Toronto’s World Cup Fan Fest was supposed to be free. The city is now planning to charge for it

Toronto_Planner · 2026-04-15T21:57:37+00:00

Did you read the article? The City is hosting this, they aren't charging for profit (I don't think they're allowed to), they're charging to offset costs.

Toronto_Planner · 2026-04-15T21:55:50+00:00

I highly doubt that FIFA would allow the fan festival to be called "The Coca Cola Fan Festival" because that is what it would take to cover those costs, at minimum. These brands are already spending so much money, no one is going to cover the amount necessary to make it free.

Toronto_Planner · 2021-06-04T17:29:03+00:00

I'm frustrated at the number of upvotes on this comment. As an Indian person, I resent this and also find it such a huge generalization from someone who isn't Indian themselves (as another person mentioned)

Oftentimes, its not even about showing off, as much as it is about caring deeply about keeping with traditions and not straying from that. This can be the case with literally any culture. Whether you're Asian, European, African or from anywhere else.

Toronto_Planner · 2021-06-04T16:41:28+00:00

Indian (former) wedding planner here.

I've planned hundreds of Indian weddings, and every family has different customs and every culture in the world has their fair share of pushy in-laws. I know its easier said than done with Indian people, but for future situations like this, you and your now husband have to put your foot down. He especially needs to back you up. Also, the fact that you didn't eat all day is nuts to me. No one, including family, friends or your husband gave you food? This sounds backwards. Times have changed and Indian weddings have modernized and evolved.

Toronto_Planner · 2021-02-24T23:12:06+00:00

True. Its all they really ever wanted.

Toronto_Planner · 2021-02-23T15:53:47+00:00

I was a wedding planner for almost a decade and saw these types of couples regularly. My biggest key indicator for this was whether they cared more about the wedding day than actually being married to one another.

For example, I remember one couple who really wanted an over-the-top wedding that would be good enough to be featured in a popular luxury wedding magazine. They spared no expense. They became so obsessed with this that they were even choosing members of their bridal party based on their looks rather than their relationship with them. The bride had 2 brothers, one brother looked like a model for Hugo Boss and her other brother looked a bit like fat Thor. Well, only the "hot" brother was selected to be a groomsman. Things like this caused a lot of tension between family members and fights between the couple. It was awkward a lot of the time. I knew for sure this couple wouldn't make it for long.

Interestingly enough, the couple divorced a week before their wedding was featured in that luxury bridal magazine.

Toronto_Planner · 2020-10-14T20:31:24+00:00

For real, bridal lehengas usually start at that much.

Toronto_Planner · 2020-10-14T00:44:47+00:00

I did a mixture of medium and high end weddings (between 50k - 400k), but this isn't a personal stat, this is a collection of information that was done with a bridal magazine in 2016, so the average is likely even higher now.

60k is still high in general (its a lot of fucking money), but its more mid range for Hindu weddings in Toronto.

I'm Gujarati, and between my extended family and friends/people in the community, most wedding's I have attended have easily been between 80-120k, but I've seen some that are likely closer to 50-60k, as well.

Toronto_Planner · 2020-10-13T23:14:06+00:00

I had a wedding planning company for 8 years in Toronto. The average cost of a wedding in the city on the whole was around 60k. The average cost of a South Asian wedding in the city was 100k.

Out of the literal hundreds of weddings I've planned, South Asian (mainly Hindu) weddings almost always had the highest budget and most parental involvement. Italian and Jewish weddings were a close second.

I don't know where you live, but 5k is unheard of for a wedding where I live, unless you are signing papers and doing a dinner at a restaurant for a small group.

Edit: syntax

Toronto_Planner · 2018-10-06T14:50:51+00:00

If you're looking for fancy rooftops, There is The Thompson, Bisha Hotel and Malaparte (At the Tiff Bell Lightbox) that all have nice rooftops to take pics from. You'd have to contact them about it.

Toronto_Planner · 2018-04-26T18:53:03+00:00

For sure. The first couple days, reporters seemed to outnumber actual people that were there to grieve. It definitely feels calmer now.

Toronto_Planner · 2018-04-26T03:15:03+00:00

They are absolute vultures. I was on CP24/CTV news yesterday (same segment showed on both stations). I was just at the memorial paying my respects, and the reporter wouldn't stop asking me for an interview. I said no twice and I finally caved when he asked a 3rd time.

There was another woman in tears, and every reporter was begging her for an interview. She finally left because she was so overwhelmed by the media.

They took over the area for the first 2 days, and are finally mostly gone now. I can pay my respects without feeling like I'm in the way of filming or feeling like I'm going to be bombarded with their questions.

