A Premier Toronto wedding cruise and wedding venue for over 35 years.
416-868-0000

Wedding Questions (Faq’s)

Wedding Questions and Cruise Answers

Do you do weddings?
Yes! We love weddings. Whether it is just your ceremony, or reception or both, we’d be happy to host your special day!

How many people can you accommodate?
While we are certified to carry a maximum of 300 people including all passengers, crew and service staff, this is not a comfortable number for a wedding.
We can provide:
• Sitting for 100 on our main deck
• Sitting for 150 over two decks
• Cocktail style set up for up to 250

Can we get married on board?
Yes you can! But contrary to what some people may believe, our captain cannot marry you…you need a proper wedding official. And yes, we have a list of officials who have performed services on board before. If you have someone in mind, you may certainly use them as well.

Where do we get married on board?
In most cases, we set up the ceremony on the back, open deck of the second floor of our ship. We take the ship into the Island Lagoons over towards Hanlon’s Point, and stop the vessel. You will have the Toronto skyline in the backdrop of your service, while you are surrounded by water, local wildlife (swans), yachts, and greenery. Beautiful! Of course if you would prefer another location on the ship, we’d be happy to do that as well.

How long is the cruise?
How long do you want it to be? In general, couples want at least five hours. If you are planning on getting married on board, with a reception, we suggest six hours. Of course you can have less, or more depending on your itinerary and your needs. You may also decide on the day of your event to purchase more time.

What kind of food is available?
We have sit-down, buffet-style, and cocktail style menus. We are here to customize your event to suit your needs. We have a variety of menus listed in this package; however, we would be happy to put a specialized menu together for you.

What about people with special dietary needs?
Just let us know what they are ahead of time, and we’ll do our best to accommodate or prepare something special.

Can we bring our own catering?
We allow outside catering, however, there are rules and costs associated. Your caterer must meet with us to look at the facilities and discuss with us what is required. Your caterer must be insured, and we must be added as an additional insured. They must provide everything required for food service. There is a fee based on what you are doing, and what you require from us. Ask us for more details.

If we have our own caterer, can they bring the alcohol?
No. We are a liquor licensed establishment and all alcohol, by law, must come through our liquor license. In addition, we do not allow outside caterers to bring non alcoholic beverages. All beverages must come through us.

Can we bring our own alcohol?
No. We are a liquor licensed establishment and all alcohol, by law, must come through our liquor license.

Can I decorate?
We can certainly provide décor for you, but if you’d like to make your own centrepieces or hire an outside decorator we will work with you. Note, we can provide one hour directly prior to your event for outside decorators. If they need more time, and the ship is available, there will be an additional fee.
No more than 5 people will be permitted to come on board to decorate.

What decorations are there?
The ship comes with white tablecloths and napkins. We can certainly add chair covers, coloured linens, centrepieces, wedding arch, florals, railing décor, etc. Let us know what you would like. Some of our wedding packages include these extras, while others do not. But we can customize to suit.

What if it rains?
We cruise rain or shine. There is plenty of indoor space on our ships where your guests will not get wet, and the views of the city are just as spectacular from our large dining room windows.

Are you wheelchair accessible?
We can certainly get a wheelchair on board, with our specially made gangways, and a person in a wheelchair can access all food and beverage service as well as an outdoor deck. They will not have access to the upper two decks, nor the washrooms below. If you have any guests with other disabilities, please let us know. We’d like to ensure they have a great, safe experience!

How safe is it on the ship?
We are certified annually by Transport Canada Marine Safety. We carry over 300 adult life jackets, 30 children’s life jackets, two 150 man life rafts, four (4) life rings, nine (9) fire extinguishers, a fire suppression system, flares, the proper horns, two VHF radios, etc. All of our crew are safety trained. At any time, if you or your passengers have any questions, please feel free to ask a staff member.

Can we have a tasting of the food?
Yes you may. We allow a tasting for two people free of charge. If you require more people to taste, there will be a fee per person. Tastings are generally done on board or at an offsite kitchen, and at a mutually agreeable time. We only do tastings with clients who have already booked.

How does payment work?
To book a cruise and hold a date on one of our Yankee Lady boats, we require a $2500 deposit, and a signed contract.All monies are due before your event. We take Visa, Mastercard, American Express, EMT, cash, business cheques for payment.

What type of payments do you accept?
We take Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Debit, business cheque, cash and Paypal.

After the ship has left the dock, what if someone needs to get on or off?
We can always get you a water taxi. If someone missed the boat, if you need to get a wedding official off, or a guest needs to leave early, we can call for you. If you have a large number of people who would like to leave the ship at a certain time, and you want to still cruise afterwards, we can always make a “pitstop” at our regular dock. We would need to know this ahead of time.

How does the music work?
We have a DJ service we have used for many years. They are a great group of DJ’s. We have you fill in a music profile, and you can be very specific on the list of songs played (or not played!). Sound is throughout our ship. We have a cordless microphone that may be used for your ceremony and/or for your speeches during your reception. Want to bring your own DJ? We do allow this…however, please discuss this with one of our wedding planners, as there are guidelines for this/patching in, etc.

Are children allowed on board?
The age restriction for private charters is at the discretion of the charterer. Our liquor license does not restrict minors from being on board. Please note that there are no specific lifesaving apparatus, i.e. life jackets, available for infants.

Where does the boat go?
We cruise in the inner harbor and around the back of the island … out in the lake up to one mile out. The final route depends on the captain as it is his role to provide a safe and comfortable trip. A cruise route is included in this package.

Do people get seasick?
The ship is very stable. Unless a person is sensitive to motion, e.g. gets car sick, they should not have any problems. We cannot give out gravol type medications, so if you think someone is sensitive, it is up to them whether they wish to take a gravol before boarding or not.

Is there a dress code?
We would hope that people will dress in accordance with your desires or theme …. however a few guidelines: bring a light jacket or sweater … it can get cool at night; while high heels are allowed … the ship is moving, and high heels, stairs, and movement don’t always work together … comfortable and practical is better.

Have other Wedding questions?
Just ask! We are always available to answer your questions. Call 416-868-0000 or email us anytime.

 

Making Wedding Cruises Special for more than 30 years!

Yankee Lady Yacht Charters Office
249 Queens Quay West, Unit 110
Toronto, ON
M5J 2N5
Phone: 416-868-0000
Fax: 416-868-0072

> Location of the Ships & Maps