Dunaway Gardens

Dunaway Gardens Sets a Perfect Stage for Your Garden Wedding in Atlanta!

Every one of us has played with LEGOs in our childhood days (many still play!). From using our imagination to create a new structure to following the instructions in themed sets, the sky was the limit when it was about what you could do with those little pieces that were always ready to build something new and amazing. It was sooo fun! Planning a wedding is just like assembling the LEGOs made of wishes and dreams until a perfect structure stands in front of your eyes which is as beautiful as your childhood days. The sky's the limit when it comes to fitting all your big little dreams into one! Don’t you feel sometimes that your dream wedding is always in front of your eyes however, you still have to travel miles to reach there? Your dream wedding is in the bag as soon as you find a wedding venue that not only documents your love story perfectly but also makes your wedding day easy-breezy. And when you are an Atlanta bride then half the battle with Dunaway Gardens, nestled just southwest of Atlanta, in Newnan Georgia. 

Built in 1934, Dunaway Gardens was a theatrical training facility and a getaway for actors and actresses across the south for almost half a century. After the restoration which started in the summer of 2000, Dunaway Gardens is now known as one of the south’s largest natural rock and floral gardens. Boasting spring-fed pools, stone waterfalls, and extensive hand-laid rock paths, walls, and staircases throughout the approximately 25-acre tract, this beautiful site has been bringing couples’ dream Atlanta wedding to life in its most beautiful ceremony spaces. With lots of beautiful trees and a stunning amphitheater making for tons of photo opportunities to our Atlanta wedding photographers for your outdoor wedding photography, this one-of-a-kind rock and floral garden wedding venue is a sight to behold forever. The unsurpassed beauty throughout the seasons makes it a perfect all-season ceremony site. From the historic Arrowhead Pools to the hidden Hanging Gardens, to the ancient Wedding Tree, offering one of the most exquisite and exclusively private settings in the Southeast, Dunaway Gardens has everything you need to take your opulent outdoor wedding notch higher regardless of the wedding budget. The lush botanical garden grounds of Dunaway Gardens allow Atlanta brides to say ‘I do’ amidst striking sights and charming sounds of nature.

Dunaway Gardens weddings come with endless benefits.

And one of the major ones is that your flowers are already there. Walking down the aisle in a garden lets you throw the floral set-up overboard as you’re already surrounded by lovely, aromatic flowers, and other greenery. You won’t require to bring flowers in to put at the end of the pews or surround you and your partner. Similarly, if it’s your alfresco reception you can ditch the centerpieces because the venue would do the decorating part for you. At Dunaway Gardens, the natural beauty sets the stage for the wedding with vibrant colors. It lets you show off your love of nature. If you choose Dunaway Gardens to host the happiest day of your life, chances are you love the outdoors. The garden setting at Dunaway Gardens wedding venue offers a more natural aesthetic for your wedding ceremony and reception and gives your wedding a much more relaxed feel than a traditional ballroom wedding. Imagine copious flower beds and butterflies flitting around you and your soulmate while exchanging vows. Dreamy enough! This is what Dunaway Gardens is!

With Dunaway Gardens you can be a little more low-key, too. Flaxen hair, an austere wedding dress, natural makeup, and no ties or tuxes would all look at home at Dunaway Gardens. You may be in all white, but your photos will feature the bright reds, pinks, and violets found in the flowers of its garden. Think of your first kiss as spouses for the camera surrounded by the bountiful blossoms and lush greenery of a garden. Didn’t you like the picture we just painted?!   Your guests can enjoy the beauty of their surroundings, which means they require less electricity. The ceremony sites here provide an abundant source of diffused natural light which is perfect for your Dunaway Gardens wedding photography. 

Dunaway Gardens is certainly a fun place for your nieces, nephews, and other kids to frolic. Your wedding guests can enjoy your wedding ceremony without worrying about their kids’ sticky fingers in a fancy ballroom or loud crying in a church. At Dunaway Gardens, all the kids on your wedding day will have room to spread out. And what could be more awe-inspiring than a flower girl surrounded by the beautiful blooms of a real garden?! Do you need more reasons to host your garden wedding at Dunaway Gardens?

The story behind its evolution

The story of Dunaway Gardens began when famous stage actress Hetty Jane Dunaway met dapper booking agent Wayne P. Sewell. Hetty Jane was a talented, vivacious actress from Arkansas, who rose to fame as one of the most popular on the Chautauqua Circuit. When her traveling show brought her in contact with the Wayne P. Sewell Production company in Atlanta, a courtship began and eventually she married him. The pair made their home on the Sewell’s family plantation near Roscoe, Georgia. Here, her imagination and creativity led her to see something more in the rural landscape than just red clay, farmland, and rolling cotton fields. Her dream of a storybook garden as a setting for a theatrical training center came true, painstakingly nurtured over the course of some 18 years.

