The Canal

First off, let me say that I do not envy people in the service industry. It’s difficult to cater to every person’s wants, wishes, and needs for a one day event three to five times a week. Throw in the fact that you’re in the wedding business — an event the some people dream about their entire lives — and there’s a lot of expectations for perfection.
My wife and I had our wedding at The Canal a few weeks ago. We were engaged for almost two years and signed with The Canal about a year and a half before the wedding. Their contract was thorough and concise. It helps that we did plenty of research and talked to our friends about questions to ask to make sure we were covered including lighting, food/​alcohol, cake cutting, champagne toasts, linens, and setup.
It is true that not every e-​mail was met with immediate response. One has to realize that they are likely receiving several e-​mails a day from different couples/​groups and should be prioritized based on proximity to the wedding date. Our e-​mails were usually answered within a couple of days and, if not, I would pick up the phone and call them to get a quick answer. (General note from experience in my day job, it’s better to treat people as partners in your day rather than just a vendor).
Jewel Hospitality was easy to work with during the engagement and accommodated us for meetings such as a meeting with the Jewel coordinator, walk-​thru with our separate day of coordinator, and the rehearsal. They made every accommodation that we asked for without a headache. They even trimmed some of the plants per my request as I thought it would interrupt the guests’ line of sight during the ceremony.
On the day of, the wedding went perfectly from start to finish. The food was fantastic — most people went back for second and third helpings and some people had servings of steak on one plate. The mushroom risotto was especially delicious (this was a special request, not on their normal menus). The banquet captain saved pass-​around appetizers for my wife and I and set them at our head table while when we finally got a chance to sit and relax.
My word of advice, as stated before, is to treat the venue and vendors as partners rather than a business. I was originally opposed to hiring a day-​of-​event coordinator, but it was the best investment we made for less than $ 1K. Try to learn patience and understanding. This is coming from someone that demands results and usually overreacts when things don’t go according to plan. Don’t sweat about the details and just enjoy the time with your friends and family because these will be the best memories in the end.
The Canal and Jewel Hospitality were worth all five stars to my wife and I. We are so happy that we chose The Canal and can’t wait for the photos and videos to re-​live the memories.

Great views, horrible customer service, both from the office and catering staff.
I am a veteran of one of the best catering companies in Colorado (the picnic basket).
Never in a million years would a decent catering company treat our wedding party and guests the way we were treated by jewel. Once they have your money and contract signed, abandon all hope.
They didn’t take care of the head table, no water glasses on any table. The captain of the catering crew was disorganized and let us know through her groans and facial expressions she really thought this was a bother for her.
When I worked I catering, it was about the customer. They are what gives you a job and a paycheck, so try to be gracious and do your damn job. Broken glass on the floor, a punk kid who didn’t want to pour water for the head table. It goes on. They tried to take our leftover wedding cake, but we got that back. They did take our leftover food without asking us. Big rule Jewel-​try asking the people paying you what they wanted to do with the expensive leftovers. Please check out other venues. This is Washington state, this is Seattle. You can do better than this company and experience less stress.

