Lan Su Chinese Garden Reviews

Lan Su Garden is a beautiful setting for a private party, even in Portland winter. Anna was exceptional. She was extremely responsive and made excellent suggestions that made the party even better. Highly recommended.

We had a fantastic experience working with Anna and the rest of the team from Lan Su. From the beginning, communicating with them was easy and always timely. They were very flexible with us in scheduling our walk-through and rehearsal, and helped these things happen around our family's needs.

From a planning perspective, we loved that elements like vendor rentals and catering are really streamlined, which helped us to make choices and finalize those details quickly, without a lot of fuss. And, as a location the place is just stunning! You hardly need to decorate, there is so much character and charm already to be had. Our guests cannot stop talking about what a lovely and magical place we had found, and we couldn't agree more.

I absolutely loved having my wedding at Lan Su. The garden itself is a treasure, and absolutely breathtaking. Getting to celebrate with all my family in such a beautiful place was a real treat, and I love the fact that one day when I start a family of my own I can bring them back here and tell them the story of how mom and dad got married at the Moon Locking Pavilion on a Portland June evening.

But, it's beyond the stunning aesthetics. The amazing staff (Anna is truly one of a kind), the magical mood, and easy shift from outdoor to indoor makes this a gorgeous, unforgettable and pragmatic choice for a wedding.

Great place to host an intimate event with amazing staff and grounds.

We were married in Lan Su Chinese Garden this past August, and we couldn't have been happier with the whole experience. (I'm only embarrassed it's taken me this long to give them a review.) The Garden's event coordinator (thanks, Anna!) and the caterers they recommended were all warm, helpful, and unfazed by dealing with a wedding couple of whom one member was out of the country for the half-year before the wedding, the other works weird hours, and neither is a particularly organized party-planner. We even needed to push our wedding date back a week, unexpectedly, a month or so after signing the initial contract, and they accommodated us with no fuss.

The Garden seems to cost around the same as the other indoor/outdoor venues we looked at, and unlike the others it needed only the barest minimum of extra decorations--lanterns and tablecloths from the caterers, farmers' market flowers from the groom's family for the tables, and we were completely set.

The Garden is beautiful at night (a side one doesn't normally have many opportunities to see), and as a bonus, now every time I come back to one of my favorite places in Portland, I'll think of our amazing wedding and be even happier to be there.

We chose the Lan Su Chinese Garden to hold a Celebration of Life event. This event was an evening event and it was very important that the garden had the right feel for this event. Anna and Gary did a great job helping us make the garden look special, especially the lighting and the lanterns. It’s a beautiful venue and wonderful staff to work with.

We had our reception at Lan Su. The venue was picture-perfect and the staff was delightful to work with! We highly recommend Lan Su + Food In Bloom. Thanks to Anna and Annessa for making everything play out seamlessly! :)

Gary was great to work with. Lan Su Chinese Gardens was a beautiful place to hold our ceremony & the morning rental was incredibly affordable. Gary was most helpful with planning, chair set up & processional ideas. He was quick & responsive with emails & had loads of helpful information. It was even better they had chairs available to rent & would set them up ahead of time for a modest fee & we avoided the added expense of decorations. Our guests were very impressed with the garden & Gary was on hand to help ensure everything went smoothly. We'll have many fond memories here.

