Jewel Hospitality

Our wedding was at The Canal in Ballard. From the moment we walked in we fell in love with it and knew it would be perfect for our wedding. The staff are nothing short of amazing and we are so thankful for all the help, support and advise they provided along the way. The food, decorations and cake were to die for! If you are even thinking about The Canal as your venue you have to do, you will not be sorry or regret anything!

I was overall very very very pleased with Jewel Hospitality in the process of planning for my wedding. I used their venue "The Canal" by the Ballard Locks for both our ceremony and reception and it was one of the best decisions I made in the entire process. We got a great deal on the site fee by booking an off-season special, and they were very willing to work with me on modifying the menu/buffet options to fit our budget. It's going to be a bit more expensive than some of the DIY venues/catering companies, but I think it was all very worth it! And who would want to do all of that work coordinating chairs/tables/flatware/etc. themselves anyway! The food was excellent, I can't express how many wonderful comments I got from our guests about the food. The girl who worked with me to coordinate our wedding went out of her way to ask the chef to make a special dish for some of our vegetarians, who aren't particularly fond of mushrooms either. Lastly, the staff that worked at our event were incredible. I can't thank them enough for what a great job they did, and how attentive they were to each of our guests and for helping my parents and family members clean-up and get out quickly after our reception was over. Thanks!!!!!

I had my reception at The Canal in October 2011. Everything was great! It's a beautiful space, and doesn't need much additional decoration. Every one I worked with was very professional and helpful, and was very prompt in returning e-mails and phone calls. Also, the food is delicious! Every one at our wedding was raving about the food. We had the beer and wine package, so I don't know how good the cocktails are, but I really enjoyed the wine. Overall, I was very pleased with the service, the location, the food, everything. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone.

Jewel Hospitality provided delicious food at a competitive price. Their staff are friendly and flexible. Our guests were raving regarding how delicious the food was and there was plenty for everyone. I would highly recommend their services to anyone.

Their food is amazing and their event staff do a good job. Communication could be a lot better though.

We had our wedding at Top of the Market which is run by Jewel. We had a fantastic evening with 98 guests, plus DJs, photographer and coordinator. It was snug, but we knew that going in and they accommodated our needs. I was a bit disappointed to learn that the coordinator I had been working with during my 6 months of planning left the company only 2 weeks before we had our wedding, but her replacement did a good job of finishing up the details. During the planning there was some confusion on receiving payment which seemed unprofessional but it was dealt with quickly. \r\nThe food turned out very well, we received compliments on that all night long and well after the wedding. The ambiance was great. I was a low maintenance bride who didn\'t put a lot of effort into decor and the space was beautiful without having to do a lot. People gathered around the windows as the sun went down and had a magnificent view. Overall it was a very good experience working with Jewel.

The Canal was awesome. Such a beautiful location and everyone I worked with there was super helpful and always got back to me quickly when I had questions or menu changes. I was nervous about using their catering as I don't live in Seattle and couldnt go to a tasting, but it all turned out really well and everyone had a great time. The service was attentive but not overbearing. And the location and views are so great!

We used Jewel Hospitality and got married at Top of the Market in Pike Place Market. I would totally recommend not only the venue, but the whole package. Marcia, Kristin and Rochelle were all friendly and helpful and the food was FANTASTIC!! We went with dinner stations, a unique alternative to the standard buffet! If you're looking for an intimate, beautiful, Seattle wedding...Top of the Market is perfect. We had 83 guests, 2 photographers, a DJ, 3 food stations, a bar, a beverage table and a photo booth and it all felt intimate yet there was still plenty of room!

The Canal is the perfect setting for a sophisticated Seattle event. The venue is unique in that it has both indoor and outdoor spaces. The earthtones and copper, as well as the soft lines lend a warmth to the indoor spaces that is lacking in many other venues. Guests told us they really felt like they were in Seattle here -- one of our goals when planning a wedding in the Pacific Northwest. The food was fantastic, the space interesting and inviting, and overall the staff was good to work with. Our only complaints included too few chairs being set up for our ceremony, too few waitstaff to get the dinner served at a reasonable pace, and our cutting cake being thrown away and not saved for us as we had requested.

When I was planning my wedding I worked in the catering business and because of the beautiful location of The Canal I could not use my own company (which would have saved money) Because they are their exclusive caterer. Well ...beware of them OVERCHARGING you. Make sure you see your MENU before SIGNING THE CONTRACT! If you ask for an itemized price per item they will NOT give it to you... The owner of the company got involved and basically told us that this is how it was and they do not divulge this information. Our wedding was Tapas and for the min of $43.95 per head we were getting a veggie tray, chicken skewers, prawn skewers, Watermelon Gazpacho shooters, fruit tray and Black beans. I am sorry but for $43.95 that does not sound like enough food. So all we were asking was a line item so that we knew what cost more and ask for subsitutions. Well they offered no help and no advice for substitutions. She was very nice but it would take her weeks to email you back.....people on my wedding day informed me that the passed champgane we paid for was not passed as people walked in and no chairs were set up 30 min before wedding so family friends were setting up the chairs! All the drama of them threatening to sue us because of our requests made the wedding planning horrible. As if you as the bride doesnt have enough drama to deal with as is.. You dont want your catering company and venue harassing you..... At the end of the day I say wait until another catering company is allowed to go to The Canal and then I am sure you will have a wonderful wedding day! BUT DO NOT BOOK any VENUES that Jewel Catering our exclusive to our your wedding day will be misery..

Our guests really got a kick out of our unique appetizers and fingerfoods! Had very unique, international foods that highlighted our backgrounds.

The Canal was a wonderful location for our wedding reception. From the moment we walked into it we knew we wanted to book it. Everyone we delt with during the planning of our menu etc. was wonderful. I mainly worked with Michelle and she was great. I would definatley recomend this venue to anyone, its beautiful there and the food is wonderful.

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.