Garden wedding venues are having a full-on moment right now, and honestly? Orlando & Central Florida are built for them. We’ve got the botanical gardens, the historic estates with manicured grounds, the secret garden courtyards, the flower farm fields, it’s all here.
If you’ve spent any time scrolling Pinterest at midnight, deep in a rabbit hole of couples saying “I do” surrounded by greenery, hanging moss, and flowers literally everywhere — hi, same. And you’re in the right place.
As an Orlando wedding photographer, I’ve had the absolute privilege of shooting at some of the most stunning outdoor garden wedding venues in Central Florida. And I’m here to spill everything — the gorgeous spots, the ones that fly under the radar, and the real talk on what to expect.
Looking for something more intimate or micro? Check out my guide to intimate outdoor wedding venues in Orlando → Want to see ALL my outdoor venue picks? Here’s the full outdoor wedding venue list →
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU BOOK A GARDEN VENUE IN FLORIDA
Florida is stunning. Florida is also unpredictable. Before you fall completely in love with a garden venue, here are the real-talk things to know:
- Always ask about a rain backup plan. This is non-negotiable in Florida. Even in spring and fall, pop-up storms happen. Ask the venue what the contingency plan is, and if there isn’t one, budget for a tent.
- Timing is everything. Summer garden weddings are beautiful — but Florida summer heat is no joke. Evening ceremonies (5pm or later) are your best friend. Spring (March–May) and fall (October–November) are the sweet spots for outdoor comfort.
- Bug situation. It’s Florida. Outdoor citronella candles, fans near seating areas, and a heads-up to guests about bug spray goes a long way.
- Footwear warning for guests. Heels and grass don’t mix. A quick note in your invitations or wedding website will save your guests a lot of grief (and save you from a lot of wobbling in your own photos).
- Work with vendors who know outdoor and garden spaces. Your florist, caterer, and photographer should all have outdoor experience. It makes a huge difference.
WHY A GARDEN WEDDING JUST HITS DIFFERENT?
Let’s be real for a second. When you think about your wedding day, does a beige ballroom with fluorescent lighting make your heart skip a beat? Probably not.
A garden wedding in Orlando wedding is different. Here’s why so many couples are choosing a botanical or garden setting over the traditional venue route:
Nature does the decorating. Manicured hedges, cascading blooms, ancient oaks with Spanish moss, reflecting ponds — that’s your backdrop, and it’s already there. You’re not paying to transform a blank warehouse into something beautiful. The beauty is built-in.
The photos. I know I’m biased as a photographer, but I genuinely mean this — natural light filtering through a canopy of trees, golden hour hitting a field of wildflowers, soft bokeh from lush foliage… it’s just different.
It feels personal. A garden wedding says something about who you are as a couple. It says you value beauty that isn’t manufactured. That you want your day to feel alive, not staged. That matters.
More budget flexibility. When the venue is already gorgeous, you don’t have to over-decorate. Which means your florals budget, your lighting budget — it all stretches further. You can redirect that money toward incredible food, a photographer you love, or honestly, your honeymoon.
It attracts your people. If you and your partner are the type who’d rather be outside than inside at basically any opportunity, your wedding should reflect that. And the guests who matter most to you? They’re going to feel that energy too.
🌅 Want those golden hour photos everyone obsesses over? It all starts with knowing exactly when the light hits.
Use my free Golden Hour Calculator to find out what time magic hour lands on your wedding date — so you can plan your ceremony timeline around it.
GARDEN WEDDING VENUES IN ORLANDO & CENTRAL FLORIDA
THE FULL LIST
Okay, here’s what you came for. I’ve broken this down so you can figure out which one matches your vibe. Some of these are public botanical gardens, some are open-air wedding venues, some are private estates, some are tucked-away gems that don’t get nearly enough credit.
Kraft Azalea Gardens | Winter Park
If you want to feel like you’ve been transported somewhere completely other than Florida, Kraft Azalea is it. The towering bald cypress trees give the whole place this otherworldly, cathedral-like energy, and the lakefront ceremony spot with the limestone columns (called an exedra) can be reserved — dramatic, lush, and one of the most moody, old-world garden atmospheres in all of Central Florida.
