Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
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Riverbanks Zoo & Garden Photos
About This Vendor
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden is a unique zoo wedding venue located in Columbia, SC. Boasting over 2,000 animals and breathtaking gardens, this is sure to deliver a showstopping location for your special day. You might even make friends with some local wildlife, elevating your wedding portraits to a truly one-of-a-kind level. You can choose to have all or just some of your wedding day at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. The ceremony can take place after the zoo closes, prefacing a joyful reception on its grounds, perhaps including portraits of you and your wedding party. You'll be spoiled for choice when selecting your ideal locations to exchange vows and enjoy your meal, with five different areas on-site. Ndoki Lodge, Tuskers, Magnolia Room, The Birdhouse, and The Aquarium Reptile Complex all offer different natural backdrops as well as mouth-watering menu options. The ARC would be ideal for an intimate gathering with its picturesque coral reef tank, while safari-themed Ndoki Lodge can host up to 500 guests. SSA Group, LLC is the zoo's preferred on-site catering team. Executive head chef Andrew Humphreys is passionate about personalizing your wedding menu to deliver incredible dishes that are also sustainable. You and your partner can select from a variety of meal styles, including hors-d'oeuvres, a buffet, stations, a plated dinner, or family-style. Bar services can ensure every guest is ready to raise a toast of beer, wine, or cocktails. You can opt for the bar to be consumption, full, or cash, as fits your vision and your budget for the day. Guests can also enjoy beers on tap at the Watering Hole on Ndoki Patio: this beer garden would be ideal for a summertime celebration. Moreover, the team can provide your sound system, lighting, setup, and cleanup for the event. If you want a gorgeous natural adventure on your wedding day, consider reaching out to the fabulous team at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden.
Amenities & Details
Ceremony Area, Dressing Room, Handicap Accessible, Indoor Event Space, Liability Insurance, Outdoor Event Space, Reception Area, Wireless Internet
Guest CapacityUp to 300
Ceremony Types Venue Service OfferingsBar & Drinks, Food & Catering, Rentals & Equipment, Service Staff
SettingsGarden, Park
Business AttributesPricing for Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
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| Starting Cost | Affordable |
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Browse Riverbanks Zoo & Garden pricing PDF below for sample services and estimates.
View PricesRiverbanks Zoo & Garden Reviews
Kayleen Edmonds and the team at Riverbanks were awesome. I had my wedding on June 3rd, 2023 at the Ndoki Lodge. It was amazing - service was awesome and the setup was painless. Fully recommend this venue!
Reviewed on 07-06-2023
My experience at the botanical gardens was so amazing! The gardens were so gorgeous. Kayleen was on point! Anything I needed she was right there for me. The food was excellent and the staff was very respectful. I highly recommend having your wedding at the Riverbanks Botanical Gardens! ❤️
Reviewed on 26-05-2023
Wedding Date 21-01-2023
Kayleen Edmonds went above and beyond for my wife and I at every step of this process for our wedding. It was an absolutely seamless process, and we felt like we were a priority to Kayleen and her team. The day-of wedding was seamless, and Kayleen and her team were professional and gave us incredible service. In a world where weddings are incredibly overpriced, we felt we got an immense value at Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Gardens. We would recommend this venue and Kayleen as the venue manager to anyone!!!
Reviewed on 25-01-2023
Wedding Date 19-06-2021
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden had great communication with me throughout the wedding planning process and the day of! It was very easy to work with them on wedding details and it was an affordable option. The venue for the ceremony and the reception were both beautiful and unique and our guests loved everything, especially the food. I would absolutely recommend this venue and loved every part of our wedding at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.
Reviewed on 18-12-2021
Wedding Date 15-02-2020
We got married at the Botanical Gardens and it was more beautiful than we thought it could be! Amanda was so pleasant and professional to work with through the entire process. The catering staff gracefully put together our plated menu and worked with ease throughout the night. The prices were very reasonable with catering and the venue included- and I couldn't have imagined our day differently. The space is perfect and the staff is even better!
Reviewed on 25-02-2020
Wedding Date 21-09-2019
We worked closely with their catering and special events department and I have to say I could not have been happier! They had great communication leading up to the event, and day of was even better. Whenever we encountered a problem they were quick to work with us to find a solution in a fast and professional manner! If you are looking for a beautiful event space with a phenomenal staff I could not recommend the Riverbanks Botanical Garden catering and special events staff more!
Reviewed on 25-09-2019
Wedding Date 16-03-2019
Absolutely loved having my wedding here! McKenzie was fantastic to work with. He made sure that we were well informed of everything that was happening and what all of our options were for last minute details. Our venue Day Of Coordinator Sarah was superb - we could not have asked for anyone better to make sure we were well taken care of! Her positive attitude and quick thinking for hiccups made sure that everything ran smoothly. One suggestion for future brides - request more food than anticipated. Our biggest challenge was that guests were on the hungry side and took more food than the suggested serving size.
Reviewed on 02-05-2019
Wedding Date 05-01-2019
Everything was perfect! We had our reception at the Ndoki lodge and it was BEAUTIFUL! McKenzie went above and beyond with all of our requests. The food was amazing too!!