I got married here a little over a week ago and I have to warn others what a disappointment it really turned out to be. The only reason my wedding turned out perfect was due to the support of family, friends and our other AMAZING vendors!
We looked for wedding venues right after getting engaged and met with a rep to do a walk through of The canal. The venue and location of the venue is absolutely gorgeous and that is really their only saving grace. They have a beautiful back deck that overlooks the Hiram Chittenden locks but again, this is their ONLY saving grace. Side note: When we did our walk through we noticed a few easy fixes that we mentioned to The rep that needed fixed. IE: the lightbulb under the patio tent that was still broken and exposed the day of our event. FIX IT
When we booked the venue we were assigned a «wedding coordinator» Luba Yurkin. She did little to eve respond to my emails and I think the whole year that she was assigned to us before leaving The Canal she responded to my emails once or twice (I wish I was joking). This caused a lot of stress and worry on myself as well as my parents. The one thing that she did respond to was an email about a wedding tasting which she made sound like a very intimate small event. When my husband and I arrived we found around maybe 150 – 200 other people swarming around the venue. This itself was a disappointment and no one from the venue that we had spoken to before was there and no one bothered to check on us or make us feel special/​appreciated for being there and choosing their venue. Nope, nothing so we left feeling forgotten and disappointed… After this I had NO contact with anyone after countless emails up until about 3 – 4 months before our event date when I found out that the «wedding coordinator» Luba was no longer with Jewel Hospitality. I was livid. I tried contacting the new «wedding coordinator» Liz Moore and was met with no response when asking simple questions about a walk through, event details, pretty easy questions that with a simple email back would have eased my stressed out mind. After not hearing from ANYONE for another 2 weeks, I took it upon myself to email the CEO, Marcia Evans. She wrote me a half assed apology email about how Liz is brand new and they have also appointed an assistant Alberto Malfavon to help. Still no correspondence… And when we DID hear back from the assistant Alberto, he emailed us the wrong floor plan not once, but twice. Again I cannot explain the stress and worry this caused us especially knowing that my parents were paying quite a bit for the way below average customer service of this venue. Let’s fast forward a little bit to the walk through where I actually met Liz Moore. I felt rushed and her attitude was almost like she had better things to do than to help us plan our big day and do her job.
Again, let’s fast forward but this time to the rehearsal. We arrived at 10 AM in the morning as this was the best we could get from the venue and were met with a woman named Laurie. NOT Liz or Alberto. I was floored. We asked where either one of them were to which she replied «I’m so sorry I am late, they had you guys scheduled for the BALLARD BAY CLUB venue.» The same effing venue that Alberto had incorrectly emailed to us twice and the same venue that I and my mother made very clear that we were not scheduled at. At this point, I almost lost it. Laurie followed the first outrageous question with «what is your guest count, how many chairs, what are your decorations» all of the same questions Liz was supposed to forward to everyone and make sure it was taken care of. My husband stepped in and let Laurie have it as anyone would have. This was the day before the wedding and needless to say, stressed me to the point of tears. After my husband got it through to her that this is not acceptable, I demanded that she call Liz and collect whatever information that she should have already had prior to coming to the venue to meet us.
DAY OF: The catering staff, Laurie included were far less that par and possibly mediocre at best. While seated at the head table, there were no refreshments and one of the groomsmen/​my DJ/​my photographers had to get us the water pitchers and glasses. When Laurie realized that we were doing this, she made a half assed effort to take this task over, griping about it the whole time. We were about to start the buffet line with the us and the bridal party going first and the catering people ran in front of us with the plates and silverware that were not even put out yet. No customer service, communication skills and absolutely NO organizational skills whatsoever. The only reason this place got 2 stara was because it is gorgeous. But save yourself the stress and find an equally beautiful venue with better customer service. I was in no way hard to work with btw, in fact a pretty laid back bride. This place was just a big disappointment and should re-​evaulate their staff

Good place for a medium sized event. Watch the parking thou there are no gates and people left cars there but were of course not at the wedding. Kids loved it because of a constant parade of small to medium large boats leaving the harbor to the bay thru the locks.

I recently attended the
gala at The Canal. Lovely venue and great service. I had the salmon dinner and it was just fabulous!

We worked with Luba in planning our Sept. 1^st wedding at the Canal; everything went flawless. The day of coordinator and the chef did a phenomenal job bringing everything together for us. We wanted to highlight Seattle and the Canal did exactly that. It’s a beautiful and unique venue that worked out perfect; the great dance floor and awesome patio provided excellent flow for our guests. Wedding food is usually not something you remember, however everything from the appetizers to our custom buffet, it truly felt like a gourmet restaurant; we had nothing but rave reviews about the food. We are so glad we chose the Canal; would highly recommend the venue and staff.

Great location, well kept, and great service. Only problem with the outdoor wedding that I when to, is the planes flying over head. I’m not sure if they carter the food but if they did, it was really great food. The place was a little hard to find for the taxi guy. Plenty of parking. It’s like a hidden jewel.

