About this vendor
Featuring lush gardens, native wildflowers, luscious lake views, beautiful bridges and a gorgeous gazebo nestled in an oasis of nature, Lichterman Nature Center is the perfect venue for an intimate gathering or an extravagant event.Loading dock access for deliveries and event set ups. Large, private parking lot with security patrol for parties, weddings, receptions and other private events.The Visitor Center also offers free WiFi. Three miles of accessible trails wind and loop through representative Midsouth habitats punctuated by conveniently located rest stops.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Backyard
- Beach
- Waterfront
- Garden
- Museum
- Park
Venue Service Offerings
- Destination Weddings
Reviews
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3.2
out of 5.06 reviews
Lichterman has a variety of spaces to work for an event- they have an outdoor amphitheater, covered pavillion, an overlook balcony, and numerous other rooms that can accommodate a ...
large or small wedding party. There is ample parking for guests, and the rent comes with a security guard. The Lichterman grounds are beautiful and are a great background to a all kinds of wedding events. For under $2500, we held a ceremony in the outdoor amphitheater, cocktail hours on the covered balcony, and reception in the pavilion for 115 people.
Since Lichterman is both a nature preserve and on the national registry of historic places, they are very strict on some of the things you can do on the grounds (no sparklers, any flower petals- real or fake- must be cleaned up) and they ask for a flawless cleanup.
I am taking off one star because the center is so strict. Patti was very helpful and enthusiastic when we were first booking the venue, but then was less communicative when we got closer and asked for very quick turnarounds on paperwork.
We only had a two hour window to set up before the center closed and guests arrived, which was an extremely tight turnaround. We needed to hire a day of coordinator and extra help to meet the time. Set up and take down in short time windows was definitely stressful, especially for dear family members who helped set up. We also had to be out at a certain time (all individuals, not just guests). Patti extended the time for us, but I would have like to stay a few more hours. If you are a Saturday wedding, the center also closes on Sunday and Monday, so if I guest leaves their car that night, they can't get it back until Tuesday morning.
Couple of pointers for people using the Pavilion. Be sure to plan out your floor layout to the letter. Less tables and people can fit under the roof with room for a dance floor than you might think. If you are hosting an evening, make sure to get overhead lighting. (The company that Pattie recommended, Over the Top, was great. Beautiful lighting, reasonable price, no stress).
Seriously. Run away from this venue and it's extremely incompetent staff. I work with a reputable florist here in Memphis as the wedding coordinator on staff. I've worked at venues...
all over town and for my own wedding, wanted a place I hadn't been to professionally. (There's just something about having a wedding someplace you've spent a ton of Saturday nights at that makes it less romantic) When my now husband and I found Lichterman, we were so pleased. A gorgeous venue with a very reasonable price tag. We signed on the dotted line and began the planning. Cue horror story music. 3 weeks before the wedding we were told that there would be a scarecrow contest before our wedding and the decorations would be placed all around the property. We were then told that we should just embrace them in our decor and stop focusing on it. We did not plan a scarecrow themed wedding and to be honest I don't know that anyone would. Then the $250.00 fee we paid to have the picnic tables taken out of the Davidson Pavilion really just meant that they scatter them around the pavilion. Which makes no sense and again screws up the decor we had planned.
The night before the wedding we went to rehearse and found ourselves in the middle of another wedding. The "coordinator" had scheduled a wedding during the same time as our rehearsal. She told us to "hurry up" and "calm down". Half way through our rehearsal on a completely different lawn than the one we had booked, she asked us to move again. So at this point, we moved on to 3 different lawns and no one really knew what they were supposed to be doing. It was so ridiculous that we actually just had to laugh. But the next day the bridesmaids ended up standing in the wrong place (which messed up pictures) because they never got to practice.
Let's move to the day of, when we were told originally that we could set up Friday for our Saturday wedding and would have plenty of time. Except.... she scheduled a wedding that night without telling us. So we moved our plans so that we had 9:15am to 10am to string up lights and chandeliers in the pavilion. This cut several decorations we had planned because there simply wasn't enough time. The coordinator stood out there the whole time telling people to hurry up and get out of there. Then the groundskeeper yelled at my crew that they were putting ruts in the lawn which he later admitted the party from the night before had done.
We had asked that the lawn be mowed before the wedding and that was never done. They also told us the lawn would be treated for bugs and my whole bridal party was eaten alive during the ceremony. It was just so uncomfortable and frustrating.
At best the people at Lichterman are dishonest and rude. I will never recommend this place to a bride and will make it a point to steer them away. I was so disappointed with the venue and the staff. I was polite till the very last and was never anything but clear about my expectations. I work in this business, I understand more about weddings than the average bride. Miscommunications are bound to happen and are to be expected. But this was just stupid from start to finish.
We had such an great time at the LNC! They were so helpful and for the price YOU CAN NOT BEAT IT!!! I thought that all of the stations in the main room would look funny, but everyo...
ne had a great time looking at them and the kids loved playing with the interactive ones. If I got married again (fingers crossed that doesnt happen) I would most definitely do it there again.
