Leach Botanical Garden Reviews

We had our ceremony here and really can't begin to explain how picture perfect it was. So many amazing photo spots through out their whole facility

Our guests really enjoyed being able to walk around the grounds before and after our ceremony, it really is a special gem in Portland.

Kit and the whole staff was great to work with as well, so patient and understanding through all the covid changes/rules

We just got married here and we can’t recommend it enough! Truly a beautiful venue! Our guests kept saying it was like a “fairytale.” Communication with Kit was great, she was so wonderful to work with, plus easy going and flexible which was especially appreciated considering the variability with COVID. Day of the wedding, it started pouring rain between cocktail hour and dinner. Kit led the charge to get all our guest tables inside the main house and we were amazed we were able to pull it off with our 50 guests. It ended up leading to a very intimate dinner that all of our guests appreciated. It was a perfect day and we topped it off with dancing in the rain in the East Terrace!

If you’re wondering if you can have a French-style garden party theme wedding in the middle of Portland, Oregon - you can and it’s at Leach Botanical Garden! The whole venue is so peaceful and gorgeous. We loved all of the recent updates Leach did that preserved the garden’s beauty while also having some cool modern touches. Working with the Leach Botanical Garden staff was a dream, especially in a stressful year planning with Covid precautions. They were so accommodating and wonderful when it came to shifting plans due to the pandemic, we appreciated their advocacy so much. On the day-of, Kit was amazing and made sure that everything was set up according to plan unbothered by the public. By the time the gardens were closed for just our wedding, it really did feel like we had our own private cottage and veranda for dinner. I couldn’t have imagined a better location for what we were envisioning.

We booked Leach in 2019 for a 2020 ceremony, with a reschedule happening in 2021. Throughout all of the ups and downs, the staff at Leach were helpful, responsive and kind. The venue is amazing and their list of caterings is great. Not so much a 'party' kind of place, but a wonderful venue for our smaller, more intimate ceremony and reception.

Perfect for a wedding under 100 people. Very responsive and made it easy even to plan from far away!

The perfect setting for a ceremony and reception for 100 guests. A gorgeous garden-like setting, with patio and inside fireplace room. Staff very helpful with setup, reset for reception and take down.

Choosing Leach Botanical Garden was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. It is very affordable in comparison to most places, but I felt you got much more than what you paid for. I used minimal decorations (really just some flowers from the farmers market) because the garden and house were beautiful enough on its own. Of special note, Nadia, the wedding coordinator whom you can hire to help with the event, literally helped save our wedding. Since I had a relatively low key wedding, I thought I could get by without a coordinator. But when other vendors showed up late and the original set up did not work well, Nadia stayed to help with it all and made adjustments that allowed the wedding to continue on smoothly. I cannot thank her enough.

My husband and I got married when it was legalized last year, but wanted to still have the wedding reception - and immediately thought of Leach Botanical. And based on how our party went, we made the absolute best decision EVER!

First off, I have to say Leach is a well hidden gem in Portland. We have friends who grew up 2 miles from Leach, who said they didn't know it was there, nor that they knew how beautiful it was.

We met with Nadia, who is the wedding/event coordinator for Leach, and who is simply amazing. She guided us the whole way, meeting with us when we needed to, emailing or phoning other times.

We got to the venue at 2pm and found our caterer already there and working, and were introduced to the staff on site. Every time I tried to do something, I was told, "We'll take care of everything - go and enjoy yourself!".

The day was perfect and beautiful; we couldn't have picked a better one. Every guest that came in told us how beautiful they found Leach, and one even said they wanted to come back to do her daughter's senior pictures there.

We were so very lucky to find Leach when we moved to Portland back in 2002, and I'm glad that we were able to use the facility for our special day. I cannot recommend Leach Botanical and her staff highly enough! If you're looking for a beautiful, quaint, and intimate spot for a wedding or other celebration, you simply must choose Leach Botanical!

