About this vendor
Host your dream garden wedding in our lush gardens, full of color, and joyful memories. Offering ceremony space for up to 400 in our 3-acre South Garden, ceremony + indoor reception space for 150 in our 2.5-acre North Garden (+ Conservatory), and ceremony + outdoor reception space in our 7-acre landscape arboretum. Equipment and onsite day-of complimentary parking available! Zero Waste accommodations available!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSUGardenWeddingsEvents/
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Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Liability Insurance
On-Site Accommodations
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Settings
- Garden
- Industrial & Warehouse
- Park
- Trees
Venue Service Offerings
- Rentals & Equipment
- Tents
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Reviews
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4.1
out of 5.021 reviews
We were very happy with our wedding at the MSU horticultural gardens. They coordinated closely with us through the entire process. There team was prompt at getting ready the day b...
efore and the day of.
They were flexible with allowing us to play yard games and bring dogs to our wedding.
We held the ceremony outside the greenhouse, and reception in the greenhouse (in bad weather we would have done both in the greenhouse).
When we did the first walk through we were worried because the fans were quite loud, but during the actual event, you can rent standing fans that keep the greenhouse cool without the noise. We were also worried about it getting hot, but they can extend a cover on the roof that can block the sun, so on our day, it was very comfortable in the greenhouse.
We did our wedding on May 10, and it was a little too early for the garden to have fully bloomed, but it was still pretty with all of the greenery, but a date a little later in the year would probably have had more flowering plants.
One other benefit: we were both MSU alumni, so it was a meaningful venue, and we were happy to give our school the extra business.
A beautiful venue but horrible management that is not worth the stress! There is an extreme lack of professionalism, management, and customer service. We would not be able to get i...
n touch with anyone for weeks or months after being informed there were problems with our payments (there were not), our venue coordinator messaged me the day before my wedding saying they cannot make the necessary changes we had several verbal agreements on, then sat during our rehearsal so I attempted to run it and when my father asked her what we should be doing, she responded “laughing” and remained seated.
Overall: Beautiful Grounds with lots of potential - decent wedding planning experience with room for improvement.
We got married at MSU Horticulture Gardens in June of 2022. We b...
ooked very early, in December of 2020. Throughout the process Amy was helpful, even made a blueprint of the gardens for us. I did notice throughout that there seemed to be a lack of organization at times and often, I had to double check or circle back to things that had been forgotten or incorrectly placed. I also had to email follow ups on a couple occasions or follow up with a call to get an answer. Overall, it wasn’t anything too terrible - I would just say to make sure to double and quadruple check things on your end. Amy is super flexible and laid back which is a definite pro, so I didn’t mind having to follow up and be more on things as a trade off.
The day of the wedding, there were items on the ground in the venue (half eaten crackers, plastic cups) and it looked like no one had swept or prepared the night before for a wedding to take place. We ended up finding a broom and a friend swept the area.
Overall, it turned out beautiful and I am happy with the venue for the price we paid.
Absolutely stunning venue. Currently it is very poorly managed. Lack of professionalism, organization and lack of interest in your special day. When I called to speak with someon...
e regarding the many issues we experienced, I never received a return call. This venue is too costly for the service it provides.
The North Garden was the ideal setting for our June 4, 2016 spring wedding and reception. The abundant flowers, lush greenery and natural beauty of this venue made for a perfect an...
d idyllic day. Following the ceremony in the garden, we enjoyed a cocktail hour just steps away under a large tent, which doubled as a bar and dance floor during the reception. The dinner was held inside of the conservatory, which comfortably seated our 140 guests. The trees, ferns and natural light filtering from the glass ceiling provided such a unique and lovely dining experience.
The MSU Horticultural Gardens truly allows you to make the venue your own. They have a great selection of rentals to fit your every need - our tables, chairs, bar, backdrop curtain, tent and lighting were all available to rent through the gardens. There was a large walk-in cooler that we were given access to, which was a huge help in keeping our beverages cold. Additionally, there didn't appear to be any limitations on the vendors we could bring in and so many in the area were completely familiar the venue and how to do their set-up.
Michaleh Reddan, the wedding and event coordinator, was a delight to work with. She truly went above and beyond to make sure our wedding day was everything we wanted it to be. If ever I felt stressed about a detail, Michaleh was reassuring and responsive. She checked in regularly, offered suggestions, answered all of my questions and was a true professional.
While the weather cooperated for our ceremony, it rained for a portion the reception, but the tent and conservatory provided ample shelter and guests moved easily between the two. Bad weather is always a concern with outdoor weddings, but everyone partied under the tent mindless of the rain. When the end of the night came, nobody was ready to go home!
