Sarasota wedding on 5500 Budget. Help!

DaniC1002

Hello. I am recently engaged and starting to look around to see what we can actually afford (which in Sarasota, isn't a whole lot! ) and still have a nice, romantic wedding. We are inviting around 120 people. We would love to have an outdoor ceremony ( lake, banyan trees, or garden ) and reception ( indoors or outside ). I'm having a hard time finding a nice place, without paying 3000 or more on just renting the space. We are on a small budget ( 5500 ) and need this to include everything. If you have ANY advice, please, please share!! Don't want to lose my mind this early already... Thank you in advance!!!

christal8

Does it have to be in Sarasota specifically or can you go a bit out of the city? Some of the restaurants on the beach on Anna Maria Island, like the Beach House may work.  Good luck!

kbott84

Oh man, how well I feel your pain.  I'm living in Sarasota and got engaged in January and have been traipsing up and down the west coast since then looking for my venue with nearly the same budget.  Youre right; it is difficult.

The thing you have going for you is that you don't need a beachfront venue (which is where the priciest venues seem to be- unfortunately for me, since that's what I'm looking for).

A tip that has been handed to me over and over is the idea of getting married somewhere public, like a garden or park, and then hold the reception elsewhere and bring in your own food.  It might be more cost-effective to do an al a carte kind of thing.

If you arent interested in that, here are some places I heard great things:
Selby Gardens
Palmetto Riverside Bed and Breakfast
Bentleys

If you arent 100% set on doing it in Sarasota, I also recommend the previous poster about Anna Maria Island and also check out these places in St. Pete Beach:
Postcard Inn
Sirata

Happy hunting!

Knottie_22383822

Try looking into Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel on Lido Beach.  We are planning a destination wedding on Florida gulf & came across this place. VERY cheap. We haven't saw it yet or booked it yet but it's an option.  We too have $5k budget.

bella65690930

Also try Sarasota Garden Club or if Bradenton will work too try Manatee River garden Club or Palma Sola Botanical Park (my venue!). I love mine and it is 1310 to rent. I adore it:)

Knottie_22386234

In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-west-coast_sarasota-wedding-on-5500-budget-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:62Discussion:17a2f318-d135-4e86-b714-3d28f9ac6ab9Post:d581ecfa-fa49-4e21-a5ee-ebae39b9d6b1">Sarasota wedding on 5500 Budget. Help!</a>:
[QUOTE]Hello. I am recently engaged and starting to look around to see what we can actually afford (which in Sarasota, isn't a whole lot! ) and still have a nice, romantic wedding. We are inviting around 120 people. We would love to have an outdoor ceremony ( lake, banyan trees, or garden ) and reception ( indoors or outside ). I'm having a hard time finding a nice place, without paying 3000 or more on just renting the space. We are on a small budget ( 5500 ) and need this to include everything. If you have ANY advice, please, please share!! Don't want to lose my mind this early already... Thank you in advance!!!
Posted by DaniC1002[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Have you ever considered an all-inclusive wedding company?  I used to have my reserves about them, until I was asked to photograph a wedding for a bride who used them to officiate her wedding.  They asked me to work for them for future weddings, and, although a little skeptic at first, I was quite impressed by the level of expertise and skill utilized in putting a wedding together.  The weddings I had a chance to observe were beautiful!  And the prices are amazing.  Their beach wedding packages are under $3000.  Check out this link if you're interested.  It's a vendor spotlight I blogged about them:   <a href="http://www.sophantheamphotography.com/vendor-spotlight-tide-the-knot-beach-weddings/" rel="nofollow">http://www.sophantheamphotography.com/vendor-spotlight-tide-the-knot-beach-weddings/</a>

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sprintr321

I completely understand about not wanting to lose your mind too soon!  I ended up at Pelican Cove's Wilbanks House.

http://www.pelicancovecondo.com/amenity.asp?id=6

They're not a traditional wedding venue so cost is only around $300 and you have the mansion, the grounds have live oak with spanish moss, a secluded little pool (cocktail hour), several levels of patios and a great view of the bay with boardwalks all around.  70 people can fit indoors (more on the porch and balcony probably) and up to 300 outdoors. There is a pavilion that seats about 180 that can also be rented for the same price as a backup for rain. The disclaimer is that you are technically within the Pelican Cove condo complex (and can see one of the condos in clear view from the Wilbanks).  Unfortunately, I don't know what their rental policy is if you don't know someone who lives there but it's worth checking out.