Wedding Theme Idea: Zoo Wedding
You may be surprised? Getting married in the zoo with lions, tigers and your bridesmaids? It is possible!
In her quest to find a site for her October 2004 wedding, Jen Burdick, 33, wanted a unique venue close to where her out-of-town guests might stay for the weekend.
She had wanted to book a local bed and breakfast, but with a guest list of 120, that proved impossible.
Working for Tucson’s Department of Urban Planning and Design, Burdick toured the Reid Park Zoo. The zoo’s officials mentioned their desire to book more outside events and a light bulb went off in Burdick’s head. Why not have her wedding there?
“People were so blown away (by the idea),” she said. “I’m sure there was that, ‘Is it going to be stinky?’ They just couldn’t picture it, but once they saw it, they thought it was beautiful. The zoo is just a fun place to be.”
White lights hung from the trees; baskets with candles dangled from branches. Monkeys whooped and tigers growled.
“They tell me a lion was roaring during the ceremony, but I was so focused that I didn’t hear it,” Carolyn Niethammer, the couple’s officiant, said.
Burdick, and her husband, John, 34, invited the kids attending the wedding to carry roses down the aisle and place them in a basket. Later in the ceremony, the couple passed the roses to friends and family members.
The reception, held in a plaza near the zoo entrance, catered to children and adults. Jen put her mother in charge of a kids’ tent near the rhinoceros’ pen.
“For me, it was really important that the kids have something to do,” Jen said.
Inside the tent, the kids could watch movies, do arts and crafts or get their faces painted. Kids emerged from the tent imitating every animal, from chipmunks to tigers.
The “adult” reception featured karaoke. After all, the newly weds had first met at a bar on a karaoke night in October 1998. At their wedding, the couple performed “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart,” by Elton John and Kiki Dee.
The Burdick’s guests enjoyed green-frosted cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cake, which the caterer would have charged an additional $1 per slice to cut.
“That was amazing,” Jen said. “They were the best flipping cupcakes I’ve had in my life.”
Renting the zoo for the evening (which starts at $1,000) help pays for educational programs. The no-frills environment makes it easy for couples to decorate to their own specifications.
“We were able to make it nice by just adding tables and chairs. You could make it the most basic, or the sky’s the limit. You could just have a great time there for not a lot of money.”
Cute eh?
Via Explorer News
Photo credit: Too Nice to Slice
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POSTED IN: Unusual Weddings, Wedding Locations, Wedding Themes and Ideas
7 opinions for Wedding Theme Idea: Zoo Wedding
JR
Oct 16, 2006 at 8:56 pm
love the cake..this is my first time to see such an interesing ZOO cake
Christine
Oct 19, 2006 at 3:49 am
it’s great, isn’t it!
ian
Feb 2, 2007 at 8:48 pm
a shocking cake its a very unique…the baest.
Deidre
Oct 16, 2007 at 3:11 pm
hi, i am planning a zoo wedding and wondered what you used for your save the date cards if you sent them at all. i wanted something zoo-ish but am coming up empty when i search. thanks!
Deidre
Oct 16, 2007 at 3:12 pm
oops, nvm, just realized you were quoting up there. sorry! :)
Palmira
Feb 15, 2008 at 11:26 am
I am planning a zoo wedding and wondering if there are any good wedding faors out there? We’re thinking of animal crackers with a “zoo” key as the name tags.
shelby
Jul 17, 2008 at 3:58 pm
how much did that cost let me know but the gorillas to black i like bown gorillas
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