Rosamond Gifford Zoo

I cannot say enough good things about having our wedding ceremony and reception at the zoo! Stephanie is so wonderful to work with! She is kind, responsive, and detail-oriented! She made sure everything went according to plan. So many people asked me - you're really having your wedding at a zoo? They were surprised to hear that the zoo has a beautiful banquet hall and excellent onsite catering service. It was so much fun having cocktail hour with the animals in the indoor zoo. The outdoor zoo fountain provided a stunning backdrop for our family photos. I also really appreciated how flexible they were about changing the date/plans during COVID. Thank you to the entire zoo team for giving us the best day ever!

Brittany was amazing and really helped us with every step of the way. She made planning our wedding reception at the zoo super easy and stress free! She not only made the space look beautiful and exactly how we wanted for our big day, but she also worked well with all of our vendors to make every moment happen seamlessly. The banquet room is a perfect space, it's simple and the perfect backdrop to make your own! We chose up-lighting to really make the space beautiful and dance floor ready! Our guests enjoyed walking around the zoo during cocktail hour, and it's a great place for not only kids but adults to have fun in! Dinner was delicious and the open bar made everyone happy all night long. Both of our families had a blast mingling on the outdoor patio after dinner too. Overall the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is an amazing place to hold a wedding celebration! It's unique and beautiful and we would recommend this venue to everyone! Plus you're helping the zoo fund animal care and conservation efforts, which is another way having your wedding there is so special! (Photos by WeddingsbyRay - Ray Alvarez, check him out too! He's awesome!)

My husband and I had two goals when searching for our wedding venue. First, we wanted a venue that was unique, somewhat unexpected, and would excite our guests. Second, we needed a venue that was affordable, as we would be cash-flowing our entire wedding. We were so excited to find that the Rosamond Gifford Zoo met both of these criteria.

Brittany, the event manager for the zoo, was incredibly professional and overall a delight to work with throughout the entire process. Brittany was so organized, made sure we stayed on track with our planning, and helped fully execute, alongside her incredible staff, our vision for the wedding day. She is genuinely one of the sweetest people I have ever met and can't recommend her or her team enough.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo offers two settings for wedding ceremonies. One is an outdoor patio adjacent to the banquet hall; when lit up and flowers are in bloom, it is a beautiful place for a ceremony. This patio accommodates smaller wedding ceremonies; it is also a lovely place to escape the festivities of the reception and is lovely at night with string lights. My husband and I had our ceremony in the main zoo area to accommodate our larger guest list. This main area is in front of a fountain. We opted for minimal decorations outside, to enhance the intrinsic uniqueness of the venue. Both of these areas provide ample opportunities for photographs; there are also several animal exhibits that serve as unique backdrops (for example, the penguins outside; a cave indoors). Outside of the zoo, there are many locations in the city of Syracuse with great places to take photographs that are within a 10-minute drive (Franklin Square, Thornden Park, Burnet Park).

The cocktail hour is outside; guests have the option to walk through the indoor zoo exhibits (our guests loved being able to do this!). Couples can also choose, for an additional fee, to allow guests to access the entire outdoor zoo, as well.

For the reception, the layout of the banquet room is spacious enough to accommodate many different tables (guest tables, cake table, gift tables, etc) but it is also cozy so that no one feels like they are far away from the action (dances, speeches). I especially loved that the dance floor was set up in the middle of the banquet room, so everyone had a good view of it. The food at the zoo is superb and I wish it was a restaurant where I could go back to enjoy it over and over again. Many of my guests raved about the food after the wedding.

In conclusion, I enthusiastically recommend the Rosamond Gifford Zoo for your wedding. Guests will appreciate the uniqueness of the venue, there are beautiful spaces throughout the zoo and in the surrounding area for photo opportunities, the food is excellent, and the staff know how to plan and execute a well-run event. You can also return to the zoo, as a guest, for years to come to look back on your special day - not many venues gives you that same opportunity. The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is an excellent choice for a wedding venue!