We had an amazing experience hosting our wedding at the Phoenix Zoo. The events team was incredible! They answered all our questions and were willing to show us around multiple times to make sure we chose the location that best fit our needs. The prices were very reasonable, especially compared to the other hotels we looked at nearby.

We were originally scheduled to have our ceremony and reception on 10/10/2020, but because of Covid we had to push everything back one year. Fortunately, the Zoo had our anniversary date available for both venues, so we were able to have the wedding we wanted. Our original event coordinator left her job, but when Amanda stepped in to take her place, she didn't miss a beat. She answered all of my questions and was patient with my delayed responses. On the day, Amanda went above and beyond, transporting my 9-months pregnant niece and my sister with balance issues from the ceremony to the reception in her golf cart. The Zoo itself was beautiful! The lights in all of the trees were already turned on for Zoo Lights, so we had the extra added decoration to complement what was already naturally there. All in all, the ceremony and wedding went off without a hitch, and all of my guests loved the fact that our wedding was at the Zoo! I highly recommend the Zoo for your special day!

We decided to hold our reception at the Phoenix Zoo's Neely Center, because we wanted something a little different. We worked with Kelly and she was incredibly professional and easy to work with. The carousel and animal encounter during the cocktail hour were enjoyed by all. It was such a fun night!

Our daughter had her wedding at Ruby's House and it was the perfect venue. We worked with Marissa and everything could not have gone smoother. She was terrific! The venue itself was beautiful and peaceful at sunset. We had the reception just steps away from the ceremony and it was beautifully laid out.

Our wedding and reception here were PERFECT! The zoo has a handful of venues that were all reasonable and beautiful. The staff were also so amazingly helpful and responsive throughout the entire process - they made me feel so much at ease and would definitely recommend to a friend.

April 29, 2017: Phoenix Zoo Neely Center + Lancer Catering, Reception-Only

When my now-husband and I began looking for reception venues, we were so happy to find the Phoenix Zoo. It was everything we were looking for; it was different and fun! First and foremost, the Zoo is a non-profit venue so money goes directly to helping the animals. Secondly, they had a wide variety of sites so we were able to customize the wedding to fit our taste and budget. We held our reception of 100 guests at the Neely Center: the Zoo's largest banquet hall that includes a balcony/patio, which was absolutely perfect. We were able to keep the doors open, which really elevated the space. Guests could easily flow from eating/dancing inside to grabbing a drink at the bar, looking out over the lake or utilizing the photobooth outside. We also rented the Zoo's carousel during our cocktail hour, which gave guests another fun activity while they awaited our arrival and the beginning of the reception (it also made for some really cute pictures). In addition, the Zoo handled the bar as well as all event rentals: tables, chairs and linens. Together with their onsite caterer, it was really a one-stop shop.

Speaking of food, I really can't say enough good things about Lancer Catering. Heather Dobler, the catering sales manager, was amazing to work with. She allowed us to customize our appetizers and buffet to our exact tastes, and was super accommodating even when we had to change our salad last minute. Most importantly, everything was delicious, all of our family members continued to rave about the food for days after the wedding.

Finally, none of this would have been possible without Amy Howard, our Zoo event coordinator who essentially functioned as my wedding planner. She went above and beyond to help me prepare and made sure we had a stress free day. I really could not have planned the wedding without her.

We had our ceremony at Ruby's House and our reception at Desert Tents. The night was INCREDIBLE! We were looking for a venue that was unique, affordable, and wasn't a stale ballroom that required a lot of decoration. After visiting a lot of venues, our last stop was the zoo and we were sold! The Desert Tents are 5 permanent tents with a bonfire in the middle, with everything covered in twinkle lights. It's a really out of the box location that will take your breath away at night and truly wow your guests! Everything went smoothly from start to finish, from the start of planning until night of, everything was taken care of for us. We can't thank AMY HOWARD enough, she is truly amazing. You can tell she loves her job and that makes working with her a breeze. You won't regret choosing the Phoenix Zoo as the wedding venue of your dreams!

The ceremony and reception were held at Ruby’s House on an evening weekday. The photographer session was around the zoo and the pictures turned out fantastic.
We reserved the date about a year in advance and the zoo event coordinator was phenomenal every step of the way. I had zero stress and worries dealing with my vendors and the Phoenix Zoo was no exception. I lived a good distance from the zoo and communication by phone and email sufficed quite well. My husband and I did not always know what to choose, but the coordinator would always provide excellent suggestions. My husband has a favorite beer that is brewed in Sedona and the zoo ordered a few cases for us with ease.
The zoo provided a rehearsal time the evening prior to the wedding and both the zoo coordinator and my officiant worked efficiently together to execute a great rehearsal. The zoo cleaned the patio stones from debris and setup all of the included tables and chairs the day of. The zoo coordinated flawlessly with all of the other vendors for directions, setup, and breakdown. The zoo coordinator took the photographer, my husband, and I all around the zoo for breathtaking photographs.
The ceremony and reception went absolutely impeccably with zero complaints or hitches. Our package included the animal discovery, which I highly recommend. The guests were thoroughly surprised at the animals brought out by the zoo staff. We chose two animals ahead of time (tentatively based on animal health and availability) and they brought out additional animals not included. A zoo coordinator stayed through the entire event.
Since the zoo is non-profit, the charges were extremely affordable considering the amount of service and rentals included. I would recommend this beautiful location to any couple looking for something different than a hotel venue.

I cannot say enough good things about The Phoenix Zoo. My husband and I worked with innumerous vendors while planning our wedding and no one treated us as amazing as the Zoo. Working with Teale was the best thing that could have happened to us. We chose Ruby's house for our venue, absolutely gorgeous! All of our guests were gushing over how beautiful it was. Before our reception began, Teale drove us around on a golf cart with our Photographer. She went out of her way to find the most scenic and romantic spots for us to take pictures.
I have to admit, our wedding was hectic! The most enjoyable and relaxing moments of the entire day happened while looking at the animals. The Zoo was closed so it felt like a private tour. The animals looked so comfortable and were roaming beautifully in their enclosures! The Lion was by far my favorite experience. He was incredibly close to the gate and let out a giant roar! We felt like it was just for us! We got amazing pictures with the lion, elephant and flamingos! The monkeys were a bit trickier but we still snapped great shots of the animals we couldn’t be in photos with. The weather was breathtaking with a light breeze and smelled like flowers in the air. We took our tour at sunset and found so many amazing photo opportunities. Teale opened up areas that were closed to the public for us. We went out on a dock where the vultures are and stared out into what looked like a beautiful savannah plain. Incredible!
We couldn’t have hoped for more out of our wedding! We had so many things go wrong and unfortunately, a lot of people made us upset throughout the process. The Zoo was NOT one of them!! We are so lucky to have had them in our corner! Thank you Phoenix Zoo! You made our day!!

We had our wedding reception at the Neely Center of the Phoenix Zoo. The venue was both beautiful and affordable. Our event coordinator, Teale, was very helpful and flexible, always working to answer all of our questions as quickly and accurately as possible. She was careful to communicate with us about all of our needs for the day, making sure everything went smoothly.

The Zoo has so many scenic locations to take pictures, and we were able to travel around the entire campus before our grand entrance. The Neely center has a spacious indoor with enough room for 200 guests and a dance floor, and our favorite part was the big doors that opened into an outdoor terrace with room for guests to get some air and enjoy the view out over monkey island and the zoo lights that were still up. For a little more money we were able to rent the carousel for our guests to ride and to take pictures.

We are extremely happy with our choice of The Phoenix Zoo, and highly recommend it.