I won’t make you guys wait any longer to see which venue we picked from my last post where I reviewed 5 Seattle outdoor wedding venues we looked at. Jeff and I went with Rock Creek Gardens and cannot wait to get married at this stunning venue! I’ll share more below about why we picked this venue.
It was super hard narrowing down the wedding venues because, as you saw in my last post, each venue had its own pros and cons. It really came down to what our priorities are and what makes the most financial sense. The following are the most important to us and the reasons why we chose Rock Creek Gardens:
- Flexibility to choose outside caterer: Food is a huge priority for us and we wanted delicious Vietnamese food for our wedding. We absolutely love that Rock Creek Gardens allows you to bring in an approved outside caterer for a fee while most venues require us to use their own catering exclusively.
- Bring your own alcohol: We wanted to have an open bar and the venue allows us to provide our own alcohol as long as it’s served by the catering company. We love this flexibility as there potentially could be huge cost savings with buying our own alcohol. My dad is already requesting lots of Hennessy for him and his friends LOL!
- Large venue size: We have a large guest count and Rock Creek Gardens can comfortably accommodate all of our friends and family! There is a very limited number of outdoor venues that could fit our huge guest size of ~250.
- Lush garden + pretty photo opportunities: We are going with a romantic, whimsical garden theme and this private venue checks off all the boxes. The property is very well maintained and there are endless Instagram-worthy photo ops. The property boasts views of Mount Rainier, 100-year-old cedar trees, and waterfalls. They also provide an adorable row boat for photos and a fun “LOVE” sign that will be perfect for guest selfies!
- Beautiful tent included: Rock Creek Gardens owns the largest tent in Washington and it’s gorgeous! It’s very luxurious with white drapery and nine crystal chandeliers included. Plus, if it rains, the tent comes with cathedral window walls to keep the wind and rain out. We all know how risky it is to have an outdoor wedding in Seattle so we definitely needed a place that has a Plan B.
- Cocktail hour activities: We wanted fun activities during cocktail hour and love that we can bring in lawn games like corn hole and giant jenga for our guests. If you know Jeff and I, we love these types of games and it’s so us! They also have a playground for our little guests.
- Bridal house: We’re able to get ready at the venue in their chic bridal house. The upstairs has a room that is modernly decorated and will be perfect for getting-ready photos. This will also reduce the stress from having to drive between several locations.
There were some minor trade-offs but the pros far outweighed the cons. The biggest trade-off was the proximity to Seattle since Rock Creek Gardens is an hour south of Seattle. However, we’ve gone to local weddings that are an hour to three hours away before. One of my bridesmaids also reminded me that the people who are invested in the couple will make the trek no matter what. She definitely convinced Jeff and I after that statement! Plus, an hour away is still very do-able.
Overall, we love that the venue is so chic and pretty and we are able to customize our wedding to how we want it at Rock Creek Gardens without paying an astronomical price. We also love that our adorable fur babies get to be part of the ceremony, which is going to be pawsome! We are so excited to get married at this incredible location and can’t wait to show you more as we’re planning our wedding!
Thanks to Rock Creek Gardens for providing a small venue discount in exchange for this post. All opinions remain honest and my own!
What a dreamy location! Great location choice and I am already waiting for new wedding updates xx
Naya // nayatilly.com
It looks so dreamy!! Congrats on finding a good location! Xx
http://www.thefashionfolks.com
Gorgeous venue and great post, Tina! You are going to be a stunning bride eeek!! So excited for you and Jeff.
This venue is absolutely stunning! It’s going to be so amazing on your wedding. You must be so excited! 💃🏾💃🏾
Mich X
http://michjoseph.com
It’s fantastic ❤
This venue looks dreamy….i wish you the very best as you embark on your marital journey.
Glowyshoe’s blog
Ohhh what a gorgeous location!!
xx Sofia | SOFIAADOT
OMG its so beautiful!!!
xx- Nina
http://www.stylingwithnina.com/2019/01/casual-winter-look-facials-and-hair.html
Looks beautiful!
~Samantha
http://goldcoastgirlblog.com
That location is amazing! Love the photos! Congrats ♥
This place is beautiful, I loved the photos and the blog.
Blog S.O.S Pedro
OMG the whole setup just sounds soooo perfect! Loving the tent that you described and also the bridal rooms – I cant wait to see pictuzres from your actual wedding now 😉 So pretty!♥
xxx
Tina
https://styleappetite.com
SUCH a stunning venue, babe! This is going to be the most beautiful wedding ever!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
This is wonderful news Tina! Congratulations on picking out your venue. Our wedding was about 40 minutes with rush hour traffic since we planned our big day on a Friday! Yep, we sure made our guest work for our wedding. Hehe I love the idea of bringing in outside catering. I think this will really be a cost effective move especially with the drinks. I can’t wait to hear more about your big day. So excited for you guys!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Looks beautiful!
http://innapishtoy.com/
What a lovely place dear!! Have a lovely day! xx
La ilusión de Nina – http://lailusiondenina.blogspot.com.es/
Oh my goodness, what a gorgeous venue!! Your wedding is going to be outstanding!
xx, Elise
http://www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com
What a gorgeous venue! It looks like it comes from a fairytale. I’m sure that you’ll have an amazing wedding on here. I’m so happy to hear that you found what you were looking for.
xo, Andreea | https://www.budistyle.com/en/
Yay! Congratulations on getting the venue!! This is huge! Enjoy your weekend! ♥
PerlaGiselle | iamperlita.com
Say hello and let’s follow each other <3
instagram.com/iamperlita
OH my goodness, these images are breathtakingly beautiful – not sure I’ll ever get over the beauty of that image in the boat in the middle of the lake. Dreamy!!
aglassofice.com x
Oh yea, it’s my first choice hehe. I adored this venue when you mentioned about the mountain view, waterfalls nearby and the garden itself. We got married in a garden too so I know it will be a truly magical event for you both. Wishing you always the best!
http://www.busyandfab.com
This is absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous photos dear.
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Oh that is beautiful
http://www.henatayeb.blogspot.com
This place looks like a dream! I can’t wait to see how your wedding comes together!
District of Chic
Congrats. That looks like a lovely spot. I actually went with the first venue I looked at because it was a lovely old mansion with gardens, and a beautiful ballroom for the reception. I remember being so worried that we would have to move the ceremony inside if it rained. The garden was so pretty for the ceremony. It rained all morning, but the sun came out about an hour before the ceremony was about to start. The wedding coordinator thought the ground wasn’t too soft, so we went ahead with the outdoor ceremony.
I was reading your pros and cons list from your other post about how other people could see your wedding and had a good laugh. I thought i would share a story. My father and stepmother got married at the Central Park Boathouse in the 80s. The ceremony was on a deck that stuck out into the lake and that became the dance floor after the ceremony. It was a warm June day and there were a bunch of people sitting on a large rock that jutted out into the lake right just a little way down from the deck. People were watching the ceremony and cheering from there. One guy was sitting on that rock all day drinking beer and he was having a grand old time dancing by himself to the music. At one point he yelled out to me and my brother’s girlfriend how much he loved “our wedding” and that we were so beautiful. At least he left the bride and groom alone!
Wow! great to know about your wedding, and your wedding venue is also good. Thank you for sharing this post on Rock Creek Gardens.