Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

a "Month of Wedding Coordinator" - these sound like wonderful options. I wish I had this to alleviate coordination stress clocking down to the day of.

ee with other reviewers that the staff is very slow to respond. There were times I had to email twice to get a response. I didn't end up booking here because the indoor reception is too small for my wedding size. But, just a heads up that it is hard to get ahold of the staff.

the Morikami because its very budget friendly for a higher end wedding but I didn’t realize how poorly they’d attend to our event. Alanna is a wonderful person but is extremely over worked. She hardly answered any emails which resulted in the need to hire a planner. I do not regret selecting the Morikami as the venue for my wedding, as the day of was absolutely perfect. Leading up to the event with the management can be improved but I was very pleased with the venue day of performance.

d herons flying in the background -- words cannot describe. The food is AMAZING! Alanna, the in-house wedding planner is absolutely the best! Not only is she great at her job when it comes to making sure every detail is taken care of, but she is also professional, patient, kind and seemingly unflappable. She really seems to make an effort to figure out what each couple envisions and make that happen -- even when the couples themselves aren't sure! Weddings are stressful, but she really helps to reduce that stress. My daughter had the perfect wedding of her dreams. I highly recommend Alanna and Morikami!

the moment I met her that I could trust that she had everything under control. She made sure all the little details were taken care of and answered questions I wouldn’t have even have thought to ask. Morikami is such a beautiful venue, and I’m so happy we chose to have our wedding there.

I could change. We had initially booked the venue with someone who ended up leaving, which initially gave us a little anxiety when we found out later. However, Alanna took over (she is the head of the events there) and it really turned out beautifully. She took the time to go over all the options and even allowed us to see how a wedding set up would look like. She also gave us tips and recommendations for our other vendors to ensure that everything ran smoothly. She guided us through our rehearsal and was onsite for our wedding day the entire night. Alanna made sure that I got to try the appetizers and eat dinner even though it was so busy. She checked on our parents multiple times to make sure that they were also having a great time too. She even assisted my husband with an inside joke with one of our guests! The food was delicious (especially the salmon and Asian eggplant!) and the set up could not have been more breathtaking. The entire night went perfectly and was exactly what we wanted. Alanna really took great care of us. The only thing I would say as a "negative" might be that communication can take days to get a response, which I really think is because Alanna is so busy. Other than that small detail, this place is perfect and Alanna is a dream planner. We couldn't be happier!

t we looked at. The staff is not only hard working but easy to work with, insightful and helpful; going above and beyond in making our wedding the best night of our lives. Make sure you hire a lighting vendor to light up the lake at night to create a truly uniquely special ambiance during the vows. Catering is restricted but the food is to die for and all the guests were blown away by the quality and quantity of the food and beverage selections! I could not have had a better or more memorable wedding than I had at Morikami and I am extremely grateful to the staff for making it happen so smoothly. Morikami has my highest recommendation for any event and especially as a wedding venue.

wish I had listened. My fiancé and I thought we had found the perfect venue and truly loved Morikami even before wedding planning started. Our initial meeting gave us great hope and everything we asked for had a yes to it. Stephanie said that everything we were looking for would be in our budget or it was included in the only package they offer. However, that's the farthest from the truth. Both Stephanie and Alana are extremely hard to get a hold of. It would take anywhere from a few days to over a week to get any sort of response. After our tasting (which you have to use their restaurant), it was even harder to get a hold of them. I had asked Stephanie for her cell number, at our tasting, to communicate better with her. It took over a month to get the catering quote back. Things we were told wouldn't be up-charged were. When we got our quote, it was double what were told and was way over our budget. For just food, alcohol, and the venue the total was around $40,000! We were told at the tasting we could receive credit for what we wouldn't use, that was a lie. After explaining our concerns and worries about how expensive just food and alcohol amounted to, it seemed as though neither of the girls cared, as they called our event planner without permission and added more items onto their bill. I'm not sure if the girls haven't had enough training/skills to run the wedding planning portion of Morikami or maybe they might be over worked because no matter what we said it was barely acknowledged. If you are willing to spend the $42,000, there are better places to spend your money and won't try to nickel and dime you. Needless to say, we walked away with them holding our deposit. We have tried to reach them with no responses, as have our attorney. There are better options out there!

