What is more perfect than getting married in a beautiful botanical garden? (Pretty much nothing!) The gorgeous Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the ideal place for your wedding, with so much to offer. It’s one of my favorite locations in all of New York. This Brooklyn Botanic Garden Wedding Guide will detail all the reasons this venue is one of the best in the entire city.
About a Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Wedding
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a beautiful paradise of trees, flowers, and lawns tucked away in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities. The Garden offers an unforgettable setting for your once-in-a-lifetime event, whether you’re planning an afternoon ceremony among the blossoms or a dance party beneath the stars. More than a century ago, Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded as the New York City area quickly developed into a cityscape of buildings and roads. Creating a public garden was one way to ensure that some green space remained.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has come to represent the best in urban gardening and horticultural display. Botanic gardens connect people to plants, fostering pleasure and curiosity while inspiring stewardship of our environment. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded in 1854 and was the first urban botanic garden in the United States. Additionally, it encourages people of all ages by hosting educational programs. These programs focus on learning by doing, and research focuses on understanding and conserving. Brooklyn Botanic Garden is also a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. So a portion of membership fees, benefit event tickets, and 100% of contributions are tax-deductible!
Indoor Reception Venues
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is an astonishing 52 acres. It provides a few spaces for rental, The Palm House and The Atrium. Like many buildings on the grounds, The Palm House features a glass-walled dome that hides inside the gardens. Directly outside is a grand patio and pond. The dome also lights up at night, adding color to your dream wedding. The Palm House accommodates up to 250 seated guests.
The Lillian and Amy Goldman Atrium is a breathtaking, state-of-the-art, ecologically sustainable wedding venue. The building features a single large event room with one entire wall of glass looking out to the Garden’s Cherry Esplanade and an outdoor terrace. The flooring and much of the interior design is a matching hardwood. Above the structure, helping regulate temperature as well as adding an incredible look to the building, lives a living roof of native grasses and wildflowers. This luxurious Brooklyn Botanic Garden wedding venue accommodates up to 125 guests.
Outdoor Ceremonies
An early-morning wedding at Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a magical, intimate, and affordable affair. Couples and their guests get to explore a side of the Garden that few see, the quiet beauty of early morning! All ceremonies must begin at 9 AM and be completed by 10 AM.
The Gardens accepts bookings on a first-come, first-served basis. Spring and summer are very popular seasons at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, so planning for your event early is encouraged! Only two ceremonies are permitted daily on Saturday and Sunday. Making it even more crucial to book and secure the date you want!
But do keep in mind the park requires a nonrefundable fee to book. So ceremonies are held rain or shine, as there is no indoor facility available in the event of unsavory weather.
For your ceremony, based upon availability, you get the choice of the Water Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, Osborne Garden, or Plant Family Collection. Ceremonies are also all stand-up. Meaning there can be no chairs, tables, decorations, balloons, rice, or birdseed. However, low-volume music and small, portable chuppahs are acceptable.
Ceremony booking fees include all fees for photography. However, all rules on photographing in the Garden apply. Photography sessions that extend beyond 10 AM will require a separate portrait photography permit.
Photography Opportunities
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, oh-so-obviously, has so many beautiful backdrops and scenery to offer! No matter where you go in the garden, you’re sure to find incredible photography opportunities, whether outside along a pathway or inside one of the observatories! The Water Garden, Herb Garden, Overlook, and Rock Garden all offer beautiful outdoor exhibits, perfect for spontaneous images or light posing with tons of natural light! The Overlook would be breathtaking, as it overlooks the entirety of the garden and truly offers unlimited views!
The Plant Family Collection, Desert Pavilion, Tropical Pavilion, Warm Temperate Pavilion, Aquatic House & Orchid Collection, and Bonsai Museum feature stunning pathways and plants, giving the perfect opportunity for any posed shoots and more controlled lighting.
Other hotspots that have beautiful spots to offer include the Lily Pool Terrace, Magnolia Plaza, Fragrance Garden, Shakespeare Garden, Celebrity Path, Daffodil Hill, Conifer Collection, Bluebell Wood, Tree Peonies, Ginkgo Allee, the Rose Garden, Native Flora Garden, Lilac Collection, Maple Grove, Woodland Garden, and the Osborne Garden. Not to mention, Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers you the opportunity to surround yourself with beautiful pink cherry blossoms and Japanese beauty in its Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and Cherry Esplanade! Just note that springtime is the peak season for those gorgeous pink blossoms!
Dining Options
Brooklyn Botanic Garden also pairs with Patina Events at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which offers more than just weddings. They also provide social events, corporate events, bar mitzvahs, engagement parties, and rehearsal dinners! Their impeccable culinary artistry and inventive design allow Brooklyn Botanic Garden to design every detail of your vision to ensure an unforgettable affair! A dedicated team of chefs, exceptional service, and genuine hospitality distinguish Patina as a culinary art form. Thus bringing you some fantastic options for your catered event!
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Wedding
Suppose you love plants, being outside, and want to support a local nonprofit. In that case, Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers a large, beautifully laid space for your wedding day and small intimate ceremony options! So you know you can not go wrong with a Brooklyn Botanic Gardens wedding. Happy planning!