I went here for a luncheon, so bear that in mind.
I really enjoyed the salad that made use of local produce (raspberries and peaches). The bread appeared to be freshly baked, and in twists. The pasta and chicken were a bit lacklustre (i.e. bland and warm) but the rest was good.

We had our wedding here, and Luba and the rest of the canal’s team made it a wonderful event.
When it came to planning the event, Luba was extremely responsive, and carried out details perfectly.
As for the event itself, the drinks were great, the food was fantastic, and the facilities were gorgeous. (We were a bit worried about a train going by during our outdoor ceremony, but none went by!)
Pro tip: bacon-​wrapped sweet potato is the best appetizer on the menu.

A day on the patio, sipping a drink, enjoying the view — you’d be hard pressed to imagine a better day. That pretty much describes my last visit to The Canal.
The parking lot is is helpful and since I’m always early or on time, I’ve never had a problem finding parking. Being able to stop by and enjoy the view of the water is a good thing.
The facility is beautiful and spacious. There is a large space that can be open for dancing or mingling, set with tall tables to set your drinks on. There is an elevated area where you can sit down and enjoy the view. I like the location of the bar, which is right near the door to the patio, offering easy access to all guests. They also had a water station right by the door which was great on a warm day.
In addition to a large space inside, there is a patio outside (part of it is uncovered for pesky Seattle rain). On this particular day, the Jewel Hospitality staff had the grill lit up and were making beef and veggie sliders. In general, the food could use some improvement.
In terms of outdoor seating, well, it doesn’t get much better. Sitting with friends, sippling a drink, having a bite to eat, and chatting — pretty much a perfect day to me. The view is great! Beautiful view of the water, the Locks, and boats drifting by.
Since I haven’t negotiated the space for an event, I can’t really speak to that part of it. In terms of staff, I thought the staffing level was appropriate for events I’ve attending and everyone has offered a high level of service to me as an attendee.

Had a company function here and didn’t hear one complaint!
Jewel Hospitality was a pleasure to work with from the start — they were very responsive, wrote up a quote right away, and were very patient with all the changes and last minute issues that came up. It is really nice to find a caterer that is on top of their game!
We wanted to hold a function in a nice location, but still keep things casual with a bbq theme. The space itself is nice and the perfect size for a group of around 60. They have their own private lot, which is a must in Ballard if you want to have a group function of any kind. It was great to have a view of the passing boats, although they were a little distracting during our meeting.
We had a large spread of food — caesar salad, fruit salad, potato salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, grilled salmon, baby back ribs, burgers with all the fixings, corn bread, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was all very well cooked and everyone left very full!
Overall, great space and great catering!

The Canal is great event space! Just went last night for a birthday party and had a blast! The catered food was good, the bartender was super nice, everything was spot on. So glad I finally got to see the space. I’ll recommend this venue to friends looking for party/​reception space.

I just got married March 2013 and let me say that my wedding went so smoothly, was beautiful, affordable, the food was great (Oh Prime rib and Amazing asparagus!), the cupcakes (provided by their catering) were fantastic. We even got a specialized one to taste like apple pie. and their amazing red velvet. They smoothly transitioned us from the ceremony to drinks, while they cleared the chairs off the dance floor. Truly it was a fun amazing wedding that couldn’t have gone more smoothly and been better if I had though. If you are thinking of getting married here I honestly, truly recommend it!!!
Oh, we also did beer and wine, but they had a cash bar too that my guests loved. They said it was so easy to get drinks!!! LOVE this place!

I recently came here for a wedding and it was beautiful! The view of the Ballard locks is just phenomenal — especially when it is sunny and nice outside. The room was divided into two levels — the bottom level is where the ceremony was held, where the food was served, had seating for dinner, and where the dancing was afterward whereas the upper level only had seating for dinner. The transition from one wedding activity to the next was flawless — my only complaint with the set up was the proximity of chairs to one another during the ceremony. They were uncomfortably close. And I’m tiny! The food was lovely for wedding food — this venue does a great job managing its small space. Overall, nice little venue!