Best for: Micro weddings, elopements, intimate ceremonies
- Capacity: Up to ~20 guests for the reserved area
- Address: 1365 Alabama Dr, Winter Park, FL 32789
- Ceremony: ✅ | Reception: ❌ (public park — plan a nearby reception spot)
- Indoor Backup: ❌
- Cost: Very affordable (city permit required)
- Website: Kraft Azalea Garden
>> Keep in mind it’s a public park, so while you can reserve the column area, other visitors will still be around. Plan for a nearby restaurant or private space for your reception.
Leu Gardens is a 50-acre botanical oasis hiding in plain sight in the middle of Orlando — white arbors, waterfront scenery, manicured tropical foliage, and that rare English-garden-meets-Florida-lushness that makes every photo look magazine-worthy. It’s one of the most beautiful and underrated garden wedding venues in Orlando, and the fact that it doesn’t get talked about more honestly baffles me.
Best for: Garden ceremonies, intimate receptions, botanical elopements
- Capacity: Up to 180 guests
- Address: 1920 N Forest Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
- Ceremony: ✅ | Reception: ✅ (Welcome Center available)
- Indoor Backup: ✅
- Website: Harry P. Leu Gardens
>> Smaller celebrations up to 25 guests, one of the most budget-friendly botanical venues in Orlando.
Casa Feliz feels like you stumbled into a secret garden inside a Spanish village — cobblestone courtyard, 19th-century architecture, lush greenery wrapping around every corner, and this warm, earthy character that photographs beautifully no matter the time of day. It’s elegant, it’s historic, and it has that one-of-a-kind garden atmosphere that no amount of décor budget can fake.
Best for: Romantic garden ceremonies, courtyard receptions, history-lovers
- Capacity: Up to 120 guests
- Address: 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789
- Ceremony: ✅ | Reception: ✅
- Indoor Backup: ✅
- Website: Casa Feliz
>> They work with Arthur’s Creative Events & Catering exclusively — and they’re excellent, so this is genuinely a perk, not a limitation.
Del Favero Oasis started as one of Florida’s most beloved orchid nurseries, and that botanical DNA is still all over it — your ceremony takes place surrounded by hundreds of flowering orchids, sprawling passion vines, and magnificent old oaks beneath a hacienda-inspired pavilion that feels like a secret garden most people haven’t found yet.
Best for: Botanical ceremonies, garden receptions, couples who love a hidden gem
- Capacity: Up to 120 guests
- Address: 6605 Gant Rd, Tampa, FL (about 1 hr from Orlando)
- Ceremony: ✅ | Reception: ✅
- Indoor Backup: Partially (covered pavilion)
- Website: Del Favero Oasis
>> Rental includes 10 floral centerpieces, farmhouse tables, ceremony seating, dance floor, and a suite. That’s a serious head start.
If there’s one venue on this list that will genuinely make your guests forget they’re in Florida, it’s Bok Tower — a National Historic Landmark surrounded by ferns, palms, azaleas, and magnolias, with a 205-foot marble and coquina Singing Tower rising above it all as your backdrop. It’s about 1.5 hours from Orlando, but couples who make the trip always say it was worth every single mile.
Best for: Statement ceremonies, nature lovers, elopements with serious wow factor
- Capacity: Up to 80 guests
- Address: 1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853
- Ceremony: ✅ | Reception: ✅ (Olmsted House)
- Indoor Backup: ✅
- Website: Bok Tower Gardens
>> Elopements for up to 6 people, one of the most stunning elopement options in all of Central Florida.
Flora Groves Farm | Seffner
Flora Groves has this wild, living-and-breathing garden energy unlike anything else — tall open columns draped in flowers and greenery form a ceremony structure with no walls, just blooms and open sky above you, and the land itself has been in the same family for over 100 years before it became a wedding venue. You feel that history the moment you walk in.
Best for: Garden ceremonies, flower lovers, couples who want something truly different
- Capacity: Up to 125 guests
- Address: 2382 N Kingsway Rd, Seffner, FL 33584
- Ceremony: ✅ | Reception: ✅
- Indoor Backup: ❌ (full outdoor experience)
- Website: Flora Groves Farm
>> No indoor backup here — but the open-air column structure gives some weather protection. Have a tent plan just in case.
Mead Botanical Garden is 48 acres of pure Winter Park magic with four distinct outdoor ceremony spaces — a historic amphitheater, a butterfly garden, a legacy garden, and a grove courtyard — plus the Azalea Lodge for receptions, complete with a terrace overlooking Alice’s Pond. It’s flexible, it’s lush, and it’s criminally underrated as a garden wedding venue in Central Florida.
