Botanica

ience. Less than two months before our wedding, they call to tell us the tree we are supposed to get married under was cut down. When we went the next day to see what it looked like now, it was very apparent it had been down for a while and they had a new one planted. When we asked what we should do with the layout being changed she was very rude. Told us that everyone else was happy about it & we should be too. Also told us “nothing had changed” even though our huge tree had been replaced by a sapling shorter than me. I completely understand that trees are sick and need to removed sometimes, but the way Laura spoke to us was so rude. Also, our other vendors told us a lot of other people were upset about it and it was not just us. The day of, we were given no direction. We were originally told gardens closed at 5pm but they actually closed at 8pm. They wouldn’t let us take pictures in other parts of the garden. They also told us originally the guests could come from a side door straight into garden. The day of they wouldn’t open that gate, which was confusing for guests. Especially when there’s multiple weddings at a time jn different parts of the gardens. Overall, absolutely beautiful location. Just be ready for some hiccups.

enue a year ago, we were told that the gardens close at 5 pm and that they only book one wedding a day. Fast forward a year later while doing a final walk through with our coordinator - we are told they book multiple weddings the same day. I was absolutely floored as that was not relayed to us during the walk through. The individual we spoke with went and checked the calendar and informed us "good news! You're the only wedding that day." Imagine my surprise two weeks later when I walk in the day of my wedding and see another couple's name listed on the sign with a ceremony start time of the EXACT time of our wedding. In addition to this, the gardens changed their hours from closing at 5 PM to 8 PM - with absolutely no warning to us. People were walking around and seeing us get married. A private event turned into a Public spectacle. Not to mention, one guest came up to the Pavillion we rented and got mad it was closed for a private event. Botanica had nothing posted about what areas of the venue would be closed for private events and he was frustrated he paid money to go to the koi pond and couldn't even access it. Additionally, we were told multiple times that they would have signs up and staff directing guests to the ceremony location. Well, imagine our guests' and the other wedding guests' suprise when they were directed to the wrong wedding. Seriously. Guests were being directed to the wrong wedding. One of my family members even told me that they asked for directions at the front desk and the worker simply said "I have no idea." You would think the staff members would be on top of that. Finally, we booked a room as a bridal suite. When we arrived, there was one table in the middle of the room. No garment rack, no chairs set up, not even a "reserved" sign on the door. Anyone could have walked right in while we were getting ready or when our personal belongings were unattended. Overall, we had an awful experience working with Botanica for our wedding. If it weren't for our other wedding vendors, who were also appalled by what we were experiencing, our wedding would've been a mess. I do NOT recommend booking a wedding here. They obviously cannot accommodate multiple weddings on the same day (i.e. guests being pointed to the wrong wedding, having to share limited venue resources, etc.) and went back on multiple promises they made.

ing questions and discussing options. There were two specific instances with her that really dampened our experience. During our rehearsal, Laura came outside and yelled at me (the bride) in front of my friends and family to reprimand me for not calling her back earlier in the day. She hadn't checked her voice mail so she didn't research to see that I had actually called her twice and left a voice mail for her when I couldn't reach her. The whole thing was embarrassing and rude, especially since she was reprimanding me over a false accusation. The second big issue happened on our wedding day. We rented the lotus hall/Chinese garden of friendship and booked it starting at 2pm. Our ceremony was set to start at 5:15. At 4:15, my groom and I were scheduled to do private vows in the garden space. Unfortunately when we went to do our vows, another group unrelated to our wedding was setting up a surprise proposal/engagement. The group had actually called Botanica ahead of time to make sure they were allowed to set up a proposal in that space and Botanica allowed it without alerting them to our wedding. They were told that the Chinese garden was available to them at 4:30 and they could bring their friends and family into our ceremony space to watch the engagement. We were not alerted of this group and had to find a new space for our vows nearby. I'm sure our presence detracted from their engagement which is awful and their presence was definitely a surprise to us! Overall, the space was beautiful and perfect for a wedding; however, due to the experience with the staff, I would recommend proceeding with caution when using Botanica as a wedding venue.

the gardens. The room didn't require a lot of decoration because it's already beautiful - we just added flowers and some Edison bulbs as a backdrop. Our guests loved walking around in the garden after dinner, and we saw many cute new social media profile photos taken there pop up the next day. We took couples and bridal party photos outside in the gardens, and they are so beautiful! The setting is so colorful and lush. Kianga is lovely to work with - organized, friendly, responsive - everything you could ask for! Botanica's staff does the room set-up, and they have a beautiful grand piano also available to rent if you are planning music for your ceremony. Our entire experience was very positive.