The Holden Arboretum

this point we had not heard from the wedding coordinator for 4 months, and neither her or her assistant replied to emails sent to sign the credit card auth. form. We had to reach out to the Director of Guest Experience and the previous wedding coordinator in order to not receive a late payment penalty. We were assured my bridal party would have access to the entire Thayer building, where the bridal suite is located. This was not true. Members of the public peeked through the glass, ignored the “closed for a private event” sign and just walked in, and banged on the door when we eventually had to lock it. Holden staff members also read the private event sign, tried the door and upon realizing it was locked, decided to just pull out their keys and open it anyway. After locking the door, Holden staff decided that they’d just open the door downstairs where the bathrooms were so members of the public could get in that way. All of our personal belongings were in this building for any member of the public to steal. But that didn’t matter to Holden. A Holden staff member came to the bridal suite informing us that we cannot lock the door, as they have closed the main bathrooms and were directed every single member of the public to the bridal suite I paid for to use those bathrooms. Myself and my 7 bridesmaids were made to change inside of a building open to the public, unable to use the bathrooms as members of the public created a line down two flights of stairs into the bathroom stalls. Their solution was to change inside of a small room we could not all fit in with windows and a curtain that did not cover the windows. As women, this was so uncomfortable. I rented Holden for my wedding in February of 2024. Holden scheduled an entire Fall Festival after I paid money to have my wedding ceremony here. We were made aware of this festival Oct 8th of this year. We were assured the public would not have access to the ceremony site nor the bridal suite. This was not true. Members of the public walked into my ceremony. There was no coordination for parking of my wedding guests and the guests for this fall festival. One of my groomsmen had to direct traffic and separate the cars so my wedding guests could make it to the ceremony. My ceremony had to be pushed back by 40 minutes because no staff member of Holden made my wedding guests precedence over fall festival guests. I arrived to my own ceremony 2 minutes before it was my time to walk down the aisle. We were assured the day of our rehearsal that decor would be set up for us. We were were assured that my DJ would have a table provided to him for his equipment. We were assured there was an outlet right near the ceremony site for my DJs equipment. None of this was true. Speaking of decor, Holden staff dropped my glass welcome sign that I DIYed myself and said “the wind knocked it off its easel”. I paid $150 for a golf cart to take the bridal party and handicapped guests to the ceremony site. When staff drove my handicapped guest who just had hip surgery to the site, they left her at the grass and made her walk after promising to drive her to her seat. Half of my wedding party had to walk to the ceremony site, as staff told some of my members they “didn’t have the time” to drive them there.

the beginning of our wedding planning, Shannon was responsive, detail oriented, and organized. Every detail was covered with Shannon and the caterer in a meeting prior to the wedding to ensure the day was arranged according to our wishes. In addition, we had a rehearsal on site the day before our wedding coordinated by Holden Arboretum’s staff who were also present on the wedding day to review final details. Our plan was then executed perfectly by Nicole and the rest of Holden Arboretum’s staff which resulted in a perfect wedding day. The grounds and inside of the estate are beautiful. Lantern Court Estate has a classic, vintage, natural feel, which requires minimal decoration. Our pictures came out beautifully due to the amount of greenery and flowers everywhere. Having everything on site for the entire day (wedding suite for getting ready, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception) all in one place made the day easy for ourselves and the guests. We were able to rent the entire estate and grounds for 10 hours, so everyone had access to the estate the whole day. Also, Holden Arboretum provides a preferred list of vendors who do weddings at Lantern Court Estate frequently, so that made who we chose for catering, music, tenting etc. an easy decision and made planning smoother as they were familiar with the site. Overall, we could not have chosen a better site for a wedding than The Lantern Court Estate at Holden Arboretum. The ease of planning due to the professional, organized, fabulous staff combined with the beauty of the estate made for a worry free, perfect day, and we have zero complaints. We would recommend without hesitation having a wedding or event here and were thrilled with our decision to get married at Lantern Court Estate.

cation. The events team there is also amazing--incredibly organized, thoughtful, and responsive. They are attentive to detail and communicative; they also coordinated with all of our vendors to make the day run smoothly from beginning to end. Lantern Court is not only spectacularly beautiful, it is organized in such a way that guests smoothly transition from one picturesque space to another as the day proceeds from ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner and dancing--it's the perfect all-in-one venue.

nd I visited, because I knew how magical it is. I'm so glad we picked it. First of all, the grounds are STUNNING and the house is beautiful and comfortable. We got married in early July on the side courtyard, and it looked like a literal fairy garden. Flowers and greenery everywhere, butterflies floating in the breeze, and shade for my guests stay cool in. Almost no decoration needed. In case of rain, the room that serves as a backup venue is charming and lovely, too. Also, the staff were super helpful, friendly, and there for us every step of the way. If you're looking for an indoor/outdoor venue for a smallish wedding (we had under 70 guests, but could have comfortably seated up to 100), you have to check this place out.