It’s not rare to see the lobby of Toronto City Hall bustling with brides and grooms attempting to shepherd family members up to the wedding chapel, but it is uncommon to see the same thing across Bay Street at Old City Hall where, for the first time in decades, the historic building is opening its doors to host civil weddings.
The city has been trying to find a permanent use for the civic building ever since provincial court services officially vacated the property in the spring. While the future of Old City Hall is being decided, the city has reopened the doors to the public this summer. Each Friday in August, visitors can wander the halls and listen to an audio tour. On select Thursdays, couples can even get married there.
“We’ve been looking for light-touch programming that we can bring in quickly and easily, and that included opening up weddings here again,” said Scott Barrett, the city’s director of key assets and property management. “Recently, we just had the first wedding held in this building in about 40 years, which was really exciting.”
The building can accommodate up to 12 civil weddings daily. Interest has been growing, prompting the city to add more dates throughout August and September.
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Samantha Pedwell and her partner, Ian Longo, learned that weddings were being performed in the historic building while picking up their marriage certificate. “We saw they were advertising in the office there, so we decided to just go for it,” said Pedwell.
The grand staircase may be the focal point for many wedding photos to come, but the actual ceremonies are taking place in the former city council chambers, which served as a courtroom when the municipality rented the building out in the late 1960s.
Sitting in the room with its high ceilings and ornate panelling, Barrett said the reception from couples has already been spectacular. “They come in and they’re just in awe of the space, and the scale of the space, and it makes for a really special occasion,” he said.
Barrett said the whole purpose of adding light activations in the building is not only to put it to use, but to take some of the mystery away for the public who pass by the structure. Ahead of their wedding ceremony, Pedwell and Longo admitted they had never set foot inside the 126-year-old building before.
“It’s super exciting,” said Longo. “It’s a great piece of Toronto history. We get to celebrate our love together in a really beautiful place. It’s a great day.”
There’s also the added benefit of the ceremony being cost-effective. The total price for a 30-minute ceremony is $337.95, including HST.
“A lot of people spend a ton of money on venues, but they don’t even get something like this,” said Pedwell. “So we’ll have a photographer come in, we’ll take some photos on the steps, and this is basically all you could ever want from a wedding.”
Both agreed the city should continue offering the service beyond the dates currently up for grabs, but Barrett said that will largely depend on demand.
“What we’re seeing now is a lot of interest,” Barrett said. “If that interest is maintained, then we’ll look at opportunities to add and grow over time, and I think it will remain a wonderful compliment to what’s already happening at city hall.”
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