Being a less-than-traditional couple, deciding to have our wedding at Zoo Knoxville was a no-brainer. Animals at our wedding?! Duh.

The customization of the wedding packages is fantastic, and the Zoo's event management staff went above and beyond during a stressful COVID-wedding planning process. Suzi and Miranda were gems, answering all of our questions and catering to our sometimes ridiculous whims (look, we really needed that personal shrimp tower for our sweetheart table!). The rest of the staff that helped make our special day possible were kind, gracious, and very well-prepared.

What I'd consider to be the coolest part of the day was the fact that Suzi and company drove our bridal party around the zoo on golf carts to take photos before the ceremony. And after the ceremony, we were whisked away to take photos together as husband and wife throughout the zoo. It was fun, goofy, and just plain magical.

I can't recommend Zoo Knoxville for your wedding enough. This team knows how to do it right!

We eloped at Zoo Knoxville and it was everything we could have wanted and more!

Price: For an elopement I would say the price is extremely reasonable, especially considering what is included. For our price we got access to the Zoo after hours for our event, access early for ourselves and our guests and vendors, two private areas to get ready, a golf cart tour for photos, a walk through before hand to map our photos and the event plan, an arch (we brought in a few flowers to decorate), chairs, a table and linens for cake and cards, several dedicated event staff who coordinated locations and timelines and music, and access to the carousel after hours for the most incredible photos. We were able to add on Champagne for a toast for a very reasonable cost too! We didn’t add on an animal encounter package but they were a bit more expensive. Since this venue is a non-profit, we felt good about our money going back into the Zoo and animals.

Venue/Location: we got engaged at this location, so it was an easy choice for us. I will say the animals are animals so some were more active and willing to show off for photos than others - but we counted on none of them and were pleasantly surprised by anyone who did show up. There were so many beautiful spots around the zoo for photos (bamboo forests, wooden covered bridges, caves, rock formations, a waterfall, a tree house, the carousel, and more!) so even without the animals we loved the space. There was more than enough parking and it was easy to get downtown immediately after for our dinner and reception.

Events Team/Coordinator: Truly the best group of people on the events team to work with! We worked primarily with Marie - and she was INCREDIBLE!!! Even though our event was relatively small, pulled together within ~6 weeks, and right before Christmas/the end of the year, Marie and the team treated it like it was their number one priority and the most important event they could possibly be working on. We appreciated their responsiveness - especially to my many lists of questions - so much as we pulled together an event in a short time frame. They helped us customize the event to exactly what we wanted/needed and were so flexible in terms of our timeline and accommodating of all of our preferences. Marie gave us a walkthrough and showed us all the best photo spots and personally drove around our golf cart for photos on the day of. She also set up the arch with the florals we brought. The laptop we brought for music died and they immediately adapted and pulled up their own music that fit the vibe of the playlist we had made and covered it so seamlessly that I never even knew that our playlist wasn’t the one that was played! They truly made the day an easy and smooth dream for us.

We would choose this venue again in a heartbeat, and we would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested!

They were extremely responsive about any questions. I did not have to worry about any form of setup or breakdown, they took care of it all. Miranda was amazing at helping with minor details and the day went amazing!

If you are considering booking the zoo for your wedding, this is your sign to do it. Every single aspect exceeded our expectations! I honestly can't emphasize enough how accommodating they were. They truly listened to everything we wanted, and even then went above and beyond what we asked for to make our day perfect. I was honestly surprised in the best way at how much they did for us. On our wedding day, they had an event that morning that more people showed up for than they had accounted for, and even still, they made us priority. Everyone was so friendly and helpful, the catering was top notch, and the set up and breakdown were effortless. For a day that everyone warned me was chaotic and stressful, that was just simply not the case at the zoo. Miranda was our coordinator and I will forever be grateful for her and how she made our special day (and the months leading up to it) the best way we could've asked for.

From finding out we could get married at the zoo, to email correspondence, to a walk through to phone calls and the rehearsal, our planner was so patient and helped make our dreams a reality

When we were deciding on a venue we looked at several places in and around Knoxville we found two very common themes - barns and warehouses. While many of the locations we looked at were beautiful we wanted something fun and unique, which is how we found Zoo Knoxville. We knew that it would allow for a once in a lifetime memory for ourselves and our guests, and boy oh boy it did not disappoint. We held our ceremony in front of the elephants, the cocktail hour was in the treehouse near the gibbons, and our reception was in their event tent near Kid's Cove. The Zoo was great to work with from the beginning to the end, we had a team of coordinators to work with and they had their own catering/bar service so it was on stop shop. I can't recommend Zoo Knoxville enough if you want a unique wedding experience that your friends and family will be talking about, this venue is for you. Plus it's somewhere we can easily go back to relive all of our memories. 

When my husband proposed, we both knew immediately that Zoo Knoxville was the only venue we'd want to have our wedding at (otherwise we would have inevitably eloped.) We're big on travel and animals, so anytime we visit a new place, we always make time to peruse the local zoo; getting married in one of our favorite places only seemed appropriate. We had agreed on a plan A (our intended itinerary of events) and plan B (in case it rained), and boy did it rain - but it all worked out! Our wedding coordinator (Miranda) and team (Maria and other staff) worked fast to move our chairs/ metal trellis/ signage/ etc. all indoors, including cocktail hour items to a new location. Although I was nervous about how the day-of events would turn out, all tasks went smoothly and without a hitch, AND we were able to capture a ton of photos with animals before the downpour, which made the day even more special. Another added plus was the food. Although my husband and I had no time to snag a bite (lol), our guests raved about the items we chose! If I could do it all over again, I would choose Zoo Knoxville every time!

Zoo Knoxville provided my husband and I with an INCREDIBLE experience. On top of that, our guests had the time of their lives. Nobody has been able to stop talking about how unique and fun it was! The value of this venue is impossible to explain. There are a team of staff the day of just to help and support you. They take care of every detail and concern and they truly work with you to achieve YOUR vision. They are a well-oiled machine and everything went off without a hitch. You could not have a more special experience if you tried! We did a photo tour around the zoo during the cocktail hour and enjoyed an animal encounter (feeding the tigers) with our guests as well. Having one-on-one encounters with different animals after-hours is an indescribable experience. At our adults-only wedding, everyone was able to let their inner "kid" out, especially on the merry-go-round! Zoo Knoxville is well-organized, responsive, helpful, and FLEXIBLE. Book Zoo Knoxville NOW! You won't regret it!

Zoo Knoxville was truly the best place that we could have found to get married. My now husband and I found out the Zoo was an option for our wedding after a chance encounter with a incredibly friendly and kind event coordinator, Suzi. We were excited about the idea of such a unique venue, and were floored with the ease of planning our wedding/reception. Zoo Knoxville not only has a lot of services in-house, but their services are all top notch and made incredibly accessible but their ASTOUNDING event staff! They were responsive, caring, professional, and supportive every single step of the way! I wish that I could throw a party for every major event in my life at Zoo Knoxville! Our wedding day was unique and magical in so many ways, and I would not have changed a single detail!

The staff at the Zoo, Miranda, Suzi, & Britney were absolutely fantastic and great to work with. They were very flexible and made our wedding day perfect! I highly recommend having your wedding at the zoo!