Reviewed on 17-01-2019
Wedding Date 03-11-2018
They are very helpful and know their stuff. The wedding went off so smoothly because of their help. Mckenzie Roland helped us and he was always quick to respond and always helped us get anything done.
Reviewed on 13-11-2018
Wedding Date 11-02-2018
We chose to have both our ceremony and reception at Riverbanks Ndoki Lodge, and we loved every minute of it! Our coordinator, McKenzie was absolutely amazing. Because we were planning our wedding from overseas, it was so important to have everything taken care of at one place- and we got exactly that. I would highly recommend having your wedding at Riverbanks Zoo!
Reviewed on 07-03-2018
Wedding Date 24-06-2017
After looking at many beautiful venues we stumbled upon the Ndoki Lodge at Riverbanks Zoo and fell in love. At first, it might look a little rustic but I believe this venue is a hidden gem. The lodge looked absolutely stunning on the night of our wedding reception. The wrap around windows gave us an outdoor feel but with air conditioning! Our guests enjoyed exploring the zoo on their way in to the lodge. You can also use the outdoor area near the lodge to have an outdoor/indoor feel. The lighting is beautiful with tiki torches, lanterns in the trees, and cafe lights throughout the lodge, which are all included in the rental. They have a built in sound system that we used during our cocktail hour before our band started playing. Tables, chairs, and table linen were included also. This saved so much money not having to rent lighting, table linen, and decor for catering tables. The zoo does their own catering and it is SO YUMMY with lots of options. The planning process was smooth and easy with McKenzie Roland. The only issue we had was not knowing where the event coordinator was on the night of the reception but luckily the other staff stepped in and helped us out. I have been to many weddings in Columbia, and I may be partial but the Ndoki Lodge is by far my favorite :-)
Reviewed on 21-07-2017
Wedding Date 28-05-2017
Excellent venue, Excellent value! The events staff were great to work with, very helpful with organizing our other vendors and family friends helping with setup. They even coordinated a last minute change to our ceremony set up. We were so thankful when a storm set in right before our ceremony- they assisted our guests to shelter, kindly waited for our decision to move the ceremony under cover or wait out the rain and proceed. The guests were all happily surprised to find their outdoor ceremony seats towel dried when they returned for the ceremony. We had the ceremony beside the flamingos near the entrance, the bridal party was able to use the indoor space at the seal lion exhibit while waiting for guests to arrive and during the rain. We utilized the option for giraffe feeding before the reception held in a beautiful African safari-themed lodge! Food was delicious with many options available and we actually got to eat some and had to-go boxes made for later! I cannot say enough about the great service we received and McKenzie and Olivia were excellent to work with.
Reviewed on 08-07-2017
Wedding Date 19-03-2016
I cannot praise Riverbanks or my planner, Olivia Cotton, for all their work in making our wedding day perfect and beautiful! Olivia laid out all our options and answered all of our questions. Simply the best staff and venue ever!
Reviewed on 09-04-2016
Wedding Date 10-05-2014
The Riverbanks Botanical Garden was a wonderful venue for a wedding. You can have your ceremony and reception there. I had my ceremony outside in the garden with the reception indoor/outdoor. I had about 165 guests (including bridal party) and we were very comfortable in the space. You and your guests have access to the entire garden for the night. There is an attendant at the front to help direct people to the ceremony, and a tram available for a very low fee to run back and forth from the parking lot to the ceremony/reception site for the duration of your event. The board room (with lots of mirrors) and a bathroom are available for the bride and bridesmaids to get dressed. The staff is wonderful and extremely helpful throughout the planning process. Catering is on site - you are not allowed to use any other catering service. You have many bar options from a corkage fee to them providing the full bar. We chose to bring our own alcohol and pay the corkage fee and it worked out really well! They have a preferred vendor list, but are very open to you bringing other vendors in. I did have a little bit of an issue with a photo booth company that was not on their list, and the event staff at Riverbanks helped me out tremendously by dealing with and solving the issue for me! Compared to other venues, I felt that the fees were reasonable and had lots of inclusions (tables, chairs, basic table linens, etc.). The only drawback is that your wedding ceremony cannot start until about 7:30 in the evening because the garden has to be closed and then there has to be a little time for setup, but this was not an issue for us! One thing to know - they do have a minimum amount for you to spend on catering, so it may not work for you if you're planning to have a very small wedding.
Reviewed on 27-05-2014
Contact Info for Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
| Contact | Value |
|---|---|
| https://www.facebook.com/riverbankszoo/ | |
| X (Twitter) | Riverbanks Zoo & Garden |
| Riverbanks Zoo & Garden | |
| Website | www.riverbanks.org |
| Phone | (803) 602-0900 |
| Address | 500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC, 29210 |
| planyourevent@riverbanks.org |
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden on the map
Meet the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden Team
Kayleen Edmonds (Coordinator) Hey there! I'm Kayleen, Social Events & Catering Sales Manager here at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. Since joining Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, I have planned and detailed over 100 weddings and have enjoyed every second of making couple's big days a reality! I would be your point of contact for your facility, catering, bar, and rental needs for your wedding at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. I hope to hear from you soon and can't wait to see your special day come to life!
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