Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

My daughter and son-in-law choose this venue because of their mutual love of hiking. Jessica was truly the most responsive and helpful of all the vendors that we dealt with. The decor was beautiful, the guests loved the cocktails in the desert gardens and the "desert experience". The food was phenomenal, lots of comments from the guests! IT was a truly magical evening!!

I cannot say enough for how amazing of a place this to have a wedding. My Husband and I were looking for something that was very 'us'. We love Tucson, we love the outdoors and we love food. We wanted somewhere that wasn't your typical resort and one of my main criteria was "no parking lots in the background of photos". We had played around the idea of renting a place on Mount Lemmon, but decided on the Museum. Jessica Bright, the Event Coordinator for the Museum is amazing. She helped us so much, and answered any random questions I had. She is incredibly knowledgable and professional and we couldn't have done it without her. You must use their caterer, the Ironwood Terraces. They are slightly harder to get ahold of but worked with us on creating exactly what we wanted within our means. We didn't have an incredibly large wedding, but everything was perfect.

Having our wedding at the Desert Museum made planning stress free, but mostly made for the best day of my life! I cannot begin to explain how determined they are to make your day amazing! We live in Texas and chose to get married in Tucson because of family. We chose the Desert Museum before I had ever been there(my fiance had). We chose it because of the stunning pictures that showed intimate wedding ceremony places, the willingness to work with Gluten Free catering and the Green Room really is stunning to have a reception in. Being a smae-sex wedding, not once did I feel like my wedding was different than any other wedding. The wedding coordinator, Jessica goes above and beyond doing her job, answers emails even if she has already answered that question 3x already, and was very accommodating to the fact that we were planning from out of state. She has the wedding program down to a scienceand you can tell she really enjoys her job. I am still in Awe of her efficiency, organization, and attention to detail(this is what made planning so easy). Michelle, the head of Ironwood Catering was more than accommodating, making our entire sight down meal Gluten Free without any extra up-charge like most places do. She also was great answering emails, and the day of the event her staff blew me away. I have eaten at 5-star restaurants and they don't hold a candle to how accommodating the wait staff was. For instance, appetizers were served while we did photos, and when we were getting close to the end of the photos two of the waitresses came down to where we were to make sure we had some. The wait staff also double checked with us as we were mingling with our guests as to when to bring our food out so it would be hot. Our drinks were always full, and they were just down to earth and very willing to accommodate. We both were shocked, but to top it off all our guests couldn't stop raving about how good the food was. My brother, who is quite the foodie even stopped mid meal to come tell us how amazing the food tasted. Home Run all the way around Ironwood Catering! Many people say if they could have there wedding again they would change this......I wouldn't change a thing, and I would pick the desert museum to have it at all over again. Thank you Desert Museum for everything you do and did to make my dream wedding come true!

In late February we held a Rehearsal Dinner Party in the Green Room at the Desert Museum for our son and his bride. We included out-of-town guests (about 50 people total) so that they could experience the Sonoran Desert. It was a great choice. Jessica Bright was our coordinator and did a wonderful job of making sure all was to our liking. The food was buffet-style (Pumpkin Seed Crusted Chicken) and was excellent. This venue does not disappoint and the attention to detail by Jessica and Tammy, of Ironwood Food Services, was appreciated. Tucson nights can be magical and we certainly experienced one at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

I know there is no way that my review could possibly do justice to the experience we had working with the Desert Museum for our wedding. Both my husband and I grew up in Tucson and wanted to get married at a venue we could later visit. Having frequented the museum growing up, we knew it would be a naturally beautiful setting (in a non-artificial way, as many places that are just venues can be...). In addition to having several breath-taking locations to choose from, the museum has the added bonus of an animal experience: the opportunity to have desert-dwelling animals for your guests to view up close. Having several non-southwestern guests, it was a wonderful way to add some flair. Definitely do it. In addition to the site alone, the staff was such a treat to work with. Jessica was extremely accommodating to our needs and really kept us organized and on track, especially in the weeks leading up to the event. She was always happy to chat or show us around when we were in town. We really could not have pulled it off without her! Tammie, who works with catering, was also fantastic to work with. The food was amazing, it all went smoothly, and she even packed us some food to-go since we were so busy running around during dinner. Overall, I would say that if you want a beautiful (unique) venue with a helpful staff that is representative of what the southwest has to offer, give Jessica a call!

I must say, although my husband and I had been to the Desert Museum, we hadn't considered it as a wedding site until we have trouble with availability for our chosen date. When we look back, we feel so grateful that we stumbled upon it. No other place could have provided such a naturally elegant stage for a wedding. We brought few flowers in, because there was no need to compete with the vibrant color already surrounding us. The wedding sites were easy to navigate, ideally suited for our needs, and the service was so great. There were literally no hiccups. That was in part due to the help of Jessica, the event coordinator, who kept us so informed and organized the whole way through, that we didn't even use a wedding coordinator. We feel so blessed! And, for date nights, we can go out anytime to visit the place where we got married- we highly recommend the ASDM!

My husband and I chose this venue because we just got bored when scrolling through all of the "cookie-cutter" venues. They all seemed the same. Unlike the others, the Desert Museum offered a unique setting away from the city, where our guests could really experience the desert. Since many of our guests were from the East Coast, this was very fun for them! Don't be fooled, though; this isn't a kitchy "western theme wedding" venue! Everything was still very elegant. We had an outdoor ceremony in the Desert Garden, surrounded by natural beauty- I didn't even use flowers because I didn't want to compete with the desert beauty! Our cocktail hour was hosted on a patio with a beautiful view of the mountains and (later) of the night sky, unpolluted by city lights. There is also an animal package (a little bit extra, but worth it!) where Museum handlers bring out some of the wildlife to meet and greet the guests. We had a chuckwalla lizard, 2 birds of prey, and a ringtail! Makes for excellent photos too. The reception was held inside in the Green Room, which had plenty of space for our guests and a dance floor, with an open layout. We had a wonderful time, as did our guests! The food was also delicious (catering is done by the Museum); we did the buffet option which everyone seemed to enjoy. Throughout the planning process, the Event Coordinator, Jessica, was with us every step of the way! She went above and beyond in helping us arrange everything for the big day. We did not have a wedding planner, but we didn't feel like we needed one because Jessica was always there to help, make recommendations, and talk through options and decor with us. We owe a lot to her hard work and quick responses. Overall, the staff and venue at the Desert Museum were wonderful for our wedding. If you're looking for an interesting venue that will be memorable for you and your guests, this is the place for you!

I am so glad we found out that the AZ Desert Museum did weddings! For $1500, we got all of the linens, chairs, and tables set up that we needed, plus a few decorations (including centerpieces!) Set up and tear down was included. It was incredibly beautiful. You do have to go through their catering, which was a bit pricey, but still wonderful.

Beautiful setting. Guests really enjoyed the venue. The caterer and events coordinator were great to work with. Decorating was challenging because we could only start 1.5 hours before the wedding and all items provided by the museum had not arrived yet. For bridesmaids it was a crunch to decorate, get ready and get pictures in 1.5 hrs. Overall, everything was fabulous and we would make the same choice again. Food was excellent!