Weddings + Private Events

All events requests will be scheduled and coordinated through the Director and Curator of the Founders Memorial Garden and booked no more than 12 months and no less than 30 days in advance. We recommend renters tour the facility before booking the event. After the tour, the renter may place a complimentary temporary hold on a date for one week. During that time, an official contract will be sent for review. At the end of the week, a signed contract and refundable security deposit are due. The final rental fee is due 30 days prior to the event date.

The Founders Memorial Garden venue offers many options to suite peoples event space needs.

Founders House and Garden (entire property)

Fee: $4250
Damage Deposit: $2000
Local Sales tax of 8%
12-hour access – Additional hours charged at $350/hour
Exclusive use

Founders House (house only)

Fee: $2000
Damage Deposit: $750
Local Sales tax of 8%
6 hours access – Additional hours charged at $275/hour
Access to house only
Exclusive use

Founders Memorial Garden (entire garden NOT including house)

Fee: $1800
Damage Deposit: $1000
Local Sales tax of 8%
6 hours – Additional hours charged at $275/hour
Access to garden and kitchen house for restroom and catering space
Exclusive use

Single Garden Room (EX: The Serpentine Garden or the North Arboretum Lawn)

Fee: $500
Damage Deposit: $500
Local Sales tax of 8%
2-hour min. – Additional hours charged at $250/hour
Access to that garden room and kitchen house for restroom and catering space
Exclusive use

A 2-hr complimentary rehearsal is included in all wedding rentals, to be scheduled for the day before the event. Clients must be flexible on the timing of this to work around other paying rentals on that day. If you would like to make sure the space is available at a certain time, you can reserve the space for a 2-hr rehearsal. The fee is $150.

Damage Deposits are due at the signing of the rental agreement and are required in order to hold the event date. These are refundable provided no damage is found in and around the house and garden and the terms of the contract are met.

When providing alcohol at an event, a security guard is required. There is a fee of $48.50/hr with a minimum of 4 hours (We arrange for this with UGA Police). You must also hire a bar tender to serve alcohol and no people under 21 may be served.

We accept only checks.

UGA affiliated groups, organizations or departments are eligible for a discounted rate. A non-profit discount is applicable with an appropriate tax ID.

If a renter chose to cancel after signing the contract but before the reserved date, they shall forfeit any deposit paid to secure the date.

We always encourage interested parties to come visit the venue, so you can see the various spaces, and we can describe the ways each area has been used in the past. We find these kinds of descriptions to be very helpful as you are envisioning your own event. Contact Gareth Crosby to schedule a tour!

The garden does not provide setup, cleanup, or event coordination. Typically, the caterer and/or an event planner will handle this. The renter must arrange this with the event planner / caterer directly. If the event will not be catered or managed by an event planner, the renter is responsible for all setup and cleanup. Setup may not begin until the rental start time and cleanup must be completed by the rental end time. The garden recommends at least one hour for setup and one hour for cleanup. Incomplete cleanup may result in additional fees or loss of the security deposit.

Parking is extremely limited on site (4 spaces + 1 accessible space) but the UGA North Campus Parking Deck is a short walk from the venue and charges a maximum of $10/day/car. You may consider organizing a shuttle. There are also numerous parking garages in downtown Athens that are an easy walk to the venue. Wheelchair accessibility is limited to the parking lot and Serpentine Garden with access via an ADA compliant path from the parking lot. The Courtyard, and Kitchen House are accessible with mobile ramps at this time. We are working on accessibility to the Founders House.

All the parking spots around the Founders Memorial Garden are pay-to-park in the evenings and on weekends at the same rate as the parking decks on campus.

Entry – 30 minutes $1

31 minutes – 1 hour $3

1 hour – 2 hours $5

Each additional hour $1 Maximum daily fee $10

The Ballroom in the house seats 60-75 ppl with only chairs and a central isle or 48ppl at 6 round tables. Max capacity is 80 including event staff.

The Serpentine Garden lawn seats 175-200ppl with a central isle and has capacity for 250 standing. 64-80 ppl at 8-10 round tables.

The North Lawn seats 40-50 ppl on the back half with a central isle and 80-100 if you use the other half.

There are 2 restrooms at the Founders Memorial Garden: one in the Founders House and one in the Kitchen House. Both are available ONLY when the entire property is rented otherwise there is only one available for an event. As an example: if you rent the gardens you may only use the Kitchen House restroom and not the Founders House restroom. If you have over 50 guests and are currently renting space with only one restroom, we highly suggest renting a mobile restroom.

The garden does not provide catering. We are currently developing a vender list but there are no restrictions at this time.

The garden does not permit open flames inside the buildings. All candles must include a glass, ceramic, or metal candle holder and we highly recommend a glass, ceramic or metal globe to keep candles burning clean and bright. No bird seed, glitter, confetti, or petals may be thrown outdoors. Only silk petals may be thrown indoors. Indoor lighting, floral arrangements, and other décor must be freestanding. Items may not be attached to interior or exterior walls. All items must be removed from the building and gardens after the event as part of the clean-up process.

Power is limited to certain areas and in most cases, extension cords will be needed.