Dallas Arboretum

lake were a dream! Everyone was so helpful and organized throughout the process too!

se. That was our choice to have in July and not the Arboretum's fault though. I would personally pick another time to have it there, due to the distance your guest do have to walk to the Sunken Garden if it is hot, can be a lot. The spring, fall or winter would be better. Our Wedding Sales Coordinator was Jazmine and I cannot say enough good things about her. She was 100% responsive to every email and question I had over the 6 month engagement and preparation. She was extremely helpful! The evening of the wedding we also had Elizabeth there to help and she was also very kind, and helpful. I wish I could remember the names of other staff there, but all they all were very helpful and professional. Of course your pictures will be amazing with all the Arboretum settings in the background and it was a beautiful setting for a garden wedding!

g and a daytime wedding were pretty convincing. We booked the daytime option for around $5000. The house was the perfect size for our little wedding of 23. Everyone had a place to relax and escape the heat. The only thing I would have liked to have gone a little better was to have a little more help from the day-of coordinator. She was very hands-off and it would have been nice if she had offered to "fluff" my train right before I went down the aisle, since I was alone, but she was very much there for the protection of the house. But the venue itself, perfect. The Alex Camp House will always hold a special place in our hearts now.

verywhere!! They have so many beautiful locations to choose from depending on budget and size. You truly need to bring nothing else, though I can't recommend a string quartet enough - the Dallas Asian Strings made it perfection with their music! The Arboretum rental rates include admission and parking for wedding guests. Our POC Elizabeth had vendor suggestions and was very responsive to my questions during the entire planning process. The initial tour and rehearsal are all independent and self-guided, and we were required by contract to hire an outside day-of coordinator. We had two wonderful Arboretum staff members assigned to our garden to help direct our guests in and to keep non-wedding guests from entering during the ceremony. It was, however, a very busy morning at the gardens, and there were a couple of Arboretum guests that still got close to photograph and video the wedding...while I wish there had been a better way to communicate etiquette and restrict that, I view it as a compliment and trust the photographer can edit them out of the professional photos! It should also be noted that for daytime ceremonies there are no changing facilities and wedding parties are required to arrive already dressed in wedding attire. It was a beautiful ceremony and I feel like for the guest experience, ease of planning, and minimal additions needed, that it is actually a very affordable option in Dallas!

ent reasons. 1. The point of contact is hardddd to get to respond to you. I read this in other reviews and was like whatever I still want to get married here, but it can be so stressful to have a coordinator who doesn’t answer your questions or give you all the info you need. My caterer kept asking me if the venue coordinator had gotten me this or that and all I could say was no they don’t respond to me. I would ask for something multiple times, only to have my husband or the caterer reach out and get a much quicker answer. 2. If you get married at night, it is going to be dark. In all the pictures I saw there were lights strung up, I didn’t realize that I had to pay extra for lights or else my guests would be eating in the dark. That wasn’t a huge deal except that the lights I paid $1500 for (all coordinated through the arboretum) did not show. Nobody mentioned this to us, or apologized. My husband noticed right before we were about to walk down the aisle. He found the person working our event (who he said seemed like she was a teenager and was watching Netflix???) who said oh yeah something happened and they’re not coming to put up the lights. They just weren’t going to say anything to us? My husband asked them to do something about it and they brought out these ugly light pole things that I didn’t want, but I was desperate to not have it be pitch black so we went with it. They honestly didn’t provide much light, and the vibe was seriously different than what I was hoping for. 3. I guess this isn’t so much the fault of the arboretum directly, but another bride showed up to my cocktail hour and was taking pictures in the garden my cocktail hour was in, in full view of my guests. It was very weird to hear that someone else was encroaching on our space. I hadn’t really thought about that happening when they said I would be given full access to the gardens, it didn’t even cross my mind that another bride would have the audacity to show up at my wedding. 4. The amount of time you have to set up is so short, if you are setting up anything yourself you are going to have to be super quick. 5. The rehearsal time being during the day required friends to take off from work, it was an absolute crap chute getting in (all of the entrances were closed off and there was nowhere to park). The coordinator doesn’t show up or anything so you pretty much get in and walk around. Overall, my wedding was beautiful. I just think it was so unnecessarily stressful for the above reasons. Especially if you’re paying over $10,000 to get married there.

