Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

Beautiful venue, but incredibly disorganized. They failed to mention they book multiple weddings on the same day at the same time. Employees were unprofessional- I was told my price included a wedding coordinator and we had to hunt them down every time we needed something. They charge weekend prices on Friday. I would unfortunately NOT recommend this venue.

Overall, a really positive experience!! And our pictures are gorgeous. Pros: Gorgeous venue, professional and kind staff, reasonably priced for everything you get, lots for guests to do, and a perfectly sized venue for our guests (~130) Cons: VERY slow response times on emails (I believe this is due to them being short staffed, so just be prepared), some small details were missed that had been discussed before (closing the black drape behind the arch so that the equipment behind is hidden in pictures, the flow of guests, etc.), also unclear on certain roles - like who controls the lights? we had to find the light switches to be able to turn down the lights for dancing, etc.

This is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL venue! We absolutely had the best time at our wedding here. The staff is very personable and will do their best to make your day the best. A few caveats: you must use their bar services (Trellis Cafe) which was quite pricey (and cannot bring in outside alcohol), there are only a select few restaurants you can use for catering, your wedding cannot start until close (5:00 pm), you cannot set up until 10 AM the day of your wedding, lots of rules (no balloons, no fake flower petals, etc), you have to pay extra to be able to rent the space beyond 11PM, the botanical center conservatory doesn’t use air conditioning so weddings can get VERY hot (10 degrees warmer in dome than outside), and a very small bridal suite with no place for the groom to get ready. Also, if you use the dome to have your wedding in, the ceremony space is small and only allows for less than 70 seats (44 on the floor and some above), and guests cannot go into the gardens unless you have rented it (but bridal parties can take pictures in it without renting it). While there are some downsides, I would still choose it again. The dome at night is magical at night, the gardens are beautiful during this time of year, the DuPont room was a wonderful space for 90 people, and the staff was really helpful. We loved our special day! Thank you, GDMBG!

The Botanical Gardens were amazing for our wedding. Throughout the process they answered our questions and made sure all of our needs were met. I would book with them again in a heartbeat.

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is an absolutely STUNNING venue for a spring wedding! It may have been a little rainy on wedding day, but guests still enjoyed a beautiful outdoor experience within the beautiful indoor gardens! Great variety in spaces for different components of your event (rooms to get ready, serve food, cocktail hour, and reception dining with dance floor). Great experience overall- only concern during the planning process was the continual changes in staffing within the events staff making communication and planning early on a bit frustrating. Wedding day was a big success nonetheless!

We had an intimate wedding ceremony in the GDSM Conservatory followed by a reception in the Trellis Cafe in December 2021. The venue was everything we were looking for- beautiful, lush green (you wouldn’t even need too much decorating), tropical (reminded me of my home in India), and with all the amenities you can ask for- locked bridal suite, audio equipment, free parking for guests, special gardens for photo shoot, beautiful chivari chairs included in the venue rental! The event planning staff were great at communicating, planning down to the details and showing us around multiple times. They were also very accommodating of any special requests (we wanted to be as COVID-safe as possible, and they let us be the only event in the whole garden that day!). These are the words that our guests used for the venue on our wedding day: marvelous, makes you forget you are in Iowa, breath-taking…If you are having a winter wedding (or even summer), I strongly recommend the Conservatory as the venue!

We are so happy with our wedding at the Botanical Gardens! I knew I wanted an outdoor ceremony, but having the option of an indoor ceremony in the event of rain really put my mind at ease. The rentals were beautiful, clean, and easy to coordinate, and the staff were all very friendly and helpful. Free parking for guests was a definite plus, and with the venue being so close to downtown I felt it was easy for our guests to travel to. Thanks DMBG!

I am thrilled that the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden hosted our COVID-aware ceremony. Their walk-in wedding option in the Conservatory was perfect for the size and scope of our gathering. The setting is unbelievable, and in the middle of winter, the warm, open-air dome made for memorable photos. The Events staff was fantastic throughout the process in responding to our needs and allowing for some personal touches - shout-out to Brenna! We could not be happier with how everything turned out.

