Weddings at the San Diego Zoo

An elegant but unusual location

The wild at heart can exchange wedding vows in the wild, yet elegant setting of the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. With several enchanting locations within the Park to choose from, guests may feel like they're on an exotic African safari.

Accommodating parties with as many as 300 guests, the Wild Animal Park offers several wedding sites, each with a different feel for a unique wedding. From a secluded vista overlooking the beautiful rolling hills of the San Pasqual Valley, to a private pavilion overlooking the charming Nairobi Lagoon. This room without walls views a lagoon teeming with exotic and native bird species. Slate stone floors and a thatched roof offer an elegant African feel.

Ceremonies held in the Heart of Africa give the impression of being on a safari adventure. Guests will stroll through African landscapes, trickling streams, pass by waterfalls and spot exotic animals on their way to the ceremony site which offers a breathtaking view of the Park's enormous East Africa habitat. The bride and groom may exchange vows while herds of giraffe, rhinos and gazelle meander by.

The first official wedding ceremony to be held at the Wild Animal Park took place January 2, 2004. The bride hired local wedding consultant Michelle Martini-Brown from "A Perfect Plan" in Encinitas to help create the wedding of her dreams at the Park. A personalized package was created to the bride's specifications, including leopard print linens with leaf-wrapped votive candles, and a three-tiered wedding cake designed by "All in Good Taste" with giraffe print on the bottom layer, zebra print on the middle and leopard print on the top.

Wedding packages at the Wild Animal Park start at approximately $79 per person and include: admission and parking for all wedding guests; first hour hosted beer, wine and soft drinks; hors d'oeuvres; choice of meal options; wine service; champagne and sparkling cider toast; cake cutting; floral centerpieces; a custom hardwood dance floor; and one-year membership to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park for the bride and groom.

Reservations may be made as early as 18 months in advance. For more information about planning your wedding at the Wild Animal Park please contact D'Anne Morehead, special events sales manager at 619-744-3350.

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), and is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas worldwide.