For plant-lovers, Cal alums or any couple looking to take in all the horticultural wonders of the world, the U. C. Berkeley Botanical Garden and Julia Morgan Hall offers a gorgeous wedding backdrop.
The Scenic Route
On this October Saturday, Berkeley was well prepared for their acclaimed California Golden Bears football games. Because of the game, campus security has closed certain roads on campus to help prepare for heavy traffic. The Botanical Garden venue staff was incredibly helpful in passing on all the relevant information for the vendors and wedding guests.
We had to circumvent campus rather than take the most direct route, but it led to the most spectacular drive. Driving westbound over the hill, the sky becomes a little bit brighter as the trees start to open and you notice a decline. At the peak, there is Grizzly Peak Vista Point. As you continue the drive downhill, there are points where you can see a view is breathtaking and you can see such a wide expanse of the East Bay. It may have not been the best drive for the light of heart or guests scared of heights. But for the adventurous guests looking to explore or take in the sights, it was a grand sight to welcome guests to the wedding.
Queue Ceremony
Ceremony was at the Mather Redwood Grove & Amphitheater. The top portion of the path was relatively flat, but the seats are pretty steep with large steps that may not be the most accessible. For the grandparents and other special people that you absolutely can’t not have at the wedding, there are some more flat walkways with gentle slopes.
There are three different pathways to the Redwood Grove. The pathway stage left requires staging anyone proceeding from there before the guests arrive for the ceremony. The middle pathway is the one that we chose which has a steep diversion from the main guest entry walkway. Some areas were pretty steep and there is a good amount of leaves, branches, and other redwood confetti. At the lowest point in elevation at the bridge, there is a small bridge that runs over Winter Creek. Bring your walking shoes, folks! We highly recommend advising guests about the terrain at the Redwood Grove. For our Maid of Honor, we stashed her formal wedding shoes at a bench on the way to the processional line. She changed from her Birks to her heels right as we started the procession!
Our Favorite Reception Moments
The Arid House is between the welcome building and Julia Morgan Hall and is home to plants like cacti and succulents. For most garden visitors, this building may seem like a plain glass greenhouse. Though after sunset, the purple sleeping lights come on.
A Choreographed First Dance
First off, these floors are old, y’all. Like over 100 years. Needless to say, all guest dancing will take place out on the patio! For Cat and Matt, the venue did give them an exception for their first dance (with sneakers required!). When you watch them dance together, you could tell that they really spent time, energy and intention into the shared activity. The best part – you could see how excited they were and how much fun they were having together!
Personalized Favors
Cat and Matt gave wedding favors of coffee and tea with personalized labels! Not only were these delicious, but we kept hearing how close they felt to the couple. The coffee label says, “Enjoy a sip from our favorite SF roaster, where our coffee dates began.” (Can you tell they’re big on coffee?) One of our favorite parts is the chocolate – Cat and Matt worked with the company's designers and artists to create a chocolate label tailor-made just for them.
The Vendor Team
Planning & Coordination: Lavender Crown Events
Photography: Vivian Chen Photography
Venue: UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
Catering: Midsummer Kitchen
Entertainment: Jazz Mafia
HAMU: Julie Dy
Florals: Village No. 7
Chocolate: Fossa Chocolate
Coffee: Linea Caffe
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