About Us

Our Facility

Nestled on 9.5 wooded hectares in the west end of Ottawa, Aquatopia Conservatory is a gorgeous facility unlike any other venue in Canada, providing year-round public access to a tropical retail garden centre oasis. Lush foliage and aquatic features, a unique contemporary architectural design, and natural stone floors make Aquatopia an ideal, venue for weddings, private bistro-style culinary events, parties, and celebrations. Our building capacity is 150 guests, and we have ample parking for up to 90 vehicles.

 

Our Story

Aquatopia Conservatory is the creation of water garden specialists, Nicholas Bott and Catherine Neville.

This creative husband and wife team are the founders of The Pond Clinic Water Garden Centre, now operating from Aquatopia. With nearly twenty years of experience creating natural swimming pools, spas & water gardens in people’s backyards all across the National Capital Region, they were the perfect pair to create the tropical water garden spa-like oasis that is Aquatopia Conservatory.

The inspiration to produce weddings came during the planning phase of Aquatopia. Nicholas had recently completed the installation of a small water feature for the renovation of the historical ceremonial greenhouse at Rideau Hall. He worked alongside another contractor named Shane Pliska, president of Planterra Conservatory in West Bloomfield, MI. Learning of Nicholas & Catherine's plans for Aquatopia, Shane invited the couple & their team to visit Planterra, whose staff had begun producing world-class wedding events shortly after Planterra completed construction of their new facility in 2010. The Aquatopia team witnessed the production of a couple of gorgeous conservatory wedding events during their visit to Planterra, and the dream of Aquatopia Weddings was born.

It's worth noting that the founders of Aquatopia Conservatory were married in 1997 at their home in the Gatineau Hills, and they produced their own Medieval wedding day complete with authentic period costumes, music and food. Catherine even wrote a script for the ceremony in Shakespearian English, and Nicholas rode up to the event on horseback in full battle dress chain maille armour! Perhaps their wedding day was foreshadowing the future that lay ahead for them.

After two years of hard work, planning & construction, Aquatopia Water Garden Conservatory finally opened its garden centre to the public, and the events team produced their first wedding in May 2015. While we now produce dozens of weddings and social events each year, and our creative team designs and builds some of the most gorgeous aquatic landscapes in Canada, the Aquatopia story continues to unfold! Future plans include eco-friendly accommodations, a Scandinavian nature spa, and urban agriculture dining, all on a pristine lakefront setting within the Ottawa city limits.

Our Location