The top priority for our bride/groom was to have their wedding in Dallas, as the ability for guests to easily get Ubers & many hotel choices was extremely important to them. We went to the Arboretum first and never looked further! We booked the ceremony in the Lay Family Garden, cocktail hour in the Tres Amigos Garden, and reception at the Camp House lawn for 04.04.25.

Included in the Camp House package was the day of bridal suite/living room area where the girls celebrated, relaxed, dressed, got hair/makeup done from mid-morning on. Looking back, the time spent that day relaxing and celebrating with my daughter, the groom's mother, and all the girls in the bridal party was an unexpected treasure. Also, being onsite the entire day allowed me to keep tabs on what was going on with setup.

The ceremony began at 5:30 in the Lay Family Garden. During planning, the bride considered several options for the wedding setup in that garden, and the Arboretum staff graciously spent much time walking through several different wedding scenarios for her. They truly tried to ensure her day was exactly what she wanted. In the end, the weather dictated that they go with the traditional wedding by the water walls under the wisteria arbor.

It rained lightly off and on during the day, but honestly, all the greenery and flowers in the garden just took on a "high definition" look. It was gorgeous....absolutely stunning. There was enough "not raining time" during the day that pictures, first looks, and wedding party frolicking in the gardens were all captured. Again, having the Camp House as a home base, made going in and out to work around the weather possible.

Fortunately, we had a 90 X 40 clear tent already planned for the reception (rain or shine). In addition, the Camp House Patio was also tented (due to the Dallas Blooms festival). So, the entire reception including band, dancefloor, photo booths, bars, tables was under cover. Food service was in the Camp House dining room. We did need to order an additional 20X20 tent for the string quartet the week of due to the forecast, and we purchased clear umbrellas and small white towels for the ceremony attendees.

Through it all the Arboretum staff, headed up by Kerrie Smith, was easy to work with, was very responsive to our questions....not only in the weeks leading up to the wedding, but to our many (somewhat panicky) calls the week of. They were supportive of what we wanted to do and were encouraging that things would all work out. And they were correct! I am not going to say it did not sprinkle some during the ceremony (the clear umbrellas came out) but only for a few minutes. We were so thankful the Arboretum let us decide what we needed and did not mandate we move the ceremony under the tent (rain plan B).

So, no bride dreams of a garden wedding day that is overcast and rainy. I thought my daughter would be hysterical most of the day. But honestly, she was calm, beautiful, excited, happy, and both she and the groom exuded joy and love when they looked at each other. So, that being said, I thank the staff and all the vendors that went into making what was on paper an imperfect wedding day...absolutely perfect!

I highly recommend the Arboretum for your event. The staff is professional, knowledgeable, and accommodating. All the gardens are breathtaking and the Camp House is wonderful. They have many wedding options in terms of indoor or outdoor, large or small, complex or simple, extravagant or budget conscious. There is no question why the Arboretum is tops on wedding venues in the DFW area.

(note: pictures attached were taken by family)

We chose to get married at A-Tasteful-Place at the Dallas Arboretum. It was absolutely perfect! All of the event coordinators are lovely to work with and so helpful. They bent over backwards to make our wedding day special!! I can’t recommend the Dallas Arboretum enough!! Thank you to the entire event team!

The Arboretum was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! It was absolutely breath-taking! And all of the staff were so kind and helpful!