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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.

Pricing information

Starting at $14,000 Starting at $12,000
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
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FAQ’s

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 2025 Winner
4.9 out of 5 rating
88 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
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

Powered by AI

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is highly recommended for weddings due to its unique and magical setting among animals. The venue offers multiple stunning locations like Harusi Lawn and Sambutan Longhouse that create a fairytale ambiance. The staff, including coordinator Emily, is praised for their professionalism, helpfulness, and attention to detail. Guests appreciate the animal encounter during cocktail hour, delicious food options, and the seamless organization provided by the staff. The venue's commitment to animal conservation and the impactful experience for both couples and guests make it a top choice for a memorable wedding.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is highly recommended for weddings due to its unique and magical setting among animals. The venue offers multiple stunning locations like Harusi Lawn and Sambutan Longhouse that create a fairytale ambiance. The staff, including coordinator Emily, is praised for their professionalism, helpfulness, and attention to detail. Guests appreciate the animal encounter during cocktail hour, delicious food options, and the seamless organization provided by the staff. The venue's commitment to animal conservation and the impactful experience for both couples and guests make it a top choice for a memorable wedding.

S
Samantha Sent on 01/14/2025
5 out of 5 rating

The most fun, unique, and magical venue!!!

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is the absolute best place for a wedding! I looked at probably a hundred venues online, but, there was just no other venue that could top it. The zoo has multiple gorgeous venues to choose from. We chose the Harusi Lawn and the Sambutan Longhouse combo and it was completely magical! The staff are also the most wonderful people to work with.

We fell in love with the Sambutan Longhouse for the reception. We loved the high ceilings, the intimate feel of the space, and the jungle vibe. Also, Tigers our nocturnal so we loved how there would still be animals out at nighttime. Two of the tigers laid on the heated rock next the glass the whole night! One of our child guests faced timed with her friend next to the tigers. Lol. We also picked this venue combo, because, my husband and I like when weddings have separate locations for the ceremony and reception; we think it adds variety and excitement. My husband notes that there was so much energy after cocktail hour when guests were boarding the shuttle to dinner.

Harusi Lawn is also extremely beautiful as a ceremony and cocktail hour space. When I first saw Harusi on the tour I thought it was pretty, but, on the day of the wedding it was spectacular! With just a couple of flowers and the wedding chairs in position it looked straight out of Twilight. The trees there are gorgeous and sunset falls beautifully on the space. If you love the giraffes and rhinos at Kajami (another venue at the zoo), you can still see them from Harusi! One of our guests said that she knows she should have been paying more attention to our vows, but, there were giraffes behind us. Lol. Absolutely majestic!!

Of course the zoo is a magical venue, and what puts it even more over the top is the staff. We were given Emily as our coordinator and I cannot say enough things about her. Oh my gosh I wrote her so many emails throughout the process double checking if we were allowed certain things, because, I wanted to make sure we respected the space and the animals. She was so responsive, answered in depth, and never made me feel like I was asking too many questions even though I totally was. Lol. She is also just so incredibly sweet and extremely professional. I felt like she had our back the whole way and was really focused on our happiness and on making sure the wedding flowed as smooth as possible. If you get Emily as your coordinator, you are really lucky! She is the best! All the staff is incredible. The zoo staff worked with us closely and made sure we were 100% satisfied. They will take real good care of you!

The animal encounter during cocktail hour is an absolute must. We had the owl, porcupine (the star of the show), and the cheetah. The animal care team leading the encounter were knowledgable, and engaging; our guests loved learning about the animals. Another nice thing about zoo is how much the zoo handles such as the food, drinks, chairs, and tables. A lot of reviews mention how yummy the food was, and that was one of the biggest compliments we got from our guests as well. Literally all my guests raved about the food!! The music has a max volume for the care of the animals, but, it was definitely plenty loud and was the perfect volume for a crazy dance floor. Oh and pro-tip, “A Lion Sleeps Tonight” is the perfect song to end on. All my guests went “awe” when it came on.

If you want to get married at a fun, unique, and magical venue, there is nothing better than the Safari Park!!!
T
Tiffany Sent on 12/14/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Such an incredible venue!

We absolutely LOVED having our wedding at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park! Not only did they offer such an amazing wedding package but the different venues they have are beautiful! We knew this was the perfect wedding venue for us as the money goes directly back to conservation. Us being animal lovers and my dream to help with animal conservation this was absolutely perfect! The entire process of booking with the Zoo was so easy! Emily was our coordinator for the zoo and she was absolutely Amazing! She made everything so easy for us and explained everything. She answered all my many questions and made our wedding perfect. She was able to help us figure out special requests we wanted and was SO fun to work with. Her and our wedding planner Courtney from Breezy Day made the day flow so seamlessly that everything was on time and stress free. She and Courtney took care of all our guests and were so sweet. Emily understands the rush of a wedding day and fully cares for everyone and the bride and groom. She even had a plate of food waiting for us after the ceremony which was SO amazing so we could get fuel for the reception!

The zoo and the venue are so organized, from the coordination of the day to the menu, food, vendors, plating décor, signage, and attention to detail. We were truly impressed with how much coordination was happening on the day of the wedding and how much the staff helped in every way. Our day went perfectly, and we can’t thank the staff enough! Hands down the staff at the zoo is INCREDIBLE!! Emily was on top of everything and such a joy to work with! She is so kind, sweet, and understanding! Tommy was also such a joy to work with on our wedding day! He helped with our first look and was so kind! These two are a power team!

We highly recommend the animal encounter to anyone looking to book this venue as it was such an unforgettable experience for us and all our guests! We still have people complimenting that our wedding was one of the best weddings they have ever been to, and the animal encounter was such a blast for them. We also recommend the venue of the Harusi Lawn/Tiger Long House. It was such a beautiful ceremony location where our guest got to see the animals in the background. Our reception was so fun, and everyone loved that the tiger was hanging out with us all night! We just want to thank the staff for making our day so incredible!!
Adam
Adam Sent on 12/09/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Everything we dreamed of and more!

We planned the whole wedding from Virginia and everything went off without any major issues. Thomas even did some emergency electrical work to make sure the ceremony was not delayed. Every step of the way we knew what needed to happen and it all went great. We were fully taken care of.
88
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2025 Winner
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
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Samuel & Lauren
19 photos · 10/23/2021

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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!

Ceremonies by Bethel
5.0 out of 5 rating , 366 reviews
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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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