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The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens Reviews

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

Jacksonville, FL
4.8 out of 5 rating, 19 Reviews
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Reviews

4.8 out of 5 rating
19 Reviews
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    4.9 out of 5 rating
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100% Recommended by couples

Awards

19
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2013 Winner
  • Mrs. V
    Andrea Sent on 10/11/2017
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    Dream Wedding Venue

    I worked with Cara, the event coordinator, to plan my August wedding at the Cummer. She was very responsive and quick to send over contracts, make changes and answer any questions I had. Cara worked with us to set up our ceremony in one of the lower gardens to accommodate 150 seated guests. She had all the speakers and microphones set up for our ceremony and went over everything with us during our rehearsal. We had our reception in the Terry Gallery and also utilized the Ubilie Loggia lobby area for cocktail hour. We used the recommended catering company, Chef's Garden. Jenn from Chef's Garden and Cara have planned many events together so they know what they're doing. The food was excellent and they were easy to work with. The plated dinner was served quickly so we could get on with our party. The whole event ran smoothly so we were able to enjoy ourselves. I didn't have to do one thing on the wedding day because of my awesome vendor team! I always dreamed of getting married at the Cummer and it was everything I imagined and more!
  • Rosie
    Rosie Sent on 04/22/2019
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    We wouldn't change a thing!

    The Cummer was absolutely perfect for our April 2019 wedding! Even with the Italian Garden under construction (which I was initially pretty worried about), it was absolutely gorgeous. Cara was wonderful to work with and was so patient and helpful with all of our questions! We were planning from out-of-state, so it was so helpful to have a venue coordinator who was so responsive. Guests loved being able to view the galleries and everyone was astonished by the beauty of the gardens. We had our ceremony angling toward the oak on the lower tier, with the reception on the upper tier. With 145 guests, we thought the upper tier might feel tight with all the dinner tables as well as the stage and dance floor, but it wasn't tight at all! The Chef's Garden was amazing as well, and since they are the mandatory caterer and an expensive budget item, that's important to consider with a wedding at The Cummer. Mark Grandin does mandatory lighting and he did a great job too. We just went with simple cafe lighting outdoors and nothing else, which looked great! The only concern with The Cummer is that you can't put up a tent for a reception so if you are planning to have everything outside it's slightly risky, and you also have to make a weather call a couple of days in advance. We were so lucky to have perfect weather, but the possibility of having to move everything inside was definitely on my radar that week, so just make sure you're okay with your rain plan! We can't recommend The Cummer highly enough and we wish we could get married there again and again! We can't imagine getting married anywhere else!
  • Jessica
    Jessica Sent on 03/29/2019
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    Beautiful venue with a beautiful view

    The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is such a beautiful place in Jacksonville. There are some restrictions and certain guidelines regarding what can be done for your wedding, but nothing that wasn't unreasonable (it is a museum after all). We loved that there were no surprise fees or no peak months/seasons. The event coordinator, Cara, was always quick to respond to any questions we had and was so helpful throughout the planning process. I had always dreamed about having my wedding outdoors and surrounded by greenery, and the gardens at the Cummer were absolutely gorgeous. A big plus for us as well was that guests were able to explore the museum while during cocktail hour (but no drinks within exhibits). We had such an amazing experience with the Cummer Museum and everything went perfectly. All of our guests couldn't stop talking about how beautiful the wedding was.
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  • L
    Lindzie Sent on 04/06/2015
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    The Cummer was fantastic. The staff was very helpful and answered all of my questions in a timely manner. Cara was so helpful at laying out our floor plan & day of time line. I had the most amazing wedding and would recommend the Cummer to everyone. It's well worth the money! You get excellent service.
  • User1069447 Sent on 01/15/2013
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    The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens was my first choice for my reception. I would book them as soon as possible because they book up extremely fast! Our reception was outside in the upper gardens. Everything was so beautiful! The scenery outside, the St. Johns River and the huge Oak tree just provided for a very romantic feel! The Cummer provides chairs and tables, they even have a few other items available for your use which is a huge plus! The art galleries are even open for your guests during the night and the Cummer provides security throughout the entire night! Herman with the Cummer staff was very kind and helpful. Cara, the event planner at the Cummer is very responsive, sweet and professional. On a side note, photographers are not allowed to bring tripods here for some odd reason and the prices are now extremely higher than in the past year. I would recommend the Cummer to anyone looking for a perfect wedding with a view of beautiful gardens and the St. Johns River!
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    Kathleen Sent on 11/11/2012
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    I couldn't change a thing, our garden wedding was beautiful; it was perfect. We are so grateful for all of Cara's efforts. She made our event seem effortless, she is a natural at dotting i's and crossing t's. Thank you!
  • User866869 Sent on 07/17/2012
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    The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is absolutely magical! It is the most beautiful venue for any event, and was simply perfect for my wedding! All of the staff was wonderful to work with, especially Cara Bowyer who is the event coordinator on site. The Terry Gallery (where the reception was held) is a blank slate and can be turned into anything that will fit your event vision. The Loggia area is amazing to host guests in, and of course the gardens are gorgeous for everyone to roam through. It was easy to plan my big day, and everyone was so organized and on top of things to make sure the event went smoothly. My guests are still raving about this venue weeks after, and I highly recommend this venue to anyone looking to have an amazing time in Jacksonville!!
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    Lindsay Sent on 04/03/2012
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    When booking a venue, The Cummer is beyond expectations. Cara Bowyer is the events coordinator for the museum and is kind-hearted, helpful and quick to respond to any questions. Our wedding was to be held outside in the gardens, inside for dinner and back outside for dancing, but when it poured on our wedding day, it was nice to have a built in back-up plan. It was great that people could wander the exhibits and the gardens (once the rain stopped.) The Terry Gallery is a nice, blank slate so anything can be done in that room. We had a wedding of 130, with a plated meal and had the perfect amount of space. Another nice thing about the Museum is you can provide your own alcohol. The preferred caterer is the Chef's Garden and they were fabulous to work with and provided great food and service.
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    Elisha Sent on 02/28/2012
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    This venue took everyone's breath away. The exhibits are open for your guest to enjoy during your reception. It is located right on the river surrounded by a beautiful garden. Cara and her team were with us every step of the way and made everything perfect.
  • User2471932 Sent on 12/17/2015
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    We had our wedding reception at the Cummer Museum of Art and Garden. The venue was amazing and Cara Bower was fantastic to work with. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone planning their wedding.
  • Lindsay
    Lindsay Sent on 01/18/2013
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    I am so happy that we chose the Cummer for our wedding and reception venue! Cara was an absolute joy to work with. We had our ceremony in the lower tier, cocktail hour in the upper tier, dinner in the Terry Gallery, and dancing back in the upper tier of the gardens. Everything was absolutely perfect! The night before, I had some vendors wanting me to move the entire wedding inside, but Cara encouraged me to go with my gut feeling and ultimately I decided to keep everything set up the way it was originally planned. Boy am I glad I did! It rained up until 30 minutes before the ceremony and cleared up for the rest of the night.