My husband and I are over the moon with our venue choice. Everything was perfect and we received so many compliments - our friends and family simply loved the North Gardens! We have the happiest memories of our day at the most perfect venue.
This venue was the perfect fit for my recent wedding that took place on May 28, 2016. The event coordinator position is actually a student-lead role through MSU which I think is te...
rrific. Since my fiance and I were engaged for over a year before the big day, we worked with three different coordinators, but each was very pleasant, knowledgable, and responsive. We held our wedding in the North Garden with the ceremony outdoors, a tent outside for the bar and talking, and the dancing and dinner were indoors. Since the day ended up being a bit warmer than we anticipated, people appreciated the option of being able to hangout outside and relax, or head inside for the dancing. Since the gardens and conservatory are already filled with natural beauty, we decided to use minimal decorations. Guests appreciated the look of the gardens and kept commenting on nice it looked. I would truly recommend this venue to anyone!!!
Overall, we were very happy working with MSU Gardens. Besides being a bit pricey, we only had two complaints. 1) The day of the wedding, they were having major electrical issues an...
d it seemed possible that out sound system would not work for the night. It ended up being fine, but it definitely seemed strange that they had these issues, when they are pushing out weddings nonstop throughout the summer (and we did not have an insanely large sound system or anything!). 2) A week before the wedding, the coordinator told us that they would be replacing the blinds on the Conservatory during the wedding, so we would not be able to eat dinner in there as we had been anticipating and planning for throughout the whole planning process. They ended made up for it by providing a large outdoor tent free of charge, but it still seemed unprofessional that not only were they doing major changes during peak wedding season, but that they didn't let us know until a week before the wedding. Definitely a situation that could have brought out Bridezilla.
However, overall I'd say that the grounds were beautiful and it was a great experience!
The wedding planning process was smooth, the week of our wedding there were a few issues, but at the end if the day it turned out well.
My new husband and I had our reception in the conservatory with the dancing outside under the tent and we received so many compliments on how beautiful and unique it was! It defini...
tely turned out to be the wedding of my dreams!
We worked with Monica and Jillian; both were extremely professional, easy-going and quick to respond with any questions or concerns that I had. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! :)
The arboretum is the cheapest area to rent from the MSU horticulture gardens and you get it for the entire weekend! We were able to have our rehearsal, wedding, and reception here!...
Remember to take in to account how much rentals will cost (tent, bathrooms, chairs, lights, dance floor, etc.) They are great to work with and were always quick to respond! Although our wedding was at the end of June, it ended up being about 65 degrees and rainy. We had our ceremony under the tent where our reception was held. Although it wasn't what we pictured, it was still perfect! If you are truly comfortable with having your entire event rain or shine, this is definitely a perfect place. There is so much space for guests to enjoy themselves and the entire area is just beautiful! Something else to consider is that trains do come through there. It did not affect our wedding at all, but keep it in the back of your mind. If we could go back, we would definitely choose this venue again. Rain or shine!
Absolutely best place to get married! As MSU Alum, my husband and I were thrilled to have the option to get married and have our reception in one of the most beautiful areas on cam...
pus. Monica Blaze was extremely helpful and answered all of my many questions leading up to the wedding, which, as an out of town bride, I greatly appreciated. She also was at the rehearsal and stayed until the very end of the evening to lock up – also highly appreciated. While the gardens are gorgeous, the venue itself very much a DIY location, but completely worth it if you're dreaming of a romantic, garden-style wedding. For a sunny August day, the Conservatory in the North Garden was not as hot as we thought it might be – which was an original concern for us, but we used the covers and fans before the reception started and then turned them off once it started (the fans can get loud) and the temperature was perfect. To be honest, my parents, in particular, had some reservations about an outdoor wedding venue (bees, heat, rain, etc.) and now I hear nothing but praises about how beautiful the whole day was – they couldn’t imagine a more perfect wedding venue.
The MSU Gardens were a wonderful place for us to have our wedding ceremony. The garden coordinator, Monica, was great to work with. She did a great job leading up to the event– sin...
ce I was planning from out of state, we had a phone meeting a few weeks before where we went over everything that was needed for the ceremony.
The only concern I had working with the gardens was what we would do in event of rain. Since our site was the north garden, we had access to the conservatory building that is included with the north garden. It was great to have a backup, but we would've had to move all of the chairs, etc. ourselves into the conservatory if it was rainy, as the rental staff isn't available on the day of the wedding. That being said, it wouldn't have taken very long at all and was a way better option than guests getting rained on!
