“I don’t even know where to start. My daughter and her fiancé were determined to have their wedding at a zoo. After reviewing several possibilities they chose the Elmwood Park Zoo, and we couldn’t be happier with our choice. If you choose to get married at a zoo, animal interaction is one of the top priorities and the Elmwood Park zoo did not disappoint. We chose to include the giraffe feeding for all of our guests along with six different animal encounters throughout the evening. The guest were thrilled. The zoo also offered a variety of different locations for the ceremony and the cocktail hour which was nice to have options. We then chose the Canyon Garden for the reception which was lovely. They recently added a bridal suite which was a nice bonus. The only downside is that there is no adjoining bathroom and outside food was not allowed when the bridal party was getting ready. Perhaps at some point in the future, they will offer a light snack menu. The zoo also offers an extensive menu for both the cocktail hour and the reception. The food was very good and the caterers accommodated our requests for special dietary needs. I have to say we were very high maintenance. We had a specific design vision with many moving parts . In addition, my daughter added several specialized elements to the evening… A peanut butter and jelly unity ceremony , a memory bouquets for loved ones no longer with us and their 2 large dogs participating in the ceremony to name a few! In many ways we pushed the envelop and the zoo met every challenge. We did decide to hire a Day of Coordinator (Lauren from IDoInvites was phenomenal), but the the star of the zoo was Becky Bell who is their Event Manager. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful she is. Her attention to detail was incredible. She made everything look easy.. and trust me it wasn’t! We had a lot going on ! She always had a smile and never got ruffled no matter what issue or change we requested. She is a true professional, and I attribute her to making the evening a success. As I mentioned we also hired Lauren from IDoInvites as our coordinator and she and Becky were in total sync. What a dynamic duo these two were. I would highly recommend the Elmwood Park Zoo for any upcoming event.”
