your support in this. Every thoughtful and compassionate act matters when someone is grieving and I will never forget the kindness Strathmere has shown me.

Thank you to all the service staff as well, who were all extremely agreeable and sweet.

Tldr, just book them they really knock it out of the park!!!

Credits:
Photography by Sophie Fortier
Hair and Makeup by Shannon Doyle
Stephanie Sent on 13/06/2023

4.8 out of 5 rating
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Fabulous venue and service!

We were married at Strathmere in early September when all the flowers and the grounds of Strathmere were in full bloom! It was very beautiful and looked fabulous on camera!

The staff were excellent and our wedding coordinator, Linda, went above and beyond for us! The food was even better than I could have anticipated. While I can only speak for the staff we dealt with, everyone was kind and professional. The most impressive part for us, was we had requested Sangria for our cocktail drink and as a bride you are so busy taking pictures, you don’t get to enjoy this time. Well Strathmere made sure to keep some sangria for myself and bridesmaids!

...

We were married at Strathmere in early September when all the flowers and the grounds of Strathmere were in full bloom! It was very beautiful and looked fabulous on camera!

The staff were excellent and our wedding coordinator, Linda, went above and beyond for us! The food was even better than I could have anticipated. While I can only speak for the staff we dealt with, everyone was kind and professional. The most impressive part for us, was we had requested Sangria for our cocktail drink and as a bride you are so busy taking pictures, you don’t get to enjoy this time. Well Strathmere made sure to keep some sangria for myself and bridesmaids!

While the cost is on the more expensive side, it’s well worth it. Don’t think twice on Strathmere!
Kaitlin Sent on 16/02/2023

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Hands down the BEST

My husband and I had our Fall reception of 150 people at the Garden House following our ceremony downtown. Everything went so smoothly and our coordinator was very communicative and kept things running smoothly throughout the night. We had a live brand which was key, and they were able to setup without me even noticing. We had an outdoor dance floor with cocktail tables set up outside along with vintage lights and a fire out back. Above all our guests couldn't get over the food! We opted for a buffet and it was better than some of the best restaurants in Ottawa. I recently went back to the Retreat & Spa just so I could eat there again. There is no other place like it, I would HIGHLY recommend.

My husband and I had our Fall reception of 150 people at the Garden House following our ceremony downtown. Everything went so smoothly and our coordinator was very communicative and kept things running smoothly throughout the night. We had a live brand which was key, and they were able to setup without me even noticing. We had an outdoor dance floor with cocktail tables set up outside along with vintage lights and a fire out back. Above all our guests couldn't get over the food! We opted for a buffet and it was better than some of the best restaurants in Ottawa. I recently went back to the Retreat & Spa just so I could eat there again. There is no other place like it, I would HIGHLY recommend.
Emily Sent on 23/09/2022

4.6 out of 5 rating
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Very good service, experience and quality of fod

Everyone loved the food and said it was amazing, the rooms upstairs are great for everyone getting ready and staff was amazingly on time and had everyone work together.
The only thing is they forgot about the buquet toss so I never got to do that.

Everyone loved the food and said it was amazing, the rooms upstairs are great for everyone getting ready and staff was amazingly on time and had everyone work together.
The only thing is they forgot about the buquet toss so I never got to do that.
Fiona Sent on 29/10/2021

4.6 out of 5 rating
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Perfect in every way

Strathmere is breathtaking and we knew once we set our eyes on The Lodge that it was perfect. Beautiful countryside, walking trails and the leaves changing in fall - it was a winner from the start. We have received so many compliments with regards to the venue and the food that we have lost track. Our guests were blown away. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is far from easy. It was a definite roller coaster ride but Strathmere was there every single step of the way - keeping us informed, answering all our questions and easing our nerves. We met with our wedding co-ordinator and then there was a last minute change and poof - Mel appeared. Mel...

Strathmere is breathtaking and we knew once we set our eyes on The Lodge that it was perfect. Beautiful countryside, walking trails and the leaves changing in fall - it was a winner from the start. We have received so many compliments with regards to the venue and the food that we have lost track. Our guests were blown away. Planning a wedding during a pandemic is far from easy. It was a definite roller coaster ride but Strathmere was there every single step of the way - keeping us informed, answering all our questions and easing our nerves. We met with our wedding co-ordinator and then there was a last minute change and poof - Mel appeared. Mel is the most kind, warm and helpful person you'll ever meet who made our wedding day flawless. She answered all our questions with no delay, checked, double checked and triple checked everything so nothing was missed. She was even there the night before helping us set up until close to midnight as well as midnight the day of. There are no words to describe how amazing she is. We would definitely recommend Strathmere and if you get Mel then you are in for a special treat as you should consider yourselves very lucky...as you have the best of the best.
Amanda Sent on 18/08/2021

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Our wedding coordinator made it all worth it

Strathmere is an absolutely beautiful wedding venue. So much so that you don't even need to decorate much as it shines on its own. The food is out of this world, and so fresh as they grow so much of the food themselves.

We booked our wedding in early 2019 for August 2020. Although it was very pricey, it seemed to be worth it and they even wanted to work with us to create a custom vegan menu. After Covid hit, things were quite frustrating. At first, they didn't want to postpone our wedding, even though we knew by the end of March that a wedding would not be happening in 2020. Finally they agreed to postpone...

Strathmere is an absolutely beautiful wedding venue. So much so that you don't even need to decorate much as it shines on its own. The food is out of this world, and so fresh as they grow so much of the food themselves.

We booked our wedding in early 2019 for August 2020. Although it was very pricey, it seemed to be worth it and they even wanted to work with us to create a custom vegan menu. After Covid hit, things were quite frustrating. At first, they didn't want to postpone our wedding, even though we knew by the end of March that a wedding would not be happening in 2020. Finally they agreed to postpone our wedding a year. Which was perfect for us. In spring of 2021, when covid was still bad, we asked if we could reduce our guest list because we didn't feel a 100 person wedding was responsible. They continued to push for us to have 100 people until the very last minute when I had to be firm and tell them we need to send out invitations and we are not inviting people at the last minute. Reluctantly, they agreed. Out of all of vendors, strathmere was the least flexible and helpful when it came to planning a wedding during a global pandemic.

Then, we met our wedding coordinator, Mel. Upon meeting her, she was warm and more than willing to ask any questions we had. On our day, she was so incredibly helpful and always asking us to make sure things were going well. Honestly it was like having my own fairy godmother. She was just amazing and we are so blessed to work with her. There were a few bumps along the road but she made it all worth it. Anyone would be lucky to have a wedding coordinator like Mel.

All in all, I would recommend Strathmere. Maybe it will be easier outside of the pandemic!
Laura Sent on 25/07/2021

4.6 out of 5 rating
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Incredibly enjoyable experience.

Strathmere was attentive to our needs and provided excellent service. We had a few guests with severe dietary restrictions, and Strathmere was incredibly attentive to their needs.
The ONLY issues I had was providing information. During the COVID era, we found that information wasn’t passed along as efficiently as we would’ve liked. To be fair, we also understand that they were left in the dark themselves from government mandates.
Overall, I would recommend them to anyone getting married.

Strathmere was attentive to our needs and provided excellent service. We had a few guests with severe dietary restrictions, and Strathmere was incredibly attentive to their needs.
The ONLY issues I had was providing information. During the COVID era, we found that information wasn’t passed along as efficiently as we would’ve liked. To be fair, we also understand that they were left in the dark themselves from government mandates.
Overall, I would recommend them to anyone getting married.