Norfolk Botanical Garden

egret. First off, I paid $10,000 to have 3 locations (Renaissance Court Package) and only ended up only utilizing 1. They did not offer any compensation back. It stormed the day of my wedding. The garden was not prepared, did not think outside of the box, and gave us no alternative options other than getting married in our reception space in front of our sweetheart table. I expressed numerous times that we did not want to marry in our reception. The hall alone is not worth $10,000. It's outdated and has office tiles as the ceiling. It was not even decorated in the form of a ceremony, which would've taken intentional planning and preparation due to the forecast. The least they could have done was set up a proper ceremony then flipped the space into a reception after or offer us an indoor facility since we paid for the most expensive package! We were not treated as such! 2nd, the contractual rain plan was not honored. Their rain plan is not a rain plan at all! Rain still enters into the gazebos, soaking the entire area and those in it! We got every excuse to not use the rain plan including lack of seats. Which shows their lack of preparedness even more by not having enough chairs as a backup in the event of this situation. They were not willing to go down to get the ceremony chairs in the rain. So we were told all of our guests including elders would've had to stand the entire ceremony. That's their back up plan? What about the Chavari chairs that were included in our contract? We rented our on reception chairs so the Chavaris were not being used. Again, they did not think outside of the box. 3rd, inability to adapt. I asked at least 5 times for the temperature to be turned down as it was way too hot in Rose Garden Hall. Plus, they had my guest waiting in a hot hallway with low air circulation for an extended period. This resulted in my aunt fainting (causing me further trauma)! And 3 of my guests leaving. 4th, they did not safeguard our DIY items before the storm. We spent so much time and effort on them all to have them damaged and ruined. 5th, NBG is very money hungry! So are their exclusive vendors. The caterer cost more than the venue itself. The info sheet did not allude to the final price. 6th, dispite paying and being under contract with them, they delayed us from scheduling our rehearsal the day before our wedding, just in case there were other potential clients they could secure. More money for them... When we wanted to book the room that would've been for our rehearsal dinner, we were told it wasn't available. With the amount of money we paid, it should have been included or priority at least should've been given to existing clients with upcoming events. With the experience I had at NBG, I could've gotten married at the Gala 417, had a well planned indoor ceremony that flipped to a reception for $5,000 with food included in that price! 7th, the bridal room is extremely small. Gala 417 was huge. A few of my points has caused me extreme regret and trauma that I will have to seek help from a profession to accept. Biggest mistake was choosing them, I cannot redo it and will forever remember this terrible experience.

very single site so we could make the best decision. They gave us a packet with tips and their preferred vendors and that packet was well used as it was one of the most helpful pieces of paper I carried around. Whenever I had a question or needed to know who to call, I could always find the answer in the packet. Anytime we asked to come in to revisit the site to help visualize the day, it was never a problem and we were always greeted with huge smiles and warm welcomes. On our wedding day, the staff was amazing. They were sweet and made us feel so calm and relaxed. We never had to worry about a thing with the venue or the coordination with the Gardens staff and our wedding planner. I highly recommend the Norfolk Botanical Garden to any couple who is looking for a beautiful setting with fantastic staff ❤️