Weddings in North Carolina

My daughter finally decided on Duke Gardens as the location for her wedding. It’s a very popular location, so you have to plan ahead. On the first day of June, the year before her wedding (which is June 2010), there is a “lottery.” All the people who want weddings at the gardens the coming June get pulled randomly in a lottery and the first person gets first pick, etc.

This may seem odd, but it used to be worse – a mother-of-the-bride I met told me that just a few years ago you actually had to camp out at the office on the first day of the month the year before – she got there at 6 am and there were already people there!

Anyway, the first date my daughter chose was taken by the time her lottery number got pulled, but she got her second choice. Her wedding is on a Sunday, which is less popular than the Saturdays…

When the kids were in town, we went to see the building and the grounds and to talk to Jennifer Copeland, the coordinator there (seen in the picture on the left).

There is a list of caterers from whom we must pick (except it is supposedly possible to get a new caterer on the list, and we’re working on it) and Duke Gardens takes a 7% surcharge – cut of whatever the caterer charges. They rent the place empty – you must rent tables and chairs.

This back patio is covered, which makes it great for hot weather or mild rain, and it can be extended by a special tent so your whole large wedding can be under cover – BUT you must use their special tent company, and the tent costs an appalling $2,000. It gets left there all weekend, so theoretically you should be able to coordinate with the other bridal party of the weekend and split the cost – but the tent company won’t tell you if somebody else is using the tent, they would rather get $2,000 each for the two days.

120 or so is the maximum number for a sit-down dinner. There are not extensive facilities for the caterers, so they must come pre-prepared.

The ceiling (above) is beautiful!

Sites available for weddings at the Gardens are:

Doris Duke Center Locations*	Ceremony	Standing Reception	Tables of 8	Theater	Classroom
Kirby Horton Hall	150	160	120	160	90
Isobel Craven Drill Classroom	-	-	32	50	25
North Terrace	175	200	160	250	-
North Lawn	225	300	240	-	-
Angle Amphitheater**	150	200	-	150	-

*Based on set-up, numbers may vary.

**Rental of the Angle Amphitheater is at the discretion of SPDG’s staff and is based on availability or in conjunction with rental of the Kirby Horton Hall.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens Locations	Ceremony	Standing Reception
Pergola	150**	150
Fish Pool	150**	150
South Lawn	150**	150
Iris Bridge	65	65
Blomquist Pavilion	20	-
Pond-Viewing Shelter	10	-
Bird-Viewing Shelter	10	-

**A maximum of 50 chairs are allowed at these Garden locations. For example, if 150 guests are present, 50 will sit and 100 will stand.

---

Note that, if you rent the building, you have it for the day, but if you rent one of the outdoor spaces, you have it for, perhaps, only a couple of hours, and I have known of bridal parties being hustled away because a new batch was coming in.

Ceremony Times: Friday: 6 pm; Saturday: 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm or 6pm; Sunday: 12 pm, 2pm, 4pm or 6pm

Parking is $1 an hour and they tow. If you rent the building, you get 100 parking passes.

Some of the spots are a hike from the parking area, but there is a little trolley to take folks around.

Cost of renting Duke Garden locations (2009 prices):

Duke Gardens Ceremony and Doris Duke Center Reception: $2500 $250 each additional hour
Includes two-hour use of: The Gardens (50 chairs) or Amphitheater (100 chairs)
Includes six-hour use of the Kirby Horton Hall, the North Terrace, the Adult Classroom (for caterer’s use)
Also includes: 100 parking passes

Doris Duke Center Reception: $2000* $250 each additional hour
Includes six-hour use of: The Kirby Horton Hall, The North Terrace, The Adult Classroom for caterer’s use
Also Includes: 100 parking passes

Duke Gardens or Angle Amphitheater** Ceremony: $650 $250 each additional hour
Includes two-hour use of: The Gardens (50 chairs) or Amphitheater (100 chairs)
Also includes: 1 hour rehearsal, 100 parking passes

A tent on the lawn costs $500, you have to use their one preferred vendor.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 6:41 pm and is filed under Durham wedding vendors, Wedding venue. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.