I am so happy we went with Leach Botanical Gardens for our Feb wedding! The event manager Nadia was amazing and extremely helpful throughout the entire process. They were so flexible and the grounds were gorgeous! We would have never guessed that in Feb we would have 63 degree weather but because of this we were allowed to move the ceremony outside at the last minute! We were able to get some gorgeous pictures around the grounds as well as in the manor house. I would highly recommend Leach Gardens for anyone looking for an indoor or outdoor ceremony location!

Everything about this venue was perfect. It's beautiful there and they are super flexible! The garden is wonderful and the building is quiet and cute!

Great place! Has wonderful indoor and outdoor space for a great price. If you are an outdoorsy couple this is a great location for you!

Leach Botanical Garden was the perfect backdrop to our beautiful day. We were looking for a venue that could give us an outdoor venue with an indoor option if the weather didn't cooperate. We were also looking for a beautiful location that could accommodate both the ceremony and reception. At Leach, we found all of the above. The weather was beautiful for our day, so we were able to be outside... and what a beautiful day it was. The staff were extremely helpful and worked well with our chosen caterers, and our friends who volunteered to help. We worked within their parameters (max guest count, no official dancing onsite...) but it was still a joyous and beautiful day.

Beautiful venue in outer SE Portland. We chose this place because of its beautiful forest and because it has both indoor and outdoor areas, which is important in case of rain. The lady onsite the day of, Kathleen, was SUPER polite and helpful, and she helped us bring in a lot of stuff from our car, etc. when we arrived. A gem of a person. Jessica, the rental coordinator, is also super helpful--the only downside is that she isn't there every day so you sometimes have to wait a day or two extra for a response, but her hours are in her signature line so it was no problem for me. They also got my deposit refund back really fast.

We absolutely loved having our small winter solstice evening wedding at the Leach Botanical Garden. The grounds make for a beautiful setting with the surrounding forest and the creek running by, and there was plenty of soft outdoor lighting. Our disabled elderly guests were able to be dropped at the door and their drivers could park close by, so they were able to enjoy the beauty of the grounds without stress. Our able-bodied family members who hiked the short distance from the parking lot also loved the garden.

The Manor House was decorated beautifully for the holidays, and we had to do very little other than set up the pretty white wooden folding chairs and tables, cover the tables and put a small winter floral arrangement on each one, and lay a fire in the fireplace, and voila: an enchanted, intimate space for a wedding.

We wanted a simple DIY wedding so we did our own catering by bringing a cake from our favorite bakery and some tea sandwiches from a local grocery store, and brought rented tablecloths for the tables, our own white dishware and silverware, and airpots for coffee and tea service. With a group of 20 family members we had enough space in the main room to set up four tables around the perimeter for the reception and then arrange the chairs for the wedding in a semicircular arrangement so that everyone could feel close to the action during the ceremony. The chairs then were easily moved to the tables afterwards.

The beautiful wood paneling of the main room made a good backdrop for some lovely family photos, and family members chipped in to provide cleanup afterwards. A wonderful time was had by all.

A beautiful setting for a garden wedding. Several limitations, that are reasonable, do not deter from the majestic venue.

We recently had our wedding here and it was beautiful. We did not have to add much decoration because of the natural beauty of the place. Because we had our wedding on a weekday, we were able to rent it for half the day, which was nice. There are a lot of rules, like no hard alcohol, but we had a morning wedding so that was not really an issue. Jessica, the event coordinator was really nice and knowledgeable. She also responded quickly to emails and everything was set up easily. However, we had a different person helping us on our wedding day. She was very nice and helpful before the wedding began, but after the ceremony was over she became bossy, reminding us several times about what time it was while we were trying to enjoy time with our guests or taking pictures. She kept being very pushy "You need to cut the cake," "It's 12:00, we need to move along," and things like that, which put us off. Other than that, it would have been a 5 star review.

This venue is a little hidden treasure and was the perfect setting for our big day! My husband and I had such polar opposite ideas of where we wanted to get married but then we found Leach Botanical Garden and knew right away it would work for both of us because it is a truly beautiful setting! The staff is super friendly and willing to work with you to create your "vision"! I'd recommend time and time again!

