The State Botanical Garden of Georgia Reviews
Reviews
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
-
Sharon Sent on 09/13/2020
Absolutely gorgeous venue for a wedding & reception.
Our wedding was being planned during the COVID19 pandemic. We weren’t sure if we would be able to plan let alone actually have our wedding during this very unpredictable time! Deirdre & her staff were so helpful, supportive, ready, willing & able to help us all they could. We were not only able to have our wedding & reception, but it turned out so beautiful! More than we ever dreamed possible! Deirdre sent a list of vendors they have approved to use the facilities & once we selected the vendors we wanted to use it all started to fall into place & before we knew it our wedding day was here!! We had such a wonderful experience, our guests were all amazed how beautiful the Day Chapel was, where the ceremony took place, to the Visitor Center where the reception took place. The Day Chapel is a very quaint but elegant venue to have a wedding ceremony, there’s absolutely gorgeous woodwork throughout the entire building from the rafters to the pews to the hand carved wood & etched glass on the doors as you enter into the chapel. The chapel made such a beautiful backdrop for not just the ceremony but for pictures as well. There was a garden area that was filled with beautiful plants, flowers & natural settings that also made for breathtaking pictures! We arrived at the reception area, we had an evening wedding & the Visitor Center was a glass enclosed area that had beautiful flowers, many types of plants, trees & various foliage that it made for a gorgeous backdrop. You could also look up & see the sky from the glass enclosed ceiling & see all the stars, it was phenomenal!! We had a great DJ, fabulous food from Dawg Gone Good BBQ, everyone danced the night away & had awesome food, great atmosphere & so much fun with family & friends! It made for a very magical night & a perfect wedding & a perfect venue!! We highly recommend The State Botanical Gardens of Georgia, located in Athens. We couldn’t have picked a better place to have had our wedding & reception. It was no doubt the best place for a wedding & a reception!!
Tommy & Sharon -
-
![Tracy]()
Tracy Sent on 04/16/2020Dream wedding at the Conservatory
We had our wedding ceremony and reception at the Conservatory at the State Botanical Gardens of GA. We planned our wedding from out of state and worked closely with Dierdre (venue coordinator) who was extremely responsive and often went out of her way to help us. She recommended several vendors who we loved working with, including our wedding planner, DJ, and photographer. The greenery and natural light of the conservatory were just beautiful, and we received (and are still receiving) compliments from our friends and family about the venue. We had a tented cocktail hour on the patio when the room was flipped which worked out extremely well. We highly recommend the Conservatory and the wonderful people who work there for a gorgeous wedding experience! -
-
![Collin]()
Collin Sent on 06/07/2019Beautiful chapel, wonderful ceremony & reception site
We had our ceremony in the chapel around 6pm in May, and had our reception and cocktail hour at the Conservatory (Visitor Center) which is a huge, expansive room with glass ceilings and walls and beautiful garden setting. It is an absolutely gorgeous venue for a wedding with a competent staff, a manager very good at communicating with myself and my wedding planner, and a good list of vendors that are very familiar with the venue and will make your day go smoother. (For this reason, I picked a specific catering company, tent rental, and DJ). Will never forget our special day! -
![starjonea]()
*Jonea Sent on 01/16/2014We used the Cecil B. Day Chapel for our wedding and reception. The location is beautiful and the chapel is gorgeous! It was just the right size for us - we had about 80ish guests. We reserved the space for the entire day so there was plenty of time to set everything up and decorate. -
![Michelle]()
Michelle Sent on 05/19/2011For our wedding, we rented the Day Chapel at the State Botanical Garden in Athens, Georgia--beautiful! The entire staff was wonderful to work with and very accommodating to any of our needs before and on our wedding day. I would highly recommend this location--zero problems and everything was perfect! -
User494181 Sent on 02/02/2011The Day Chapel is a beautiful, unique venue. It speaks for itself. If you are getting married in Athens, consider it and just go see it. We had our ceremony here. Too small to hold the reception here, too. But, we couldn't have imagined getting married anywhere else. -
Mary Sent on 06/23/2023
Exactly what I wanted
The Day Chaple at the Botanical Gardens is what drew me to this venue. It looks like it is out of an fairy tale. I knew I wanted a venue where events were planned to be indoors, because I couldn’t stand to plan for months just to have rain cause me to have to shift to a Plan B last minute. (It rained) the Visitors Center at the Botanical Gardens offered a perfect solution to having an indoor venue that didn’t feel stuffy.
