WEDDINGS

The Allen Centennial Gardens are a lovely location in which to hold your outdoor wedding ceremony. Weddings are permitted daily from the second weekend in May through the first weekend in October. The Lawn Garden and English Perennial Garden are suited for larger wedding groups of up to 200 people. The Woodland Garden and Terrace Garden offer more intimate settings for smaller groups. The Lawn and English Perennial Gardens are available on an alternate weekend basis. (The Head Gardener has requested this limited availability in order to preserve the integrity of the turf grass in these two areas.) Reservation requests for 2010 will be taken starting in January 2009. Unfortunately, the Gardens are not equipped to handle wedding receptions.

No more than three wedding ceremonies are permitted per day. No more than one wedding is allowed per time period per day. Time periods available are: 8A-11A; 12P-3P; and 4P-7P. All activity related to your wedding ceremony must be started and completed within your selected ceremony rental time. For questions or to make a reservation, contact :

Room 385, Department of Horticulture
1575 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Phone (608) 262-1490
Fax (608) 262-4743
tlcheck@wisc.edu

Fees for the use of the Gardens depend on the number of wedding attendees. A fee schedule is available to help you calculate the cost. Total fees must be paid at the time of the reservation for confirmation of the date. Reservations are on a first come, first served basis. Holds on dates without signing a contract and full payment are not allowed. In addition to your wedding fee, a $150 security deposit is required at the time of reservation and will be returned after a site inspection following your wedding. For any ceremony cancellations, 20% of total fees will be non-refundable. A completed reservation contract must be completed and dropped off in person or mailed to the following address:

Allen Centennial Gardens
1575 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706
(Please make checks payable to Allen Centennial Gardens)
*Note that the address of the Allen Centennial Gardens is 620 Babcock Dr., Madison, WI 53706. However, all correspondence is handled at the Department of Horticulture, which is located at 1575 Linden Drive. All wedding invitations should be addressed with the Gardens address.

Weddings are permitted daily from the second weekend in May through the first weekend in October. A calendar showing available dates is available.

Due to UW Events policies, signed contracts will be received and subject to a three-day waiting period. Events on campus must be screened in order not to conflict with other UW events (i.e. athletic events) which would cause parking problems for participants. Wedding parties will be notified via phone or email as to the confirmation or denial of their wedding ceremony request.

All wedding regulations and guidelines must be followed by the wedding party and their attendees. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of a portion of the security deposit.

Please know that you are renting the garden space only. Arrangements must be made through a licensed rental company for tents, chairs, etc.