Top Ruston Venues

• Spaces for 400-500 Guests

Plan your dream wedding with spectacular views of Commencement Bay as your backdrop. Incorporate the South Sound’s premier covered outdoor terrace for your ceremony celebration or pre-reception venue. Our 5,400 square foot grand ballroom invites ample natural light with floor to ceiling windows and a beautiful design. Select from our custom wedding menus, carefully crafted for your special day. Our exceptional team will make your wedding an unforgettable experience at Point Ruston.

• Spaces for 80-250 Guests
• 1 Outdoor
• 3 Event Spaces
• 3 Total Spaces

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington offers a one-of-a-kind setting for weddings, corporate events, and social celebrations surrounded by lush landscapes and immersive animal exhibits. Set within scenic Point Defiance Park, the venue features a collection of indoor and outdoor spaces, from tropical aquarium galleries to garden sanctuaries and waterfront plazas with views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier. With flexible spaces accommodating both intimate gatherings and larger receptions, the zoo provides a dynamic backdrop where guests can explore vibrant ecosystems and even incorporate live animal experiences, creating memorable events that feel both elevated and distinctly unexpected.

• Spaces for 100 Guests
• 1 Museum
• 1 Outdoor
• 1 space at this venue

The Meadow at Fort Nisqually sits in a secluded, wooded clearing among the orchard just outside the walled perimeter of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, within Tacoma's Point Defiance Park. Fort Nisqually itself began in 1833 as a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading outpost and is billed as the first globally connected settlement on the Puget Sound; the reconstructed fort, rebuilt in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration around two preserved original structures, now portrays daily life as it existed in 1855. That backdrop gives the Meadow a natural, intimate character suited to both ceremonies and receptions, with room for up to 100 guests. The space is offered as a rental for the warmer months, May through September. Complimentary parking is available in roughly 50 spaces at the Fort and the nearby Picnic Shelter, restrooms are close by, and power access is available on-site for setup needs. Couples can also pair the Meadow with the Fort's Great Room or the Picnic Shelter for a combined ceremony-and-reception experience.

• Spaces for 150 Guests

• Spaces for 50-100 Guests
• 2 Outdoor Spaces
• 2 Gardens
• 2 Parks

Point Defiance Rose Garden offers two distinct settings for outdoor ceremonies and events: the Rose Garden Gazebo, which holds 30 to 50 guests standing amid the formal rose garden, and the adjacent Rose Garden Lawn, which comes with 100 chairs already set up and taken down by park staff. Both spaces are booked in two-hour blocks beginning at 11am, 2pm, and 5pm during the summer rental season, from June 1 through September 30, and are available Friday through Sunday. Cancellations made 90 or more days before the event receive a full refund less a cancellation fee, with a partial refund available for cancellations made 60 to 89 days out. The Rose Garden sits between the Lodge and the Gazebo within Point Defiance Park. Established in 1895 and accredited by the American Rose Society, the garden is maintained today by Metro Parks Tacoma and the Tacoma Rose Society and provides a rose-lined setting for weddings and other ceremonies.