Location: 520 Ashe Ave, Raleigh, NC 27606 Capacity: Up to 500 guests (Stage and Event Lawn) Type: Historic Public Park Website: raleighnc.gov
Pullen Park opened in 1887 as the first public park in North Carolina. The city still runs it that way: 66.4 acres of open grounds, a small lake, and a set of outdoor shelters and lawns available for rent through the same system that books a birthday party or a company picnic. It is the 5th-oldest operating amusement park in the United States and the 16th-oldest in the world, and the carousel and the miniature train at its center run on the park's own schedule.
A wedding here is built from the park itself. The park provides a lake, a stretch of lawn built to hold a crowd, and several covered shelters at different scales, and no chairs or tables are provided, so a couple brings in what the day needs.
The Lake and the Carousel
Lake Howell sits at the center of the park. The 1911 Gustave A. Dentzel Carousel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, turns within sight of the water, and the C.P. Huntington miniature train, a scaled-down replica of the original locomotive, circles the grounds on its own track. Both run on the park's public schedule, so a ceremony timed around them borrows the motion and sound of the park.
The Shelters and the Lawn
The park's rental spaces range from small to large, and each is booked on its own. Fountain Terrace, by the upper pond across from the lake, holds 20. Island Gazebo holds 50 to 100 with no chairs or tables provided. Several hillside shelters, numbered #1 through #6, hold 30 to 100 depending on the structure. For a larger reception, the Stage and Event Lawn behind the ticket office is built as public event space, with no tables or grilling on-site. A couple combines a shelter or the lawn with tables, chairs, a tent and lighting brought in for the day.
What We Design Here
Pullen Park feels green, open and natural, so loose arrangements with their weight at the base look best here. Arrangements with their weight low and movement up top carry well across an open lawn. Light filters down through the tree canopy, and warm, soft color looks its best in it. At the ceremony point, we build for structure, since the lake and the trees already supply the scenery behind the couple.
Practical
Pullen Park sits a few minutes from downtown Raleigh and the NC State campus. Parking is available at the park entrance, including accessible spaces. The park and its restrooms are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
All rentals, whether a shelter, the Stage and Event Lawn or another park space, go through the city's RecLink reservation system, and a rental permit must be received at least 2 weeks before the requested date. Questions about availability go to Pullen Park Amusements through the park's own contact page.
Hidden Door Floral Studio is a Raleigh wedding florist designing for weddings across Raleigh, the Triangle and North Carolina, and happy to travel beyond. To talk about your wedding at Pullen Park, schedule a consultation.
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