“Brooklyn Botanic Garden was in our minds as the perfect venue before we were even engaged. We’d both lived in Brooklyn for a long time and knew it to be an interesting, beautiful place. We also loved the ability to have a garden wedding in the city and knew Brooklyn Botanic Garden was a one-of-a-kind spot. It has a great size, is large enough to accommodate my family, and had the perfect balance of formality and nature.
“We worked with the catering sales manager. She provided us with a list of vendors and the entire staff worked seamlessly with our planner. Kate and I never had to worry about a thing.”
Their Vendors
Kate: Bret and I met online in the Spring. On our first date, we went to a bar and had a really good conversation. I really liked talking to him and thought he was funny. After, I went to a family wedding and I remember telling one of my cousins that I had gone on a really wonderful first date, and that I was really excited to see him again.
Bret: I proposed to Kate just over a year later. Kate designed her ring and our jeweler used diamonds from her grandmother’s engagement ring to create it. The jeweler told us the ring would take six weeks to complete. I put a rush on the ring without telling Kate, so when I proposed at her family’s lake house three weeks later, she was shocked.
Kate: Brooklyn Botanic Garden was in our minds as the perfect venue before we were even engaged. We’d both lived in Brooklyn for a long time and knew it to be an interesting, beautiful place. We also loved the ability to have a garden wedding in the city and knew Brooklyn Botanic Garden was a one-of-a-kind spot. It has a great size, is large enough to accommodate my family, and had the perfect balance of formality and nature.
Bret: We worked with Victoria Winter, the catering sales manager. She provided us with a list of vendors and we found our wedding planner through her. Victoria and the entire staff worked seamlessly with our planner and Kate and I never had to worry about a thing. We also loved having everything in one package. There were beautiful locations for our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, flexible indoor and outdoor options, and the food was amazing.
Kate: Our ceremony was in the water garden, and big red flowers were in bloom for our day. We put eucalyptus over our Chuppah, which was created from a tablecloth that belonged to Bret’s great-grandmother. We were married by the rabbi from my parent’s synagogue in Kansas City.
Bret: Our cocktail hour featured a ton of food that was beautifully displayed. Some highlights were Maine lobster rolls, avocado toasts, and an Asian street cart station. The sun setting in the distance made the atmosphere perfect.
Kate: Our reception in the gorgeous glass Palm House benefitted from the natural beauty of the garden. We simply accented and reflected the garden with flowers and greenery and opted for white tablecloths. Our florist did a wonderful job incorporating my wishes to blend our decor with what the Palm House already offered.
Bret: Our dinner courses were phenomenal and received rave reviews from everyone. I especially enjoyed our appetizer, which was heirloom tomatoes, grilled peaches, and burrata. Entrée options were roasted filet mignon, halibut, and beet ravioli. Everything was incredible, including our brown sugar graham cake with coffee mousse.
Kate: I cannot speak highly enough of our band. At first I was skeptical about having a band, thinking that sometimes wedding bands can be a hit or a miss, but they really brought the house down. The dance floor was packed until the reception ended at one in the morning.
Bret & Kate: Thank you to our parents for making our experience wonderful. To Kate’s parents, we truly appreciate all your support and willingness to help plan a New York wedding from Kansas City. We would absolutely recommend working with Brooklyn Botanic Garden to anyone. We had a great experience and look back on our day with pure happiness!
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, NY, 718.307.7133, www.patinaevents.com
