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Weddings

Pricing information

Price range: $14,000 - $30,000 Price range: $12,000 - $25,000
Couples usually spend $25,000 Couples usually spend $20,000
Ceremony
$1,700 starting price
Bar service
$24 per person
Ceremony
$1,700 starting price
Bar service
$24 per person

Attributes highlighted by couples

Quality catering
Guests comfort
Amenities

About

On WeddingWire since 2013

San Diego Zoo & Safari Park is a wedding venue situated in San Diego, California. With options for getting married to views of rhinos, giraffes, and gazelles in the distance, your day will be so special. Ideal for animal and nature lovers alike, this zoo can host your one-of-a-kind celebration.

Facilities and Capacity

Couples have three ceremony sites and three reception options for the special day, allowing each couple to find the space that reflects their wedding vision. Some highlights of the ceremony spaces include options for an African safari theme, with safari-inspired accents, trees, animals, and plains. An intimate lagoon spot with exotic plants near the water and lawn setting with sweeping branches and extraordinary animals is also a great ceremony site choice. Accommodations at the ceremony sites range from 50-180 guests. With so many reception sites, options include a beautiful African building with 35-foot vaulted ceilings and stunning lights or a lush, tropical space without walls. There are also venues featuring specific animals, like an expansive terrace overlooking the zoo’s elephants and a mystical bamboo passage into a tranquil forest with tigers, Indonesian longhouses, and a gorgeous interior with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Services Offered

The staff at San Diego Zoo & Safari Park will go above and beyond to make your day as incredible as possible. They have an experienced team who will guide you through every step of the way for stress-free planning. Included in the rental fee are chairs, clean up, linens, parking, set up, and tables. There is also in-house catering and an in-house bar for an exceptional day. Of course, your wedding at the zoo can be filled with wildlife encounters if you choose. This zoo features rare and dynamic species, from birds to reptiles to mammals, that will be an incredible, exciting addition to your day.

Cuisine

There are many catering services and menu options at the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park, ranging in offerings. Many menus include bar service with beer, wine, and soft drinks, a choice of cheese and vegetable display, or two passed hors d’oeuvres.

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

No

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

Yes

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$1,700

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$1,700

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Chairs
China
Clean Up
Flatware
Glassware
Linens
Parking
Set Up
Tables

Which of the following are included in the cost of wedding catering?

Cake Cutting
Server(s)

What is the starting price per person for bar service?

$24

Which of the following are included in the starting price for bar service?

Bartender(s)
Champagne Toast
House Wine
Limited Bar

What is the minimum number of guests required to book your venue?

50

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

9

Describe your venue:

Farm/Ranch
Garden
Historic Building
Zoo

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Covered Outdoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Bar Services
Catering Services
Clean Up

What catering services do you offer?

Buffet
Cocktail Reception
Dessert
Hors d'oeuvres
Outside Cake
Plated
Server(s)
Stations
Tastings

What bar services do you provide?

Bartender(s)
Cash Bar
Champagne Toast
House Beer
House Liquor
House Wine
Limited Bar
Liquor License
Open Bar
Premium Liquor
Signature Drink
Specialty Beer

What event items are available?

Chairs
Tables

What food and beverage items are available?

Barware
China
Flatware
Glassware
Linens

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Shuttle
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

March
April
May
June
September
October

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
July
August
November
December
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Any other questions?

Reviews of San Diego Zoo & Safari Park

We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.9 out of 5 rating
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
4.9 out of 5 rating
81 Reviews
99% recommend it
  • Quality of service
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Average response time
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    5 out of 5 rating
  • Value
    4.9 out of 5 rating
  • Flexibility
    4.8 out of 5 rating
K
Kiyaan P. Sent on 08/30/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Tiger Wedding

An absolutely phenomenal venue. The zoo staff were super easy to work with (shoutout Tommy) they were flexible on some of our more unorthodox requests (having a literal sword dance) and matched our vision perfectly.
Some other highlights:
The food was magnificent!
The longhouse ambiance was the perfect mix of otherworldly and magical
The tigers made the show.

Our guests also really enjoyed the park during the day. All in all a perfect experience with the venue, we will be back for an anniversary party in a few years!
B
Breanna C. Sent on 09/19/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing just do it!