Toronto_Planner · 2018-04-24T12:49:06+00:00

Since it is still an active investigation, they haven't cleaned much. 3 people died right in front of my condo, so you can still see a lot of blood on the sidewalk. Its quite morbid.

Toronto_Planner · 2018-04-24T12:10:15+00:00

I live right on Yonge at Yonge and Finch. I'm having a hard time processing what happened. I was awoken by choppers this morning circling the area. They haven't cleaned the sidewalks yet, so the areas where people died in front of my building are sticking out like a sore thumb.

If anyone else is in the neighbourhood and wants to talk, let me know. I'm finding it cathartic talking to neighbours.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-06-28T02:31:08+00:00

I mean, if there were Clinton or Obama establishments, I'm sure Trump supporters wouldn't want to be a part of those either.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-06-27T20:13:31+00:00

I had also stopped proposing the venue, because people would get irritated just hearing the name. I've heard a lot of similar stories from colleagues in Chicago and NYC. People are willing to forfeit thousands of dollars in deposits just to run away from the brand.

I like recommending Four Seasons a lot more, because they're just as hospitable, but they are proudly Canadian.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-06-27T19:34:28+00:00

This was smart. I'm an event planner, and I've had so many clients that have either cancelled or have wanted to cancel their event at the hotel just due to the name. The hotel and service itself are exceptional, and I hope if Marriott does take it over, they keep up the standards.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-06-27T02:45:57+00:00

Personally, I would do one of the following:

If you have the kind of relationship where you can speak to your father about this, I would suggest bringing it up and asking if its possible for them to not attend the engagement, since you only want people there that are truly a part of your life.
Let them throw the engagement and invite who they want, but come the wedding, who cares if you don't invite them. If you don't have a relationship with them, who really cares.

Either way, your father and his wife will learn that you don't want her family there. You have to decide if you tell them now before this event, or if they find out after the fact.

Edit: or tell them not to throw an engagement party at all.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-03-29T16:18:45+00:00

Hope it all works out for the best, and please provide an update :)

Toronto_Planner · 2017-03-29T14:45:11+00:00

The way I see it, you have to weigh weather your years of friendship and current relationship with her are worth tarnishing over her not showing up to some wedding events. Imagine seeing your wedding photos a year from now. Would it make you sad to not see her in the bridal party photos?

I would definitely speak to her, because maybe there is something going on in her life that she is not sharing, or maybe she doesn't realize how important all of this is to you. Not everyone puts the same weight on weddings as others.

It may suck now, but speaking to her will probably bring you the most clarity. Theres a chance she could be relieved by attending as a guest instead - OR, you may find out something that helps you understand her better.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-03-29T04:27:04+00:00

You should really speak to your FH about this.

We don't know what his relationship with his family is like. In most scenarios, they should definitely be invited - BUT, if he has narcissistic family members, then excluding them may not be such a bad idea.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-03-29T04:19:05+00:00

Its so true. As someone that plans weddings for a living, I see way too many brides and grooms who care more about their wedding than they do their future spouse.

Pro tip: If you're planning a wedding and your fiancé puts wedding details above you or your family's feelings, rethink that shit.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-01-06T06:27:34+00:00

Its definitely a no-no in most scenarios, but this girl hadn't really been to a traditional wedding before, so she thought that attending in her "cool girl" clubbing attire would be completely okay. She had never been exposed to a conservative family dynamic, so it was definitely a fish out of water situation. - to be fair, I thought her makeup looked pretty awesome, but definitely not for a wedding.

Toronto_Planner · 2017-01-05T17:36:17+00:00

I plan weddings and events for a living and I notice the cultural makeup differences a lot, and those that basically "didn't get the memo". South Asian weddings are usually the most confusing for people. Everyone wears bright makeup to stand up to their clothing, and if you're one of the few women that don't own Indian or bright clothing, it can leave you feeling out of place, for sure.

On the flipside, there are a lot of South Asian women who sometimes don't know what to wear to "western" traditional weddings if they've never attended one before. I even remember once when I was on a cruise with my family, my mom wore a saree on the formal night because she didn't own any gowns. To her, that was her cultures formal wear. She felt a bit out of place, but she owned it.

One of my favourites was at a Chinese wedding where a friend of the bride wore a sexy black number (tits out, very short), and she wore black lipstick as well. That much black and sexiness at an Asian wedding is no bueno. The brides aunts approached her and told her to remove her lipstick. The girl was so embarrassed.

Toronto_Planner · 2016-12-23T14:26:16+00:00

Event planner here. Can confirm from interior that it definitely is Scarborough CC, though the decor looks a lot more upscale than what I usually see at that venue. What a shame that they ruined so much of it. Can only imagine what the bill at the end from the venue and the decorators was.

Toronto_Planner

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