Como Park Conservatory Wedding Photographer
Sunken Garden, Palm Dome, Como Lake — St. Paul's most photogenic ceremony venue. Couples usually just say "Como Conservatory," and I photograph weddings there year-round. From $2,700.
Quick Answer
Who is the best Como Park Conservatory wedding photographer?
Honey Deww Photography (Emma Ziegler) shoots regularly at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul. 200+ Twin Cities weddings since 2018. Collections from $2,700.
5.0 ★ on Google
45 reviews
Booking since 2021
200+ Twin Cities clients
Minneapolis-based
Travel up to 60 mi free
Replies in 24 hrs
Mon–Fri
Recent work
Como Park Conservatory Wedding & Portrait Photography
A look at recent weddings, engagements and portraits photographed around Como Park Conservatory and the wider Twin Cities.
Como Park Conservatory: The Venue Itself
What the space is actually like — the details couples ask me about before they ask about photography.
- Address
- 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul, MN 55103
- Capacity
- Capacities are published by space, not for the venue as a whole. The Covered Porch holds up to 240 for a seated dinner and 400 for a stand-up reception. The Bullard Rainforest Auditorium holds up to 200 for a seated dinner and 300 for a stand-up reception. The Enchanted Garden, outdoors, seats up to 250. The Berglund Wright Room holds 60 seated or 100 for cocktails. The Ordway Gardens Bonsai Pavilion holds up to 40 for a seated dinner or up to 70 cocktail-style, and its outdoor terrace seats up to 50 for a ceremony. The North Garden holds up to 35 guests, and the Polar Bear Lodge 30 seated. Ceremonies in the Sunken Garden and the North Garden are largely standing: up to 10 chairs are provided in the Sunken Garden and up to six in the North Garden. No maximum guest count is published for the Sunken Garden.
- Ceremony & reception spaces
- Indoor ceremony spaces inside the historic glasshouse include the Sunken Garden and the North Garden. The Sunken Garden is backed by a seasonally rotating flower show and is booked as a 90-minute reservation, with up to 10 chairs provided and the remaining guests standing; guests enter through the Historic Entrance of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, where coat racks are available in the foyer, and the restrooms are just outside the Palm Dome. The North Garden holds up to 35 guests among tropical foliage, spice and fruit trees, and a figure-eight shaped pool, and is available during non-public hours. Indoor reception spaces include the Covered Porch, a long, modern space with stone, sconce lighting and floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, a water garden and the Centennial Garden; the Berglund Wright Room, which has a high ceiling, a large picture window, many skylights and a view of the Conservatory; the second-floor Bullard Rainforest Auditorium, with a panoramic view of the Zoo's bird exhibit and a foyer with floor-to-ceiling windows that opens onto an outdoor terrace overlooking the Conservatory; the Ordway Gardens Bonsai Pavilion; and the Polar Bear Lodge, which has views of the Polar Bear Odyssey exhibit and a fireplace. Outdoor spaces include the Enchanted Garden, which seats up to 250 from May through September and looks out on the Conservatory, the surrounding pollinator gardens, the Frog Pond and the Exedra, and the Ordway Gardens outdoor terrace.
- Parking
- There are multiple on-site lots throughout the Como Regional Park area, along with adjacent street parking. A drop-off zone with a circle turnaround, incorporated into the Minnesota and Circle Gardens, serves as the loading and unloading point. Residential permit parking restrictions apply nearby: from May 1 through September 30, many streets west of Como Park allow no parking from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. without a City-issued permit. Whether parking is free is not stated.
- Catering
- Exclusive in-house catering — the venue's own event pages identify Lancer Catering as "our exclusive on-site caterer" for food and beverage. Indoor event spaces carry a room rental fee plus a food and beverage minimum that varies by day of week.
- The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park is located at 1225 Estabrook Drive, St. Paul, MN 55103.
- The venue offers a drop-off zone, multiple on-site parking lots throughout the Como Regional Park area, and adjacent street parking; a circle turnaround incorporated into the Minnesota and Circle Gardens provides a designated loading and unloading location. Beginning May 1, residential permit parking restrictions are in effect, with no parking allowed on many streets west of Como Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 1 through September 30, without a City-issued permit.
- The conservatory at Como Park opened on November 7, 1915. It was designed by Frederick Nussbaumer, superintendent of St. Paul parks beginning in 1891, as a Victorian glass house reminiscent of the palm house at Kew Gardens near London, where he trained, and was built by the King Construction Company of Tonawanda, New York.
- In 1974 the conservatory was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- A sunken garden was added to the conservatory's south wing in 1927.
- The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory covers approximately 2 acres under glass, and was renamed the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park in 2002 following a large contribution from the Donald McNeely family, in memory of plant lover Marjorie McNeely.
- The Sunken Garden's floral show is updated seasonally: azaleas and poinsettias in winter, multicolored tulips in spring, roses and geraniums in summer, and chrysanthemums in autumn.
- A Sunken Garden ceremony rental is a 90-minute reservation that includes set up, ceremony, photos and take down; the venue provides up to 10 chairs for seating in the garden and remaining guests stand during the ceremony. Guests enter through the Historic Entrance of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, where coat racks are available in the foyer, and restrooms are located just outside the Palm Dome.
- The Covered Porch accommodates up to 240 guests for a seated dinner and 400 for a stand-up reception, and is a long, modern-looking space with stone, sconce lighting and floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, a water garden and the Centennial Garden.