e really needed prompt communication specifically around tenting accommodations for the outdoor reception. All of this said, things came together really well.

with us to make sure our wedding day was perfect!

eption site. It was absolutely perfect and the tulips were in bloom! I highly recommend the Arboretum for your wedding! They went above and beyond for us.

en covid hit which we had to move the wedding again (not their fault this time). All of our vendors gasp when they heard we chose the arboretum because they are apparently known for not caring about their brides or weddings. I should have listened. Fast forward to Day of wedding, we had no AC in the room which we were given ONE HOUR to get ready in, had to get dressed outside it was so hot, there wasn’t a golf cart to give us a ride once we arrived at the arboretum as we were told there would be so I had to walk thru the Arboretum with my hair and makeup done and bride robe on sweating just to get to a hot room with no AC. I have no idea where the day of coordinator was during this whole time even though we complained multiple times about AC. Finally, there was a huge hole in the MIDDLE of the aisle covered by grass that I tripped in (every brides worst nightmare) which left a huge bruise on my foot and was unable to wear my wedding shoes shortly after. They knew about this hole as they had arranged the chairs in this area shortly before that. They could have at least told me about it. And turned on the ac. And sent the golf cart. I’ll never ever recommend the Arboretum. It may be beautiful but beware they do NOT care about their brides or weddings. And they give little to zero time to arrive before your wedding so you’re completely rushed.

Our wedding happened to be during Dallas Blooms, so the tulips were blooming and it was absolutely gorgeous. Our event manager was Isabella, and she was fantastic! She was so kind, helpful, flexible and responsive. Very easy to communicate with. We had a daytime wedding and reception, which is so great for actually being able to see all the beauty of the Arboretum in daylight, but I was a little concerned with onlookers since it was during public open hours. However I barely even noticed, it still felt private. The Camp House is fantastic for a reception. The Dallas Arboretum is flat out the perfect venue.

affordable and allowed us to break up into installments. They were flexible to provide final numbers 3 days prior to the event - super helpful for last minute changes. We were allowed to cater the specific restaurant and bring in our own alcohol - what a huge savings. They allowed us to tour as many times as we needed, and added amenities such as the dance floor were affordable. The deposit was refunded promptly. We loved how there was dedicated parking and able to extend the hours at a very nominal cost. Overall - they made our biggest life event so beautiful and easy. THANK YOU!

