About this vendor
You can make your wedding magical at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Whether you are looking for an intimate ceremony or an elaborate garden reception, we have a package that fits every celebration.
There is nowhere more idyllic than the oasis of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Located in the heart of downtown, the Botanical Garden has been named the “Most beautiful wedding venue in the state of Iowa” by PureWow and featured by The Knot as one of their “14 Spectacular Wedding Venues in Iowa.”
With both indoor and outdoor wedding options, the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden provides stunning garden settings no matter the season. Your life-long memories start here.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Covered Outdoors Space
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Ballroom
- Garden
- Park
- Restaurant
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Cakes & Desserts
- Cupcakes
- Other Desserts
- Food & Catering
- Planning
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Reviews
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4.4
out of 5.029 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 4
I got engaged here by the indoor waterfall it's beautiful! The setting is so lovely that we plan to have our wedding here! They have everything we need right here! I couldn't ask f...
or a better experience.
We had our wedding and reception at the Botanical Gardens and it was beautiful. We are members so we do frequent the gardens often. The prices seemed incredibly reasonable for a we...
dding and reception and it was the perfect size for a smaller wedding. The photos were beautiful and everyone had fun looking at all the plants and fish. You have to use their approved caterer list and we ended up opting for Flora in their attached restaurant space. Flora was AMAZING. They truly went above and beyond.
Unfortunately the woman working for the gardens really fell flat. She was not the person we originally booked with and I had to reach out to her a few weeks before the wedding because I had not heard from the gardens since I signed the contract to host our event there a year prior. The audio system is apparently very old and not compatible with ANY newer phones. They had also broken a piece of the system the night before. None of this was relayed to me, the bride, until a few MINUTES before I walked down the aisle. We were unable to use the sound system for music or dancing after the ceremony. Luckily I had a family member run back to the hotel for my small portable speaker so that we had something. We were supposed to have small cocktail tables spread throughout the gardens for cocktail hour and those were never put out. We also had the space rented from 4pm to 11:30pm. My immediate family arrived at 4:30pm for pictures before the ceremony and the woman working the event was apparently very rude and told them the event did not start until 5.
My wedding was beautiful and I luckily had a very good day of team between my photographer, those working in Flora, and my maid of honor and her husband. They helped everything run smoothly and fixed all the snafus with the music. We will definitely be back to the gardens as we do love it there, but I would highly recommend hiring an alternative day of coordinator and having the botanical gardens staff sit out trying to help organize anything for your wedding.
I can’t recommend The Botanical Garden highly enough as the perfect wedding venue! It truly has it all! Hosting our ceremony in the breathtaking dome was an unforgettable experienc...
e, creating a stunning and magical atmosphere. We then moved to the exquisite Dupont Room, with its large windows offering gorgeous views of the beautifully manicured gardens, which added such elegance to our reception. The outdoor space was equally spectacular, providing a perfect blend of natural beauty and charm. Every detail of the venue was flawless, and working with Marvin was an absolute pleasure. His responsiveness, flexibility, and dedication ensured everything ran smoothly, making the planning process stress-free. I couldn’t have asked for a more incredible venue to make our wedding day so special!
The venue was beautiful, everyone was raving about how they wished they had gotten married in a botanical garden. It was so convenient having the ceremony and reception in the same...
place, and the guests loved how easy parking was. We didnt have to worry about the weather while still being surrounded by nature! Marvin was amazing to work with, and he made sure our rehearsal and wedding were safe and private. Highly recommend, the pictures are all stunning!!
Marvin and the Des Moines Botanical Garden staff made our little wedding perfect. We were most grateful for Marvin's expertise and insight as to what would work best, from set-up t...
o the ceremony to the reception. He listened to what we wanted and made it happen. The staff were exceptional, friendly, and helpful. I'm still getting compliments on how delicious the food was (catered by Trellis) and how beautiful the garden was (the DMBG Horticulture Team is brilliant!)
I am/was an older bride with no real intention of having a wedding. I thought we were courthouse-bound, but I'm so glad we had a wedding and at my favorite place. It was perfection.
Joining the club of being ghosted by Shannon. Absolutely unprofessional. Drove a few hours to do a scheduled tour, Shannon was late. Tour ended before it even started. Was talked a...
t for 5 minutes and then was told to go walk around on our own and never saw her again.
Extraordinary place to have your ceremony, reception, or both. Although the location is rather booked up, the event planner was able to work with us on selecting a date.
Communic...
ation is rather good as they get back to you within a day. Stunning location, we hardly needed any decorations. Because they do events often, they are ready to answer any questions and accommodate any requests.
I’m having a second wedding next year and due to my garden theme I really wanted to book the Botanical Garden for my venue. I reached out 1/5 via the website, filling out the neces...
sary inquiry form, and received a response right away (within a few minutes). I was told that Shannon would assist me but she never replied after being cc’d in. I reached out again on 1/7 to follow up about scheduling a tour so that I could choose the space I wanted. I never received a response. I reached back out a week later via “the knot” and still no response. I’ve decided to search elsewhere for my venue space with this experience coupled with other clients reviews. It just seems like a foreshadowing of the unprofessionalism to come, and I don’t want to have to worry about chasing anyone around to make sure my big day runs smoothly.
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 pric...
e 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 ca...
veats: 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 h...
eartbeat.
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 o...
utdoor 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 o...
ur 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 & recep...
tion 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 b...
runch 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 accommo...
dating 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 pe...
rfect 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 bee...
n 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 pho...
ne 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 dirt...
y 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 ta...
ll 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 ven...
ue 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.
Contact
909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines, IA
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden