Weddingbee Blog

When I read other brides’ stories about their long and agonised hunts for the perfect venue I feel a little guilty. See, I never had to look for our venue, because I always knew exactly where our wedding would be held.

Allow me to introduce you to Gardens of the World.

(Personal Photo)

In 1989 (the year I was born incidentally) my grandfather decided to clear his land of the apple trees it once had and start creating his dream—a beautiful garden. Actually, it is a bit too big to just be called a garden. It’s more like a park. Anyway, you get the idea.

Ever since then, he kept on developing and adding to the garden. He put in a rose garden and fountains, a pond (which we grandchildren still call “the lake”), an awesome copper elephant statue in a creek, a Japanese stone garden, a herbaceous section and more. It is called “Gardens of the Worlds” because it is divided into sections for the different types of plants he has planted: so there is a New Zealand section, Australia, The Americas, and, Granddad’s favourite because he and my grandma immigrated to NZ from Kenya, the African section. The garden has been open to the public for visiting, weddings, memorial services, picnics, etc. for years. Most of us grandkids have lived pretty mobile lifestyles, but the garden and our grandparents have been symbols of something that always remained stable and there for us.

In 2008 Granddad decided that the work that was involved in maintaining the garden was too much anymore for just him and one part-time employee (yes, they had kept the garden going all by themselves with that amount of manpower!). So it was sold to a family who own a funeral home business, and who plan to keep the garden how it is, and also put a memorial garden out the back.

My Top Pick for the Reception Site (Personal Photo)

My only cousin to get married (so far) had her wedding there a few years back. And now Mr E and I have decided to be married there, and so has my younger cousin (3 weeks before us… yes, I know).

The garden will (hopefully) be the perfect setting for our wedding (both ceremony and reception!). Working with the family who now owns it has not been without some problems and I’m sure there will be some posts about that in future but right now Mr E and I are just mega-excited to be getting married in a place that is so special.

Isn’t that stone bridge cute?

* All photos in this post taken by Yours Truly

Does your venue have any special meaning to your family? Where are you getting married and what does it mean to you and your loved ones?