sing tables - very prompt and courteous. CONS: the staff 1. The restrooms for the patio venue are extremely limited. Bringing in large groups for weddings, there is inevitably lines. Big downside in Texas, it is also NOT air conditioned. Very hot, humid and sticky. Not a deal breaker as it is a public arboretum. 2. Our group arrived with the groom's mother, all dressed in formal ware. It is still open to the public at 4:00 pm at which time you can arrive to unload wedding things you are bringing in. BEWARE: the traffic was extremely slow getting into and out of the venue. We were immediately met at the road by staff on radios and golf carts. The groom's mother was told adamantly "no" you may not unload here and then go park. Therefore,all in formal attire, we lugged in several large items thru the parking lot, thru the arboretum and into the patio venue. Ok, it is open to the public,that I can understand. What I couldn't figure out was why they didn't offer to help her at all. Load it on the golf carts for us, help us carry it? Drop it at the fence line? Anything? No- Not even strike one for us yet. 2. If Savannah is your coordinator - run don't walk - run away. Savannah honey, change jobs. When you tell a co-worker to "watch out for the groom's mother, she has a temper" in front of her family and friends? Seriously? Anyone in attendance that overhears you KNOWS the people you are talking about !!! Are you kidding me? You my dear never saw temper, I assure you, I was standing there the whole time! Strike one. 3. As more than half the guests were already seated for the wedding. The staff still has a ladder in the ceremony space installing the decorations for the ceremony. Really? 4. The ceremony...the minister referred to an event that was supposed occur during the ceremony. Then he had to back track as it had not been set up. Um, wasn't that the coordinator's job? The ceremony continued without. Ok, do plans change? Sure do. Not a deal breaker. Still a beautiful ceremony. 5. Cocktail hour/pictures. The entire congregation stood to walk to the cocktail area, by this time it is dark outside. There are steps and winding paths everywhere. Where was the coordinator/someone/anyone to tell 150 people where to go? No where. No lights, no signage, no directions , no help. Nothing. Guests kept asking where to go, no one was able to help. Most guests just wondered around. Not a good look for a "wedding" venue. 6. Head table for the wedding party. One on the groomsmen was left off the table seating and had no where to be seated for dinner. Savannah apologized and did absolutely NOTHING to accommodate him to be seated for dinner. Get another place setting, get a stinking chair for him? No, she did nothing, completely unacceptable. Strike two. 7. Two guests chairs for the dinner were placed in the grass, 3 feet from any table with their name cards in the seat. Are you kidding me? The lady had to go find staff to figure out why their seats were in the grass not even at a table. Not a good look for a wedding venue. Strike three. 8. The ladies restroom needed attention into the evening. Savannah was verbally informed at which time she simply nodded her head and did absolutely nothing about it. Not a good look for a wedding. Strike four.

to work with. The area is beautiful but the staff is not very accommodating, friendly, or understanding.

ny and reception there and it was beyond our dreams. We were so lucky to be able to have our wedding there.

ce. (The Dallas Arboretum assigns you and event coordinator, Jaci was our event coordinator)She was always so kind and helpful and although the Arboretum does have some tight rules because it is a public venue, Jaci did everything in her power to help make sure my wedding was everything I could have ever wanted and I cannot express how thankful I am for her!

with our ceremony in A Tasteful Place and our reception inside Rosine Hall. After weeks of unusual rain and cold temperatures, we got extremely lucky and the sun came out on the morning of our wedding day. The ceremony was at sunset and the view from A Tasteful Place were breathtaking. Many of our guests said it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies they had ever seen and our photos are the proof. Rosine Hall is also a great choice for a reception, especially if you don't want to stress about weather for that part of the night. The space is very flexible and unique. Rachel Leo was our coordinator and we really enjoyed working with her throughout the process. I have to echo some of the other reviews here and say that overall, the Arboretum is not the easiest place to work with - they have a lot of rules and a very tight schedule for vendors to operate within. In our case, we had to deal with some very significant changes to the way our venue would look, things we weren't told about until 6 months after we had booked. A lot of these things aren't controlled by the wedding coordinators, they just have to react and help couples deal with it. Rachel went above and beyond to help us through that and in the end, everything worked out well. If you plan a wedding here, I would highly recommend hiring at least a "day of" coordinator. You pretty much have to bring in outside vendors for everything - catering, florists, lighting, DJ/band, etc and with the Arboretum's strict set up/strike schedule, you need someone to help closely coordinate that. We have absolutely zero regrets about choosing this venue. If you can be flexible and you are in love with the venue itself, it's absolutely worth it!

he ceremony in the overlook during a beautiful sunset and the reception in its newest venue, A Tasteful Place. The only thing I caution is to ensure you pick the date of your event carefully so that you and your guests are comfortable due to weather. Fortunately, the day of our wedding was much cooler than previous summer days and turned out to be warm, but fine.

