Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

oved being able to see the entire space at night. We appreciated that tables and chairs were provided by the gardens, and we were glad to learn that we could provide our playlists to the event team and have them played over the speakers rather than have to bring our own sound set up. There are outdoor spaces outside of the gardens that are great for outdoor photos as well. The gardens’ event coordinators (Sally and Asher) were extremely responsive and a pleasure to work with both leading up to, and during the event. They were very accommodating, communicated with us to ensure we were on the same page about what we were going for with our event, and handled set-up for the decorations we provided, the tables, etc. Honestly, they made things really easy for us! The cost was also very reasonable. Some mostly minor things to consider that weren’t an issue for us, but might matter more to others: Lighting: while the dining areas were well lit with overhead lighting and string lights, some areas of the gardens are fairly dark at night. Temperature: we were very comfortable in October inside, but the gardens is a greenhouse essentially and can get warm (we were told typically about 10 degrees warmer than outside air), so in warmer months this may be something to consider. Time: we were allotted four hours for our reception-only event. For us this was fine, though it went quickly, but something to consider for those hoping for a longer event. Lastly, the gardens only allows a limited set of vendors for catering. Initially, we were kind of worried by this limitation, but it actually became clear that the vendors’ familiarity with the space and the event team helped the catering experience go very smoothly as everyone knew what to do/expect, and we also had a wonderful experience with the catering (we went with Buffalo Catering Co., which we also recommend!) Our experience was fantastic, everything was beautiful and went smoothly—we highly recommend the gardens!