This gem of the wedding venues in Atlanta which was counting its last beats under the sheet of vines and kudzu was given CPR by its owner Jennifer Bigham. She blew breaths of life to this hidden jewel by restoring it to its original luster, giving couples a beautiful gift for their memorable occasions.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Dunaway Gardens was established by famous stage actress Hetty Jane Dunaway on what was then her husband Wayne P. Sewell’s sprawling ancestral plantation. Dunaway Gardens was a theatrical training ground for producers, directors, and performers of the arts during the golden years of the 20s, 30s, and 40s. It was also a popular retreat for locals and celebrities alike, including Walt Disney, who frequented the gardens, and Minnie Pearl, who got her start at Dunaway Gardens.

In its heyday, the gardens played host to ballet troupes, indoor and outdoor theater performances, and a steady stream of fans who came to enjoy not only the grand shows, filled with comedic twists and cameo appearances by locals but also the scrumptious food at the quaint Bluebonnet Tea Room, a popular gathering spot. When the pace of the gardens eventually slowed, Dunaway Gardens and its history began to disappear. The Dunaway Gardens reopened its gates in 2005, ready, once again, for fans and botanical garden enthusiasts to enjoy. 

What else?

Their wedding fees include a 10-hour event period, choice of the ceremony site, use of historic 1850’s cottage for bride and bridesmaids, golf carts to comfortably transport guests and bridal party, ceremony and reception set-up and break-down, ample parking, chairs, climate-ready tent facilities for receptions, selection of dining accessories, tables, and linens and last but not least catering packages designed to ensure that your wedding day is all you imagined.

The historic Dunaway Gardens offers 25 acres of beautiful, private botanical garden grounds with a variety of picture-perfect outdoor ceremony sites. We can easily accommodate cozy to large weddings fitting a range of budgets. Visit their grounds and you will learn why most brides choose Dunaway Gardens to get hitched.  

A venue packed with countless photo ops

Every wedding photographer’s delight, the Dunaway Gardens is a bundle of photo opportunities for your wedding photography. Pose against their stunning reflective pool for some striking couple photos and let your wedding album be a cut above the rest. Let our Atlanta wedding photographers capture the eternal friendship of you with your bridesmaids and groomsmen to meet your wedding group photography. What better place than their ancient Wedding Tree for some intimate couple photography during golden hour. Their exotic Hanging Gardens can do wonders for your family group photography when used as a backdrop. Dunaway Gardens weddings are a memorable and joyful experience for our wedding photographers in Atlanta and its suburbs. Garden weddings usually take place during the day lending a natural glow to your celebration which allows our Atlanta suburbs wedding photographers to capture the best of wedding photos for your wedding photo book. Natural lighting assures a soft, natural look thereby allowing our wedding photographers in and around Atlanta to capture the wonderful moments with the utmost perfection unlike those fluorescent lights in the ballroom that are harsh and may negatively impact skin tones, making couples look pale or yellowed in their wedding photographs. Every in-the-moment picture of your bridal party and loved ones clicked by them stands out amidst the venue’s naturally illuminated surroundings. Don’t miss your chance to get photographed with your BAE by the original amphitheater where live performances were staged once. A walk with your sweetheart beneath the massive branches of the old Wedding Tree will unwind all your wedding jitters. 

Count on us for your stress-free, gorgeous wedding

Walking down the aisle accompanied by the sights and sounds of nature at Dunaway Gardens is an amazing experience for the eco-conscious couples. There are many reasons to love Dunaway Gardens. It provides a relaxing and stunningly beautiful atmosphere for your wedding guests to enjoy while offering ample space for kids to play around without disturbing anyone and providing a picture-perfect photo backdrop for one of the most important days of your life. The dedicated staff at Dunaway Gardens understands that every newly-engaged couple expects a level of romance and beauty on their wedding day and they, therefore, stand by you to cater to your every need from your first visit till you say goodbye to your near and dear ones. It is great to celebrate the start of your new life amidst a beautifully secluded hanging garden with picturesque nature, a peaceful atmosphere, and a dazzling photo location at none other than Dunaway Gardens. With them and our exceptional team of wedding photographers, your wedding day will be straight out of your dreams without any bumps in the plan. So, escape mundane and traditional locations and make your event truly magical at Dunaway Gardens wedding venue located only 30 minutes south of Atlanta, 6 miles north of Newnan, Georgia and minutes from the quaint historical town of Roscoe.