Knoxville Zoo

As the grandparents of the bride Holly Worley, from our observation and interaction with Ashley, the Events Coordinator, the service was phenomenal on 9/24/2011 as well as rehearsal provisons on 9/23/2011. We had several Emails back and forth as Holly's grandfather and I did some handiwork from home for transporting to the zoo. Ashley was very prompt, courteous and so helpful in arranging for us to come early on the wedding day, even providing a prep area for flower arranging, etc. I'm sure Holly and Matt will make their own comments as well as the Moms but I just wanted Ashley, Tucker and the gang to know how much they were appreciated. Thanks, the wedding was perfect, the reception was perfect and having the carousel running was a wonderful added bonus. Jan & Ralph Vaughn, Lakesite, TN

The venue and service was absolutely phenomonal! Ashley, the Wedding Coordinator, was great! She walked us thru the process by meeting with us many times during a nine month period, sending out regular emails with checklists and reminders and answered all our questions in a timely manner. We couldn't have asked for more! We only had one issue and that was with the bartenders that the Zoo provided. We didn't feel like they were prepared nor were they "experienced" bartenders...which made getting drinks from the bar a bit of a hassle. But, in all fairness, we provided them with 2 liter sodas which proved difficult to mix drinks with in a hurry. All in all, everything was gorgeous and we all had an amazing time!!!

The Knoxville Zoo provided the entire package a bride needs to stay calm while planning her wedding! The on-site coordinator, Ashley, walked me through each step, answered my numerous crazy emails with calm professionalism, and helped me plan and execute the perfect "fun" reception to coordinate with our "traditional" church ceremony. Ashley worked with all the individual vendors for all the technicality pieces and really pulled everything together. I didn't have to worry about anything on my wedding day because she set up all the goodies, linens, flowers, etc. She also loaded up my mom's car with the gifts and left over treats so no one else had to carry anything. It was so much pressure off us. Better experience than I could've ever imagine for our reception! I've suggested the Knoxville Zoo and Ashley to several friends for a variety of events!

We had our rehearsal dinner at the Knoxville Zoo. Ashley and her crew did the best job ever! We had such a great time with all the animals around. They allowed for us to bring in our own food, beverages, and dj. They provided all the talbes, chairs, linens, ice, and bartender. They even decorated with ceterpiece plants! I could not have asked for a more enjoyable time. Everyone complimented on a job well done. I would definitely recommend the zoo.

I cannot thank Ashley enough for the reception and help that she gave me during the planning of my wedding. She was with me every step of the way and I would highly recommend having your reception at the Knoxville Zoo. A wonderful venue with gorgeous surroundings. I cannot thank her enough. Would highly recommend her.

We had our reception at Knoxville Zoo, and the reception was great! If there was a problem...the staff did everything in their power to fix it! They thought of everything, even the small little things that are easy to forget about, and had them all ready or us. The reception went extremely smooth, and it was also very pretty. I highly recomend the zoo!

We had our rehearsal dinner at the Knoxville Zoo and our guests had just a fabulous time. We did the barbeque buffet and the food was good (not great). The dinner and space rental was the cheapest thing about our wedding. The coordinator was awesome at getting back to emails and we were allowed to bring our own beer and wine, which was nice.

My husband and I got married at the Knoxville Zoo this past October. We had booked different venue (because we did not know the Zoo even did weddings) that shut down 6 weeks before our wedding date. When I visited the Zoo, I was extremely stressed and frantic. All of my fears were relieved upon meeting the wedding planner, Ashley. She, and all the event staff, made my husband and I feel so secure and excited about our wedding again. Everything from the decorations, to the service, to the food, was excellent. I have and will continue to recommend the Knoxville Zoo to anyone looking for a wedding venue.

The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Everything went according to plan. She set up the reception hall beautifully as well....but......when it came down to reception time it was a nightmare. We had paid for the reception room until 10:00 pm that night, the ceremony didn't get over until 8:00. We had 2 hours to enjoy each others company. Not only did she rush every single event (toss of bouquet, garter, cake cutting, toasting, and eating) but she actually turned off the music and started packing up our stuff WITHOUT mine or my husbands permission. This was at 8:40. Now I was under the impression that we still had 1 hour and 20 minutes left. My grandfather, mother, grandmother(husbands), and uncle did not see half of the reception because Ashley kept pushing us to do things quickly. My husband and myself were not even able to eat a piece of our own wedding cake because of how quick all these events happened. When we first met with Ashley she was bubbly, happy, and ready to please...but on our wedding day, she threw an attitude into the atmopshere that EVERYONE could feel. My own husband, mom, maid of honor, and bridesmaids asked "what is her problem?" When me and my maid of honor and bridesmaids were waiting for our minister (who was late by an hour), we all decided to talk to make the time pass, and in this time we were talking about Ashley's wedding some day and she said "I wouldn't let someone handle my wedding, I'm a control freak!" This was a red flag to me! I almost feel as if since we weren't on HER plan, that she was going to control the rest of the night to make up for lost time. This is not at all professional in my eyes. I cried on my wedding night because of how upset this whole event got me. She had us packed up and out of there by 8:55. It all happened so quick that none of us knew what to say or do. We paid a lot of money for a beautiful wedding that ended with a disaster of a reception. If I were to recommend anyone any advice it would be to make sure you choose the right person to handle all of your wedding day decisions and not one who is a completely different person on the day of the wedding. Don't have someone who has a nasty attitude and could make your already stressful day more stressful. The zoo itself was beautiful as well as the ceremony, but Ashley was not a good addition that day. If I were to do it again I would without a doubt, I would have just taken matters into my own hands and not let her get away with how she treated us.

We had our rehearsal dinner at the zoo and were extremely impressed. Ashley did a great job of showing us around the park, helping us pick our location, and telling us all about the different options we had as far as transportation, tables, flowers, etc. etc. It was a unique dinner location that everyone was SUPER excited about. I have and will keep recommending the Zoo as a place to have a wonderful event.

The staff were very accomodating and helpful. The venue itself needed a lot of work with decorations to be suitable for a wedding. It was a lovely place for a large wedding.

We had our wedding at the Knoxville Zoo in May 2010. We had an excellent experience working with the wedding coordinator, Ashley! She was easy to get in touch with and was extremely helpful and professional while planning and preparing for our wedding. The Knoxville Zoo was a beautiful venue and the staff was generously accomodating. Thank you Knoxville Zoo and Ashley for making our wedding day so special!