I was here for a wedding back in August. The venue was just gorgeous. The locks being so close made for a great back drop. The patios outside may it so nice to enjoy a warm, Seattle evening as the inside heated up.
The back room to get ready in was nice. The only layout was ok, but for a wedding I feel like some tables may have felt they were pushed to the back of the room. However, those back of the room tables had some of the best views in the house.
The staff I encountered while helping the bride set up and throughout the night were fabulous. They were understanding of lots of questions and always willing to help.
I really enjoyed the wedding and loved the venue!

We had our July wedding at The Canal, which is owned by Jewel Hospitality. The Canal was a great backdrop for the event and we really enjoyed having our wedding there.
The venue (⁵⁄₅):
Pros:
–The venue is beautiful. The tastefully decorated inside has a fun salmon theme that runs throughout the rooms. The real assets are the large windows and outdoor areas (both covered and uncovered). The views of the Canal and the trestle bridge are really beautiful, especially in the evening.
–The patio area is nicely landscaped with lots of gorgeous flowers.
–The venue can accommodate an outdoor wedding (out on the patio), a semi-​outdoor wedding (under the awning on the patio), and an indoor wedding (on the dance floor). The venue is flexible about where you have your ceremony, which is great in Seattle’s fickle weather. Our plans for an all-​outdoor wedding had to shift to a semi-​outdoor wedding only an hour before the ceremony. The set-​up staff handled this without any problems.
–Free parking in a decent-​sized lot that is literally steps away from the front entrance.
–The venue is walking distance to the Hiram Chittenden locks and the salmon ladders.
–The venue was great for our small wedding (approx. 80). It was big enough for everyone to have space to eat, drink, and dance, but it was small enough for everyone to be close.
Cons:
–The Canal has a lot of rules about what you can and cannot have/​do at the wedding. Many of these are state or city laws, but it can be confusing and/​or frustrating.
–Set-​up only begins 2 hours before the start of the event, which can be tough if you are incorporating a lot of do-​it-​yourself stuff and having friends and family help out with set up.
–The ceremony rehearsal times are pretty limited. For our Sunday wedding, we ended up having to rehearse immediately prior to the actual ceremony because we could not get access to the venue on Saturday. This made our Sunday timeline pretty cramped.
The event staff & catering (⁴⁄₅):
Pros:
–Everyone was very attentive to our needs. We were able to visit the venue multiple times prior to our date to iron out details.
–On the day of the wedding, the service was very good and everyone worked hard to make it a wonderful day for us.
–The food was delicious and nicely presented.
Cons:
–Over the course of things, we had 4 different contacts at Jewel. We first had an initial sales contact, then two different event coordinators, and lastly a banquet captain. There was definitely some information that got lost along the way so make sure to confirm everything with each contact. I personally did not like the fact that the event coordinator is not present or available to contact on the day of the wedding. I didn’t like leaving everything to the banquet captain, whom you don’t meet in advance. Everything worked out okay, but it was an extra source of anxiety.
–If you cannot attend the major tasting event of the season, you can only sample a small selection of dishes (4 – 5 items). This means you may be making a choice based on something you haven’t tasted.
–The billing system is confusing. At a handful of different points, we had to call Jewel to ask what certain charges meant or how they were calculated. After the wedding, we were told there was an overage, but it was never explained how it was calculated. Again, everything worked out okay, but the billing is needlessly confusing.
Overall, I would definitely recommend both The Canal and Jewel Hospitality. Of course, there were minor snags, but that’s true of all venues and caterers. All in all, we loved having our wedding at The Canal.

