{review} Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory

How could a bride not fall in love with the idea of saying ‘I do’, surrounded by a world of butterflies, flowers, waterfalls, plants and greenery? The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory lives up to their name by offering a year-round tropical paradise for your wedding day, right here in the community. Rain or shine, your custom-designed wedding day will come together from an impressive list of options that the conservatory offers. Couples have been known to hold several or all of their wedding day events in this one romantic location – from ceremonies and receptions to their photo shoots in front of naturally exotic backdrops. And with all inclusive packages, we’re not surprised that past brides had nothing but raves about this gorgeous location.

The Ring has been dying to showcase the facilities of this amazing location, and after getting our own personal tour of wedding options at The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, we can tell you that it was well worth the wait. Let us explain…

Personally speaking…

Cayla VanHouwelingen is the contact that brides deal with here, and you’ll soon learn that she’ll be your right hand when it comes to planning your wedding day. She’ll be there for your wedding day, from start to finish and works closely with each couple on every detail from putting together a seating arrangement and place names to helping you book your other vendors.

Terri Martin remembers her experiences working with Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory’s Wedding Coordinator throughout the entire wedding planning process. “When we first met her she had just recently started at the Butterfly Conservatory. She was very helpful with all aspects of planning. She kept in touch with us to make sure we were on top of any deadlines we had, she helped us with ideas of how to organize the event and was there to answer any question we had. When figuring out the layout for seating for the reception she offered a couple of seating plans they had used before. I tinkered with it to make our own seating plan and she was able to make it happen so that the tables were arranged as we wanted. She was also able to help co-ordinate with the cake baker, photographer and DJ we had hired and got things organized where and when they needed to be.”

Natalie and Jaymes Overholt experienced this when they were planning their May ceremony and reception at the conservatory. They told us that the CBC staff made their day flawless. “The wedding coordinator always replied to emails or phone messages in a timely manner,” they add. “Anything we wanted, they accommodated.”

Your ceremony in paradise

At Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory your ceremony takes place amid the tropical splendor of waterfalls, plants, flowers and, of course, butterflies. The Conservatory can accommodate 40 seated guests and an additional 150 guests standing.

Kate Charman told The Ring about her experience working with the team at Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, “We choose the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory because we wanted a small wedding venue that was well priced. We went and spoke with the wedding coordinator… she is amazing to deal with..like your own personal assistant even though you’re not paying for one. We had our ceremony and reception there and it was amazing! She will answer any and all questions and concerns and goes out of her way to make sure your day goes smoothly. We were SO impressed with the food… Not at all what you’d expect… Amazing food, very high quality! The CBC fell within our budget and we got a lot for our money… Highly recommend it! The memories will last a lifetime.”

Butterfly release

Following the ceremony, the bride and groom will take part in a butterfly release inside the conservatory. This acts as a symbolic event and a beautiful memory that you can share with your friends and family – not to mention a great photo opportunity!

The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory is open to the public from 10 am until 5 pm daily, so you can book this space for your ceremony either between 8 and 10 am, or between 5 and 7 pm.

Party time…

A wedding reception at Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory grants you and your guests exclusive use of the entire facility including the Butterfly Conservatory, front foyer, both galleries, and the dining room from 5pm to 12am for evening receptions and from 8am to 12pm for brunch receptions. Reception packages include (but not limited to) linens (white tablecloths and choice of napkin colour), tableware, glassware, wedding cake service, lecturn for speeches, chair covers (for evening receptions) and much more. You are welcome to bring your own decorations and linens, but you should consult with Cayla in regards to what is and isn’t allowed. Tables are intimately set for four to ten guests depending on the size of your guest list. You will have exclusive use of the entire venue.

Evening receptions can seat up to 100 guests, or up to 250 guests if you choose a cocktail reception. Brunch receptions can seat up to 70 guests. All reception packages are prices for a minimum of 40 guests.

The conservatory is beautiful for a ceremony and full use of all of the facilities for the evening was something that Elaine and her husband couldn’t find in other wedding venues. “Our reception was held in the café and the only decorations were provided by [Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory],” she says. “I would highly recommend [the location] to anyone who would like an elegant, intimate wedding.”