Leach Gardens is an absolutely beautiful place to have a wedding. The Gardens themselves are beautiful and look AMAZING in the pictures, and the house makes a lovely backdrop (if you're having your wedding outside like we did--the interior is also beautiful). We had a small wedding of about 25 people, so we had our ceremony in front of the little outdoor fireplace across the creek and the reception in the courtyard. Leach provided all the tables and chairs (awesome!) and a place for myself and my groom to get ready (we didn't have a wedding party, but I think they can accommodate that as well). Nadia was very helpful throughout the process, answering all our questions and providing recommendations for vendors. Our caterer (White Pepper) was one of her recommendations and we're extremely pleased with our choice. Nadia was even there the day of the wedding and helped with set up and tear down. It's a really great value for the money spent considering how expensive venues can be and how lovely this place is. I would recommend it to a friend or have my wedding there again if I were to do it all over.

My husband and I got married at Leach Botanical Gardens on 5/10/15. We wanted an intimate, woodsy outdoor space with the option of an indoor space in case of inclement weather. My husband's aunt is a chef and had catered events at Leach and made the suggestion to us. When we toured, we knew it was the right spot for our big day. I admit, my husband and I were both pretty clueless about how to plan a wedding, but the event manager and other staff were very helpful in guiding us, while at the same time not being overwhelming and allowing us to keep things semi-casual feeling, which is what we wanted. Our wedding was a great success and I highly recommend this venue! We opted to pay extra for the event crew and bartending service, since we were not using a caterer. The event crew did most of the heavy lifting (set up, tear down, moving heavy items around, etc.). That service was pricey, but worth it if you don't want the added stress of doing it all yourself. The bartender we'd paid for ended up not showing up, but the event manager stepped in and took care of it and I didn't even know there was an issue until after the fact, which was pretty nice. And we were given a partial refund for the bartending without even having to ask. Again, I highly recommend this gorgeous venue. Very little decorating is necessary due to the natural beauty already present at the gardens. The surrounding trails, including a bridge and stone cottage, make for amazing wedding photo opportunities.

Beautiful indoor venue for a small winter wedding of twenty five.

My wife and I used beautiful Leach Botanical Gardens for our wedding in June 2016. We were looking for an outdoor venue, near downtown Portland, that still had a private, woodsy feel. Leach was the perfect fit! They have a beautiful courtyard off of the manor house with a pergola and a beautiful tree in the center. We used the space for our ceremony and reception. The event staff at Leach was able to suggest many options to tailor the space to our needs. There was plenty of space for our 40 guests, tables, buffet, dance floor, and game area. We also used the courtyard in front of the manor house for a happy hour between ceremony and reception. The transition was seamless thanks to the event crew (which cost us extra, but was worth it). Leach provided all of the tables, chairs, linens, plate ware, silverware, and glassware. For music, they don’t allow large amps, or DJs other than their own, so we used a personal speaker and playlist. Because the gardens are in a residential area, the volume can’t be louder than a certain level, but we had it at an acceptable level and it was loud enough to fill the space. The only stressful part was that Leach doesn’t allow you or your vendors to be on the site before your venue start time. It's a little pricey for the minimum of 6 hours, so we didn’t want to buy additional hours, but they are available. Luckily, we decorated the space in about 45 minutes (mostly because we went minimal on the decorations due to the beauty of the gardens), so we didn’t lose too much time. We had debated using the market lighting package (4 strings of bulb lights across the terrace), but it cost over $400, which we felt was a little ridiculous. We didn't even need them, there were flood lights on the manor house and the gardening shed that cast plenty of light onto the terrace (and they were free!). Overall, Leach is a natural beauty and all of our guests were thoroughly impressed with with it. It was a little pricey, but it was perfect!

We chose Leach Botanical Garden for its gorgeous setting and value for the money. If you go to visit, don't be turned off the the drive out on Foster Rd....it seems ugly and then you turn off the main road, go a few blocks, and suddenly you're in a lush green forest, no road sounds, tranquil gardens...it's amazing!

The ladies who run the events at Leach were very helpful with suggestions and information about past weddings in their garden patio. The patio can hold 75-80 people for a ceremony & seated reception. We had 55 people and were able to seat everyone around the beautiful large tree for dinner.