We could not have asked for a more beautiful or perfect location for our wedding than the Botanical Garden. Michelle and all the event staff made coordinating our ceremony & reception smooth and easy. They were ready with an answer for any question, helped our vendors and guests find their way on the day of, and supportive of us as we begin our marriage. We love their mission, too! All around fabulous experience, couldn't recommend highly enough!

I cannot say enough fantastic things about the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and their staff! For our wedding, we did the Sunrise Ceremony in the conservatory followed by a brunch reception in the DuPont room, and everything was just perfect. Michelle Williams and the event planning team are so incredibly professional, helpful, organized, and friendly and they made the planning process easy and painless. Michelle always responded to my communications in a very timely manner and she took extra care to make sure my concerns were addressed and that all details were noted and followed through with. Beyond that, I can't think of a more beautiful setting! I would highly recommend the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden to any couple looking for the perfect venue.

The staff at Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden was outstanding throughout our entire wedding planning process. A special shout out to Michelle Williams, who was extremely accommodating and always willing to help with any questions I had or last minute changes. Even with Michelle on vacation the week before my wedding, I felt confident that everything was organized and ready for our day. The day of, I did not have to worry about making sure my vendors knew where to go. Michelle and her team had everything under control from beginning to end. Not to mention, the facility is gorgeous! I would highly recommend renting the entire facility, which allowed our guests to have the full experience and enjoy the gardens on the nice summer evening. The GDMBG is a unique, one-of-a-kind venue in Des Moines perfect for a guest size of about 170-180.

The staff here is amazing, helpful and kind. They took great care to create just what we wanted and were on hand during the entire event. We used their onsite caterer and it was perfect as well.

They did a great job of providing what we had agreed upon, and the flowers the first weekend in May were a-may-zing!

Couldn't have been more beautiful venue and smooth process!

We rented the outdoor water garden space (where we had the ceremony) and Trellis restaurant (where we had the reception) for a small group of around 30 people. We couldn't have been happier with our experience. The staff were very easy to work with and were very accommodating. The setting was beyond beautiful and the food was amazing and was a huge crowd pleaser. Everyone who worked there went out of their way to make us feel special and to help us create the perfect day. Michelle and Jen from the Botanical Garden and Jake from Trellis are the best!!!

My husband I recently got married at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center. We could not have been happier with our experience! Our Event Coordinator was always available via phone email and more than happy to answer all my questions. He was present before and during the wedding to help out with anything to make my life easier. Our wedding in the Garden dome was absolutely gorgeous! And wow, what a great place for pictures! We also used their back reception hall and it was perfect. On top of all of this, very affordable. I would highly recommend it for Des Moines brides.

This wedding venue was amazing. The Greater Des Moines Botanical Center featured our wedding reception in the local newspaper, Cityview, this past week of November 14 to 20, 2013.

Great staff and beautiful

We had a wonderful experience at the Botanical Center in Des Moines. The staff was courteous and very helpful in working with us in our long distance planning. It was a little dirty but that is to be expected with all the gorgeous plants and flowers. It was also very convenient to have our ceremony and reception and one location.

The Botanical Center staff was very helpful so I didn't have to worry about a thing. My wedding took place in the evening so inside the dome the paths were lit up along with the tall tropical trees strung with lights. The center set up the appetizer tables around these paths where people could sit on benches, in the cafe, around the dance floor, or on the balcony. It was a very peaceful, intimate, and romantic atmosphere which I highly recommend to future brides and their families.

I had my June 24th wedding in the Botanical Center's Dome, and the reception in the Oak/Willow room and I cannot express how amazing everything was! From the time I booked the venue with the Botanical Center's event coordinator (Melissa is AWESOME!), to speaking with the catering staff (Food choices are amazing and tastes great!), to the actual day-of preparations, the Botanical Center staff was absolutely amazing. So helpful, they took care of the set up and tear down of the ceremony, the catering staff did their set up and tear down of the reception. Everything was perfect and I cannot thank them enough! It was a perfect day and a perfect place for my husband and I to share our union with our family and friends.