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DJ SeanChiGuides

The best central Ottawa wedding venues, from behind the decks

7 min readUpdated October 24, 2026

Sean Chi
By Sean ChiWedding DJ in Ottawa for 8 years

I've DJed every room on this page. Lago at Dow's Lake is my favourite room in the city.

This is a guide from a DJ who has played these rooms.

Each note is what I'd tell a friend about the room: where the floor goes and what it's like to work there.

Key takeaways
  • Lago at Dow's Lake is my favourite room in the city, with two floors and plug and play AV.
  • The Fairmont Château Laurier is the grand ballroom, with the floor in the centre.
  • The Lord Elgin Hotel is mostly a ceremony room. The party usually moves somewhere else.
  • There are 17 wedding rooms on this page, plus one supper club. The ratings are my opinion, and no venue can pay to rank.
On this page
  1. How I rate rooms and my top 10
  2. Downtown Ottawa and nearby neighbourhoods
  3. Fairmont Chateau Laurier
  4. Lord Elgin Hotel
  5. Sala San Marco
  6. Canadian Museum of Nature
  7. Sidedoor
  8. E18teen
  9. Riviera
  10. Lago
  11. Somewhere
  12. Army Officers Mess
  13. Britannia Yacht Club
  14. Ottawa Tennis & Lawn Club
  15. Lowertown Brewery
  16. Gitanes
  17. Mill Street Brew Pub
  18. Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market
  19. The Parlour
  20. Just beyond downtown Ottawa
  21. The Marshes Golf Club
How I rate rooms

I have played weddings in Ottawa for about eight years. These are the rooms I have worked, and I rate what I see from the booth.

Five things get a score out of 5: food, staff, ease of setup, house speakers, and sound and acoustics. Ease of setup includes the space in front of the floor and the room to build one.

Food and staff matter most to couples. Setup and sound matter most to the night, so I rate them too.

These are my opinions from playing the room, not facts. I update them every January. Venues cannot pay to rank or to move up. A missing score means I have not rated that part yet.

From my top picks

Rooms on this page that sit in my overall top picks.

Every room on this page

The rest of the rooms on this page, in alphabetical order. My notes on each one are below.

Downtown Ottawa and nearby neighbourhoods

Downtown Ottawa wedding venues run from a grand ballroom to a brewpub in the ByWard Market, and I've DJed every room below. Lago at Dow's Lake is my favourite.

Fairmont Chateau Laurier is a grand ballroom with a centred floor, and Lord Elgin Hotel on Elgin Street is where I'm often booked for the ceremony. Sala San Marco (Preston Street) can run several weddings at once, and Somewhere is a supper club for smaller parties.

I played Mill Street Brew Pub, Andaz Ottawa and The Parlour in 2026.

17 wedding rooms plus one supper club · 7 restaurant · 3 upstairs floor · 3 heritage

The Fairmont Château Laurier hotel beside the Rideau Canal locks, with flags in the foreground
The Château Laurier from the canal path. Photo: Michel Rathwell, CC BY 2.0, file page.

Fairmont Chateau Laurier

Downtown Ottawa

Fairmont Chateau Laurier is a grand downtown ballroom.

Best for: Formal, classic weddings.

Historic paintings hang on the walls, and the dance floor sits in the centre. I keep dinner classy before the dancing starts.

Lord Elgin Hotel

Downtown Ottawa

Lord Elgin Hotel on Elgin Street is a downtown wedding hotel, and mostly a ceremony room.

Best for: A ceremony before a party at another venue.

Ceremonies often come first, and the party moves elsewhere. I scope my coverage to match what the day needs.

It's mostly a ceremony room for me, about thirty minutes, and I bring a Bluetooth speaker for it.

Sala San Marco

Preston Street

Sala San Marco on Preston Street can run several weddings at once.

Best for: Dinner, then dancing.

The halls run side by side. I place the subs so the rooms don't echo.

Aim the sub right and there is no echo, even with a few weddings going on in the building.

Canadian Museum of Nature

Downtown Ottawa

The Canadian Museum of Nature does cocktail hour inside the whale exhibit.

Best for: Cocktails with a big backdrop.

The staff are professional.

The loading dock is easy, and the security team is tight and professional.

Sidedoor

York Street

Sidedoor is a tight downtown room with great atmosphere.

Best for: Small weddings.

The dance floor is in the rear. It's one of the best small-wedding rooms in the core.

E18teen

ByWard Market

E18teen in the ByWard Market feels like a downtown club.

Best for: Couples who want a club feel.

I use a club setup to match.

Riviera

Sparks Street

Riviera on Sparks Street is tall and tiled.

Best for: Couples who want a grand, tall room.

The bass carries well on its own. I scale the sound to fit without extra subs.

Guests dancing in the grand hall at Riviera under warm and pink lighting
Guests on the floor in the grand hall at Riviera.

Lago

Dow's Lake

Lago is my favourite room in the city.

Best for: Couples who want lake views and a smooth day.

It has Dow's Lake views, two floors and ready AV. The owner's team handles double weddings. The venue runs a guest shuttle.

The bartenders are veterans, and the owner's team knows how to move a room.

Britannia Yacht Club

Ottawa River

Britannia Yacht Club is a waterfront venue with the dance floor upstairs.

Best for: A party on the water.

A packed floor gets hot and sweaty. I pace the night to match.

Lowertown Brewery

ByWard Market

Lowertown Brewery is a small, casual brewpub in the ByWard Market.

Best for: Casual celebrations.

It has no ceremony room. I use its live-night stage and PA setup.

Gitanes

361 Elgin Street, Centretown

Gitanes is a French bistro at 361 Elgin Street in Centretown.

Best for: Small weddings.

It has one tight dining room that seats around 50.

Wedding guests dancing with glow sticks in a barn reception
A packed floor, mid-set.

Mill Street Brew Pub

LeBreton Flats

Mill Street Brew Pub is in the 1842 Thompson-Perkins Mill at LeBreton Flats.

Best for: Couples who like a stone mill by the river.

Dinner and dancing share the second-floor room. I played it in 2026.

Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market

ByWard Market

Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market spreads the day over several floors.

Best for: Couples who want a hotel day with cocktails upstairs.

The ceremony and reception are on the second floor, and cocktails are on the 16th. I plan sound and timing between floors, and I played it in 2026.

Guests in kilts dancing around the bride on the dance floor at Andaz Ottawa under blue light
Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market. Ceremony and reception on the second floor, cocktails on the 16th.

The Parlour

Wellington Street West

The Parlour is a restaurant and event space on Wellington Street West.

Best for: Couples who want it all in one place.

It has private patios. Ceremony to last dance can happen in one place. I played it in 2026.

Just beyond downtown Ottawa

One more room I cover sits outside the downtown core. Le Peaches & Cream in Low has its own page, and it is in my Gatineau guide.

The Marshes Golf Club

Terry Fox Drive

The Marshes Golf Club is on Terry Fox Drive.

Best for: Couples who want an open golf clubhouse.

The floor goes in the dining room, middle-right near the bar. The dancing stays near the energy.

The Parlour in detail

The Parlour in detail

The Parlour is on Wellington St W. It's a restaurant and event space with private patios, so ceremony to last dance can happen in one place. I played it in 2026.

Booked one of these rooms? Check if I'm free.