If you are looking for something dreams are made of you could not do better. We had to change venues at the last minute and after many phone calls Anna Espiritu from the Garden was the first to respond. The LanSu Garden has been our favorite spot in Portland for years. It didn't occur to us that we should get married there until we received her call back--and then it transported us to a higher level of understanding and appreciation for what we were considering. What an honor it would be for us and our guests to have such a lovely place to celebrate!! She also said she could arrange for a caterer and all would be taken care of. Can you imagine such an offer? Anna held my hand through the entire planning and was also there for the event. The Garden has so many beautiful areas to utilize for the various aspects of the wedding. With Anna we came up with a lovely flow throughout the garden creating an evening's experience which took full advantage of the contrasting areas highlighting the beauty and nuance of Lan Su for all of us to appreciate. The food provided by Food in Bloom Catering was magnificent--so stunning to look at and so delicious! We would have been happy for the venue alone but the food put it over the top. All aspects of the service and the details of the event were conducted with great professionalism. It ended up being the most beautiful wedding, one we could not have imagined. Many thanks to Anna, the Garden and Food In Bloom for the most memorable evening of our lives. Our guests are still talking about it. One more thing, we really felt pleased knowing that the rental fees would help with the overhead of such an incredible historic site in Portland. We were surprised that so many people from the area had not visited the garden but not at all surprise by how impressed they were! Do not hesitate, your wedding here will give you great joy and will give you beautiful memories throughout your life!

perfect! I couldn't have picked a better vendor!

The garden was beautiful, and Krystal, our event coordinator, was a pleasure to work with. I loved the way we were able to make use of so many different spaces in the garden, but still feel like a single space since you could see everyone across the lake in the middle.

Beautiful location, very helpful staff. We didn't have to do a thing the day of the wedding.

My wedding felt unique and personal thanks to the stunning backdrop of the Chinese garden, it was a truly MAGICAL experience! Having a buffet with open seating really worked in the garden setting; everyone enjoyed the freedom to roam the grounds and discover the beauty of garden at their own pace and on an intimate level. Our guests loved the idea of being at a wedding surrounded by fine artchitecture and natural beauty. The garden was a fun environment for both young and older guests (and especially children). Everyone stayed interested because the garden made such an impact on their evening.

The other very important element of having your wedding at Lan Su is getting to work with their coordinator Michele Starry who is an invaluable resource. She has so many great suggestions on how best to use the space to fit the needs of your event, and how to use the time wisely. She works very hard to satisfy and help her clients, is responsive and professional. Totally ON TOP OF IT! She is also kind and supportive. My wedding went smoothly thanks to Michele Starry. I am a restaurant manager in NYC and work many weddings myself. I have rarely come across a manager as intense and efficient as Michele, I was very lucky to have her in charge of such an important day for us.

Thank you to Michele and all of the staff at Lan Su for making my wedding day so special!

If you want a cool and un-stuffy wedding, definitely consider Lan Su as a top place to check out.

If you want a UNIQUE wedding that you and your guests will love,this is the place.
The venue itself is breath taking and entertaining.

My favorite part is I had to add nothing!

What I mean is -I did not have to spend thousands on flowers and

tacky/ugly decorations to try to fill the space. It was already done.

Michele gave me many nights of peaceful sleep, I asked her for her input

and opinions-she has done many events and has experience with all the vendors I chose.

I had a blast and was not worried about a thing. It was perfect.

Michele Starry the event planner is the best!!!

The grounds were beautiful and staff was very helpful and professional throughout the process.

Michele and Gary at the Lan Su Chinese Garden did better than we could have hoped for on our wedding day, we could not have asked for more. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to have a wedding in the Portland area, they will take care of everything and work with you however you want to handle things.

Beautiful locaiton. Very quick response to questions.

The event coordinator, Michele Starry is a pleasure to work with in every way! She is a calm and helpful influence and we so appreciated working with her.

The garden is a gorgeous and multi-faceted venue. We didn't have to worry about having a lot of decorations and extra stuff, as the garden itself is so beautiful and everyone's focus was on how unique it was to have a wedding there.

We had our wedding on a Thurs., as it saved us some cash, and most of the people attending were guests from out of town. If you can swing a weekday night, I'd recommend it, as you save some dough on a lot of fronts. We had a modest budget, but costs can quickly add up, so it's something to consider.

All in all, the Lan Su Chinese Garden was a wonderful venue, and my husband and I look forward to having tea there and reminiscing about our special night. 4 thumbs up!

