Columbus Zoo Wedding | Heather & Aaron - daniellewilliamsphotography.com

When Heather told me that they were planning a Columbus Zoo wedding I jumped out of my seat with excitement. How could I not? As a huge animal lover, the idea of photographing such a grand celebration at the zoo surrounded by all of the amazing animals felt like a dream.

The Columbus Zoo | African Event Center

On June 12th, 2022, Heather and Aaron held their celebration in the Africa Event Center portion of the Columbus Zoo. It includes suites to get ready in, a grand room to hold your reception, and of course the most beautiful outdoor balcony overlooking the heart of Africa.

You can click here to view all of their event spaces.

With this open concept guests are able to walk from the indoors straight out to the balcony to enjoy the sights of the giraffes, zebras, and more.

During good weather, they even allow guests to feed the giraffes during the celebration! Rain prevented the guests at Heather and Aaron’s day to get to feed them, but a select few of us were allowed access to the indoor sanctuary to do a private feeding.

Not to mention it’s a private event area! This means you won’t have to worry about crowds during your day.

They Offer Multiple Spaces

As mentioned above, the African event center provides spaces to get ready in on-site. This is perfect for anyone looking to do everything in one location.

The indoor portion of the center will be filled with dinner tables, dessert stands, an open dance area, and a bar for guests to get refreshments from.

In addition, the outdoor ceremony space will have a main aisle that goes from the indoor center to the front of the balcony, making for a grand ceremony entrance. The backdrop to your first kiss will be the open land full of wildlife.

Of course, one of the most picturesque places for your portraits will be the balcony (how could it not!) and part of it is covered too in case it rains.

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with having a Columbus Zoo wedding. It is not only an unforgettable experience for yourselves but also your guests!

Animal Encounters

One of the perks of having a Columbus Zoo wedding is that you get to meet animals. You heard me right, animal encounters! Say what?!

Depending on which animals are available, there are options ranging from giraffe feedings, penguin encounters, foxes, and more.

These encounters weren’t just for Heather and Aaron though. Animals were also brought into the reception! Allowing guests to get to participate in this special experience.

What animal would you be most excited to meet? Mine was probably the penguin, they are just too cute!

Columbus Zoo Wedding | Summary

If you love animals and/or the zoo holds a special meaning to you and your partner then this is hands down an amazing experience for a wedding.

I left not knowing what my favorite part was!

From a vendor perspective it really felt like they covered everything you could need. But then from a guest perspective I was in awe over the animal encounters and how much fun it was!

I couldn’t be more happy for Heather and Aaron. Please enjoy some images from their epic Columbus Zoo Wedding: