With advance reservation (30 days prior to your event date or earlier), the garden welcomes group gatherings of up to 30 people for the following purposes:
- Wedding ceremonies (not receptions)
- Memorials (not receptions)
- Photo, or film shoots – regardless of commercial status
- Organized group gatherings
- Outside organized tours or classes
Snowdrop bush – Styrax redivivus
Photo by Linda Blide
You may choose a site in the garden for your event and reserve it for a maximum of two hours.
$125/hour for residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties
$200/hour for all other counties
$500 refundable deposit and $8 service charge for each reservation
(Rates subject to change)
Reservation Procedure
Before confirming your reservation, you must visit the garden, meet with garden staff, and select/inspect the site you wish to use in the garden.
Step 1: Call the Regional Parks Botanic Garden (510-544-3169) to check availability of dates and make arrangements to meet with staff to select a site in person.
Step 2: Visit the garden and meet with staff to select/inspect the site in the garden.
Step 3: Call the East Bay Regional Park District Reservations Department (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) to book your reservation. Call 1-888-327-2757 (1-888-EBPARKS), option 2. Your event date is not confirmed until all fees are paid in full.
Event Rules
Due to the garden’s small staff and limited parking as well as its intricate landscaping, we impose the following rules for weddings and other group events in the garden. You are responsible for your group’s compliance with these rules.
- Group size must be limited to 30 people maximum.
- The garden may not be used for any type of reception. Amplified sound is not allowed.
- You must select one area only for your wedding. Please keep in mind that people with limited mobility may find it difficult to get to many of the desirable sites.
- Reservation time includes set-up, ceremony, and clean-up time. You will not be allowed to extend your reservation time.
- All weddings must finish with in their reserved time. All events must take place between 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The garden closes at 5:00 p.m. The Anza View gate close at 4:30 p.m.
- The East Bay Regional Park District picnic cancellation policy applies to cancellation of wedding reservations at the Botanic Garden.
- We do not supply chairs, canopies, or any other supplies.
- Absolutely no vehicles are allowed to enter the garden. Chairs and supplies must be brought into the garden by hand or by hand-cart and may only be brought in on the same day as the event.
- Throwing of any material such as rice, bird seed or other seed, balloons, or confetti is prohibited.
- Littering is prohibited.
- Groups bringing many cars may have to distribute them on two sides of the garden in order to find enough parking spaces.
- The restrooms for the garden are at the Camp Oaks parking lot across Wildcat Canyon Road from the main entrance to the garden. There are no restrooms in the garden, nor is there a dressing room.
- The garden is a public park. There will often be garden visitors who happen to walk close to the wedding. Although the staff will do their best to assure that there are no intrusions on the ceremony, garden visitors are welcome to roam the garden freely.
- Current Garden and EBRPD Covid Guidelines must be followed by all attendees.
- No drones. Ordinance 38 prevents drone use in all East Bay Regional Parks.
- Stay on trails and out of the plant beds. Outside plants, seeds or soils are not allowed to enter the garden. Do not rearrange plants, rocks, or structures in the garden. No collecting of plants, rocks, seeds or wildlife.
- The reservation holder is responsible for guests or vendor compliance with Event Rules. Failure to comply with these rules listed above will result in forfeiture of your deposit. Damages to plants or garden landscape will also result in forfeiture of your deposit.
Photography and Filming Notice
Use of the Botanic Garden for commercial or noncommercial filming, photography, or videotaping of print ads, commercials, movies, videos, and the like is allowed only with a written permit from the East Bay Regional Park District and may require payment of a fee. Commercial operation of cameras as part of bona fide reporting of news is exempted from this rule.