My fiance (now husband) and I were intrigued with the idea of an outdoor wedding. After researching several options, I was impressed with Lichterman's price. As I was narrowing do...
wn my vendor options I visited the nature center 3 different times with my mom, my matron of honor, and my fiance respectively. The center grew on me. The few pictures I found online do not do it justice. The property is absolutely gorgeous, especially for an October wedding.
The one glaring downside was the event coordinator, B. She was rude, obnoxious, condescending, and plain insulting! I dreaded working with her, especially as the wedding day (and subsequent emotions) drew nearer. But I booked the place. The price and the scenery had me sold.
After I going out of the country for 7 weeks, I came back to Lichterman to begin the real work. Miracle of miracles, B had been let go! I was thrilled, but also concerned about the possible confusion caused by the change.
Carol and Jane were a dream to work with. They were sympathetic to the change and extremely professional. Their kindness dissipated any previous dread. My fiance and I took our engagement pictures on the grounds in September. Carol and Jane were flexible and stayed after hours to accommodate us.
As for the grounds: GORGEOUS. So many options for photo shoots: a red bridge, lily pads on the pond, butterfly bench, and my favorite, an old spring house nestled across the hollow from a moss-covered gazebo.
Our sunshine option was to get married in a meadow across from a pavilion. On our wedding day, we opted for inside the pavilion though, due to possible showers. Thankfully, there wasn't a drop. The pavilion held all our 150 guests. We under figured and had about 25 people who had to stand.
The dance floor worked out well as did the reception room. No worries, the animal display in the main hall didn't distract one bit from the festivities. The kitchen has lots of space to work in and they have lots of storage. They allow you to start storing wedding things in the closet early in the week (which is such an incredible blessing).
The price was phenomenal: $1050. I think they gave us a special discount because of the change in command. Highly recommend them!
Overall: 11/10.
Lichterman provides a beautiful setting for a fall wedding! We used the outdoor pavillion for the ceremony and indoor room for the reception. Everything was great! Would have been ...
nice to know that we had to have every single thing cleaned up and out of there that night, it was a little surprise to my parents and friends helping with the clean up aftewards!
My fiancé and I decided to go with Lichterman Nature Center for our Summer 2011 wedding. At first we were very excited, the scenery is GORGEOUS, and compared to most places in the...
area, it was a great deal ($1,500!). After we signed the contract everything went downhill. Two months before the wedding, I tried to contact the special events coordinator (who actually doesn't coordinate anything). I called her and left voice mails on her cell phone and office phone about 5 times during the course of two weeks. Figuring she was busy, I sent two emails. I didn't ever get a reply from her! A month later, my mother-in-law thought this was too weird, so she called up Lichterman. Turns out the coordinator was sick and would not return to Lichterman (which we were very sorry to hear, but frustrated that she couldn't even return a phone call during the MONTH to say she was attending to personal matters). But anywho... so we kept our cool and rolled on. I was then working with a new lady; it was essentially staring over from scratch! Everything I told the first coordinator wasn't documented, and after calmly expressing my frustration with everything (since, you know... we were to be married in 4 weeks and we had to START OVER with plans), and she had the nerve to tell me to "get over it." Yes. She told me, a PAYING CLIENT, to get over it. I didn't go crazy, I just brushed it off, and continued with our wedding plans. It took a week to get everything back in order, and to be honest, I was fine with that. Fast forward to two weeks before the wedding: To rent at Lichterman they require you to get a "special event" insurance. We were told it was very easy and could be done through home owner's insurance. Wrong! They require $1,000,000 worth of coverage, and unless you own a $1,000,000 home, home owner's wont do it. So we had to go another direction... the thing that was suppose to be cheap (we were told $50) cost us $350 and apparently that was a good deal!
Now let's discuss the wedding day: The original event coordinator got better and was there the day of, but get this.. she was rude to my family, my fiancé's family, and my photographers! At this point, we were all just ready to be DONE with Lichterman.
Now my husband and I are happily married and can look back on everything and laugh, but seriously... Anyone who is considering this place at a venue: PROCEED WITH CAUTION!
Like I said, it's beautiful, and our photos will be AMAZING, but dealing with the staff is ridiculous. They are rude, lack a satisfactory amount of communication between each other, and they lie. If we would have known all this in the beginning, there is no way we would have signed a contract with those people! I would have paid double or even triple to not have to deal with all that crap!
I'm not lying, I'm not over exaggerating, and at no point in time was I mean/rude/bridezilla to anyone at this venue.
I am pissed, and I do want to make sure they don't screw anyone else over!
I'm giving them 4 stars for quality, because the scenery is just breath taking.
I would give them negative stars if I could, but I'll give them 1 star for service since I had to start over with a new lady, didn't get a returned phone call from the original coordinator, we were lied to, we were treated very rudely, and all the stress.
I'll also give them 1 star for value, because frankly... they suck.
Contact
5992 Quince Rd, Memphis, TN
Lichterman Nature Center