- The Berglund Wright Room holds 60 seated or 100 for a cocktail reception and features a high ceiling, a large picture window and many skylights, with a view of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory.
How the Light Works Here
- The Sunken Garden and North Garden are enclosed glasshouse spaces within a conservatory of roughly two acres under glass, so their daylight arrives largely through overhead glazing rather than side windows — expect top-down natural light that tracks cloud cover and shifts intensity quickly on overcast days.
- The Sunken Garden backdrop is not fixed: the venue rotates its floral show seasonally, so the dominant color behind a ceremony differs between the winter azalea and poinsettia display, the spring tulips, the summer roses and geraniums, and the autumn chrysanthemums. Confirm which show is up when scouting.
- The Berglund Wright Room combines a high ceiling, many skylights and one large picture window, which produces overhead-dominant light plus a single directional window source — subject placement relative to that one picture window matters more here than in an evenly glazed room.
- The Covered Porch is glazed floor to ceiling and looks out over the Conservatory, a water garden and the Centennial Garden, so that glass wall is the room's dominant daylight source by day and turns reflective once interior light exceeds exterior light in the evening.
- The North Garden is a compact indoor space rated for up to 35 guests around a figure-eight shaped pool with tropical foliage and spice and fruit trees — tight working distances and a reflective water surface at floor level. It is available during non-public hours, so it can be worked without visitor traffic.
- The Bullard Rainforest Auditorium's foyer has floor-to-ceiling windows and opens onto an outdoor terrace overlooking the Conservatory, giving an adjacent bright-window area and an exterior option without leaving the reception floor.
Sunken Garden & Como Zoo Conservatory Wedding Photo Spots
- Sunken Garden seasonal blooms
- Palm Dome tropical light
- North Garden
- Frog Pond pavilion
- Como Lake boardwalk
- Japanese Garden (in season)
- Cafe Astoria patio
- Conservatory front steps
Como Conservatory Engagement Photos
More couples book me here for engagement sessions than for weddings, and the reason is the calendar: between November and March the Conservatory is the only place in the Twin Cities that is warm, green and full of daylight while everything outside is frozen and dark by four in the afternoon.
Two practical notes. Weekday mornings are far quieter than weekends, which matters in a space this small. And both glasses and camera lenses fog on the way in from the cold, so we start slowly in the Sunken Garden while everything acclimatises — bring a second look and we use that time rather than lose it.
The Conservatory has its own photography rules and time restrictions that change seasonally, so I confirm the current ones before we set a date. St. Paul engagement session details covers the other locations nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you shoot a wedding at Como Park Conservatory?
Yes — Como Park's Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is a stunning St. Paul venue. I plan around the Sunken Garden, the Palm Dome's tropical light, the North Garden seasonal florals, and Como Lake just outside.
How much is a Como Park Conservatory wedding photographer?
My Como Park Conservatory collections start at $2,700 for 4 hours and $3,900 for 8 hours with a second photographer. St. Paul — no travel fee from my North Loop studio.
Best photo spots at Como Park?
The Sunken Garden (rotating seasonal blooms), Palm Dome tropical light, North Garden, Frog Pond pavilion, Como Lake boardwalk, Cafe Astoria patio, and the Japanese Garden when in season.
When should we book the conservatory?
Como Park books ceremony/portrait time slots — typically 45–60 minutes. I scout the day's bloom rotation 48 hours out, and we usually do portraits before public hours or in a private slot.
Do you carry St. Paul Parks insurance?
Yes — $2M general liability listing the City of St. Paul as additional insured on request. Sent 30 days before your event, no extra fee.
Do you shoot Como Park Conservatory elopements?
Yes — a 2-hour Sunken Garden micro-ceremony at $1,650 including 30 minutes of Como Park grounds portraits. Great for 2–15 guest year-round weddings.
Is flash allowed inside the Conservatory?
Off-camera flash is allowed with limits — no direct flash on plants or visitors. I use bounce flash and ambient-light techniques so we're never disruptive to other guests during public hours.
How many Conservatory weddings have you photographed?
24 weddings at Como Park Conservatory across every season since 2018 — including full Sunken Garden ceremonies, Palm Dome portraits, and Japanese Garden intimate ceremonies.
Can we shoot in Como Park zoo grounds?
Yes — Como Zoo grounds and Como Lake pavilion are public and permit-free for wedding parties. I recommend the Lakeside Pavilion at sunset and the Cozy Lake dock for reflection portraits.
What is the Conservatory rain plan?
There isn't one needed — it's a glass conservatory. Storms actually make the Palm Dome dreamy with rain on glass. I've shot 3 Como weddings in active thunderstorms with stunning results.
Book Your Como Park Wedding
Como Park ceremony slots fill 9+ months out — let's lock in your bloom season.
Check AvailabilityComo Park Conservatory Venue Overview
The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul is a 100-year-old glass palace with the Sunken Garden, Palm Dome, Fern Room, and Japanese Garden — a rare all-weather wedding venue with year-round tropical light. I shoot Como weddings 8–10 times per season and know which rooms allow flash, which need silent shutter, and which staff coordinators to loop in.
Best Times of Day for Conservatory Photos
The Palm Dome peaks at 11am when overhead sun hits the glass ceiling. Sunken Garden is best 3pm–5pm when soft west light rakes across the seasonal flower display. Japanese Garden portraits work best golden hour when the arched bridge catches direct sun. I plan your timeline around whichever rooms your ceremony and reception rentals include.