FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How far in advance do I have to book?
Typically, we find that the prime months of May/June and September/October book about a year in advance, although you should always check your specific date and preferred location.
2. Am I allowed to hold a site and what does that entail?
We are happy to hold a site for you at no charge while you tie up loose ends. If someone else expresses interest, we give you the first right of refusal and will ask you to make an immediate decision with payment.
3. What is the payment structure?
There are 4 payments:
1. 100% of the site combinations (ex. Wills: $1000 with Pineapple Room: $750= $1750 due) within one week upon receipt of the contract
2. If Cheekwood catering is being used, a $15pp non-refundable catering retainer due with signed catering agreement within 30 days upon receipt of the contract
3. 100% of the damage deposit 30 days in advance of the event date
4. 100% of estimated invoice due 14 days before event, liquor charge based on $15 per guest
5. Full balance on any remaining expenses incurred due within 14 days of invoice issue date
6. If no damage has occurred and all bills have been paid, the client will receive the full refundable damage deposit after the event. We are able to apply your deposit to any balance due to Cheekwood for catering or other services on your final invoice.
4. What if I cancel the date after I have signed a contract and paid?
If you cancel 60 days or more in advance of your event, we retain 50% of the site fee and the full catering retainer. If you cancel less than 60 days before the event, we retain the entire site fee and the full catering fee.
5. Do you have package deals?
In order to allow the client as much customization as possible, we do not have package events. In your preferred combination, you are able to select a garden, reception space, and menu details in order to create a special day that meets your vision and budget. Since there are many different location combinations and we allow so much customization, costs vary considerably and can be discussed in person.
6. If I want to have a wedding at Cheekwood, must I book a reception space as well?
Several of our gardens are available for ceremony-only. Those that must be booked with a reception space are indicated in the information packet. Reception spaces can be booked independent of ceremony spaces.
7. What is included in the fee for the garden?
- Free entry to Cheekwood for your guests
- No charge for guest parking
- A one-year membership to Cheekwood for the bride and groom
- A rehearsal
- A portrait sitting in advance of the wedding (photographer to be provided by the client)
- An Event Supervisor representing Cheekwood
- Cheekwood Security
8. What additional expenses are associated with a wedding at Cheekwood?
Items not covered by your rental fee include, but are not limited to:
- Decorations/Flowers
- Officiant
- Chairs
- Wedding Director
- Tent Fees (if applicable)
- Valet (if needed)
9. What if it rains on my wedding day?
In the event of inclement weather, we will do our best to relocate your event to another venue; however, we cannot guarantee that an alternate location will be available (the Museum of Art is not available as an alternate site). Most of our gardens do not allow tenting (the exception being the Wills Perennial Garden);
For the Wills Perennial Garden, Frist Learning Center (reception), and MoA terrace (reception), our rain plan is to reserve tents. Friday morning, before your Saturday reception, we make the decision with you to either retain or cancel the tent based on the weather report. If it is cancelled, there is a cancellation fee; however, if it is retained, you will incur the cost of the tent. Actual costs vary based on the site, and we can discuss those in more detail in person.
Depending on your guest count, your reception space may be utilized for the ceremony. This is always the plan for a garden wedding/Pineapple Room combination.
The Japanese Garden does have covering and typically the client chooses to hold the ceremony there regardless. Either way, golf umbrellas work very well for walking to and from!!!
10. Is a room provided for the bridal party to change?
We do provide a room for the bride and bridesmaids to change in. The room varies based on if/ where an on-site reception is booked and availability. It is assigned a week before the wedding. Groomsmen should come dressed and ready. A pre-ceremony space for the groomsmen to wait in is subject to availability.
11. Do you allow receptions to be held in the gardens?
In order to protect Cheekwood gardens, we only allow receptions in the designated spaces: The Pineapple Room, Massey Display Hall, Learning Center, and Museum of Art.