, it couldn't have been better!

e and committed to making our day a success! She cued musicians, informed us of the flow of the ceremony and made sure we stayed on track. We chose Crape Myrtle Allee and had access to a lot of the rest of the gardens for portraits before hand - the photos I've seen have been STUNNING. Can't thank Rachel enough for making our ceremony vision a reality!

day. Even the weather was perfect. We held our reception in Rosine Hall and it was perfect, the set up, the flow and most of all the amazing view. Thank you for making our day so special and memorable.

ion. We really lucked out on weather too. It was great that they give you a rain continency plan, so we could quickly move our ceremony and reception inside of the Camp House if it rained. My only regret is that we couldn’t serve red wine at the historic venue but I also understand that it’s to protect the beautiful venue. Our wedding events manager was Wallace Ann. I cannot say enough amazing things about her. She really took the lead at the wedding and worked hand in hand with our wedding coordinator to ensure everything went perfectly. Wallace Ann is a rock star and you’re lucky if she’s your events manager!

edding day. It did rain on our wedding day, and the Arboretum adjusted their plans to provide us with a beautiful venue for our ceremony that was everything we could have ever wanted. The grounds are gorgeous and the set up could not have looked better for our photos. I would recommend The Arboretum for all Weddings. We are still getting compliments from our guests on the location. Thanks Again!

e the night away in Rosine Hall. The venue itself is pretty reasonably priced, but it did get expensive when we added the catering, lights, dance floor, etc., but it was a night we will never forget! I would highly recommend the Arboretum for any wedding!

incredible beauty and open location , was perfect for us to enjoy every second of our wedding . Rachel Leo was so kind and helped through every step . With my last choice of music , she coordinated everyone in timely manner, the evening before, soI walked to my future husband and got there before the music ended, without a rush thrpugh. (We had a whole bridal group, flower Girls, ring bearer and sign bearer walk to one song) Thank you for all ur help.

ped our vision come alive and had such great suggestions and endless knowledge of the venue. Everyone was so accommodating and friendly every time we visited. We had our ceremony at Crepe Myrtle Allee and our reception was at The Degolyer House. We had our cocktail hour in the Sunken Garden and had access to A Woman's Garden and the Rose Garden for pictures and our first look. Our pictures were so dreamy and we got endless compliments on how gorgeous the venue was. I would highly recommend The Dallas Arboretum for any couple looking for an outdoor wedding in Dallas!

weather decided not to agree with us. The staff and I worked together to come up with a rain plan with alternate venues. What I was unhappy with was how the day of turned out. The gate attendees wouldn't let me in to change into my dress, so I had to leave the site and change in the parking lot-they said it was a city ordinance. I also received complaints from a few guests and my groom about the lack of knowledge and difficulty that the gate attendees also gave them. Also, no one was on site that could help smooth that process. I was satisfied with the pre wedding treatment, but not the day of treatment.

s in Rosine Hall. We chose Rosine since it was the only venue with a rain back-up plan that didn't involve putting up a tent (super expensive) and because it was the only one that could hold our ideal guest count (around 200). From beginning to end, the Arboretum staff was great to work with! Our coordinator was Sammy and she made the planning process so easy and stress-free. She was also quick to respond to questions and offer advice based on what she had seen in her experience. I would recommend the Arboretum to anyone looking for a venue!

o is now retired) was AMAZING showing us around, giving us the details and securing our date. That's when our experience went down hill. We started with numerous invoicing and over payment issues, went through 4... yes FOUR different wedding coordinators during our planning time and nothing was communicated between these employee turnovers, so we'd have to get the new coordinator up-to-speed after they went dark on us for weeks at a time. One even moved to Europe and we had no idea! You pay a lot for this venue and nothing, besides garden chairs and a few bare tables (should they be available) come with your reservation. You will need to plan to bring in every vendor and their coordinators do not help with that process or during your wedding day-of. I don't even recall seeing an Arboretum wedding planner on our wedding day. It's a BEAUTIFUL venue, but if you choose to get married here my advice is to hire a full wedding planner to help from start-to-finish. We had to increase our budget drastically to make everything come together. Plus side? It's tax deductible :)

