Oxford Botanic Garden

We never dreamed we'd be able to have our wedding reception in a place as beautiful, natural and historic as the University of Oxford Botanic Garden - and it exceeded all our expectations, we really couldn't have asked for more. My memories of our day are so beautiful and this place will always hold a special spot in our hearts! The team at the venue were so friendly and gave us a wonderful amount of flexibility for our plans. This was really important for us, as we didn't feel restricted in what we could do and how the reception would look. We are very grateful to Fe and the team for their help in recommending marquee and catering companies, and working out logistics for the day. Our wedding was in September 2019 and the garden was stunning in the autumn sunshine! We had drinks in the orangery which felt classy and intimate, then a marquee on the spacious events lawn which gave ample room for dinner and dancing! Our photographer, Kate Waters, said it was one of her favourite weddings, everyone seemed to be so relaxed and happy. It's so lovely to have a setting like this for guests to wander round and have photos in - there's no need to create any entertainment as it's all there, ready to be explored. Our guests walked over form the nearby church (St Ebbe's), and spent the time in between just enjoying the gardens, or going punting at the next door punting company! We used the florists 'The Garden of Oxford', who I can't recommend enough - they are brilliant, and put together a beautiful relaxed, elegant selection of flowers for us to decorate the marquee with. Having an abundance of flowers felt so natural in the OBG, and our whole wedding reception felt like a fairytale in this setting. Huge thanks to the Oxford Botanic Garden for helping us begin our married life in the most wonderful way possible. We can't wait to return soon and reminisce!

Our wedding day at the Botanic Gardens was incredible and exceeded our (already high) expectations. The historic walled gardens are absolutely magical and made even more special by its historical significance (parts of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland were inspired by the Gardens). I can’t count how many guests told us that it was one of the most beautiful weddings they had ever been to and we felt as though we were in a dream for much of the day! After we married at the University Church near by, we held a champagne reception on the lawns around the fountain and my husband and I made our entrance to the reception through the stunning historic Danby arch. The grounds were really incredible for guests to explore and for our photographs - with wild flower meadows, huge greenhouses, an orangery and the river enclosing it on two sides - all framed by the dreaming spires of Oxford in the background. The marquee lawn was the perfect size for our tent which sat around 170 guests and a dance floor. We had organised to use the orangery for drinks if it rained but fortunately the weather was perfect. The team at the Gardens were extremely helpful and accommodating in the run up to the wedding and worked very hard to ensure that everything on the day was perfect. Everything went extremely smoothly and we were really able to relax and truly enjoy our special day. We would wholeheartedly recommend the venue to any couple looking for a truly special wedding day. As an outdoor venue it also has the great benefit of being Covid friendly so we would definitely suggest it to anyone who wants to organise a safe, socially distanced but beautiful wedding!