I would highly recommend having a wedding here! They are very accommodating. We had to move our wedding date and they were so helpful in doing so! We had an outstanding coordinator! Alannah went above and beyond in helping us prepare for our wedding! She would help by giving us reminders of what we might be missing and contacting all our vendors. She helped us come up with a seating chart that made sense to us and our families, she was an amazing help and really took a load of stress off of us! Our wedding day was a tad windy and Alannah was helping us come up with different ways to secure decorations and keep our arch up. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect coordinator! Outside of the amazing help you will receive the venue itself was beautiful all our guests were speechless. We had our photographers gushing about our venue choice and saying it’s by far the best venue they have ever shot! We had added the animal encounter to our cocktail hour and everyone gathered around and enjoyed the fun facts and seeing the animals up close! If you are interested I would highly recommend a tour and looking at all the venues they have available they are all beautiful and you won’t regret it!!
Jennifer
Jennifer V. Sent on 07/07/2024
5 out of 5 rating

"The best wedding ever"

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park was the perfect place to host our wedding. Tommy, our coordinator and the zoo staff went above and beyond to make our day special. We chose Kijamii Overlook because we had older guests, we didn’t want them to have to move from the ceremony to the reception site. Kijamii Overlook was perfect because the ceremony and reception were at the same open-air site overlooking the safari with giraffes and rhinos. The kids loved it! We added on the Wild Animal Encounter, where we had birds, a porcupine and sloth visit us. We had guests sitting around us entranced by the animals. It was a big treat for everyone. Other hits for folks was the charcuterie board at the cocktail hour and an ice cream bar at the end of the night. The Safari Park and chef were able to accommodate all our guests dietary restrictions for vegan and gluten-free options. They also helped our ADA guests get right up to the ceremony site. Tommy coordinated everything without a hitch on the big day. He even tied the perfect windsor knot when we needed help. He worked seamlessly with our team of vendors to make our wedding better than we’d dreamed. Tommy even helped us get up to the Old World Gardens for our photos, the bride’s favorite spot in the park. Many of our guests said it was “the best wedding ever.” We highly recommend the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for your wedding or special event.
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Awards

81
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2019 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner

Real Weddings

Samuel & Lauren
19 photos · 10/23/2021

Professional Network & Endorsements

1 Endorsement
Sweet Cheeks Baking Company Sweet Cheeks Baking Company Wedding Cakes

What a FUN & UNIQUE spot for special events & weddings! Nothing says ADVENTURE like a wedding setup near Tiger Trail! Such a cool place for guests, for eye candy, for exciting noises at night! We absolutely love working at both the Zoo and the Safari Park and have so much fun with the designs we can create to capture the NATURAL BEAUTY of these locations. The Catering team is amazing and offers so much in the event options and reminds you that, with so much excitement around you, there is not much else you need to do to make it a COOL EVENT!

Preferred Vendors
Ceremonies by Bethel
5.0 out of 5 rating , 365 Reviews
· Wedding Officiants

Map

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San Diego Zoo & Safari Park frequently asked questions

San Diego Zoo & Safari Park includes the following items and services for wedding events in its starting site fee:
  • Chairs
  • China
  • Clean Up
  • Flatware
  • Glassware
  • Linens
  • Parking
  • Set Up
  • Tables
San Diego Zoo & Safari Park includes the following items and services in its wedding catering costs:
  • Cake Cutting
  • Server(s)
The bar service starting price at San Diego Zoo & Safari Park includes:
  • Bartender(s)
  • Champagne Toast
  • House Wine
  • Limited Bar
The space offered by San Diego Zoo & Safari Park for wedding events is known for:
  • Farm/Ranch
  • Garden
  • Historic Building
  • Zoo
San Diego Zoo & Safari Park offers the following indoor/outdoor options for weddings:
  • Indoor
  • Covered Outdoor
  • Uncovered Outdoor
San Diego Zoo & Safari Park offers the following types of wedding events:
  • Ceremony
  • Reception
  • Bridal Shower
  • Engagement Party
  • Rehearsal Dinner
San Diego Zoo & Safari Park offers the following services for wedding events:
  • Bar Services
  • Catering Services
  • Clean Up
San Diego Zoo & Safari Park offers the following furniture and decor items for weddings:
  • Chairs
  • Tables
San Diego Zoo & Safari Park is recommended by 99% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.9 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 5 in quality of service, 5 in average response time, 5 in professionalism, 4.9 in value and 4.8 in flexibility.

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