We offer full catering and bar services.
The house rental fee is $1500.00, when our catering is used. This includes the use of the main floor and ballroom as well as staff, tables, chairs, cutlery, plates, glassware and cleaning.
When using an outside caterer there is an additional fee of $300.00.
It is possible to hold your ceremony at Thomson House for an additional fee of up to $250.00.
Please consult us before sending out RSVPs with meal selections, or before finalizing your menu.
The ballroom accommodates 100 people maximum for a formal sit down dinner (up to 12 tables seating between 6 and 9 people each). For a more casual stand- up reception, we can accommodate up to 150 with small tables and chairs.
Beverages/Wine
Wine: We can order any wine from the SAQ you wish, however we need at least three (3) weeks’ notice to verify availability. There is a $9.50/btl corkage fee on top of the SAQ pricing. We will estimate the amount needed with your input and order that amount, keeping in mind that leftover wine cannot leave the premises, the total of which will be added to your bill. If ever the wine ordered for your reception runs out, we can always use our House Wines as back up so there is no worry about running out of wine.
You can also choose our house wines, which will be billed based on consumption.
Our House Reds are Candidato Garnacha, Spanish at $21.48, Yellowtail Shiraz, Australian, at $24.32, and El Miracle, Organic Red, Spanish, at $26.31.
Our House Whites are Rio de Plata Etchart Mendoza Chardonnay, Argentinean, at $21.48, and Alamos Ridge Mendoza Chardonnay, Argentinean, at $26.31.
We offer full bar service at no extra cost. For an open bar or limited open bar you are only charged for what is consumed. For something different for the cocktail ask us about our punch menu.
Menu
When figuring out the cocktail and dinner menus, there are a few things to keep in mind:
With regards to the cocktail menu you want to order enough to keep people from feeling hungry, as at this point it has likely been a few hours since they ate, but not so much that they feel full or can eat so much they have no room left for dinner.
Whether you go with a stationary tray buffet or passed hors d’oeuvres you do not want an overly extensive selection. The idea when ordering food for a cocktail is that you order enough so everyone can try everything at least once. Your best bet is to order no more than four or five types of trays or with passed hors d’oeuvres, five or six types. If you want to offer a combination of passed hors d’oeuvres and trays, we would suggest no more than three types of each. Remember, if there is a type of tray you would like to serve, there is always the possibility of ordering it as part of a ‘midnight snack’ buffet.
For the main dinner menu there are quite strict guidelines to follow. When looking at the appetizer, soup or salad menus (and dessert if your wedding cake is not meant to be served) you want to remember that for these courses you will be ordering the same item for everyone. With the main course itself, for a wedding, we can do up to three choices, generally a meat, fish and vegetarian, though this can vary. For the meat/chicken/fish dishes the same type of starch (potato or rice) and vegetable needs to be the same for everyone. Depending on the vegetarian choice selected the vegetables may also be added to this option.
To help the dinner service go smoothly it is ideal that on each persons’ place card there is an identifier of some sort (generally a coloured dot sticker or something) indicating which main course meal option that person has chosen.
Linen
We can supply off-white/ivory linens for a minimal cost.
Tablecloths are $9.25/ea, napkins are $0.95/ea.
Other colours are possible, the cost of which will need to be determined based on the colours you want and where we are able to obtain them.
Music
During the cocktail and dinner, we can by plug in an MP3 player you provide with a pre-set playlist, or if the cocktail is on the main floor, we can tune in to a Jazz station or such using our satellite radio.
For the cocktail you may also want to consider hiring a trio of musicians or such.
For dancing after dinner we do have an arrangement with Global Entertainment if we book on your behalf, or you are welcome to bring in your own DJs. We do have some equipment they may be able to use, at a cost, or they can bring in their own equipment.
Wedding Cake
We have a very good, reasonably priced wedding cake specialist to recommend, Daphne Fernandes, who can be reached at 514.631.8416.
Once you have made your reservation
Please note that it is important for you to ask your guests to indicate their meal preference. It is easiest to do this on their RSVP. Either give them an option of meat, fish, and vegetarian or just ask if they are vegetarian or have other food issues.
We also need to know the number of children attending. Many kids are happier with a simple plate of pasta. Consider this when planning the menu.
There is a TV and DVD player available, if needed, to entertain children in one of the lounges on the main floor. We also have some colouring books and markers avaialble. Having children in one of the lounges would require a sitter.
We have limited parking available for four cars. There is a ramp and elevator for the elderly or physically challenged. This is accessible from our driveway and the side door.
Please have all deliveries, flowers, cake etc. sent to the side door, off the driveway. There is a door bell to ring for someone to open the door. Please supply us with the phone numbers of any one delivering things. We will contact them if they are late or lost. This is less for you to worry about.
Do not forget about the tradition of clinking glasses during dinner to get the Bride and Groom to kiss. This can become quite annoying while you are trying to enjoy your dinner. It is a good idea to come up with a challenge for each table to work on as a group. This helps to reduce the amount of time you will have to get up and give your guests something to talk about. We have seen singing, poetry, trivia, etc. They are all fun but some of the ideas require advanced planning, such as trivia.
We can supply tea lights for the tables if needed. There are a few different types of vases, for larger arrangements, available for your use.
Try to keep the waiting time between the ceremony and the cocktail/ dinner reception to a minimum. We often find that people are ready to go up to the dining room after about an hour of cocktails. It is best to keep within this time frame.
Keep in mind that photographers are mainly concerned with getting as many photos as possible. They are normally not concerned about the timing of the meal and your need to socialize with your guests. They should be kept on track.
Consider a time to do a greeting line. It is a good opportunity to say hello and thank your guests for coming. This is also a good time for your parents to meet your guests. We try to keep the line to six (6), Bride, Groom, and each set of parents. This helps to keep the line moving and not take too long.
If possible it is a good idea to do this upon leaving the church, or on everyone’s arrival to the house at the front door. That is only possible if you are able to arrive first. If you have photos planned immediately after the ceremony then it is recommended to do the line just before dinner. This can be done at the entrance to the ballroom.
It is a good idea to have something for your guests to place cards and envelopes in. You can use a basket or box with a slot in it. We have staff at the door that can bring gifts up to the ballroom but envelopes are better deposited by your guests themselves. The box is placed in the lobby in a conspicuous place during the cocktail reception and then brought up to the ballroom.
If you are planning to invite guests after dinner for the party you should consider the timing. As much as we try there are many factors that can delay things so please consult with us before you choose a time for others to arrive. You should also consider offering them something to eat, for this you may want to order from our tray menus.
Important Times
Once you are sure you would like to use Thomson House as the venue for your reception, we require a non-refundable deposit of half of the room rental to guarantee that this day is reserved for you. The deposit may be transferred to another date if at least three (3) months’ notice is given.
Once the menu has been decided and a firm estimate established, we require a second deposit two weeks prior to the reception, equivalent to approximately 50% of the estimated cost which is non-refundable.
The menu needs to be decided on a minimum of two and a half (2.5) weeks in advance of the reception, with the final numbers for choices (i.e. meat vs. vegetarian) needing to be given a minimum of ten (10) days in advance.
Bar decisions can be made at the last minute unless you have a special wine order which needs to be in at least three (3) weeks in advance, preferably with first (1st) and second (2nd) choices.
*Please note that all prices are before tax. In the case of food and beverage services a gratuity of 15% will be added based on pre-tax amounts.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Bliss Ward at 514.398.3756 or by e-mail at
hm.pgss@mail.mcgill.ca.
Thank you for considering us for your special occasion and we do wish you the very best.