Came to Seattle in April for Cupcake camp!
This venue is cool, right by the water. Nice, clean spacious. Definitely good for mini corporate events… not large ones but medium size ones and other similar events. On the water and has a nice outdoor patio area. The parking lot is sorta small.
Overall, seemed like a nice venue however i wish the way they set up the event was a little better. Nevertheless, nice space, but ive been in better.

went there for a wedding recently. i found parking was a tiny bit cramped. there was an announcement that a few people had parked on the WORKING railroad tracks. remember that scene in Inception when that freight train goes barreling down the the downtown street? hmmmmm…
the inside area is nice. they had it set up with 3 different levels of dining areas. the bar area could get a little congested with all the people mingling.
the food by Jewel was pretty good. i thought the fish was better than the chicken. salads were good. mashed potatoes were good. wedding cake (although i don’t know where it came from) was good.
the servers seem to be on top of all the action.
PA system worked well (don’t know where it was from).
all in all a very good venue it seems — from an attendee’s point of view.

We held our wedding here and we found the look and feel of the space matched us completely. It’s kind of a modern nature décor, and is already decorated such that not many other decorations for the wedding were needed. We held the ceremony indoors, in front of the big windows overlooking the locks. Very pretty. During the reception, guests were able to see the boats coming and going. The space feels intimate and cozy.
The only problem we had was the communication between the staff at the venue and the staff at Jewel Hospitality. We came for our rehearsal and there was another event taking place! We had to push our rehearsal back an hour, and also push our rehearsal dinner back, which was an issue. But it all worked out in the end, and the people at The Canal were very apologetic.
Actually, the banquet captain ended up being awesome, keeping things going and putting out fires. Very nice and super professional.
I would definitely recommend this place for weddings, or any important event.

***** 200^th review, HOLLAAAAA *****
I attended a wedding here, so my review will cover the venue, the food, and the service. (not sure what parts were provided by different companies.)
It was a lovely Sunday in Seattle for a wedding! We found the place easily enough but the parking lot maybe holds 30 cars, and the spots were small. Otherwise, folks parked a little down the way along the railroad track (a train does run through there, we were told, so don’t park ON the tracks) with other people who were visiting the Locks.
We found parking across the street behind the Totem House by some residential buildings and made it to the ceremony on time.
The ceremony was on the back patio near the water. The flow was a bit odd, kind of like an inverted loose «L» shape. Those sitting next to the building under the shade were angled and so could not really see the ceremony at the end. I sat in the first row of the set near the building and was able to see okay. Folks who sat at the end where the ceremony was, did not have shade and it was SUNNY!
They used a microphone for the ceremony which was good because there was a fair bit of boat traffic (loud motors and people talking over loudspeaker), not to mention the dinging of the bridge going down and the rumble of the Sounder coming through, and the seaplanes flying over. But it was all, incredibly «Seattle» and we all took it in with smiles and patience.
After the ceremony, we went inside and ordered some cold drinks from the bar. The ladies at the counter were very nice and efficient. There were a couple waiters coming through with appetizers, scallops, chicken kebabs, mushroom tarts. Very nice! There could have been more bistro tables available for people to set their drinks/​snacks on while standing though. And an antipasto table with seasoned olives, artichokes, zucchini, etc, cured meats, and bread was located nearby as they set up for dinner.
The dining area was several different levels, table rounds held about 10ppl. If you needed a fork or water refill, someone would routinely walk through and offer assistance.
Dinner was a buffet of AWESOME salad, mashed potatoes, roasted root veggies, fruits, salmon, and roast beef. It was verrrrrry tasty. When we were through, our plates were cleared, but we were welcome to go back for more (and when we remembered we had no forks, they gave us one quickly).
There is a good size dance floor, if you like that kind of thing. With the different overlooking levels of the dining area, one could stand and watch others dancing or giving talks. Big windows showed off lovely water views and the deck/​patio was amazing for relaxing.
The restrooms were large, clean, and smelled nice. And oh, there was a wedding coordinator-​type person there, she was very organized, greeted people, let them know where the restrooms were or the timing of events. I’m not sure if she came with the venue or separate, but she was pleasant.
We had a great time at our friends’ wedding, more importantly, they looked like they had an amazing time. As an attendee to the Canal, I thoroughly enjoyed our time here!