The most striking features of the Arboretum are the small pond and the wooden bridge. Here's a photo of one of our brides-to-be on the bridge. (The ducks may decide to crash your wedding.)
The lawn surrounding the pond provides a couple different spots where your ceremony can take place; which you choose will depend on how many guests you have and the time of day. If you're getting married in mid-summer make sure you pick a spot that provides the most shade.The price is very reasonable: for $250 JMU lets you use the Arboretum and will set up/take down chairs and provide an arch as a backdrop.
While you won't use them for a wedding, there are also a number of paths and trails through the woods; one path leads to a very pretty terraced garden area. The photo below was taken on a path leading to the terraces.
There are a few things you should keep in mind if you use the JMU Arboretum for a wedding. One, it is a public facility, so even though you'll have plenty of room for your wedding there can and probably will be people nearby walking on the trails, sitting on benches, etc; if you want complete privacy it's unlikely you'll get it. A bigger problem is parking: the Arboretum parking lot has room for 15 to 20 cars at the most. If you have a number of guests, your best bet is probably to have them park in one of the large lots across the street next to the CISAT buildings and figure out a way to shuttle them over.
For the price, there are few settings prettier, and the minor inconveniences don't outweigh the value you get. To visit the main Arboretum site for general information and more photos, click here. To visit the Arboretum's wedding-specific page, click here.