provided. We also rented our linens, chairs, and tables through the venue (in addition to the ones provided with the original payment), which was nice to do that all in one spot. While our wedding day went off wonderfully, the planning process with the Arboretum's staff was stressful. About 3 months before our wedding, the Arboretum told us would be closing off about 1/3 of our reception site for a future garden, including one of our ceremony site options (the gazebo). There was no discount or support when we asked because in the contract it covers the Arboretum making any changes to the sites they want to. Our first coordinator- Jacy- was wonderful but sometimes was hard to get a hold of. Our second coordinator that took over for Jacy about two months before the wedding was difficult to work, rude, and we had to send the quote back several times because it had multiple incorrect counts for chairs/etc on it. Luckily, we had a wedding planner, so we did not have to worry about issues on the day of the wedding, but it was stressful for a site that was so expensive. Some additional notes- the ceremonies cannot start until 630, so if your wedding is later in the fall, plan to light your ceremony. Also, Rosine is the only reception site that you can play music until midnight- the other two sites you have to close down by 1030. Lastly, there is a strict vendor list for carters, so if you have your heart set on a certain cater just make sure they approve it before booking. We did not have a cater we were set on, and ended up loving the one we chose they suggested (Tejano Brothers). Another big plus was that since this list is small, the Arboretum works with the vendors they suggest all the time so it runs smoothly.

tire duration of planning

provide a designated coordinator to assist with the planning as well as a day of facilitator. They strive to preserve the integrity of the garden and have some restrictions but nothing unreasonable. I was concerned about the limited time we get the space and being able to get setup in time but everything worked out perfectly.

rs aren't as organized as you might think so you will have to do a lot of the planning. I had mines changed three times. Three weeks before the wedding they told me to pay extra $400 for a dance floor plus paying for more tables which I'll get to that in a moment. It doesn't come included. No outdoor lighting is included so if you have a night wedding you will need to hire a light company that runs $1000. You can only use their approved caterers. You are only to use China, no plastic which will get pricey if you have 200 guest count. Timing is from 7pm-11pm. That's ceremony and reception included. They only provide a certain amount of tables for you so God forbid you want a cake table, entry table, gift table etc. they will charge you extra. Basically they want your money! Be wise and make sure you are willing to do all of that! P.S. If you are planning to have a crazy loud DJ well you're out of luck. They have noise ordinances. You must comply with the contract or they will fine you or take money out of your deposit, who knows what they do! Just choose wisely. Other than that, it's a beautiful venue!

inators. However, my last and final coordinator, Kendel was awesome. He made up for all the negative things before! With going through 3 coordinators, some balls were dropped through the process. I had ordered lights for my night ceremony and they did not get hung. This resulted in my wedding ceremony being pushed back 40 minutes. The guests went to a cocktail hour before. Luckily - I had invested in a separate wedding planner (Lindsey Brunk) who fixed everything - VERY grateful to have had another coordinator separate of the arboretum. All in all - the arboretum is a BEAUTIFUL venue and makes for an incredible wedding. But i HIGHLY suggest investing in a separate coordinator so that nothing gets dropped.

gly beautiful! My only complaint is that you are given such a short amount of time to be at the venue before the wedding (max 2.5 hours prior) that it creates a huge planning nightmare. I HIGHLY recommend making sure your florist has a team, we had 5-7 people and it wasn't enough, to set up the reception. I wouldn't trade the location, but it was definitely a major pain to be limited to such a short time to set up the entire wedding.

me money by having it on a Sunday morning. We had a brunch reception and it was lovely. Constance, our contact with DABS, was great and you can tell she is very experienced. Definitely recommend.

and so helpful. The only negative is they have quite a few restrictions since it is a garden but all the restrictions were easy to work with for my wedding. I would definitely recommend this location.

all my guests loved it. Plus it's the perfect place to have your wedding photos taken.

