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About

On WeddingWire since 2016

Located in Kamloops, British Columbia, TRU Conference Centre is a gorgeous venue great for hosting wedding celebrations. They strive not only to satisfy your expectations but exceed them as they understand the importance of your big day. All of their amenities are on-site and family and friends can take advantage of their cozy and convenient accommodation options.

Facilities and capacity

Start with a ceremony in the colourful and lush private gardens. Celebrate your vows by hosting your reception in one of the two main wedding venues. Rest your head for the night in one of the wedding suites. Choose from the Mountain room, the Grand Hall or the Terrace for your most memorable evening filled with delicious food, dancing and everything taken care of by our detailed coordinators. They can accomodate any wedding, small or large up to 350 guests.

Services offered

Create your dream wedding with a variety of services such as a bridal suite, catering and bar, set up and clean up, as well as talented wedding coordinators available to guide couples throughout the planning process.

Cuisine

Catering options consist of a buffet, plated dinner service, cocktail reception, dessert, hors d'oeuvres, server(s) and action stations. The bar can be open, cash, ticket or limited and can include any of the following:

  • Bartender(s)
  • A sparkling wine toast
  • House beer, wine and liquor
  • Premium liquor
  • A signature drink
  • Specialty beer and wine
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Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum number of guests required to book your venue?

Please enquire

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

6+

Describe your venue:

Ballroom
Banquet hall
Hotel

Describe the style of your venue:

Classic
Country
Garden
Glamorous
Modern

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal shower
Engagement party
Rehearsal dinner

What event services do you offer?

Accommodations
Bridal suite
Catering / bar
Clean up
Event planning
Event rentals
Liability insurance
Lighting / sound
Outside vendors
Set up

What catering services do you offer?

Buffet
Cocktail reception
Dessert
Family style
Hors d'oeuvres
Outside cake
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
Tastings

What bar services do you provide?

Bartender(s)
Cash bar
Champagne toast
House beer
House wine
House liquor
Limited bar
Liquor license
Open bar
Premium liquor
Signature drink
Specialty beer
Specialty wine

What event items are available?

Audio equipment
Dance floor
Furniture
Lighting
Chairs
Tables

What food and beverage items are available?

Barware
China
Flatware
Glassware
Linens

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair access

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$1,400

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$1,400

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$950

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$950

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Set up
Clean up
Event planning
Chairs
Tables
Linens
China
Flatware
Glassware
Lighting/sound
Parking
Bridal suite

What is the average catering price per person for plated service?

$60

What is the average catering price per person for buffet service?

$40

Which of the following are included in the cost of wedding catering?

Server(s)

What is the starting price per person for bar service?

$6

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

Limited bar
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Any other questions?

Reviews for TRU Conference Centre

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.7 out of 5 rating
4.7 out of 5 rating
25 reviews
95% recommend it
  • Quality of service
    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Response time
    4.6 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.6 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.8 out of 5 rating
Victoria
Victoria O. Sent on 26/06/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing people, Gorgeous venue

They are quick to respond, reliable, and so easy to work with! Made planning easy and a beautiful venue. We couldn’t have asked for more! We worked with krista and she was amazing! The whole experience was wonderful and went very smoothly!
Kira
Kira F. Sent on 22/12/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Fair and reasoanble, nice place.

We were very impressed with the venue, especially for the price. The gardens were a beautiful place to get married, and all the staff we interacted with along the way were great.

The food was also very good, and fairly priced.
Dylana
Dylana M. Sent on 19/07/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Gorgeous venue!

My husband and I got married mid-July at the TRU Horticulture gardens, and it was better than we could have imagined! The floral environment makes for awesome photos, gives guests something to browse around and look at while they wait, and the added shade made a hot day enjoyable and comfortable to be outside. To top it off- the organizing team was very easy to work with, set up everything exactly how we wanted, and didn't make us feel like we had to rush out of there after the ceremony was done. 10/10!
Nerissa
Nerissa H. Sent on 13/11/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely Stunning

We had the best day of our lives...Krista Stoesz who is the Events & Catering Coordinator for TRU Conference Center of Thompson Rivers University was a joy to work with ..she worked side by side with us. She made herself available to us at all times. Krista was involved during our entire process. The Gardens....well they speak for themselves......AMAZING....STUNNING...that is what our guesses thoughts were. Our after wedding photos were picture perfect.....We never skipped a beat at our ceremony. Krista went above and beyond. Well worth the money... not expensive at all. Would recommend to all.
Courtney
Courtney R. Sent on 28/06/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Brielle and the whole team at TRU are amazing! I knew how gorgeous the gardens are from my time on campus as a student so when it came time to pick a venue for our ceremony I knew that's where it had to be. I will say the only downside is there is no shelter if it rains. Which it did pour rain through our whole ceremony but it was still beautiful.
Miranda
Miranda F. Sent on 01/05/2017
5 out of 5 rating
TRU Conference Center Centre was amazing help planning our special day! The Gardens was the perfect place for a summer wedding, the flowers were beautiful and the two big trees made for great shade for our guests when the weather got hot! The staff was super helpful and did everything they could to make our day special! We had lots of options to chose from whether it was reception space, food, or drinks. I would highly recommend TRU Conference Centre to anyone!
Jesse
Jesse O. Sent on 13/04/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Working with TRU Conference services for our wedding was an absolute dream! They were very creative and accommodating with all our dietary restrictions, and worked within our budget to give us a great meal. They also take care of all the set-up/take-down of the event (excluding the decorations your bring in) which was a huge load off. One of the things I really enjoyed was the fact that with one signature we were able to check multiple major items off our list, such as set-up/take-down, catering, ceremony & reception venue, alcohol, as well as all the extras (linen, tables, chairs, tableware, etc). Being in school it was a huge relief to be able to get all the big pieces in one place.

