Venues- Tampa/St.Pete, I've found the One

M1ssJ

Ok, so I hope this is as helpful to whomever reads this as it may have been to me during my hunt. Hopefully it'll save someone a few dollars in gas and a few eyerolls.

I'm OOT bride wanting to get married in the Clearwater Beach/Tampa/St.Petersburg area. I really wanted to get married on a white sand beach and it was important to me to have an airport accessible location for our guests coming from NY,TX, and Miami.

I have been hunting for venues for months and I am really picky about my venue having the right ambience and all of the little details being nice. I'm a TJMAxx shopper so I wanted fabulous on a budget , lol. Here are my perceptions of some venues. I visited:

Cuban Room- Ybor city , fits up to 200-300, but the building is in need of some serious TLC, I think they are ridiculously priced and you need to bring in almost everything you want including linens, and paying $2 per car for your guest parking, paying for a bathroom attendant and security personel, in addition to the ridiculous fees they may book up to 3 events at the same time

Columbia Restaraunt- Ybor city, fits up to 175, this place is really pretty and would work for a variety of weddings , if you're of Hispanic heritage, I think this is a particularly nice venue, I really love the ambience and the decorations throughout

Rusty Pelican- they are very lovely to work with and have affordable prices with a ton of inclusions like chiavri chairs and a limo that make it a great place. The ambiance is nice and its just an awesome place overall

Davis Island Garden Club - fits up to 150 This place has a great view and outdoor space. The inside room isn't magnificent but it's doable. It has a great bay window and the grounds are pretty.

Saftey Harbor Resort- Great place, its beautiful, and the restoration they did makes their main ballroom breathtaking. They even have an adjoining room where kids can be housed during the reception.

Mirror Lake Lyceum- Can't say enough about this place fits up to 300. I love it and it's reasonably priced. They offer discounts on Sunday and weekdays and it includes a doorman, parking attendant, and security. It has a vintage feel complete with the hand operated elevator. It is beautiful and has a lake outside. They only rent to one event at a time and I fell in love with this place instantly, like my FI, I know it's the one.

lisanunez73

Wow, I'm really surprised at your review of the The Cuban Club. We picked it because it was the most inexpensive non hotel venue we saw. We visited over 20 venues. All those fees were waived for us and we got the whole building so we won't have other events on our day. Also once you include an open bar you can't beat it. All top shelf and three floors for less then all the garden clubs, the crosley, the pelican, or any hotel. As for the TLC we like to call it character, lol. The ballroom floors and walls will be renovated before our date.

M1ssJ

Lisa,

I really hope it works out for you.  Without the fees being waived the gentleman gave me an estimate of $8,000 dollars which did include liquor (although i only want mimosas) but didn't include parking. I also spoke to 2 different people in the span I was dealing with them. The guy who showed me around said they were planning renovations but couldn't give me an exact date of when it would be completed or what exactly was getting renovated.

I wanted chracter, lol!!! but  I just felt something else there, I'm sure your day will be fantastic! *good vibes* What room are you having yours in?

lisanunez73

I got all three floors for around $5000 including open bar. Our cocktail hours is on the first floor and reception in the ballroom. I booked almost a year ago so their prices must have gone up. I guess its not for everyone. Thanks

Bre2Be

YEAHHH!!!  I just got married at the Lyceum on 10/10/10 and I cannot say enough about this location and the staff.  I have been meaning to sit and write all of our reviews but haven't finished yet.

My FI and I thought we wanted a beach wedding at first too.  We went to several hotels and resorts and nothing impressed us at all.  Then, just when we were starting to feel defeated, we walked into the Lyceum and got "that feeling". 

I can tell you that WITHOUT A DOUBT, it is worth every penny and then some.  The co-owner, Brian, is priceless.  He is completely in the right business.  You honestly, won't need to spend extra money on a planner because he helps you along the way.  Unlike the hotel/resort wedding planners, Brian owns the property so he takes pride in it and knows every inch of the place like the back of his hand. 

All of our guests have complimented us on the venue.  You will NOT be disappointed!  I could go on and on, but I will save it for my vendor reviews.

M1ssJ

Bre2,

Yayyyyy for you!!!! Im actually having the ceremony on the beach and reception here so I look forward to it and I can tell how invested they are in the property. Looking forward to your reviews and pictures, congrats.