    My guests are still raving about how elegant and fun the evening was. With the venue rental, you get ceremony chairs, tables, and chiavari chairs. The Terry Gallery is a blank space that accommodates endless seating plans and decor options. We had our bar set up in the Loggia along with hors d'ouvres. The gardens offer so many beautiful locations for pictures. The art galleries are open throughout the evening so your guests can stroll through the galleries at their leisure. I cannot say enough about our experience with the Cummer! The only downside I could see is that you have to pay extra to bring in an outside caterer (although I'm not sure why you would want to because the Chef's Garden is absolutely superb!).
  • Peyton
    Peyton Sent on 05/21/2012
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    Both the Cummer and Cara, the coordinator there, are wonderful to work with. The Cummer is absolutely beautiful in person and even more stunning in pictures. I was unsure of having my reception there because the layout is not one large room, but it worked perfectly for our large group of around 275. Cara is extremely professional and helpful, and a pleasure to work with. The Cummer is a beautiful place to get married!
  • Rhea
    Rhea P. Sent on 04/30/2022
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    Perfect Wedding Venue!

    The wedding was everything we imagined for a perfect outdoor garden wedding. In April the flowers were in bloom and everyone enjoyed the gardens and setup. Everything was setup perfect for our big day.
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    Lyndsey Sent on 02/03/2013
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    I highly recommend this venue. Cara was very professional and helpful in the planning process.
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    Emily Sent on 07/18/2011
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    I absolutely loved our reception at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens!! It is a gorgeous location that you have to check out. It is located right on the river and the flowers are in full bloom spring and throughout the summer. Cara Bowyer is very organized and is good about getting right back to you. The location even includes gold chivari chairs (ivory chair pads INCLUDED!), 60" rounds, as well as several highboys. This is a HUGE value! I would definitely recommend at least going to check this place out if you are wanting something a little different for your reception.
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    Linda Sent on 10/15/2015
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    The Cummer was a beautiful venue for our wedding. We wanted a place that had multiple options for our guests to enjoy themselves. Months after our wedding, our guests still rave about the Cummer and the catering provided in house. The museum is beautiful at night and our guests were able to enjoy the gardens in the moonlight. We got married in front of the old oak tree and our wedding pictures were exquisite in the English gardens.
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    Maria Sent on 11/15/2011
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    A beautiful location! Your guests will be pleased with not only how gorgeous the venue is but also the freedom to explore the exhibits.
  • User2430771 Sent on 11/17/2015
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    The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens was our ceremony and reception venue and was exactly what I wanted! We hosted our ceremony on the lower tier outside with the St. Johns River as our backdrop and the reception was split between the upper tier and the Loggia room inside. Cara Bowyer was incredible to work with - so professional, always quick to respond and as flexible as she could be with me as I had a specific vision! The venue is a bit pricey but there is nothing like it in Jacksonville and well worth it!
  • User1945588 Sent on 12/01/2014
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    Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of having my reception at the Cummer. What's not to love about it?! It's beautiful! Especially those gardens! Ahh! So, with that being said, that's it. It's super expensive, you can't have a reception past midnight, you need to pay extra for security, you pay an extra fee for having an outside caterer (now, I think you have no choice but to go with an in house caterer, which are no good). Cara was not the best at responding to emails or phone calls. Sometimes I felt overlooked or that my concerns were not valid. I wouldn't change anything about my wedding and I'd probably do it all over again just because my wedding day was perfect, but I still have my reservations about it.
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