A circus training studio in Toronto has transformed into a micro wedding venue to try and offset their facility costs and also help employ out-of-work circus performers and other professionals from the event industry.

Studio Flux launched their micro wedding services this week and are taking post-lockdown bookings.

Pre-pandemic, the space hosted classes for The Circus Fix and Shayna Segal Pilates.

It opened just over four years ago, and while the professionals that train at the space are no stranger to weddings and events, they normally work international stage shows, festivals and for multiple different circus companies.

The studio space has been closed since Mar. 16 with no classes, rehearsals or performances running and has struggled to pay commercial rent. According to an open letter Studio Flux encourages their community to send to MPPs, their "landlord is unwilling to negotiate and the owner has elected not to participate in CECRA."

The Circus Fix and Studio Flux are owned by Jamie Holmes, and Shayna Segal Pilates is owned by Shayna Segal. The two have over 35 years of combined experience in the events business and floral design, and came up with the micro wedding concept together.

"Shayna and I were trying to figure out a way to keep bringing in money for the studio due to the pandemic, as well as bring work to the circus artists as this pandemic has hit the fitness industry and the artists so hard," Holmes tells blogTO.

"The truth is that in-person shows will be the last to come back." 

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Studio Flux is offering micro weddings in two tiered packages with a range of add-ons. The "Lavish" package is $5,000 and the "Extravagant" package is $8,000. The main circus space with soaring ceilings is now the venue space, and the pilates studio has been transformed into a bridal suite.

The Lavish packages lets you have use of the venue and sound system for two hours plus ceremony decor, and the Extravagant package allows for two and a half hours' use of the venue plus ceremony decor, sound system, an aerial circus performance, officiant, photographer and videographer.

You can also add on all those services a la carte, if you will, as well as other services like hair, makeup, an additional hour of reception or an additional circus performer, a COVID-safe concession stand, custom florals or custom dining packages like a food truck or nearby restaurant patio (pending restrictions).

"We have been given an opportunity to reinvent our idea of how weddings are supposed to be, to allow for creativity, play and some joy in these challenging times," says Holmes. "Bringing back the focus to what this day is truly about without giving up on any of the extravagance and intimate details."

COVID-19 protocols in place at the time of events will be strictly followed, including those dictating maximum capacity for indoor events.