Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

There aren’t enough words to describe how happy we are that we got married at the zoo. Emma from the Zoo and Mary from Aramark were an absolute joy to work with - very accommodating, professional, understanding, and responsive. Highly recommend getting married at the zoo if you want a unique/fun venue or even just a beautiful place!

We love the outdoors and wanted to get married somewhere fun – mission accomplished! It’s been over a month since we got married and our guests are STILL raving about how much fun they had, how delicious the food was, how incredible and unique the experience was, and praise the staff.

Logistics were a big deal for us. With a lot of guests, some with mobility issues, we wanted to make things as easy for our guests as possible. Having the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception at one location took a huge burden off of us and it was one of the best decisions we made. Guests that had mobility issues felt well taken care of and could easily navigate the space, and the staff treated everyone like gold. There was one small issue with the last tram up breaking down part way through the trip before the ceremony, but the staff remained in contact with each other and handled it without us having to stress/worry.

Mary and the Aramark staff were fantastic to work with. Mary replied promptly to all of our questions, countless “what if” inquiries and requests about allergies, was gracious about any and all accommodations and changes and so much more. We had a plated meal for 200 guests and everyone was served in a timely manner with delicious meals well executed. The contract also included linens, china, silverware, etc. so having a one-stop-shop for that took away a LOT of additional contracts/stress. With a lot of different allergies, some severe – they took the time to understand each of them and accommodate everyone which went a long way with our guests. They often times go places and have to bring their own items, and to be included/accommodated meant a lot to them!

Emma was an absolute dream to work with and her staff was amazing. The Zoo will assign a day-of coordinator and Emma went above and beyond to make the day special for us, and take as much stress off of us as possible leading up to the wedding. From accommodating separate visits to the venue to help alleviate stress/anxieties that our parents, officiant, baker, etc. had – I can’t imagine other places handling it with such grace and poise. They also set up our place cards, centerpieces, chairs for the ceremony, tables/chairs for the reception, etc. that we (and our family and friends) could just focus on what we wanted to that day – it was a huge relief and help.

From hearing the lion roar during our ceremony, to riding the carousel during happy hour, or exploring the Asian lantern festival and being in the beautiful Stillwater, we loved all of it (as did our guests). Great value for the cost and amazing people to work with. We love the zoo and are so happy that our guests now love the zoo, too.

Emma and her team at Stillwater Place was an absolute dream. She was always quick to respond, caring and the best event coordinator I could have asked for. She made all my visions come to life at the zoo. If you are considering a wedding at Stillwater Place, it is without a doubt worth a tour! We had out wedding in December so the winter lights were up and made the venue even more breathtaking. We received so many compliments about the venue and would do it all over again.

I’m still on cloud 9 from our big day at the zoo. We had our ceremony outside under the pavilion, cocktail hour at the carousel and reception in Stillwater place. A few days later and I am still receiving messages from guests that it was one of the best weddings they have ever attended… we feel the same way! We primarily worked with Emma and Mary through the planning process and let me tell you, it was a well oiled machine! The communication was perfect, they both went above and beyond for us. I will never be able to thank them enough for helping my vision come to life. Emma and the rest of the staff exceeded all our expectations the day of the wedding. They didn’t let the thunderstorms or rain interfere to the slightest and made sure everything we wanted still happened. Jersey was our primary server at the reception, she made sure me, my husband and our families were never empty handed and had everything we needed. I couldn’t recommended the Cleveland Zoo and Stillwater place more for your wedding venue. We miss it already and can’t wait to go back and visit!

From the beginning of the planning process to the date of, everybody was extremely professional, accommodating, kind, and more than helpful! Everybody that helped us make this day possible literally gave us the absolute wedding of our dreams, and we could not have asked for a more perfect day!!

Everything was beyond amazing for our wedding. Our guests were blown away by the venue and how seamlessly everything came together! Aramark was simple to work with, and our day of coordinator from the zoo, Emma, took care of absolutely everything. We couldn't have had a better day and event staff for our wedding. Thank you so much for helping us create the beginning of our adventure!

My husband and I were so happy to be able to have our wedding reception at Stillwater Place. It such a beautiful venue. The venue coordinators are super helpful and are very supportive. They worked with our other vendors to really pull off a great night. I was also very happy with my animals that I go to encounter with and some more personal pictures of some animals that were a bit more active at later times for professional photos. The lanterns were also beautiful and guests that didn't like dancing could go after the dinner to explore it was great! All over 10/10 would highly recommend if you love animals, nature, or just a beautiful venue in general.

We picked the zoo for our wedding because the venue is absolutely stunning, but the service is even better. We were not able to have our wedding as planned due to COVID, but the events staff (Sam and Alascia) at the zoo was incredibly kind and understanding as everything unfolded. Although we ended up having to do a smaller wedding and couldn’t use the venue at the zoo, I would HIGHLY recommend this venue. You will be taken care of no matter what happens!!

We're so glad we picked Stillwater Place as our reception venue. Our guests absolutely loved the carousel and animals at cocktail hour and enjoyed being able to spend time outside on the patio during the reception. Alascia really made our wedding experience with Cleveland Metroparks Zoo phenomenal. She was easy to get in touch with and provided quick and detailed responses to our seemingly neverending questions. Alascia went above and beyond in helping my maid of honor set up a surprise for us as part of her wedding speech which really meant a lot to us. It was such a relief knowing Alascia and her team were taking such good care of our guests and event! Our day would not have gone so smoothly without them! We are so happy we chose to have our reception at Stillwater Place. We all had an amazingly fun time!

Our wedding is next year but the team at the Zoo has already gone above and beyond to make everything perfect for our special day.

Our wedding venue was like no other! Total perfection and so unique! Alascia Jones was our consultant. She was always there for us to answer all our our questions. Nicole King our sales manager and Matt Piquet the general manager were professional and always available throughout the planning process! The venue itself is gorgeous ! We utilized the beautiful merry-go-round during our hors'de'vor hour. Everyone loved riding! It was perfect for pictures. It was like a step back in time! Bartenders, and waiters and waitresses were great! Food (we did a sit down for 260 people) was fabulous! The compliments came in via text and phone for days! We also brought in corn hole, giant Jenga and giant yahtzee for the back veranda. The fireplace outside next to the pond burned all evening! There was something for everyone! Dancers on the inside, gamers on the outside! We did an evening pizza bar as well. We also used Seballos bakery recommended by the zoo. The cake was beautiful as well as delicious! The hall is clean. Alascia stayed with us all night. Nicole stayed until the dinner was served. The attention given to us was perfect! I can't express in words truly how wonderful this night was. Thank you to everyone who made our wedding so perfect!