Emily and Jamie Jeffrey say their wedding day was everything they could have hoped for and more, “The staff at the Conservatory were incredible. I wanted something different and for everyone to remember. I contacted the Wedding Coordinator and made arrangements for both of us to tour the facility. We were so impressed with everything… the atmosphere, the facility, the staff, the menu, all the options that we were given. It was so convenient to have it all in one location for us and our family and friends. Our wedding as per everyone was a wedding to remember. Everyone was so impressed with the venue. The ceremony was so special…to have everyone witness our wedding, to have all the greenery, water, butterflies, turtles… everything just made it like heaven for us.”

Feeding the guests

When it comes to your reception meal, if you can dream it, the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory can do it. There are four styles of receptions for you to choose from:

The Cocktail Reception is perfect to host groups from 70 to 250 people and is $75.50 per person. For groups of 40 to 100 guests, you can choose the Dinner Buffet (at $84.50 per person) or the Four Course Gourmet Dinner (at $98.50 per person). For something a little different, there is also the Butterfly Brunch, which offers a buffet for 40 to 70 guests at $55.50 per person.

Natalie and Jaymes told us that the team put together a fantastic seating arrangement for their reception dinner and it really helped organize the smooth serving of their guests, while ensuring that the space wasn’t crowded. They also told us that the food… was amazing. “It tasted so fresh!”

While there are some meal suggestions for you to take a look at, the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory will customize your menu to suit your needs and your taste buds, including ethnic, vegetarian, and special dietary requests. Everything can be done by the catering team from the appetizers through to dessert. There is no outside food allowed on premises, with the exception of a wedding cake, or cupcakes if you’d prefer.

Elaine loved that everything was flexible. “The menu was awesome to choose from,” she adds. “I appreciated that however I wanted our day personalized was no problem.”

The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory is not licensed, but you can obtain a special occasion permit (from the LCBO) and bring in your own bar stock. In addition to the permit, you must also get liability insurance to cover your event. The staff at the conservatory will serve your alcohol for you at prices that include all glassware, soft drinks, other mixes and ice… to find out more about their flat price list for Wine & Beer Service, Full Bar Service or Dinner Wine Service, based on guest numbers, please call Cayla.

Elaine says that she would definitely recommend the conservatory to other couples, telling them that “[They] offer, for a reasonable price, a beautiful location for your entire wedding. Almost everything is included so you do not have to deal with a lot of hidden costs. Enjoying the outdoors inside of the conservatory, and best of all, you never have to worry about the weather.”

Thinking about a winter wedding?

For many reasons, the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory offers an ideal location for a winter wedding:

• Warmth and shelter from the elements at all times.
• An all-in-one location with no need for you or your guest to leave or deal with stepping in puddles or snow banks
• The beauty of nature will surround you, even on the coldest of days, as you were having an outdoor summer wedding.

And, as a bonus, for booking your wedding at Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory between December and March, you’ll receive 10% off reception prices.

Terri Martin told The Ring about her wedding at Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory, “We just fell in love with the place when we went to see it the first. I loved the fact that it felt like we were getting married in the tropics and we could have lots of indoor, summer like photos in the middle of winter. We also liked that it was fairly unique. The other locations that we were looking at all seemed to be halls or restaurant type rooms that looked the same and didn’t offer really good photo spaces in the winter.”

Details, details, details

• The Onsite Wedding Coordinator is available to answer any questions and to book any part or all of your wedding.
• Cayla recommends booking 9 months in advance to be sure you get the time and date you are interested in.
(Please note that reservations for SATURDAY Ceremonies (i.e. Ceremonies without Reception to follow) may be made no earlier than 6 months in advance. Reservations for Ceremonies (i.e. Ceremonies without Reception to follow) on days other than Saturday may be made at any time.)
• Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory has been known to take last minute bookings if they are available to do so.
• A $500 deposit is due when booking your wedding ceremony, and $1000 for reception and/or photo location. This payment is non-refundable.
• Prices do not include applicable tax or gratuities.