Weddings and Photo Sessions

Japanese Garden Wedding

Normandale Community College's Japanese Garden is a beautiful, popular, and unique location for weddings and photo sessions in the Twin Cities area. Minnesota Bride magazine named the Garden one of the top Metro-area sites for an outdoor wedding. Reserve the Garden for your wedding, and make your ceremony stunningly memorable for you and your guests!

Directions to the Japanese Garden

The Garden is available for fee based wedding ceremonies and photo sessions from May through October.

Rates

Weddings

Japanese Garden Wedding Minimum 2 hours: $250.00, each additional half-hour: $50.00

Photo session time is included in the total time of your wedding ceremony reservation. Be sure to reserve enough time for both the ceremony and the photography if you are having both in the Garden.

Photography Sessions

Minimum 1 1/2 hours: $200.00, each additional half-hour: $50.00 Note: The reservation fee is non-refundable.

Reservations

To reserve the Garden for your wedding ceremony, please:

  1. Print and fill out the Reservation Application Form.
  2. Before mailing your application, call 952-487-8145 to see if your date and time is available. The Wedding Coordinator will call you back with instructions on how to proceed.
  3. When we receive your application and check, we'll mail you a confirmation immediately. No other wedding ceremonies or photo sessions will be scheduled during your reserved time.

Rules for Wedding Parties

Based on the popularity of the Garden, it is imperative that the wedding party:

Japanese Garden Wedding
  1. Book enough time to allow for early or late arrival
  2. Arrive promptly at time reserved
  3. Leave promptly at end of time reserved
  4. Identify name of wedding party to the Garden Host/Hostess upon arrival

To keep the Garden a beautiful location for future wedding ceremonies, we ask that you abide by these rules:

  1. A Host/Hostess will be provided by the Japanese Garden Committee. This person will welcome wedding party and guests.
  2. Please limit your number of guests to 100.
  3. No folding chairs will be furnished. If necessary, applicant must furnish chairs. Please restrict the use of chairs to elderly guests only, and observe a maximum of eight chairs.
  4. Guests and photographers must stay on paths.
  5. No rice, confetti, or similar material is allowed in the Garden. No food or beverages in the Garden, please.
  6. In case of rain, there is a small shelter (12' x 12') in which the wedding party can exchange vows. No other canopy is allowed.
  7. A portable toilet is located outside the garden.
  8. No drinking water is available. In hot weather you may wish to provide some water for your guests, and you may serve this on the College Center patio adjacent to the Garden.
  9. No dressing facilities are available.
  10. No smoking in the Garden.
  11. By state law, no alcohol is permitted on the College campus (including the Garden).
  12. Please arrange to remove all boxes and waste. We do not have a dumpster for waste.