Wedding

Wedding Ceremony Reservations & Permits

Choose from an array of scenic locations for your wedding ceremony. Among the sites are those with views of Lake Michigan, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory – where you can have a garden wedding any time of year – and numerous parks with gazebos and flower beds.

For your event at a horticultural facility, you will work directly with staff at the respective location

• Boerner Botanical Gardens
• Mitchell Park Conservatory  
• Wehr Nature Center
   
   

For all other locations, the type of permit you will need depends on the location and type of event you have planned.

• Wedding and/or Reception in designated Picnic Site
  You are required to have only a picnic permit.
  See the list of designated picnic sites. Note that amplified music is not allowed except at Greenfield #5 and Dretzka #1.
  See Restrictions/Considerations
  For more information, call (414) 257-8005.
  
• Wedding and/or Reception in Pavilion
  You are required to have only a building rental permit. Your rental includes tables and chairs which cannot be moved from inside the facility. If you plan your wedding ceremony in the park away from the building, you will be required to have a ceremony permit in addition to the rental permit.
  See Restrictions/Considerations
  For more information, call (414) 257-8005.
  
• Wedding Ceremony in non-designated picnic area
  You are required to have a special event permit for ceremonies at
  
  • Cathedral Square 
  • Clas & Civic Plaza
  • Juneau
  • Lake Park Grand Staircase, Available 10am–3pm or 4–9pm
  • Mitchell Park Outdoor Stage
  • Pere Marquette
  • Pompeii Square
  • Red Arrow
  • Veterans
  • Zeidler 
  See Restrictions/Considerations
  For the above sites, call (414) 257-4503.
  
• For Wedding Ceremonies in all other non-designated picnic areas, you are required to have a wedding ceremony permit (includes photography permit).
  See Restrictions/Considerations
  
  • To find the unit contact phone number of the park that interests you, look in the "Unit Contact" column on the Parks Map Page
     
• Reception in non-designated picnic area
  You are required to have a special event permit.
  See Restrictions/Considerations
  For more information, call (414) 257-4503.
   
  

Restrictions/Considerations

• Some sites/facilities have restrictions on music.
• Some sites/facilities have restrictions on alcohol.
• Some sites/facilities have limited availability of chairs and tables. At some sites, you may use a vendor of your choice, but all the vendor's chairs and tables must be removed by the end of your permit/rental period. At other sites, you must use the chairs and tables of the Park System.
• Due to irrigation systems and other underground lines, tents and any other staked devices must be approved by the Park System Unit.
• Permit fees are non-refundable. Select a picnic site with a shelter, a park area that allows tents, or rent a pavilion in the park so you will be prepared with an alternate ceremony site in the case of inclement weather.
• Beautiful flower displays and good weather are dependent on Mother Nature's cooperation!
• Because the Park System must maintain control of any pesticide use in the parks, you are not allowed to spray for insects or other bugs.
   
  

Gazebos in the Parks
Gazebos in the parks make lovely ceremony sites or beautiful backdrops for formal wedding photographs. Call the number listed below for capacity and other details regarding a particular site.

• Boerner Botanical Gardens, classic wood and stone structure in the Annual Garden. (414) 525-5601
• Pere Marquette Park, modern structure with bronze roof
  Ceremony Permit: call (414) 257-4503
  Photography-only Permit: call (414) 257-6100
• Washington Park, in Picnic Area 3
  Picnic Permit (covers ceremony, reception, photography) call (414) 257-8005
• Wilson Park, classic wooden structure in Picnic Area 6A
  Picnic Permit (used for photography in a designated picnic site): call (414) 257-8005
• Zeidler Union Square, classic structure
  Ceremony Permit: call (414) 257-4503
  Photography-only Permit: call (414) 257-6100
   
  

2009 Wedding Ceremony Permit Fee (General Park Areas)
(subject to 5.6% sales tax)
$300

The Wedding Ceremony Permit includes photography in the park of the ceremony.

For an indoor reception, choose from a variety of park buildings or rooms available for rent.