The location could not have been more beautiful or perfect. The garden was pristine with every detail lending itself to such a dreamy, magical atmosphere. So many people told us that they loved it and said it was the most beautiful location for a wedding that they'd ever been to. The location coordinator, Michele Starry was great, too. She was so professional, friendly, helpful, and positive. We would not have wanted our wedding to be anywhere else in the world! We had our ceremony in the Scholar's Garden, which held a maximum of 75ish people, which kept our guest list small, but made it so wonderfully intimate. People loved wandering around and the guided tour by the docents. It was a very unique evening that made such a nice impression on everyone there!

We were looking for a location to exchange vows, and the Lan Su Chinese Garden was the perfect place. The garden's staff were super friendly and flexible, especially given that our plans were very last minute. The ceremony itself was simply perfect: the weather held, and the garden was truly a tranquil and picturesque setting.

I would *highly* recommend using the garden- the intimacy was perfect for our big day.

We had both our ceremony and reception at the garden. It was the perfect place for us. It was such a relaxing atmosphere and they were so helpful, working with the vendors and going through to make sure we were happy were everything was set up and where we wanted it all to be. I planned the wedding from out of state and Michelle was so friendly and helpful and everything turned out better than I expected. She was there the night of the wedding to make sure there were no flaws and that we were totally happy. Thank you!

We cannot express how happy we were to have our ceremony and reception at Lan Su. It was so incredibly beautiful and such a special tucked away place. Our guests loved it and so did we! Anna was one of the most amazing, professional and organized individuals I have ever met. She made our experience at Lan Su such a positive one and was there to help us through any questions we had or ideas we had. She is seriously the best!!

Our August wedding couldn't have been more perfect at the Chinese Gardens. Guests were able to get there easily by Uber, parking, or MAX and even though it rained a bit, we had no problem accommodating our guests under the covered pavilions. The garden makes for absolutely stunning photos and I highly recommend this venue. It was beautiful, classic and so unique. We are SO GLAD we chose Lan Su and love that we have a reminder in town that we can easily visit to remind us of our special day!!

LanSu Garden was a picturesque location for our special day, in fact several acquaintances have come up to us since our wedding to tell us that they heard about our "fairytale" wedding. When we got engaged, my husband and I knew that more than anything we wanted to have our wedding happen in that place. The people there were helpful, attentive, and friendly without overwhelming us with details. They were willing to go the extra mile when we had to play weather roulette (early October wedding in Portland). The only negative was the understandable restrictions that come along with having a wedding in such a priceless locale (no dark drinks, no glass drink ware, no candles on the water, etc). That said, none of those details matter or will be remembered when we look back on our picture perfect day!

The Lan Su Garden was a gorgeous, magical place to get married. Because the garden is open to the public during the day, weddings (or receptions) at Lan Su need to be in the evening - 7 to 11. We decided to do our ceremony and reception at Lan Su, and it was gorgeous - we couldn't have been happier. Our ceremony was on the pavilion right in front of the water. It was decorated with lights and hanging lanterns; you don't need to do a lot of flowers because the garden is already so glorious and lush. Our guests had a wonderful time exploring the garden before and after the ceremony, and it was decorated and lit so beautifully that they (and we!) just soaked up the beautiful space. We rented out the tea house as well, and were very glad that we did - it provided a bit more extra seating and an additional area to explore. Anna Espiritu and the Lan Su team were all so welcoming and helpful, and helped make the night a just wonderful experience. The garden does have some parameters that you have to follow, mainly to protect the grounds - they have two approved caterers, and some limitations on drinks (no red wine, for example, because it could stain the stone), but they are very clear about what guidelines need to be followed, and their approved caterers know the garden well and make it a wonderful experience. We wish we could go back and relive the night, it was that wonderful. If you have a larger party (say, over 90 people), you do need to think through how guests will move around the garden and where they will sit for the ceremony. We had 92 and were able to fit everyone in the pavilion. Just consider that in your planning. The team was able to show us exactly what our options were and were wonderful partners as we figured out the flow of the evening.