They were very easy to work with. It is very much a do-it-yourself venue, but I was prepared for that, and it was more than worth the price. They provide a space, a kitchen, tables and chairs… everything else (table setting linens, etc) will have to be rented or provided by the caterer.
I highly recommend their suggested caterer, Trumps Catering— they know the venue well and we’re FANTASTIC. -
-
![Rebekah]()
Rebekah Sent on 11/09/2023Hitched Without a Hitch!
We rented the Day Chapel for our wedding day. It was a small wedding in July. The Chapel was nice and cool for our guests and it was easy to set up everything ourselves. There was plenty of room for a dance floor and guests to sit and eat. The caterer's already knew the drill because the chapel has a list that they use. We also didn't have to worry about visitors to the garden interrupting our wedding.
-
![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 08/15/2019Beautiful - the perfect wedding venue!
I knew very early that I wanted to get married at the Botanical Gardens, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Although all of my vendors did a wonderful job, I would say I received the most compliments on the venue.
I got married and had my reception in the large conservatory room. It is absolutely gorgeous and surrounded by so much beauty, that I didn't even need a lot of decorations. Aside from some table decor items where the guestbook was, a few signs, and centerpieces, nothing else was needed! So although this venue was a little bit on the pricier side, you will save a lot on decorations. And we all know how expensive flowers can be!
Since it is a garden, there are a few restrictions, which is expected - but the biggest restriction was not permitting vendors to start setting up until after visitor hours were over at 4, so we had a later ceremony start time at 6 (which was the absolute soonest my vendors were able to offer to allow for set up time, guest arrivals, etc). I would say that was the biggest drawback and caused the most planning headaches for me, but luckily I had amazing vendors that were able to work with it. I would say the pros far outweighed this con, but I just wanted to make others aware!
Aside from the beauty the Botans offer, I would say the biggest plus of getting married here, specifically at the conservatory, is being able to enjoy the outdoors while being inside. I know many brides worry about the weather on their special day and I could have cared less! It ended up not raining on our wedding day but we did get a heat wave - luckily we were able to enjoy the sunshine from the inside :) -
-
![JoAnna]()
Joanna Sent on 07/18/2012Our ceremony and reception were both held in the Cecil B. Day Chapel at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens, and it was absolutely PERFECT! Originally, we did not plan to have a large wedding or even a paid venue, but this was our "dream/never-gonna-happen" venue, and our parents made it happen. We have absolutely NO regrets and would recommend this venue to anyone and everyone looking for a beautiful, indoor/outdoor, simple yet elegant location! There are a few things to be aware of before considering this venue, (1) you are required to use a licensed caterer from their list of approved caterers, (2) if you have a band or DJ, you must rent the dance floor, (3) rehearsal times are pre-scheduled according to the day/time of the wedding, and are not convenient for most people, and (4) champagne/champagne punch or white wine are the only types of alcohol allowed on the premises!!! With that said, the rental manager and staff are EXTREMELY helpful, professional, and responsive, and typically responded to our emails within an hour or so! Hope this info helps other brides considering this venue! -
Eileen Sent on 01/01/2018My husband and I got married at the Day Chapel in November of 2017, and it was absolutely gorgeous. It's so intentionally made for weddings, and the natural light makes for incredible photos. It's the closest to having an outside wedding without being outside. We felt like we had privacy despite being so close to a public area. The only thing I would change about the venue is carpeting in the chapel, because it's dated and worn down. Other than that, we were very pleased.
-
-
![Sarah Arnold]()
Sarah Sent on 07/04/2016The Botanical Gardens was the ideal location for our wedding. Our ceremony was held in the Day Chapel which had enough space for our 80 guests. The stunning interior of the chapel paired perfectly with the lush, green of the surrounding gardens. The chapel includes a downstairs reception area, however with our numbers we decided to also rent the Terrace Room for the reception. The Terrace Room had enough space for seating, dining, and dancing, and included the outside terrace where we had our bar. Because the weather was so nice guests were able to mingle both indoors and outdoors. Both spaces include elevators for elderly family members and nearby parking. We highly recommend the Botanical Gardens to others looking couples looking for perfect venue. -
![Kelli]()
Kelli Sent on 05/04/2015We got a great value on this venue by booking on Sunday in the winter. The flowers are beautiful all year round, and the staff is great. They have several restrictions what you can do inside and outside the gardens, however this is to be expected because it is a botanical garden. It was wonder, the place was great!!! I would recommend this to anyone who is getting married in the Athens, GA area.
Are you interested?
Are you interested?