It’s been such a joy to photograph at Franklin Park Conservatory a couple of times over the past few years, and and am so excited to share about all four of their outstanding venues today! I had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Carrie Thiel and Emily Buroker, who both work in the Event Sales department at Franklin Park Conservatory. They shared more about what the venues have to offer and what makes them so unique! I can’t wait to share all about this beautiful space today!

THE FOUR VENUES AT FRANKLIN PARK

The city of Columbus built the Palmhouse in 1995. It was open the public and soon began developing a reputation for hosting weddings and events, as well as being a popular spot for guests to enjoy the paths, lake, and their display of rare plants. They have four venues available to couples:

The Palm House was the original event space that was available for weddings. It holds up to 190 guests for a sit-down dinner, has been hosting weddings for many years. This Victorian-style glass greenhouse features beautiful greenery, plants, and a gorgeous space for ceremonies and receptions.

The Wells Barn is a newer addition to Franklin Park. It’s a beautiful restored barn with the Celebration Lawn behind the building, with gardens surrounding the venue. It holds 250 guests for weddings and is simply a gorgeous, and increasingly popular, option for couples!

The Grand Atrium & Zen Terrace, holding 200 guests for ceremonies and 250 for receptions, is the third venue that Franklin Park has to offer. It features an outdoor ceremony area outside surrounded by trees and the greenhouses. The indoor space is a beautiful area with white walls and windows above.

The fourth venue at Franklin Park is The Veridian, The Grove, & Brides Garden. It holds up to 130 guests for dinner and gives couples a beautiful outdoor ceremony or reception option, as well as a modern reception are Ain the downstairs area of the conservatory.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE RENTAL?

The facility rental is either a 5 hour daytime rental or 6 hour evening rental for one of the 4 venues. From there, all you have to do is meet a low beverage minimum and catering services! The rental fee includes a multitude of items, including the space(s) itself, a getting ready suite for the bride & groom, free parking, self-guided tours of the exhibits for the guests, ceremony rehearsal, and more! Each wedding event is also provided with their own separate coordinator on the day-of. All of the coordinators are in communication with one another, to ensure that each wedding goes smoothly!

WHAT MAKES FRANKLIN PARK UNIQUE?

Franklin Park Conservatory offers spaces that are unique from all other venues. The Palm House is an amazing area with beautiful plants all year round, making it the perfect place for a wedding at any time during the year. The Wells Barn is a gorgeous restored barn with gardens surrounding it, giving you many options for beautiful photos. Another big feature Franklin Park has to offer is places for your guests to walk around and have something to do during cocktail hour. In the Palmhouse, the Grand Atrium, Zen Terrace, and the other spaces in the main building give your guests an option to walk around the conservatory and enjoy what it has to offer. The Wells Barn offers guests gardens behind the lawn to enjoy. You aren’t confined to the one space all night, but your guests have the exhibits to enjoy.

For a rain plan, Franklin Park offers amazing options to couples, even for portraits. Most of their spaces are indoor, but if rain does become an issue for an outdoor space, they can easily transform the indoor area for the ceremony as well. For portraits, Franklin Park offers all of the indoor greenery and gardens that no other venue has to offer. It makes it the perfect venue to put your mind at ease in this part of planning!

WHAT IS ONE THING A COUPLE CAN DO TO MAKE THE PROCESS RUN SMOOTHLY?

They love couples who come in with a lot of questions at the front end of the process, so they can get an idea of their vision for their event. Keeping an open line of communication is key. Trusting in their expertise is huge, and handing over that trust when sharing your vision also makes the process run smoothly! Everything they do is to make your event run smoothly, they want every couple to feel like their only couple they serve. Another thing that helps is to keep the communication from one or two people, ideally the couple themselves. This makes sure nothing gets lost in translation for the different details that are communicated.

Future brides and grooms, if you’re looking for a venue with unique options, look no further! Visit Franklin Park Conservatory today to see what each of their venues have to offer for your wedding day!