The garden is absolutely beautiful and provides amazing backdrop for photos, and the reception venue is just across the way so you don't have to worry about your guests relocating.

Alcohol can be a bit pricey but the staff were great at working with us on this issue and came up with some creative solutions that worked within our budget. 1) their packages already include table wine; 2) we decided to provide our guests with sangria which worked out to be $3 a glass instead of $5.50 for a drink from the bar; 3) we were able to provide drinks tickets to our guests and only those turned in were counted; also the bride and groom were able to run a tab that would be invoiced after the event. These options allowed for us to provide for our guests without breaking our own bank.

Our reception was held in the Mountain Room which we loved. The back wall is glass and it opens up onto a patio which overlooks the campus and has views of the mountains and valley.
Lisa
Lisa P. Sent on 29/07/2019
4.8 out of 5 rating

Truly Amazing!!

Our day turned out amazing!
Any concerns were addressed right away and the amazing help I had with the staff and coordinator were very welcoming
I couldn’t have asked for a better day!!!
Truly amazing!!!!!!!
E
Elise Sent on 11/07/2019
1 out of 5 rating

Unfortunately a bad experience

Let me start by saying Krista, the coordinator was great.
She answered all my questions but I'm still giving a poor rating based on events that transpired (out of her control so not blaming her). Here's the background to it all...
We signed a contract with TRU back in February 2019 for our wedding on June 6, 2020. They had 3 tiered all inclusive options, we picked the 'Lavender' package. which worked out to be $58 pp before taxes/gratuity.
We were expecting to receive the updated 2020 brochure with slight increases, however TRU completely revamped their whole wedding format and there are no packages anymore. It's a la carte style so it's more flexible which is great. But we signed for a package at a certain price and I added up everything we were suppose to get with the original package compared to the new format and pricing and without exaggerating it works out to be $108 pp!!! That's 50% more! So I'm thinking okay that's fine going forward for other couples signing up but we have already signed our contract. I contacted Krista (it took a couple days for a response as I'm assuming their trying to figure out the best response and do some damage control). The response was annoying, saying minimum wage has increased, food quality has gone up and the flexibility of our new format is what brides want....At the end they admit the price increase is significant but that's what it is and they will not honor our agreement.
Now if the tables were turned, that wouldn't fly. We had already sent out our 'save the dates' as everyone invited to the wedding live out of town. And some of our guests had booked their accommodations. Plus majority of our vendors were confirmed.
So I told her we need our deposit back asap and that is completely unacceptable as most of our entire wedding budget would have to go to them now. I had everything planned out and on budget (with a bit of wiggle room for expected 'slight' price increase). The contract says prices can change without notice but they completely changed the whole format, nothing in the contract about that or getting rid of the package all together. And a 50% increase is ridiculous!
I received another email trying to smooth it all over with some discounts (I'm thinking well why wasn't this offered to us in the first place and if your 'hands are so tied' why are you able to offer these discounts. Even with the discounts we'd still be over budget by a lot and that would mean, no decor, flowers and dj. At this point even if they gave us the price we agreed on I wouldn't take it as it's too sketchy and unprofessional. I'd be worrying for the remainder of the time what their going to cheap change us on and are they going to skimp on quality. At the end she agreed to give our deposit back and be done with them.
I think they realized they have a good thing going, such great reviews and they knew they could up the charges. Which is totally fine but any couples that booked in during this transition should be 'grandfathered' in. I spent so much time and energy on it all, I'm super disappointed in them. Not what I expected from a top University and just goes to show how money hungry people are. They know they'll find another couple to book our day and pay the full amount.
But in the end I think this is way better for us. We were contemplating eloping the whole time but decided to have a wedding and we were happy with it but now I'm relieved in a way as well.
Best of luck brides xoxo
S
Shelly M. Sent on 07/07/2019
4.8 out of 5 rating

Amazing experience!

Our wedding was perfect! The food, room and help was all amazing. The Gardens are so pretty and a perfect spot to say 'I do'. So glad to have been able to work with TRU... it was all so smooth & easy.
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Awards

25

Meet the team

Carrie Wilkinson
Carrie Wilkinson
Wedding & Event Coordinator

Hi!

I'm Carrie and I have been working with the TRU Conference Centre since 2008. I love my job because I get to work with new clients and events on a daily basis!

Working with wedding couples can be one of the most rewarding experiences because so much thought and emotion goes in to planning someone's "Big Day". I had my own 'big day' in 2010, and now my husband and I are raising our 2 young children right here in Kamloops.

I look forward to meeting you and helping you plan one of the most memorable days of your life!

Nero Omonokhua
Nero Omonokhua
Catering Operations Manager

Hi!

I’m Nero and I have been with the TRU Conference Centre team for 10 years. As catering manager, I am passionate about assisting couples with their catering requirements, and ensuring that every event receives the dedicated attention necessary to exceed expectations.

During my free time, I love to cook and have been learning how to sew.

I look forward to assisting you with your big day.

Trevor Bisson
Trevor Bisson
Executive Chef

I have over 18 years of cooking experience and am a graduate of our very own TRU Culinary Arts program. Born and raised in Quesnel, BC, I have been living in Kamloops for 16 years and have been working at TRU since 2011. After spending a summer in Paris in my early 20s, I developed a love for French style cuisine. Although this is still my favourite food to cook, I take pride in all the food I create, ensuring that everyone has a fantastic dining experience.

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Map

1055 University Drive, Kamloops V2C 0C8 Kamloops (British Columbia)
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