Arizona Garden Weddings

Ideas & Inspiration

Phoenix’s Boojum Tree, where Kristen and Alex Chernyak married last spring, features a 20-foot waterfall, lily pond, fountains and unique sculptures. The options for wedding photos are endless.

Arizona Garden Weddings

Phoenix, located as it is in the low desert, is typically thought of as the domain of earth tones, cacti and wildflowers. Yet thanks to Mother Nature’s penchant for diversity, and humankind’s ingenuity in transporting water to this dry landscape, the Valley of the Sun is home to hundreds of lush gardens. When it comes to planning a wedding with a garden backdrop, the following locations provide couples with beauty, enchantment and plenty of options.

Not all garden wedding reception sites are alike
It takes effort to cultivate a garden in Arizona. Perhaps because of that, not everyone’s vision for a garden in the midst of the desert is the same.

For those who want to remain faithful to the climate of the Valley, Desert Botanical Garden, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation, research, education and exhibition of desert plants, features more than 50,000 plant displays showcased in beautiful outdoor exhibits.

Couples who want an indoor/outdoor experience at Desert Botanical Garden can rent the Dorrance Center, which features a 4,600-square-foot banquet hall adjacent to a large outdoor courtyard overlooking the cactus and succulent galleries. For a smaller, more intimate ceremony, brides can opt for the Pratt Ramada, a hillside locale situated at the highest point in the garden and home to panoramic sunset views.

Ben Himmelstein, who married Emily LaChapelle at Desert Botanical Gardens in May 2010, says they chose the venue in part because it exemplified the natural beauty of Arizona so well. “We had such an amazing backdrop. Everyone was really impressed,” Himmelstein says. “It really is a unique place to have a wedding, [compared to] the generic golf-course-style wedding that is more common in Arizona.”

Born from an ancient riverbed that blessed its grounds with naturally rich soil, The Farm at South Mountain is home to more than 100 pecan trees, which shade the property and lend a distinctly pastoral feel. The farm, which houses three restaurants, an art studio and a farmer’s market on its 12 acres, can accommodate grand outdoor weddings at its Canopy in the Grove area, a more intimate ceremony on the Morning Glory Patio, or in Isabella’s Garden.  

“The venue offered us the feeling of being outside of Phoenix without having to have a destination wedding,” says Karen Kertesz, who married Mike Galli at The Farm at South Mountain in April 2010.

Another venue in which pecan trees play a prominent role is Venue at the Grove, just 15 minutes from downtown Phoenix. According to Abigail Olaya, who owns the venue with husband Edward, the property contains two-and-a-half acres of mature trees and lush green grass. Hundreds of twinkle lights illuminate the trees around the ceremony area and patio. Olaya reports that the leaves change in the autumn and fall to the ground in winter, a rarity in the Valley.

Sometimes gardens are an extension of the personality of a house or cottage, as is the case with The Wright House in Mesa. Two distinct types of gardens are available: the Victorian English look of the Garden Room, or the luxurious yet cozy sunken garden of the Provencal, which is patterned after a French country inn.
In the Garden Room, fragrant flowerbeds and soothing fountains surround a lawn with a center aisle that leads to a striking gazebo, perfect for a garden wedding or reception under the stars. The Provencal boasts a magnificent courtyard with towering trees, ornamental fountains and picturesque terraces.

Heloise Renard, who married at The Wright House last May, says the Provencal was perfect for the intimate ceremony she and her husband had planned. “It’s elegant, intimate and picturesque, and the staff is very good at helping to keep things running smoothly,” she says. “They will make sure all bases are covered—even ones you didn’t think of!”

Another historic Mesa property, the Antique Wedding House, offers ceremonies in a brick courtyard garden with bougainvillea, cat’s claw and Lady Bank’s white roses. The venue’s garden area is completely canopied and accented with ornate ironwork, according to Michele Hart, who owns the property with her husband Ray.

