"You’re two miles from Manhattan, and you have 52 acres of gardens for your wedding," says Charlie Krause, proprietor of The Palm House. The Victorian greenhouse, set within the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, accommodates up to 300 people and was designed by legendary architect Stanford White, almost 100 years ago.

Colorful Garden Sites
Within the gardens, they can set up a ceremony wherever they can put chairs. "We have the rose garden in June, the cherry esplanade from late April to early May and the Osborne Terrace in May. The Japanese garden just underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, and we also have the meadow."

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden closes to the public each night at six, and then the grounds are open only to your party. "You and your guests can wander all over, but most people stay by the food and drinks!

"When people enter the garden, they take a glass of champagne and stroll to the ceremony site. Those who can’t make the walk can ride the golf cart, which carries 12 people at a time."

When you plan an outdoor wedding, your main concern is the weather. "And if it’s questionable," says Charlie, "flexibility is key. We set up a ceremony at one of our sites very close to the Palm House, and set up the Palm House as our backup at the same time — so we have two ceremony sites prepared."

They ask the bride to invite guests half an hour before the ceremony, and set up the bar in between the two sites. "So if it looks like it’s going to rain, we can make the switch within that half hour. Either way we’re covered. You don’t even have to think about it.

"If it rains, you have an indoor cocktail facility with a tropical greenhouse and its desert, lily pond and world class bonzai rooms."

Anticipating The Problems
The Palm House does about 160 ceremonies a year. "And we do every one without a rehearsal. That’s because our maitre d’s are able to keep everyone calm and without concerns or hesitation."

Charlie and his team try to anticipate all problems. For instance, as soon as the couple arrives, "we get them rooms and help them set up. We have drinks and sandwiches for them."

There is a bride’s room, "and many other rooms with full-length mirrors and couches to get ready and be comfortable.

"Our ceremony maitre d’ will direct people to the ceremony site. She’ll tell them right at that second what they’re doing and where they are going, because people are generally nervous. They haven’t done this often.

"Then in the dining room, we have two maitre d’s who coordinate between the band, the photographer, the kitchen, and the bride.

"The staff has walkie talkies. No one will get lost. Unless they want to."

"David Lindner is our photographer. He’s been shooting here since we started 12 years ago, and he knows the lighting of the garden.

"Most importantly, he knows how to photograph inside the Palm House, which is unique because it is all glass. In addition, his videographer uses very low lighting.

"With this much glass, if you have too many lights, it can look too bright. Everything gets reflected. People also don’t seem to have as good a time when they feel they’re being filmed.

"For music, Doug Winters and Jimmy Vali have played here many times. They know how to set up for a ceremony without being concerned that it’s 20 acres away.

"The level of loudness is a key component. The room is very live. They know its acoustics and how to play at the right volume.

"Some excellent florists are Sviba Decorators and Mel Furkuwa. They know how to bring the beauty and liveliness of the gardens into the design of the room.

"Because the room looks out over the gardens, your centerpieces and personal flowers have to relate to the garden. You’re competing with 52 acres, so you’d better know what you’re doing. You have to complement what’s blooming in the garden that season."

A Rich & Entertaining History
"The Palm House was originally the greenhouse for the garden," explains Charlie. "It housed palm trees and cactus plants."

Charlie’s father and stepmother ran the food concession within the garden for four years, and when all the plants were moved to the Steinhart Conservatory, leaving the Palm House vacant. "They came up with the idea of an indoor wedding facility."

Charlie had worked in his father’s restaurants when he was growing up, and in 1980 he started working at the River Café as a maitre d’. Then he went to the Water Club as a general manager.

"When The Palm House started happening, my father called and said, ‘You’d better join us.’ So here I am 12 years later. Now my father is my partner, and he’s perfecting his golf swing!"

They have held many notable weddings, including Kim and Art Garfunkel’s. "They wanted a very low-key wedding without any press. The cherry esplanade is about 200 yards long, and they had a runner the whole length. The ceremony started, and all of a sudden there was a blimp above us taking pictures!

"For every wedding here, someone wants something different, and they add their own twist to it. I could never be happy if every wedding were the same."

At one wedding, the bride and groom were going down the aisle, and they had neglected to tell Charlie that their dog was the ring bearer. The dog showed up and security wouldn’t let him in.

"There was this small German shepherd with a little pillow on his back, and the security guard was on the phone telling me, ‘No, we can’t let this dog in.’ But we made it happen."

Another favorite animal story concerned an Indian ceremony. "The groom is supposed to arrive on a white horse. All of a sudden, we got a call from the front about a man with a horse. I couldn’t let the horse in. So the groom rode the horse on Washington Avenue and the bride came out. They did a little ceremony, then went back into the garden.

"I’ve had weddings where Tito Puente was the bandleader, or where there was reggae for the cocktail party and people were dancing around, some even falling in the lily pools. People really have a good time here."

back to top
Anticipate Problems | Wedding Plans | Contact

Featured Palm House Real Wedding: Fellow Travelers
Featured Palm House Perfect Wedding Tips

The Palm House at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
718.398.2400
www.palmhouse.com