Luckily for us, the weather was gorgeous, the gardens were lovely, and our guests were very happy with the site! One warning is to bring Benadryl and/or to remind guests to have EpiPens if they are allergic to bee stings– my sister got stung by two bees in the middle of the ceremony! That just comes with having a wedding in gardens :)
Everyone here was wonderful, and were very quick to fix a problem I had the week leading up to the wedding. Our garden coordinator was Monica Blaze and she really pulled through an...
d helped out a lot the day of. This was absolutely the wedding of my dreams and I could not have been happier.
We were married in the North Gardens, had our reception in the Conservatory, and rented our tables and chairs from them also.
The gardens at MSU are amazing. We had our ceremony at the South gardens and it was beautiful. We lucked out with great weather, though. The rain location isn't ideal so you may...
want to think that through. Also the changing rooms are quite a distance from the ceremony spot. It worked out okay for the guys, but we made other arrangements to avoid walking to far on such a hot day. There were several other weddings in the garden the same day as ours and it didn't matter, our ceremony still felt quaint and uninterrupted.
Parking is available but can be a challenge to direct folks too.
We had our wedding in May since the gardens are 25% off and it was absolutely beautiful. The flowers seem to be best around the second week of May since the trees are blossoming a...
nd the tulips are out. We booked the last weekend in May and I felt like we were sorta in between the prime time for flowers. Too late for spring flowers, and too early for summer flowers. We reserved the south garden for our ceremony and the north garden for our reception to take place inside the conservatory. It was so unique and the beautiful surroundings made decorating so easy (and cheap!). The gardens are really easy to work with and accommodating to your requests.
The only complaint I would have is that the bathrooms are really far away from the conservatory. There are outdoor bathrooms near the south garden, but if you plan to use the conservatory your guests will have to walk to use the bathroom! Also, you need to keep in mind the cost to rent tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, etc. We were fortunate enough to find a caterer to include many of these things, but it is definitely an added expense.
I wanted a way to have an outdoor garden reception without any tents and the MSU Gardens provided the perfect venue for this. The greenhouses have a garden feel without all the neg...
atives usually associated with outdoor weddings. (fewer bugs, indoor plumbing, etc) The staff was extremely helpful all the way through the process and even though they were students they were extremely professional and courteous. I only have one negative from the experience and that was the power went out just as everyone was arriving and the temperature went way up. Everyone still seemed to have a good time but it was a little unfortunate. One piece of advice I have if you choose this for a venue is to be prepared to be your own wedding planner (or hire one). The Gardens while beautiful are not a hall and do not have all the resources of a hall. Due to this I was very picky about the vendors I hired and made sure they all knew where the gardens were and had visited them before. I also had a friend I trusted act as a coordinator that day to make sure that if there were any hiccups I wouldn't be getting phone calls in the middle of the ceremony. Still if the gardens are as meaningful to you as they were to me I highly recommend them. Our reception there was beautiful and I regret nothing.
we had a beautiful outdoor wedding in october. the wedding coordinator was spot on too! happy with the final product
It was so beautiful out that day but very hot!! Loved the way the flowers looked! Everything worked out perfect!! Julie Esmer was so much help!!
LOVE IT ALL!!!
This was the top pick for our September wedding. Sarah, the MSU coordinator was great to work with prior to the big day. However the day of, after our tables/chairs/ etc had been s...
et up inside the conservatory, the weather (RAIN) did a toll on another wedding group that had planned to do their entire ceremony outside. They proceeded to tear down all of our stuff to make room for theirs and did not help put everything back when they were done. Luckily I had about 20 people available to help re-do everything, otherwise there was no way the MSU staff (1 person) would have been able to do it on their own.
Ultimately, this was a matter of bad planning on the part of the other wedding party (ALWAYS consider the weather, silly) , but it made the MSU planners look bad.
We had a good overall experience with MSU, but certainly it is not the most professional venue, so be prepared to roll with the punches, as they say.
We had both the ceremony and the reception here. Ceremony was beautiful and we off without any problems. However- our reception was in a greenhouse and it was extremely hot. We wer...
e told we could bring in fans, so we did and that caused the power to go out 3 times. Definitely do not have your reception here.
If you don't mind some leg work, a great place for a reception! We did have to bring EVERYTHING in...tables, chairs, electricy, bathrooms, tent, linens, china, etc but it was beaut...
iful.
Contact
1066 Bogue St., Suite A222, East Lansing, MI
Michigan State University Horticulture Garden