VENUE Questions - AUDUBON PARK (Pictures, details, advice, etc)

faithisabellasmom

Hi!  I am trying to plan my wedding for 10/15/11.  I would *like* to get married at Audubon Park, at the St. Charles entrance (I think).  I have emailed the staff there and let's just say they were LESS than helpful.  I am in California, and won't be in NOLA until the wedding, so all of my research and planning will be online.  I am just going to shoot my questions out there and hope that some of you have the answers.  Thanks in advance!!!  :-)

Has anyone been married or been to a ceremony at Audubon Park?  Do you have pictures you could show me of the area?  The woman I was in contact with kept referring me back to the same two or three pictures on the website which was not helpful at all!  

If you have a small/quick ceremony, with a small group (20 or so) are there still fees?  Even without chair setup, etc?  

Any help and guidance you can give me would be fantastic!    Also, if you have ideas or suggestions, please feel free to share those as well!  Thanks Ladies!

Queen Jane

The reason we abandoned the Audobon Park idea was because we were told you can't actually book anything until 2 months prior to the date you want. I didn't want to take that chance.

City Park is very nice also, you might want to check it out

smither89

I'm afraid I have not been to a wedding at Audubon.  As I understand it, it is free but there is no hold on the space.  Which makes it too much of a risk for many brides to take.

This photog has one Audubon Park wedding on her site (interspersed with many Park engagement shoots).
http://www.mailelaniphotography.com/blog/tag/audubon-park/

Similar at this photog's website:
http://www.michaelcaswell.com/tag/audubon-park/

Unfortunately, these are all focused on the Tree of Life, and don't offer much detail.

I'm sorry you got someone so unhelpful on the phone.  They would certainly be the people best equipped to answer your questions about fees  Perhaps trying calling at a different time, in hopes of getting someone else on the phone?

meganb1977

I looked into Audubon and decided against it because it was over my budget.  Not sure who told Jane you can't book anything until two months in advance, but I know someone getting married there and I think she booked at least or almost a year before her anticipated wedding date.  The food/drink packages are pricey there especially with the minimums to rent the facility and the minimums that they require you to spend on hors d'oeuvres and beverages.  If you want to get married in the same location/room before your reception with just a few people gathered around I don't think there is an extra charge for that.  But say, if you have your reception at the golf clubhouse if you want to get married under the oaks nearby I think it is a $250 charge for that WITHOUT setting up any chairs or etc.  As far as I know, other than that, the bride I know is very satisfied with her experience working with them so far.  If you didn't already get the pricing info from them and would like me to forward to you just send me a private message with your e-mail.

NOLAbridealmost

I'm getting married at Audubon.  

There are two different types of venues at Audubon: the first is the Newman Bandstand or the Oak Grove which can be booked years in advance if you also book the Clubhouse for the reception.  The bandstand is 500 dollars, the Oak Grove is 250.  These spaces will be specially reserved (ie., the public park-goers will be told to leave by Audubon staffers). 

The other venues (the St. Charles entrance, the Labyrinth, etc) can be used by anybody at any time.  If your wedding is over 50 people, you need to contact Audubon to get a permit (25 dollars).  But as PP mentioned, you can't guarantee that the space will be empty during your wedding because Audubon is, first and foremost, a public park. 

As someone who spends a LOT of time at the park, I would say that the area of the park that gets the most traffic of all of the venues listed on their site is the St. Charles entrance so it might be the most difficult to keep passersby away.  Some of the other areas they list are a bit more secluded and might be easier to block off from unwanted foot traffic.

Personally, I think that Audubon is a great place to get married if you're already planning to have the reception at the Clubhouse because then you can get the certainty that comes with booking the Oak Grove or the Bandstand.  But I would be nervous about trying to secure an area for the ceremony the day of the event. Suppose another bride also planned to use that area that day?  Additionally October in NOLA is gorgeous and the park will likely be very crowded. 

http://www.auduboninstitute.org/visit/parks/rentals/wedding-ceremonies

NOLAbridealmost

Just noticed your other post about a Brunch reception. 

Have you considered getting married at the St. Charles entrance and then booking a private streetcar to take all of the guests to Commander's Palace?  The streetcar stop at Washington Avenue is only a three block walk to Commanders.  

http://www.norta.com/?page=charters

The streetcars are kind of pricey, but it could be an incredible experience for all of your guests and would likely be very memorable and fun. 

I also think that a 10 am ceremony or something would be a lot easier to accomplish in the public areas of the park than, say, a 2 pm ceremony. 

2loveys

try city park!!!  if you're 20 people and you don't set up chairs, there is NO CHARGE to have your ceremony there.  then, you could do your brunch at ralph's on the park.  it's a brennan's restaurant with great food, right next to city park.  good luck!

Sillycar

If you are looking for a great venue for the brunch,check out Columns Hotel on St Charles. Its incredibly historic and has a very elegant interior. Its an easy streetcar ride down St Charles and will cost you a lot less than Commanders Palace and no walking for your guests. I would guess a brunch at Columns would be in the range of $30-$35 per person. The ballroom is stunning although there are no great pics of it on the website! I would call them and ask them to email you pics of the ballroom because it really is amazing. This is the only pic I found of someone who had their recepton there!

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pltNuCv0Wi0/SgOB6V0UbdI/AAAAAAAAAU4/-moHJMoDtuw/P1040095_edited-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/H1slHVkjpBqeF1058MO_SA&usg=__WqnqiZ73-USGuJNR6Gi12FZwB24=&h=1600&w=1200&sz=333&hl=en&start=104&sig2=ZpLGl0jJ1TV20iEx8ipOzQ&zoom=1&tbnid=AQA7ZcL4s9BKTM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=88&ei=EtlCTcO5KobJgQfJ8pmzAQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcolumns%2Bhotel%2Bnew%2Borleans%2Bwedding%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1366%26bih%3D560%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C2168&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=362&oei=99hCTdyBJ4aKlwea1d0O&esq=6&page=6&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:104&tx=25&ty=38&biw=1366&bih=560

http://www.thecolumns.com/

Knottie_22387590

I am also looking into getting married at Audubon Park at the Club House with about 90 people.  I have contacted the lady who does the reservations but it takes her forever to respond.  Does anyone know the general cost of renting the Club House.  I am just looking of a ballpark number to get an idea.  I did like the City Park / Ralphs idea. 

hillbillycouple

Awesome! I've been looking for site like this. I got some quotes from the park. I have very special dietary needs (vegetarian, very low-fat). I am trying to figure out if I have to cater through them because their menu options are meaty and fried. Does anyone have any tips on using the Tea Room or the Club? I'm from New Orleans and want to get married there. I'm open to other suggestions of outdoor, affordable venues. Thanks : )