he space was! Due to a large amount of planning on my part and that of my wedding planner, the evening went wonderfully and we were very happy with the outcome. HOWEVER, you absolutely pay for it in more ways than one. Heed these cautionary tales if you think you want a wedding here: - many, many times throughout the initial contact/ viewing/ decision making process, our e-mails were merely skimmed vs read in full which resulted in a TON of miscommunication on behalf of the Arboretum. (and a lot of frustration on our side) - the day we went to view the space, we were told a number of things were included in the lofty price (linens, an extra space for the cocktail hour, etc); after we said yes, we were later told these things were in fact not included - also on the day we went to view the space, we told the sales woman we were available on ANY Saturday for the entire month of May... we would take ANYTHING they had available... we were told they possibly had 2 dates but to call the following day to confirm. The next day when we called I was told: "Honey, we do a million weddings and I deal with a MILLION brides every day. You did not tell me exactly which Saturday you wanted so we gave the dates to other brides." You would have thought the least they could do was call me? - they restrict the start time of the ceremony until 7:00pm (I fought tooth and nail to get ours started at 6:30 and they wouldn't budge any earlier) and music has to be off by 10:30... so essentially, that's 3.5 hours for a ceremony, cocktail hour and reception - we barely had time to dance. They are extremely strict on this; at 10:30 our DJ was told "If you don't turn off the music in the next 30 seconds, I will give you a ticket" We didn't even get to have our private last dance even though our DJ said he would turn the volume way down. - you cannot hang anything from the walls, doors, trees, etc. This makes decorating EXTREMELY difficult! - they have many other decor restrictions due to the fact it is an outdoor garden (no sparklers, no confetti, nothing on the aisle unless it is red or white rose petals, no candles unless they are in approved votives, etc.) - If I had not had a wedding planner, I would have felt completely lost/ stressed/ overwhelmed on the big day as the "coordinator" they assign you is merely there to help direct vendors... nothing more. All in all, the space is gorgeous but it was a bit of a nightmare working with the staff here... they seem very overbooked with very little concern for your personal requests/ issues/ etc. I understand being busy, and I understand scheduling a lot of weddings however I felt overlooked, talked down to and undervalued (especially by the sales staff). My thoughts: I know you do "a million weddings" but this is the ONLY ONE that I get. So cut me some slack and be kind... I'm already stressed enough!

different information. They offer evening Weddings but did include lighting so you must purchase your own which will cost you at minimum 600 additional dollars. You can only use their caterers. They were disorganized but my friends and family were able to pick up the pieces where they left off to make the wedding work. I booked my wedding rehearsal months prior to our wedding the day of the rehearsal - My family went early and found out we were not on schedule. The coordinator's response was well you never booked it but we will squeeze you in? I had to continuously follow up with them but they did not do the same with us. Pretty place yes- but constant change in contacts to being treated just like a number I unfortunately can not recommend this venue from my experience.

hard thing to find in the DFW area, but the Dallas Arboretum had everything I was looking for. The Arboretum is absolutely beautiful, and the dining room at the Camp House was the perfect size for a small wedding. I was able to have my ceremony in the Camp House’s backyard, which had great views of White Rock Lake. The Camp House’s proximity to the ceremony spot was also great because we got married in August, and our guests were able to stay inside until immediately before our ceremony and could return to the air conditioning immediately after. Our guests only had to spend about 15 minutes outside. The Arboretum does limit which caterers you could use, but I actually saw this as a plus because it prevented me from getting overwhelmed with catering options. I have only two complaints about the Arboretum. First, their communication wasn’t great, especially before I was assigned my event coordinator. In the beginning stages, I had to contact them multiple times before getting answers to my questions. Second, they didn’t inform me at the outset that they don’t allow rehearsals on the weekend (I found out when I e-mailed them to schedule the rehearsal), which was problematic because my wedding was on a Sunday. Although these things were annoying in the planning stages, they ended up being insignificant compared to how well everything ran the day of the wedding and how absolutely beautiful the venue was.

there but we had really great luck with our wedding coordinator. It is not a cheap place to be married but you can choose your own catering and bring in your own alcohol which you cannot do everywhere. Another way we saved is there is no need for a single decoration when you are getting married in their gorgeous flower-filled gardens. Finally, this is a place that knows what they are doing when it comes to weddings - they have lots of rules and guidelines but they also know what it takes to have a wonderful, seamless wedding. They book up fast so definitely call if you are interested.