The food was delicious, and the staff was friendly. I am a wheelchair user, so rather than walking down the isle, I wheeled from off of the bridge, and it was just the perfect touch to a perfect day.

their team, with almost no notice, transformed the inside of the museum into a gorgeous wedding chapel. After the ceremony, while we had our appetizers, that same space was again transformed into a lovely formal dining room within minutes! All the food was outstanding, service perfect. Stephanie and Alanna are also a very efficient team to plan with and made the weeks prior to the wedding very easy. This is the second wedding I have hosted in 18 months and I highly recommend the Morikami and all those who handle events there. OUTSTANDING!

t (last minute seating changes) or other vendors has minor issues, she was there to fix it and made sure there was no added stress on me. I felt I was able to enjoy my wedding because of her attention to detail, which meant I did not need to worry about anything. The food was wonderful, the guests absolutely loved it. The number one thing I heard was that as the guest approached their seats, the view was absolutely breathtaking.

r Alanna is the sweetest and most pleasant person to work with. It is the best budget for what it includes and we would recommend it 100% to anyone.

y were so professional and helpful and were there every second of my wedding to make sure my husband and I had everything we needed. They even made sure we ate the made the wedding of my dreams happen without me ever stressing about it. I cannot say enough good things about my experience with them.

mazing event. We had our wedding outside and the view of the lake and Gardens was magical. We strongly recommend this venue for your special day.

he Japanese gardens were beautiful for our pictures and the museum hall was a great size for our 50 guests. It was also nice to have a good-sized dressing room for the bride and groom parties. The food by Cornell Cafe was incredible! Everyone loved the sushi bar, h'orderves, cocktail bar, and dinners. There is such a big selection to choose from! Everything was perfectly portioned, as well. The servers were also timely and accommodating. We were nervous about the rain, but the staff is ready to move everything indoors without any issue. We would HIGHLY recommend this venue for any event!

eceive an email response/call which was frustrating. Everything was perfect on the day of the wedding, but I had hoped for some better communication while planning.

ey've been to so far. From the food to the staff to the Gorgeous place itself! We are beyond ecstatic that we chose to get married here!!! Our one wish would have been to be a guest at our own wedding! From the day that my husband proposed to me at one of the Morikami festivals we met right after with the Facilities Rental Manager, Alanna. Upon meeting her, we knew this was the place. She went above and beyond! She not only answered our questions for all the 2 years prior from our initial booking and up to the wedding but she was the "day-of coordinator." She was incredible during the whole event as she was coordinating guests, vendors and my wedding party! I'm not even sure how she was everywhere helping everyone and still somehow attentive to my husband and I. She even found time to bustle my dress! Another shining star is the Cornell Cafe with Christy and all her staff. They paid attention to all the guests and their food needs as well as making sure my husband and I were fed. And if your worried that you cannot choose another catering company, don't! The food was DELICIOUS! We got the buffet option and oh, man, the guests were beyond happy. The rice was fluffy, the beef was juicy, the sushi options were plenty. Just use them. Have a special request, they will help you find a way to make it work. So much more positive's to say of the whole evening and of the staff. But I would like to point out one more staff member, Sade. She was Alanna's right hand woman for the evening and was very accommodating always checking in on the bridal party to make sure we stayed hydrated among other tasks. Overall, the pictures online showing the venue setup does not do justice to what its really like to visualize how special a wedding at the Morikami Japanese Garden's really is.

ere absolutely fabulous! The food was top notch! Everyone who attended my wedding is still talking about how beautiful it was. I even had guest ask me if they can go to dinner there and have the same food. I wish I could post photos just to show how absolutely stunning the grounds are. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Morikmai and the staff!!!

