Desert Botanical Gardens

sari5765 · February 2010

Anyone have any experience with them? We're looking for an outdoor venue for a fall wedding and so far they're sounding pretty good. Any thoughts?

FutureMrsL.R.Allen · February 2010

Well, I used to work there, so I can probably answer any questions for you. In fact, I was the person who did all of the weddings and events. It was many years ago, but I still have a lot of information. It is a stunning location, especially Ullman Terrrace, which is the outdoor venue at the base of the butte. There are twinkle lighets in all the trees and the butte has uplighting, it really is quite breath taking at night, and I highly recommend going at night if you like it during the day so you can see everything. They have a list of caterers that you have to use, when I worked there it was 7 and there were caterers in all price ranges. Also keep in mind that they do not have tables/chairs/china etc there so you will have to rent all that, your caterer can do that for you to make it easier. I am not sure what the current rental prices are, but they are very reasonable because the Garden is a non-profit organization. Let me know if you have any other questions!

nfavazzo · February 2010

I was originally interested in Desert Botanical Gardens too. I had one concern, and FutureMrsL.R.Alan, maybe you can help with this. I was worried about the airport being so close and having planes fly over every few minutes. Is the noise noticeable??

FutureMrsL.R.Allen · February 2010

You know, the noise is not that noticable. There is a reason too and I can not think of what it is, but I think it has to do with them only holding weddings in the evening and the flight path not going over the Garden at that time. But no, it is not a problem there. The only time that I remember a problem is with helicopters, but that has nothing to do with the airport. I just remember my boss got married there and helicopters flew over during her ceremony, but that was really just a coincidence.

nfavazzo · February 2010

Thank you so much for your insight! Desert Botanical Gardens back on the list!

FutureMrsL.R.Allen · February 2010

Let me know if you have any other questions! I was in the industry for quite a while (both at the DBG and then at an upscale Scottsdale resort), until I moved to Vegas 2 years ago, so feel free to ask me about anything, if I have experience with the location or the vendor I will give you my honest opinion.

Agentmysterycat · February 2010

I had a friend get married here, it was a bit pricey as you have to rent and bring in everything.
I also recall noise restrictions of some sort being enforced as well. Like no amplified music after a certain time.

Also look into what their back up spaces are, incase it rains

FutureMrsL.R.Allen · February 2010

Yes, that is correct, there is a cut off time for events. If I remember correctly (and I am not 100% sure) events must be done by 11pm. That time was not just when amplified music had to stop, but when the entire event has to end. Ullman Terrace has a back up hall called Webster Auditorium. Dorrance Hall is an indoor space with an outdoor courtyard, so everything could be done inside there if that was the space you rented. The Wildflower Pavillion is an open-air pavillion and there is no guarenteed rain back up for that space, but that is a very small space and not often used for weddings anyways. In the 2 years I worked there and did the events there was never a wedding that got rained out, we were always able to move things inside. But if you go with Ullman Terrace you should look at Webster, because although it is a very pretty space, it is a very different space than the outside, so make sure you like it just in case.

nfavazzo · February 2010

Got it! Another random (maybe silly) question ... are there any smoking areas there? I'm you probably can't have your guests walking around and smoking freely, but is there any sort of designated area?

FutureMrsL.R.Allen · February 2010

Yes, I believe there are certain areas with ash trays at each venue. I am not positive about outside of the venues on the trails though, I can not remember.

sari5765 · February 2010

Thanks for the feedback everyone- we're checking it out next week.

paintme · February 2010

I just had my wedding there on Feb 13th and it was beautiful! We were in the wildflower pavillion which is for smaller weddings. We had 80 people at 4 long 20 person tables. It was great.

Debbie, the coordinator is easy to work with but the lady who does the drinks (Marieanne) is not. When you are emailing her, just copy Debbie and you get a much faster reply. You do have to pay by the glass but they can get almost anything.

There is no smoking area and your dress will be dusty by the end of the night. I don't remember hearing one plane all night.

They have a catering list which is kind of understandable since they probably only want to have people they trust around. We went with Santa barbara catering which was a little expensive but worth every penny. I am still getting emails about the food and people asking me for the contact information.

We had our guests stay at the Valley Ho which is just a couple of miles.

Good luck!

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