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| above three are personal photos |
My first thought was Tucson Botanical Gardens. The Xeriscape Garden has a beautiful intimate location centered around a huge, gnarly old tree, with cast iron tables and chairs that would be perfect for the small (50-75) event we are planning. I did my research, and found out that they don't have a liquor license (yes, that's the first thing I thought of!). I thought about it, and talked to the mister about it, and we both agreed that we could stick to beer and wine in order to have the lovely location.
Then I found out from my event planner friend that the Gardens had signed an exclusive with Acacia, a local restaurant/caterer. Not a deal breaker, but still it made me think about looking at other venues with more relaxed catering options.
That's when I found Weddingbee. Among the many vendor reviews, I found a measly little post about the Reid Park Zoo. What? I could get married at the zoo?? It was mind-boggling. The zoo (any zoo) is possibly the coolest place in the world to me. And the Tucson Zoo? Cutest thing ever. It's small (tiny) but it covers all the basics - elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, otters - and has a few animals you don't see very often, including the world's largest rodent, the capybara, which looks like a pig-sized guinea pig.
My mind was already made up. Now I just had to convince the mister. Turns out it wasn't hard to do - all I had to say was that we could arrange a giraffe-feeding for the guests, and his mind was made up, too. Easy-peasy. And better yet, they have a caterer that does zoo events, which I may end up using, but they also allow outside caterers. And even better yet? Liquor license. With a sweet open bar price-per-guest. Sold, and sold again.