12. What time of day can I have my event?
We only accommodate weddings and receptions after 4:30pm in order to ensure greater privacy for your event.
13. When can we get in our space to set-up?
Event set-up at garden sites can begin at 3:00 pm. Set-up in The Pineapple Room may begin at 3:00 pm. For daytime events, set-up in Massey Hall may begin at 7:00 am (extra security charges may apply). For evening events, set-up in Massey Hall may begin at 3:00 pm, while set-up in the foyer may begin after 4:30 pm. Set-up in the Learning Center may begin at 3:30 pm. Museum exterior set-up may begin at 3:00 pm, while interior set-up may begin at 4:30 pm
14. What is included in the fee for the reception space?
- Free entry to Cheekwood for your guests
- No charge for guest parking
- A one-year membership to Cheekwood for the bride and groom
- A portrait sitting in advance of the wedding (photographer to be provided by the client)
- An Event Supervisor representing Cheekwood
- Cheekwood security until 1:00 am
15. What additional expenses are associated with a reception?
Items not covered by your rental fee include, but are not limited to:
- Set-up items (ex. tables, chairs, glassware, china, flatware, linens, etc.)
- Food plus 20% service charge and tax
- Alcohol plus 20% service charge
- Wait staff/Bartenders
- Valet (if needed)
- Tent Fees (if applicable)
- Wedding Director
- Proof of Liability Insurance
16. Am I allowed to bring an outside caterer?
You are allowed to bring an outside caterer for the Massey Display Hall and Learning Center except during the month of December. Cheekwood is the required caterer for the Pineapple Room, Museum of Art, and all locations during December. There is a $10 per person outside catering fee, and the caterer must provide Cheekwood with proof of a million dollar liability insurance policy. Should you choose to bring an outside caterer, Cheekwood does not design the set-up or make arrangements for the rental items. However, we will still manage tents and valet, and will need to approve the set-up. Cheekwood is the required alcohol provider.
17. What is the difference between a cocktail supper, buffet dinner, and plated dinner?
Cheekwood considers a cocktail supper buffet to be a reception serving food (typically set-up on a buffet) where appx. 60% of the guests have seating. This is a mix and mingle reception style where the food does not require extensive flatware and is easy to eat. The set-up item cost for this sort of reception tends to be the least expensive.
- A buffet dinner utilizes the same buffet format but seating is provided at a table for every guest, and the food tends to be more dinner-like. See our “Cheekwood dinner buffet selections” section of the menu for an idea of what this would entail. The set-up item cost for this type of reception is in the middle-price range. Quite often we will do a pre-plated salad so that guests can serve themselves to the buffet at their own pace rather than all at once.
- A plated dinner is the most formal of the reception styles and is served as in a restaurant. Each guest has a seat and a waiter for his or her table. See our selection under the “a la carte seated dinner” section of the menu. The set-up item cost for this type of reception is in the upper-price range.
18. What if I just want to have a bridal or engagement portrait taken?
There is no charge for a bridal portrait sitting in the gardens to brides renting a Cheekwood facility. If no site has been retained, a basic sitting fee is $150. Please keep in mind that sittings must be scheduled through the Rentals office, and sittings are in outside venues only. We will provide a changing space. For more information, please visit “Portrait Sitting” under the “Private Events” link on our web site.
19. What is your policy for portraits taken the day of my wedding?
For photographs on the day of your wedding, your photographer must make advance plans by contacting this office by phone or email to check site availability. If an event is booked in a space, next to a space, or within audible distance of the area where you would like to take pictures, we ask that you refrain from doing so. For example, if the Museum of Art is booked for a function, the Wisteria Arbor is not available for wedding party photographs.
Of course, you are welcome to take pictures at the site you have secured during the hours of your event. All other locations that are available are used on a first come, first serve basis the day of your function and cannot be reserved in advance. Please feel free to inquire about available sites with the Cheekwood Rentals and Catering Department the week of your wedding.