Best for: Garden ceremonies with options, larger intimate celebrations, botanical receptions
- Capacity: Up to 175 guests
- Address: 1500 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, FL 32789
- Ceremony: ✅ (multiple garden spaces) | Reception: ✅ (Azalea Lodge)
- Indoor Backup: ✅
- Website: Mead Botanical Garden
Dickson Azalea Park feels like a secret hiding in plain sight — little bridges, winding streams, azalea bushes, and mature trees tucked right into the heart of Orlando near Thornton Park, with a quiet, dreamy atmosphere that makes it one of the most photogenic and overlooked elopement spots in the whole city.
Best for: Elopements, micro ceremonies, couples who love a tucked-away garden feel
- Capacity: Best for elopements / up to ~10 guests
- Address: 100 Rosearden Dr, Orlando, FL 32803
- Ceremony:
| Reception: - Indoor Backup:
- Cost: Free / city permit required
| Reception: 
The ceremony area has some steep steps — keep this in mind for guests with mobility concerns.
Hollis Garden is one of those places that stops you in your tracks — 1.2 acres of meticulously maintained formal gardens right on the shores of Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland, with over 10,000 flowers, ornamental shrubs, and native trees framing every single angle. It’s got this European botanical garden energy that feels completely out of place in Florida — in the best possible way.
Best for: Garden ceremonies, intimate celebrations, couples who want serious floral backdrop energy
- Capacity: Up to ~100 guests
- Address: 702 E Orange St, Lakeland, FL 33801
- Ceremony: ✅ | Reception: ❌ (ceremony only — plan a nearby reception venue)
- Indoor Backup: ❌
- Cost: Affordable city rental fee (contact Lake Mirror Rental Office for current pricing)
- Website: Hollis Garden — City of Lakeland
>> This is a city-managed venue, so you’ll book directly through the Lake Mirror Rental Office at (863) 834-2280. No in-house catering — you bring your own vendors. Plan your reception at a nearby downtown Lakeland spot since the garden is ceremony-only.
One of the biggest things couples get wrong is not planning around the light. My free Golden Hour Calculator tells you exactly when golden hour starts on your wedding date in Central Florida — so your photographer can capture the good stuff.
- How much do garden wedding venues in Orlando cost? It varies a lot. Public park venues like Dickson Azalea Park or Kraft Azalea can be very affordable (a few hundred dollars for permits). Private botanical venues like Leu Gardens or Bok Tower range from $1,000 for micro ceremonies up to $8,000–$15,000 for full ceremony and reception packages. Private estate venues vary widely based on guest count and what’s included.
- What’s the best time of year for a garden wedding in Florida? Spring (March–May) and fall (October–November) are the sweet spots for weather. That said, if you’re doing an evening ceremony, summer and even winter weddings in Florida can be stunning. The key is always timing your ceremony around the cooler parts of the day.
- How much do garden wedding venues in Orlando cost? It varies a lot. Public park venues like Dickson Azalea Park or Kraft Azalea can be very affordable (a few hundred dollars for permits). Private botanical venues like Leu Gardens or Bok Tower range from $1,000 for micro ceremonies up to $8,000–$15,000 for full ceremony and reception packages. Private estate venues vary widely based on guest count and what’s included.
- What’s the difference between a garden wedding and a farm wedding? A garden wedding focuses on botanical gardens, manicured greenery, and flower-filled spaces — think English garden, courtyard garden, or botanical park vibes. A farm wedding has a more rustic, earthy feel — think open fields, barns, and wildflower meadows. Some venues (like Flora Groves Farm) beautifully blend both!
- Do I need a permit to get married at a public garden in Florida? Yes, but it varies depending on the park; most public parks and botanical gardens in Central Florida require a permit or reservation for ceremonies. This usually includes a fee and sometimes a guest count limit. Always contact the park directly well in advance — some spots book up months ahead.
If you’re somewhere in the middle of dreaming and planning — comparing venues, saving photos, trying to figure out what your day should feel like — you’re in exactly the right place.
If you’re also looking for a photographer who gets genuinely excited about garden venues, natural light, and making sure your photos actually feel like you — I’d love to connect.
And if you’re still exploring venues, here are two more guides you’ll love:
