Oklahoma City Zoo

mpany changed prices and our food was going to cost us $2,000 more than we agreed to. Sadly that was way out of our budget and so we had to break contract with them. The deposit is non refundable but I emailed Jenna and let her know that we weren't aware that you're not locked into the catering prices when you sign the contract and the zoo refunded our deposit for us and made it right. We are sad we don't get to have our wedding here but the staff here did such a good job making things right and working with us! The venue is beautiful and the food is very yummy (we have already done the catering testing), and the staff is lovely as well, I have no negative things to say other than the unexpected price jump which doesn't really have anything to do with the zoo.

excellently accommodated a guest w/ severe food allergies, &people were nice. Catina, the coordinator, was easy to get ahold of &lovely to interact w/; unfortunately, she asked us the same questions repeatedly &didnt seem to take note of certain important details. After emphasizing several times our vendors &party needed to arrive at specific times & gates bcz they needed to be escorted by staff, there were several times where no one met people to let them in. It caused needless delays &stress. On the day of the rehearsal, the mobile PA we were to use was not available to test. Despite pre-communicating people would arrive @ 4, there was no one to let us in. We were finally allowed in @4:25. At 4:30, the rest of our group arrived (as planned) &no one let them in. It was almost 5 by the the 4:30 rehearsal began. More disappointing was that Catina was on the phone w/ someone for almost the duration of the rehearsal &wasnt very available for questions &go over last-min details. The day-of , the venue’s Internet was down, so they didnt have any of our event details, specific requests, etc. viewable. We texted the timeline to Catina so someone could let our vendors &wedding party in. (There was A LOT of waiting around bcz there was no one there to let them on the property.) It wasn't until much later staff told the day-of planner they didn’t have printouts for setting up tables (what goes on them) or floorplan. The venue’s interior audio wasnt working, so the band was doing a sound check 5 min before the ceremony started. While the food tasted good, the portions were incredibly small. 1 tiny potato &3 pieces of broccoli &a 3 oz. chicken breast ($24.50). For the price, very small portions, &it took 45 min to serve dinner- 15 to serve the wedding party. Most disappointing: staff did not do much in the way of actually setting up . With 15 min to go and guests arriving, the aisle had not been placed, there was no podium or mobile PA for the officiant, (they were quickly tracked down, but yet another example of scrambling and poor execution). At 10 min before the start time, a bridesmaid asked Catina when someone would put the aisle down to which Catina responded by asking when SHE would be putting it down. The chairs were in the wrong place, there weren’t enough chairs, the wedding party table was crammed full of extra cups/saucers (for after dinner coffee not being served) causing everything to be crowded, &things weren’t settled in time for the wedding party to relax before the ceremony began. Instead, the wedding party was running around while staff was mostly absent. Friends/family had to do most setup that wasn’t putting a table down or chairs out. Bcz of the chaos &the room not being set up, the start was delayed &other aspects of the event were cut short to accommodate the delay. For the $, we expected better. The price included rental of the entire pavilion, catering, and a hosted bar. Overall, everything looked amazing, but that says more to the beauty of the venue &hard work of friends/ family than it does event staff. We had a lovely time but a lot of needless stress bcz of poor execution on the Zoo’s part. It’s a beautiful space, but I'd save my money &go to a place a little more tried &tested. Maybe in a few more years they'll have the kinks worked out.

nk. Our guests loved that we had such an unexpected venue and we loved seeing all the elephants and rhinos while getting ready for the big event. We were able to get ready on site and because our guest count was low enough we could park really close to the Sanctuary Asia building. Beautiful space. 10/10 would recommend.

f where certain stations were supposed to go. But the correction of it was so easy and seamless. The staff was definitely attentive to my needs on the day of and they worked endless to make the day perfect. Even when a tornado flew over the zoo, the safety of all remaining guests was the utmost. I will advise all couples to work with the zoo for your grand exit. You're very limited in what can be used. In the end, we just didn't have one. But other than that, my day was perfect.