When travelling on Bayview Avenue between Lawrence Avenue East and Eglinton Avenue East, one can not go by without noticing the sprawling Sunnybrook Hospital with its various medical buildings and wards. It is certainly one of the larger hospitals in Toronto and covers a big space east of Bayview Avenue. When driving by, it is easy to overlook the Estates of Sunnybrook that is located behind the hospital buildings and is not visible from Bayview Avenue. Access to the Estates of Sunnybrook is achieved by turning off Bayview Avenue north of the main hospital entrance and driving a short distance on a local road that snakes behind the hospital and away from the bustle of Bayview. The Estates of Sunnybrook has three different wedding event locations that are within short walking distance from each other: Coach House, MacLean House and Vaughan Estates. Each location is surrounded by manicured green spaces with trees – very nice. On a delightful spring, summer, fall, or even winter day, each location is a perfect setting for a wedding with lots of areas on the estate to take photographs.
It appears that the Coach House is the smallest facility of the three that offers an intimate environment for a wedding with a smaller number of guests. Adjacent to the old and well maintained building is a small outdoor patio area where a wedding ceremony can be held. A door from the patio area takes you to a small and cozy reception area. I’m not sure how many people can be accommodated in the reception area, but if your wedding invitations consist only of family and close friends, the Coach House may be your best option.
The mid-size option on the estate seems to be MacLean House which is a short hop away from the Coach House. If you walk through the main set of doors at MacLean House and then walk straight ahead through another set of doors, you enter a patio area and a garden space where the ceremony can be held if the weather cooperates. The garden area has enough space to accommodate a number of rows of chairs for your guests on either side of the aisle. The ceremony can also be held inside in the reception area, which is an option if an outdoor ceremony is not your cup of tea or the weather on the day is an issue. The reception area has room for about eight or nine large round tables with the option of a piano if you prefer some light background music at certain times during the reception.
Vaughan Estates appears to be the building on the estate that offers the largest spaces. When Power Flowers provided flower arrangements for a wedding held during the summer, the ceremony was held in an outdoor enclosure across the road from Vaughan Estates which has sufficient space for guests to be seated on either side of the aisle. Lush trees provide a verdant background for an outdoor ceremony. The reception room certainly has enough room for a larger number of guests with lots of windows looking out to lovely green spaces. Throughout the year, the reception area is also used for events other than weddings such as corporate outings, birthday and anniversary celebrations, and other occasions.
If a wedding is on your horizon, I recommend visiting the Estates of Sunnybrook to see if one of their facilities is a good fit for you. The different sized locations on the estate to host a wedding ceremony and/or reception offers different options to match the size of your wedding. Since you can host a ceremony and reception on the same site, your guests will not have to get into their cars to make their way between the ceremony and reception locations. In addition, if your guests are mostly from Toronto, the central location of the Estates of Sunnybrook makes for a relatively short hop for many to Bayview Avenue north of Eglinton Street East. It’s also accessible from the TTC for those that use public transportation. Its secluded location behind Sunnybrook Hospital makes it feel that you are in a picturesque country setting away from busy roads and built-up areas.
Here are links on the Power Flowers web site displaying the different flower arrangements we provided for weddings held at the Estates of Sunnybrook:
