The Madison Greenhouse is a luxury event venue located in Newmarket, Ontario that hosts events and weddings year-round. It's a unique tropical paradise that has indoor plants, trees, and a tranquil waterfall. You can have an on-site ceremony, and there is a huge reception space.
This is an honest review from a vendor's perspective written for couples considering the Madison Greenhouse as their wedding venue. I was honoured to be the photographer and florist for a couple hosting their wedding at the Madison Greenhouse on December 17, 2022.
The things I liked about the venue:
- It was surprisingly warm for an uninsulated building in December
- The live greenery and live trees really were stunning
- Whether it's raining or winter outside, you can still have green photos in the greenhouse
- If posed correctly, your photos can look like you're getting married outdoors without all the bugs and worry of rain
- The on-site staff were very friendly
- A huge walk-in fridge and kitchen for catering
- Lots of storage space for putting your decor items
- There are some really unique photo locations - like a waterfall and a clock tower. Unfortunately, the sun was down and it was too dark in the venue to take good quality photos at these spots.
The things I disliked about the venue:
- The couple I worked with said there were a lot of communication issues with the staff (number of tables set incorrectly, miscommunication about having a cash bar, lighting etc.).
- At night time, there was insufficient lighting for photos. This results in the use of flash and artificial light.
- At lunch time on the day of the wedding, there were venue tours going on while the family and I were trying to setup decor for the wedding. It felt very inpersonal and public.
- There wasn't a lot of colour, mostly just greenery. Consider budgeting for flowers to add pops of colour.
- Some plants were dying in December (the temperature was warm enough inside, but days are too short and some plants begin to die)
- The staff seemed a bit disorganized, and there wasn't a "helper" for the couple on the day of.
- It's extremely expensive, and not a great fit for every couple's budget. It adds up quickly once you start getting "add-ons" (bar staff, coat check, alcohol)
- I found the overall upkeep and cleanliness of the venue very "meh". It kind of felt like being in a Home Depot garden center.
Overall, after visiting this venue, I wouldn't recommend it to a couple for the price (especially not in the winter). I think the spring and summer months might be okay because of the longer days. Photos taken during the day in this venue are stunning. Unfortunately, the ceremony and reception for this couple took place during dark hours.
Since I also did some flowers and decor, I arrived at the venue around lunch time to help setup. I was very shocked to find so many groups having tours of the venue at that time. It felt very inpersonal, and like an invasion of privacy to the couple. It didn't feel like they were getting the "private" use of the venue.
I also felt bad for the couple because there was a lot of miscommunication on the day of. The staff were friendly, but disorganized. No one seemed to know the proper setup for the chairs and tables, and the setup crew had to call the mother of the bride numerous times to figure everything out. Overall, I don't think the couple got very much personalized service.
The couple had their ceremony at 4:30pm, which in December is sunset. As the photographer for this couple, it was one of the most difficult low-light situations I had to adjust to. Normally in a dark event hall, there are tall ceilings to bounce light off of. But in the greenhouse, my artificial lights (flashes) bounced off of leaves and went right through the glass roofing. The remainder of the reception was also very dark.
The final oopsie of the night was when the venue notified the couple that they couldn't do the cash bar because they can't collect cash - the couple was supposed to sell tickets or something. This was a shock to the family, and they were extremely frustrated and couldn't believe this wasn't communicated to them well in advance of the wedding.
In conclusion, if you're a couple looking for a venue for your special day, I wouldn't recommend the Madison Greenhouse due to the inpersonalized service, the inability of the venue to handle routine, basic wedding coordination, the poor lighting at night time, and the expensive price tag. But please remember, I'm just a vendor who has been to the venue a couple of times, so do more research and look for other reviews too.