“It’s not an overwhelming setting,” she says. “It gives our guests a comfortable, down-home feeling.”

For something completely different, there’s Boojum Tree, tucked away in north Phoenix. Originally designed as a private retreat by noted interior plant designer Ray Brooks, the venue has been rezoned for public use and features a diverse range of settings for weddings and receptions, including a Mexican plaza with a cantina/bar area, an indoor tropical garden (featuring a 20-foot waterfall!), and an Old English arbor, a favorite spot for photos. The décor is highlighted by a lily pond, three fountains, unique sculptures and, in the evening, the glow from more than 125 candles dot the landscape.

“You can’t find another place like it in Arizona,” says Kristen Chernyak, who had her wedding there last April. “I loved the diversity and different look of Boojum Tree. It has so many great picture backdrops.”

Wedding weather worries
Of course, despite being blessed with a climate that boasts 330 sunny days a year, Phoenix does see its share of rain, and garden venues typically have a well-thought-out back-up plan to keep the elements from spoiling a couple’s wedding dreams.

Emily Koeckhoven, corporate event and group sales manager at Desert Botanical Garden, says they allow tenting in case of rain, and each outdoor location comes with a rain plan.

Nikki DeHerrera, event planner for The Farm at South Mountain, says she and her co-workers watch weather reports carefully on the day of a couple’s wedding, and can easily move an outside garden wedding inside to the rustic Isabella’s Dining Room for a party of 75 people or less.

At The Wright House, both the Garden Room and Provencal settings are next to indoor facilities that can be used in case of rain. A ballroom adjacent to the Garden Room can hold up to 275 people; bridal consultant Marilyn Wright says her staff can also set up umbrellas to cover the walkways to the ceremony site.

Environmental concerns at garden weddings
Given the prominence of the natural setting at each venue, it’s hardly surprising that couples who choose garden weddings often have environmental concerns at heart.

DeHerrera says A. Wayne Smith, owner of The Farm at South Mountain, is committed to keeping the property as focused on sustainability as possible. “We can help couples plan a ‘green’ wedding,” she says. “Our chefs can use the farm-fresh vegetables from the organic garden that’s on the property.”

Koeckhoven says couples at Desert Botanical Garden frequently choose catered meals with fresh, local ingredients, or otherwise incorporate a desert theme throughout their event. The property offers docent-led private tours for wedding guests on the day of the ceremony, as well as passes to the Marshall Butterfly Pavilion, a spacious 36- by 80-foot flight-enclosed lush garden home to hundreds of butterflies.

Garden weddings are a little slice of heaven
Another common theme at garden properties is the feeling of comfort that a natural setting provides. Hart says the Antique Wedding House’s compact design and history-rich Victorian decorations help make couples and their guests feel immediately at home.

“You won’t get lost in our venue,” she says. “People have described this place as a little slice of heaven in downtown Mesa. They bring their grandmas here and they just love it.”

Olaya says Venue at the Grove strives to make a couple’s wedding more heavenly by only holding one event at a time. She and her staff can also help couples pull off a themed wedding, assisting with costumes and special decorations. But overall, she says, the location speaks for itself. “When people come visit us, they fall in love with the ambiance,” she says. “We provide a retreat from the Arizona desert.”

Arizona garden wedding locations
These lush venues will help make your garden wedding a reality.

• Desert Botanical Garden
  1201 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix
  480.941.1225, dbg.org

• The Farm at South Mountain
  6106 S. 32nd St., Phoenix
  602.243.9081, thefarmatsouthmountain.com

• The Wright House
  636 W. University Dr., Mesa
  480.833.0902, thewrighthouse.com

• Boojum Tree
  16026 N. 36th St., Phoenix
  602.867.8975, boojumtree.com

• Venue at the Grove
  7010 S. 27th Ave., Phoenix
  602.456.0803, venueatthegrove.com

• Antique Wedding House
  307 E. First St., Mesa
  480.649.1934, antiqueweddinghouse.com

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