When Sylvia and Derek hired us to photograph their beautiful Storys Building wedding, we were very excited. The multi level edifice has almost two centuries of history to share and offers perfect backdrops for photography. The brides and grooms looking for a trendy spot to celebrate their big day in style will be delighted with the ambiance, the food and the service. Located in downtown Toronto, the event space is often THE spot where the premiere parties are held during TIFF. Enjoy this beautiful wedding photography gallery and find tips for a perfect wedding at the bottom of the page!
The couple chose have their first look at University of Toronto. 
The beautiful bride's grandfather travelled from Hungary to attend her celebration. 
Most brides and grooms tie the knot on the second floor of the building and the space can accommodate 200 guests.
The massive windows offer plenty of soft light and in combination with the candles, string light and exposed brick wall create a romantic atmosphere, perfect for your special day.
Because the aisle is fairly short, walk slowly so the wedding photographers have plenty of time to capture your beautiful smile.
Your cocktail hour will take place on the third floor and the space can accommodate about 200-250 standing guests. There are couches for your guests to sit or if you wish, for you to take editorial shots of you and your hubby.
The best spot to take group photographs is on the third floor during the cocktail hour. The massive windows and brick wall painted in white create a perfect combination for great family photos.
The industrial look of the building makes it perfect for editorial bride and groom images such the one below. That is of course, in addition to the plenty of candid photographs we will take during your big day.
The second floor is a perfect setting for a romantic dinner. The moody atmosphere is completed by the string lights that give the space a fairy tale look.
I strongly recommend allocating 5 minute for a night photo shoot. The building facade boasts splendid uplighting and we can create romantic images for the brides and grooms who love photography.
The Storys Building wedding cost (dinner) is between $70 and $90 per guest and includes the rental of the venue. The amount does not include an open bar. Taxes and gratuity apply.
After dinner, you and your guests will go to the third floor to dance the night away. Because the high ceiling is painted in dark brown, taking good dance photos is very difficult.
The romantic ambiance given by the large windows, exposed brick wall, wooden beams, string lights is perfect for your big day.
The food is delicious. The staff is professional and friendly. For example, after dinner the second floor was being prepared for the next day event. Still, the staff was very accommodating and allowed us to shoot a romantic image of the bride and groom.
One of the most important skills many event spaces lack is speed. The staff moves fast and there were never any delays in the timeline.
This is one of the trendiest venues in town and made it to our top 50 most popular venues in the GTA. As a Toronto wedding photography studio who has documented several hundreds of marriages, we can attest this is one of the top choices of a discerning couple.
Excellent location in downtown Toronto.
Easy to access by transit or car.
The location does not offer parking. Still, there is street parking found on Pearl St. and a parking lot is located at 150 Pearl Street, a 1-2 minute walk far from the venue. As usually, parking is expensive in this area and your guests will have to pay somewhere between $30 and $50 to park between 4 pm and 2 am. You could arrange to have valet parking for your guests if you want by talking with the event coordinator at Storys.
The venue is easy to access by TTC (public transit). The St. Andrew subway station is 350 m away and it takes your guests 4 minutes to walk from there to your special event. Also, there are streetcars (503, 504, 514) on King Street and of course, Uber.
Because of its prime location in downtown Toronto, the place is close to many hotels where the newlywed couple and their guests can feel like royalty. Among them, the most notable are Shangri-La (300 m), The Ritz Carlton (500 m), Bridgestreet Qwest (550 m), Hyatt Regency (350 m).
The 14,000 square feet event space is located in the Toronto Entertainment District at 11 Duncan Street, between King Street W and Pearl Street. It was established in 1992 and the venue can accommodate a 150-200 guests wedding and it is located on the second and third floor.
Currently the event space is home of Byblos Restaurant and it is operated by ICON Legacy Hospitality.
The building is made of bricks and beams and maintains the character of the original industrial space. That makes it perfect for downtown weddings with a rustic feel. The space underwent a thorough restoration and is now used for corporate events, marriages and movie premier parties. It is a Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) partner and among the many celebrities that came here we list only a few: Al Pacino, Will Ferrell, Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Richard Gere, Benicio Del Toro, Collin Farrell, Clive Owen, Matt Dillon, Kurt Russell and many, many more.
What impresses the couples who intend to tie the knot here is the industrial look showcasing exposed bricks, beams and piping giving the place plenty of character and charm.
Have your hair and makeup done at one of the above mentioned hotels and then head to the first look.
Build plenty of time buffers during your special day, especially if you plan to have a photo shoot after the reception. This area is the busiest in Toronto and driving to the venue is often a challenge.
Have the first look and the photo shoot before the ceremony (University of Toronto is perfect for that), then have lunch or a drink in the area so that you area not late for the ceremony.
Advise your guests to arrive early as finding parking can be a problem. Many weddings were delayed by members of the close family being late as they could not find parking.
The three level building has an elevator that can be accessed through Pearl Street. The main entrance does not have an elevator. You might want to inform your elder guests and the vendors about that option so that they don't have to carry heavy sound equipment and elements of decor on the stairs.
This special event could not be possible without the talent and efforts of the vendors team.
Photography: bycalin.com
MC: Mike Dagenais
DJ: Something Blue Wedding DJ
Cake: Stefanie Petruccelli
Lighting: Event Source
Officiant: Q Wilson
Flowers: Stok Floral
Hair and Makeup: Schultz Beauty
Sylvia and Derek got married on a beautiful day in July. After the beautiful bride had her hair and makeup done, the couple had a first look at Trinity Quad. That courtyard is the perfect setting for the bride and groom to spend time together and we did a quick photo shoot on site.
Please note that University of Toronto requires couples to purchase a Photography Permit and you can inquire about it here. As a side note, the 1 hour permit does not guarantee that you will be alone in the space and does not allow you to photograph indoors.
On the special day, there were plenty of students studying outdoors and we had to be careful not to capture them in the photos.
Afterwards we took the couple and the bridal party to a quick walk along the Philosophers' Path and caught some great shots at U of T.
When we were about to head to the venue for the ceremony, we were greeted by Spider Man who posed for us! It was such a nice touch to an already perfect big day!
Sylvia and Derek tied the knot on the second floor of the historical building. The windows allowed the sun to come in and the edison bulbs created a fairy tale atmosphere.
For the cocktail hour we went to the third floor and we took a combination of candid shots and family photographs while the staff prepared the room on the second floor for the reception.
The ambiance was fun and the food delicious. The bride and groom opened the dance floor with a choreographed dance and everybody danced the night away, including the beautiful bride's grandfather, a 94 year young gentleman who travelled from Hungary to see his granddaughter get married (photo below).
We finished the evening with some night shots and I have to say this was one of the most fun and beautiful special event I documented.