applaud all the staff for making this just the best celebration ever. Food was great, the setting was breathtaking and we have had so many guests compliments us that it was the most lovely wedding reception they have ever attended. The groom and his family were from out of town and they were stunned with the venue. The terrace overlooking the lake at dusk was just the perfect ambience for a beautiful day for our family.

d with us and made it all happen. To start with, this place is probably one of the most romantic in S FL to have your wedding portraits taken at. In addition, the ceremony in front of the lake was an absolutely gorgeous setting. We had our reception inside since our wedding was at the end of May, but it still looked very pretty and the food was delicious (everyone raved about it). Last, but not least, the wedding coordinators, Alanna and Melissa were wonderful to deal with and extremely helpful. On the day of the wedding they made sure everything was exactly how we wanted it so we didn't have to worry about anything. I am so happy we got to have our wedding in such a special place. Thank you Morikami for turning our wedding day into a fairy tale!

y fabulous. Everyone raved about the sushi and the buffet. Alanna and Melissa did a wonderful job with the planning and execution of the event. The whole reception was truly spectacular.

re looking for in terms of food, atmosphere, scenery and overall experience. Alanna and the rest of the staff were nothing but helpful in the run up and during the course of our reception, we couldn't praise them enough. The food was out of this world and all our guests commented on the quality of the food. The venue played a huge part in the success of our reception, and the amount of our guests who are still talking about the venue is testament to that. Everything was wonderful, from beginning to end. I wish I could do it all again! Myself and my husband can't wait to go back and walk the gardens again!

, and how to do everything. They worked with me in everything. The food!!!!!ohhh my goddddd amazing. I still gget compliments for it the best of all events. If you really want to wow! Your guest their food will definitely do it. Yes it is a bit pricey. But it is soooooo worth it. Plan it with time and money won't be an issue. They work with you in regards to payment. The staff was extremely nice. The help were focus and would come to me and my now husband to make sure we were ok and had whatever we wanted. Honestly I can't say enough how professional they were.

useum wasn't set up originally for the reception. No one even mentions the rain delay when they talk about the wedding because they absolutely loved how accommodating they were and how amazing the food was. I highly recommend working with the Morikami Museum for a venue and catering!

wedding (and even after), Alanna, Marci, and Christie were all wonderful to work with. Planning a wedding (esp from out of state) is hard enough, but everyone there made it as stress free as possible. They were all very responsive over email and phone calls and very accommodating. They've done many many weddings before (including many of the staff themselves and family members) and they really have an answer for anything you can think of. They are accommodating and helpful and they truly want you to have a beautiful wedding. I'd highly recommend you checking out the Morikami for a potential wedding venue if you're looking for a non-standard hotel banquet room wedding. Yes, it would be cheaper to have it in a ball room instead of here, but I can't say enough about the people at the Morikami, the beautiful venue (especially for a gorgeous outdoor wedding), the amazing food from the Cornell Cafe (our guests are still raving about the sushi, appetizers, and main course), and the service (from set up to break down).

e an in house caterer (the Cornell Cafe) with excellent food, which made coordination easy. The event staff is amazingly professional and organized and will do everything to make sure your wedding is perfect. Even though it rained all day on our wedding day, and we got married inside instead of outside by the lake as planned, it was perfect and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

t the Morikami was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. As a bride I was able to enjoy my wedding day, knowing that everything was being taken care of. From the breathtaking views, to the amazing food, to the entire wedding setup, everything was perfect. We spent an entire year planning and dealing with the staff and wedding coordinator and never did we have a single negative experience. We love this place!!!

was out side cocktials and canapes were outside and then we moved inside for the rest of the reception. The food was over the top our guests are still raving and the service during the event was great. It is the perfect location for an amazing wedding and some amazing pictures!;The venue is expensive but we felt that you get your moneys worth. The event planners can be hard to reach but overall they were very helpful. There were a few last minute bills that popped up and they took a very long time to cash checks but overall I was very pleased with their services.

tentive to you even the week of your wedding they are terrible about returning phone calls

he place was easily converted from a lobby to a wedding reception site.