The site contract states that they do not allow "amplified music", however I think really they mean "LOUD" amplified music. We used an iPod hooked into good speakers to play music for our first dance and background music for the cocktail hour & dinner, and were able to hear it all throughout the garden. The other part of the contract that some might not like is that they only allow beer and wine/champagne...no hard liquor. This was fine for us and the crowd we were celebrating with.

Leach saves a budget bride money in a number of ways. Chairs and tables are included in the modest site rental fee, which was a big money and stress saver, not having to rent those separately and worry about another vendor. Also, during spring & summer the patio is full of lush greenery & blooming flowers, so very little floral decoration is needed.

Overall, a great site and we had a lovely day there!

Leach was so beautiful for our wedding. It was a fairy tale! We only had a couple complications with the venue regarding the coordinators changing over after we had already signed a contract but other than that it worked perfectly. We were able to do all of our own DIY decorations and they were pretty flexible about food options and catering. We ended up doing a taco cart and an ice cream trolley! The grounds were incredibly well kept and Vanessa, the on site day of coordinator was amazing. She didn't miss 1 single thing that was needed or wanted! She definitely made things happen for us.

I recently got married at the Leach Botanical Gardens, and though I consider my wedding day to have been a success, there were some negative issues with staff. First I would like to mention the positive parts of my experience; it is a very beautiful place to get married. Flowers everywhere, big wood pergola, stone floor outside, full kitchen, so many pretty places to take pictures, tables and chairs provided, and they allow you to provide your own catering and bartenders, as well as beer and wine. Now to the negative parts; On a Sunday I paid $1250 for 6 hours, then $100 an hour after. I had to buy 3 extra hours, as it is very difficult to do the set up, ceremony, reception and clean up in the 6 hours, especially if you have lots of decorations as I did. The garden had changed wedding coordinators after I had signed the contract, and the previous coordinator had told me that it was no problem if my wedding needed to go overtime, as long as we were totally out my 10 pm. But I learned on my wedding day that this is no longer true. The day of coordinator named Barb was very rude throughout my entire wedding. She walked around glaring at my guests and shaking her head. She could be heard exclaiming loudly " this is just ridiculous" and "this is just nonsense". She made a lot of people very upset and my guests uncomfortable . She was angry that my wedding went past the time she thought because she cant see in the dark to drive home. I tried to explain to her what I was told by the past coordinator, but she walked away from me. She also yelled at the caterers. I understand that the garden needs someone there to make sure things are not being destroyed but they should provide someone who wants to be there as this woman did not. I also got my computer stolen, which I had brought as a music back up. It was taken at the end of our packing up, when no one but our parents were there. I would recommend this place to someone because of its beauty, but just remember the issues.

I chose this venue because of its tranquil beauty. It did come with a responsible price tag of 1500 as well. They let us know that other than the first dance music was only to be back ground music, fine with me. We rented the equipment they suggested for the music. We even placed the tables close around the inner circle of the venue as they suggested, after the first dance I heard no music. I asked what was up, my friend handling the music told me he was rudely informed it had to be down very low. He said he adjusted it several times but every time she was back freaking out. No one could here it. He said everyone was coming up to him like what the heck? where are the tunes, this is ridiculous. I had 50 people there, it was a low chatter and no one could here a thing. I went to talk to the lady running it, explained no one could hear a thing even closer to the speakers like 20 feet, more less the even to the other side of the circle, not even in the middle. She became irritable and mumbled background music. I said thats just it, there is none. I work in customer service, as do most of my guests, we are polite responsible people. SHe just stormed away from me saying she didnt have to put up with this and refused to talk to me. I had politely approached her thinking there was a misunderstanding, she just didnt care. This was not a party crowed, it was low key, i just wanted to hear some love songs in the back ground of my wedding. Then an hour and half before we needed to be gone she got nasty to my guests saying we needed to start leaving. Maybe this isnt how it normally goes here, but i left crying. I had so many guests complain to me about this lady and ask where the music was and inform me she was telling people to pack up at 8:30 we had the venue until 10. Not to mention the lady treated me like i didnt matter. She ruined the my reception.