Cator Woolford Gardens 1815 South Ponce De Leon Avenue Northeast • Atlanta • GA 30307

Your rental at Cator Woolford Gardens in Atlanta includes exclusive use of the grounds for your rental period, tables, chairs and tents, a site manager, crew and security, golf-cart shuttles and free parking for about 90 cars. Two DeKalb County police officers are on site whenever alcohol is served, and their cost is covered. You'll pay separately for your caterer, your alcohol, linens, event insurance, a required planner or day-of coordinator, and the PA system ($150). There's no tax on the rental fee.

Yes, you can do both at Cator Woolford Gardens, and golf carts shuttle guests between the parking lot, the Gardens and the Atrium. Ceremonies happen on the Ceremony Lawn, under the Gardens tent (up to 180) or in the Atrium (up to 180). The Atrium hosts dancing receptions for up to 180 or seats 150, and the Gardens and Atrium can be rented together or on their own. From December to February, cocktails and dinner move into the Atrium.

You'll pick your caterer from the Cator Woolford Gardens preferred list, which includes Zest Atlanta Catering and Bold Catering and Design. An outside caterer is considered case by case, and an extra fee applies if it's approved. You supply all your own alcohol, served by a licensed bartender from your caterer. Every other vendor is welcome as long as they sign the venue's Vendor Agreement, and you'll need a professional planner or day-of coordinator.

A March–November wedding at Cator Woolford Gardens in Atlanta runs $4,560 for 5 hours Monday–Thursday, $7,200 for 5 hours on Friday, $9,720 for 9 hours on Saturday and $7,800 for 8 hours on Sunday, for up to 180 guests. December–February, the same days run $3,500–6,500, and an Atrium-only rental for up to 150 is $4,180–6,600. Weekend events can add time at $500 an hour. Catering and alcohol are on top, since you hire a preferred caterer and bring your own drinks. To hold your date, you'll pay a 50% non-refundable deposit, plus a refundable $1,000 security deposit by the final payment date.

Your hours at Cator Woolford Gardens are set by DeKalb County. On Saturdays you can arrive at 10am, guests leave by 10pm, and everyone's off the property by 11pm. Sundays run 10am–7pm, with everyone out by 8pm, and weekday events start at 6pm and end at 10pm. Amplified music is allowed in the Gardens for the ceremony only. In the Atrium, amplified music is allowed at a reasonable volume, and the bar closes 30 minutes before your event ends.

If it rains at Cator Woolford Gardens in Atlanta, your ceremony moves under the Gardens tent or into the Atrium, and both hold up to 180 guests. The Atrium is a modern indoor hall with a whitewashed cathedral ceiling and a wall of windows. The venue asks for 24 hours' notice if you're switching to the backup plan, and you'll go over the rain plan together at your required final walk-through 30 days before the wedding. In the Atrium, nothing can hang from the string lights, and anything you hang needs a professional.

Cator Woolford Gardens gives you a historic 1920s estate in Atlanta all to yourselves: it books only one event a day, across 39 acres of Italian-inspired gardens and old-growth forest, with The Hollow's creek and stone footbridge. You bring your own alcohol, and a rain plan is built in, with the Gardens tent or the indoor Atrium as backup. Every wedding also benefits the Frazer Center, a nonprofit supporting inclusive education and community programs for people with disabilities. Leashed dogs are welcome in the Gardens, too.

Yes. Cator Woolford Gardens has an Elopement and Intimate Package for up to 30 guests in the Gardens from March to November: $3,000 for 5 hours Monday–Thursday, $4,200 for 5 hours on Friday and $4,800 for 6 hours on Sunday. It includes a site manager, food and alcohol service, and ceremony music. A ceremony-only garden booking for up to 30 is $1,500 Monday–Thursday or $2,250 on Friday, with no food, drinks or amplified music.