Calling all plant parents! If you’re interested in having a botanical garden wedding with Mother Nature providing the perfect backdrop to your vows, have we got the spot for you. Nestled in the heart of Vancouver, VanDusen Botanical Garden is a nature lover’s paradise and an enchanting place to have an outdoor or indoor wedding.
As an officiant team that has been marrying couples in Vancouver for over a decade, we’ve been lucky enough to officiate dozens of weddings at VanDusen. Each botanical garden wedding totally blows us away and reminds us of this natural gem we have in the middle of the city.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to host your special day at a botanical garden, plus check out photos from real weddings at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, BC!
What is VanDusen Botanical Garden?
VanDusen Garden was started by the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA) who formed in 1966 to lobby for the creation of the garden to promote public engagement in biodiversity. VanDusen Botanical Garden was opened in 1975 in the heart of Vancouver and is jointly run by the VBGA and City of Vancouver Park Board. They also operate Bloedel Conservatory nearby.
Today, VanDusen is a stunning 55 acre wonderland for the whole family to engage in our natural world. In addition to beautiful garden paths and plants to view, visitors can try their luck in the maze, go on a guided tour, visit the food and gift shops on site, or learn more at one of the educational activities on offer. There are also seasonal events at the garden, like the famous Festival of Lights every winter.
Why have your wedding at a botanical garden?
A botanical garden wedding sets the scene for a beautiful wedding day – no extra decor required! For couples looking to get married in a stunning outdoor oasis, there really is nothing better than a botanical garden.
Guests will be wowed by the backdrop to your nuptials and excited to wander around the garden during your cocktail hour or reception. With a botanical garden wedding venue, you’re giving your guests both something beautiful to look at and a place to explore. The garden also offers lots of beautiful places to take your wedding photos.
A botanical garden wedding would be a no-brainer for any plant loving couples. What better way to honour your green thumb than to get married in the middle of a gorgeous garden?
Everything you need to know about VanDusen Botanical Garden weddings
VanDusen Botanical Garden hosts both indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies and receptions. You can also inquire through their organization for weddings at Bloedel Conservatory. Please visit this page and reach out to vandusenrentals@vancouver.ca to inquire about availability.
Outdoor rentals at VanDusen are available from May to October each year. There are three locations to choose from: The Great Lawn (200 person capacity), Heron Lake (120 person capacity) or Meadow Pond (30 person capacity). If you’d like to add an indoor hall reception to your outdoor booking, you can do so at a discounted rate.
For more information about booking, payment, staffing and rehearsals, please visit the Park Board page for outdoor events at VanDusen.
If you’d prefer to hold your wedding indoors, VanDusen has three beautiful indoor spaces with garden views that you can book. You can also include garden access for you and your guests in your booking. Their indoor locations include the Visitor Centre (30-180 person capacity depending on which rooms are used), Flora Hall (70-135 person capacity) and Cedar Room (20-50 person capacity). For more info on indoor events, visit this page.
Check out real weddings at VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver!
We’ve had the pleasure of officiating a number of weddings at VanDusen Botanical Garden over the years and can confidently say it’s one of the most beautiful outdoor wedding venues in Vancouver. Check out some of our past couples tying the knot at VanDusen below:
VanDusen Botanical Garden wedding & Shaughnessy Restaurant ceremony
In addition to the beautiful outdoor and indoor venues at the garden, Shaughnessy Restaurant is an on-site dining location that also doubles as a wedding venue. Check out Ellie and Alan’s wedding ceremony at Shaughnessy with Officiant Jane and photos throughout the botanical garden captured by Lumina Weddings!
VanDusen Garden elopement
Doina and Valia chose something a little smaller for their botanical garden wedding – an elopement! Officiated by Young Hip & Married’s Vancouver officiant Lauren and photographed by John Bello, their day was a stunner!
Botanical garden wedding at VanDusen Meadow Pond
For Sabine and Miles’ special day, they decided on an intimate garden wedding at VanDusen’s Meadow Pond outdoor location. Their wedding was officiated by Shawn Miller and photographed by Erica Miller – our dynamic husband and wife wedding vendor team!
VanDusen Garden autumn wedding
Jennifer & Maria decided to get hitched on a beautiful fall day in VanDusen Garden. We love seeing the garden at a different time of year! Their nuptials were officiated by our Vancouver officiant Beth and photographed by Erica Miller Photography.
Ready to get married at VanDusen? Plan your perfect botanical garden wedding!
We hope this post inspired you to start planning your perfect garden wedding. No matter what is blooming, you’re guaranteed to have a beautiful backdrop for your I do’s at VanDusen. Reach out to VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver to learn more about hosting your wedding at the garden!
And once you have your venue set, it’s time to plan your ceremony. Check out our ceremony packages and meet our team of Vancouver officiants!
Riana Ang-Canning has been working with Young Hip & Married since 2017. She is a professional content writer with experience in travel, lifestyle and weddings. Riana not only writes Young Hip & Married blog posts but is also involved with the company's internal communications, social media, copywriting and more. She knows YHM, and the wedding world, inside and out!