From: Marianne Mohr [mailto:mmm81057@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, August 16, 2013 6:09 PM
To: Krystal Kelch [FIB]
Subject: Re: Following Up to the Rehearsal Dinner at Lan Su... WOW!




Our guests are still talking about the rehearsal dinner. It was not only a dinner, it was a very memorable event. The Lan Su Garden was spectacular and the venue was a tribute to Justine's ethnicity. I think her family was very impressed and very happy. Justine's Uncles and Aunts were able to share with all of our guests the history of the garden as some of them volunteered there. Our out of town guests were happy to visit such an important Portland landmark. The menu was perfect and so delicious. I have nothing negative to say, it was a perfect night. Thank you for all of your help and expertise, the staff and servers were great. Our Tea Ceremony was so touching and both families were involved. I think Bobby and Justine are pretty lucky to have had such a perfect rehearsal dinner event. We hope to be back in Portland again and I hope this time we can meet!
Marianne and Bob Mohr

The Lan Su Chinese Garden- is so beautiful and you would never guess it would be right in the city. The paths you walk on have stones in them that are made to be walked on without shoes to hit your pressure points in your feet. It's so peaceful and pretty it's definetly a wonderful place to get married.

Having Lan Su Chinese Garden as our venue was one of the best things about the wedding. the event coordinator Michele was excellent and provided a much-needed wedding-planner type role for navigating the ins and outs of not just the Garden but how a wedding should flow. I loved not having to worry about decorating since the place was already magnificent and our guests were thrilled with the unique setting for our special day.

Michele Starry went above and beyond to make our wedding a dream come true!

Our venue coordinator, Michelle, was fantastic. She gave us really helpful advise regarding her experience with what works and doesn't work at the garden and she was very pleasant to work with. We considered MANY venues, but the chinese classical garden was hands down the BEST.

When I was thinking of wedding venues, I envisioned getting married in an urban setting, but also a garden setting. I wanted something slightly edgy, but also timeless. I wanted magazine-worthy city shots, but also the lush look of trees and flowers in bloom. Was I being too picky? Maybe. But picky paid off, and we found that Portland Classical Chinese Garden was the perfect location for our wedding and reception. Unbelievably beautiful, it blew us and our guests away. Imagine walking out to greet your (future) husband on a bridge surrounded by a still pond, with your friends and family literally on all sides of you. You should just SEE our photographs. The trees, the architecture, the pond, the tall buildings surrounding it... I could go on and on. I was equally impressed by how well the venue converted to the reception site. Our guests loved having enough room to stroll along on their own, contemplating what love and beauty really mean, while still being able to participate in the most important wedding moments and the dancing (the 'party' side of the wedding was incredible... It felt like a venue a celebrity would choose). This venue is not one that will be forgotten any time soon.

The first time my husband and I visited this gem of Portland, we spent many hours taking in the beautiful architecture, art, greenery, and wildlife. So when we began discussing potential venues for our wedding, we both knew immediately that it would be the perfect place to celebrate the happiest day of our lives. We do not live in Oregon, so having a staff that was actively responsive to our questions over email helped to alleviate some of the stress of planning a destination wedding. Our guests enjoyed exploring the garden and it was an absolutely perfect backdrop for our pictures. We are still getting compliments on our choice to have our wedding at the garden. If you want a beautiful venue, a kind and responsive staff, and a feeling that you have stepped into a gorgeous and peaceful sanctuary in the midst of a bustling city, Lan Su Chinese Garden is the best choice for you. One piece of advice prior to signing your contract is to check out the menus and prices of the available catering companies because you will only have two to choose from. We were happy with our catering company, but it is something to consider.

The Lan Su Garden provided a wonderful setting for our special night. Everything, from the decor and layout, to the location and size was perfect for us. We would like to particularly acknowledge the efforts of Michele Starry, the event coordinator. She provided endless insights and advice that helped make the most of the occasion. We would recommend the Lan Su Garden to anyone looking for a more intimate and unique experience.

