LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens

s technically still during hurricane season, and anything can happen with Louisiana weather! From the very beginning, Katie had complete confidence it wasn't going to rain, and she provided us with multiple weather emergency options that put my mind at ease. She was available to answer all my questions along the way, and I always felt we were valued. On the day of, everything looked perfect--including the weather! I 100% recommend working with Katie and the team at Botanic Gardens and am so grateful for everyone's hard work to make our day perfect.

ever done (we wanted the trees as our backdrop) and it was so lovely. It felt like an intimate backyard wedding, just like we wanted. Of course there's no shortage of beautiful spots here to hold a ceremony if that's not your thing. We rented the Pavilion and the Orangerie, and what I really loved about that was that we got this beautiful entire property to celebrate our wedding-- guests felt like they were visiting an estate! We had food in the Orangerie and cocktail hour + reception/dancing under the Pavilion. I was worried it wouldn't feel very connected to do it this way, because we had two separate spaces that guests had to walk between, (rather than having all food next to the Pavilion) but this was such a non-issue! (Here's what we did for future brides who are interested: We put string lights in the crepe myrtles along the path between the Pavilion and the Orangerie, which really helped connect the spaces, but we also didn't put any dining tables inside the Orangerie. We put them outside the front of the Orangerie, and beside the Pavilion, so guests were drawn outside (closer to the action) and we also set up one of the bars next to the fountain in front of the Orangerie, and this also helped flow between the "buildings"). I loved having the Orangerie, because it is so pretty architecturally, and looks so "Louisiana" that putting food in there forced people to go in and appreciate how great it is! One thing my husband and I did that I would recommend, too, is we went over to Windrush Gardens to take our couple portraits after the ceremony. If you don't want to do a first look, like we didn't, this gave us a close but private place to sneak off and have our photos taken. They turned out great. I can also say that working with Katie was fantastic. She is so organized and follows up with you, is responsive to emails and calls, answers all questions patiently (and I had a lot believe me). She was just all over it! I greatly appreciated how communicative she was and always available for any concern or question I had. Pauline was there to work the night of our event, and she also did a wonderful job making sure everything ran smoothly. When our catering team dropped the ball on cutting our cake, Pauline stepped in to help! I met Pauline on my visit to the Botanic Gardens over the summer, and she was so interested to hear the details we were planning and she sent me a ton of precedent photos she had taken from other weddings there to give me ideas. Everyone I talked to and worked with there was just wonderful. The venue is such an important choice on your wedding day, and if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Getting married here made our wedding so memorable and special, and it was probably the best decision we made! Thank you!!

eat at taking the chill from our guests as well as providing something for the non-dancing crowd (we served s'mores!). The venue is very expensive for the type of venue it is. It's absolutely gorgeous, but you are on your own for just about everything. They can provide tables, chairs, and trashcans, but that's just about it. If you're a DIY couple, or don't mind renting everything, this is a great spot. The staff at the gardens is amazing, particularly Katie G! She was so positive and friendly, we loved talking to and planning the logistics of our day with her.

you could ever have. If you are looking for a blank slate that comes with chairs, tables, and the prettiest surroundings you will find in Baton Rouge—I highly suggest this venue. Do note, you will need to hire every vendor and bring it all together. It is all worth it because you can create whatever vision you want. As a day-of wedding coordinator, I loved that I had the freedom to plan exactly how I wanted to.

love with the beauty of the gardens, and decided to have my ceremony in front of the ovangerie with the reception under the pavilion 1/4/19. It was a chilly day, but the campfire and the fireplace kept everyone warm! All 100 guests had plenty of room to sit under the pavilion, with room for dancing. And everyone kept saying how unique and beautiful the venue was! My wedding was a dream, and I fully recommend having your wedding here if you are looking for an outdoor wedding.

anted and couldn't find it in New Orleans. We searched for the perfect venue for about a month and nothing could compare to the Botanic Gardens. The day we toured the venue, we knew immediately that we would want to get married there. We are so grateful to have had such an extraordinary team working with us to make our dreams come true. Mary, Katie, and the staff were so incredibly helpful and responded to all my emails and questions in a timely manner. We rented the Orangerie and the Pavilion for an incredibly affordable price compared to New Orleans! We wanted a venue that would reflect our personalities and the Botanic gardens was perfect! The landscape, flowers, and buildings were so beautiful kept! The ceremony was held on the lawn under some beautiful trees with the sun setting behind us. The reception was held in the Pavilion with the fire place lit. I would 100% recommend taking a tour and booking your wedding at the Botanic Gardens!

Rouge. Katie was so knowledgable and patient throughout the process of booking and having our ceremony and reception here. Rain in the forecast caused a LAST MINUTE change to our planned set up and Katie jumped right on board helping to ensure we still had a beautiful evening here. If you want an extraordinary backdrop to build your wedding on, this is the place!!

family and friends. My fiancee and I were looking for something that was outdoors and could accommodate the wedding, a cocktail hour, as well as the reception. Right before our wedding there was construction that added a beautiful Pavilion to the left of the main building. It was an absolutely stunning addition and we used it to house our cocktail hour, photo booth, and a delicious s'mores bar by the fireplace. I'm so glad I found this hidden gem. I'm looking forward to revisiting this spot over the years. Can't recommend it enough!

sentative who is in charge of renting was a nightmare. Pamela was rude, condescending, and the worst vendor I dealt with during the entire wedding process. She would turn her back and walk away when we would ask her questions. I called a few weeks before asking if we could have some assistance for two young family members who have MS. They needed help getting from parking lot to reception location. She was so rude and said it was not possible and refused to give me any information on what we could do. THANKFULLY the representative who helped us on the actual day of the wedding was so accommodating and helpful. She made sure that everything went off without a hitch. I had read previous reviews that warned about Pamela, but still wanted to give it a try. The reception turned out perfect, unfortunately I was left with a bad taste in my mouth dealing with her.

ce floor and for cocktail hour. Added bonuses: wooded trails in back are great photo ops, and there's a firepit! There were a number of other events (i.e. plant sale, construction on pavilion) going on the day before and of our wedding, but everything was cleared away before our setup time began. If you're looking for an outdoor venue in BR, this is one of the best!