We couldn't be happier with the way our ceremony turned out. The Garden is a beautiful venue and a great value. The staff was helpful, and even recommended other services in the area that of assistance. I would have given a perfect rating but I down graded a little on flexibility because some of the rules of the garden are firm to help preserve it's beauty.

I would like to boast that as a groomsman I was the one that turned my bride-to-be onto the Garden. I wanted a location in downtown Portland that would be easy to get to for the guests. Most were traveling from out of state. After looking at one windowless ballroom after another I came across Lan Su's picture online (taken by Evrim Icoz) and immediately knew that was the place. We worked with Michelle Starry who was wonderful through and through. There was at the time a limited list of approved caterers. And certain beverage rules (no liquor/red wine) due to staining concerns worked in our favor by keeping our bar tab down. We had both ceremony and reception there. It was top notch. All of our attendants raved about the Garden. It is a beautiful and tranquil environment that with the right team of vendors, can become a regal and glamourous atmosphere to party the night away.

Beautiful venue, Michelle Starry the Event Co-ordinator was wonderful

This was an amazing wedding site. Very private but with the convenience of being right in the city. Unbelievable views. Our photos are incredible. It is on the pricey side but worth every penny. The event coordinator at the gardens was incredibly responsive. They are not flexible about a few things: no red wine (it stains the stone floors), no glass (it can get stuck in the stone floors) and the hours. Despite all this, we were thrilled with our wedding there and would recommend it to anyone looking for a site in portland.

We, and our guests, thought the garden was the most amazingly beautiful and unique venue. We couldn't believe such a beautiful outdoor space could be found in the midst of downtown. While we had anticipated a traditional sit-down dinner, we elected to do a cocktail-party style reception with a buffet of heavy hors d'ouveres to encourage guests to flow throughout the garden. The garden offers such natural beauty and seating, which allowed us to save on decor, flowers, and rentals. The garden, as a museum of sorts, does lack in flexibility. The time for ceremony and reception is limited to after public hours and there are rules about no glass or red-wine to avoid damage. We found the beauty of the setting and the unique feel far outweighed these drawbacks. The hour for set-up was plenty, with good help and organization, and was also plenty of time for our photos. We used Catering at It's Best and found they and our site coordinator, Michele, to be very knowledgeable about how to put together a great event. We could not have been more happy with how our wedding turned out and can't wait to visit the garden for dates and anniversaries to relive our wedding memories.

Full disclosure - I used to work for Lan Su years ago as the Event Manager. I know how things work and knew what to expect. That said, it lived up to our expectations. We had our groom's dinner/rehearsal dinner/welcome gathering at Lan Su. Most of our guests were from out of state and this was their one chance to see this amazing garden. The caterers know the place well and did a wonderful job with the setup and the place looked amazing. Our timing was perfect in late summer to be able to enjoy the lotus in the lake. It was a perfect evening and the soft Chinese music playing over the speakers with the sound of the waterfall was enchanting. The mic worked pretty well for our brief announcements and everything went smoothly. I especially enjoyed being able to be a guest at an event in the garden and because of my amazing wedding coordinator from Encore Events (Cindy Rosen) and the garden staff, I was able to let go and just be a guest. Heaven!

Beautiful, special place to have an event although there are restrictions in timing and with beverages because of the special nature of this venue. Our group was a more mature one so none of the restrictions were a problem for us and it all worked fine.

Beautiful venue and very easy to communicate with everyone involved in the planning process.

The garden is absolutly breathtaking. If you are looking for something that will take you guest's breath away this is the place to have your wedding. It provided such an intimate and unforgetable spot for us to get marry and celebrate. We would not think of having a wedding anywhere else. It is a smaller venue, I think the limit is 125 but it was perfect size for us.

The garden has beautiful scenery, just wish that it had more selection for catering.