Out of state bride trying to plan beach wedding!!! pls help.

eddiesgirl11

Hey All,

I'm thinking of having my wedding in FLA ( im from PA). Can any one suggest some nice afforadable wedding sites, probably around the Tampa/Longboat key Area.
 I want to get married on the beach but it doesnt have to be at the hotel we are staying at if it will be too expensive.

We are thinking around 25 guests max and a total budget of the wedding around 10k. Help would be greatly appreciated since Im not from the area!

babybchbum

There are quite a few locations to look into. Sirata is very nice, There are a few places in Ft Meyers area too.

tmccabe12

I just sent you a private message.  Let us know if we can offer our advice or assistance. 

www.kmdcreations.com

JulieNFlo

You can also try the Rusty Pelican...the outside gazeboo area for weddings is very nice...and I have seen some beautiful intimate weddings happen there.  There are 2 very large hotels near by as well that offer FREE shuttle service to and from the Rusty Pelican.  One is the Westin and the other is the Doubletree both located on the Causeway.

HTH!

mbathey

Check out The Sandbar Restaurant or the Beach House (both same owner) on Anna Maria Island (between Sarasota and Tampa).  I am getting married at Sandbar and its very affordable, especially with your small number.  And its directly on the beach.  Gorgeous location!

dr2wed

Have you thought of renting a house? We will be getting married at the beach as well, and have our small reception for close family and friends at the house on the beach. Granted it's not rental, it's my uncle's, but I'm sure you can rent something out.

mlekitty

Welcome to the board!  The TradeWinds on St. Pete Beach was the best of out 3 venues my FI and I looked at, and they weren't originally on our list.  The other two were the Grand Plaza and Sirata.  TW also has smaller wedding packages (25 people), and overall they seemed to run the best ship out of the 3: meaning most professional, best menu options, best use of space, and most experienced staff overall.  Renee is their catering manager--she is great and has years and years of experience.  Definitely worth a look for your price range. 

We are only having 41 people at the TW in two weeks, so we don't meet the minimum 50 people for our menu package, but the 25% surcharge is negligible when it factors into the headcount.  41 people is only going to be $32 more than if we had 50 people.  I'm over that part of it.  

TW really is the best place for your guests to come enjoy the beach, especially if they've never been to FL.  TW puts the best foot forward in that regard.  Grand Plaza and Sirata were also nice, but just not as comfortable as TW from a destination wedding guest's perspective. 

mpgator

I live in NYC and I am having my wedding in Tampa. We are going with Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, which I highly recommend. The coorindator, Alexis, is really great. They have their own small private beach and huge grounds with TONS of amazing, modern photo opportunities. The best part is that it is super easy for out of town guests. They have a free shuttle to/from airport and to/from International Plaza which has shopping, bars and restaurants so people don't have to rent a car if they don't want to. Also, they were able to give really cheap rates for our room block. You should totally check them out. Once you do, you won't want to have your wedding anywhere else!!

megzxo

We are getting married at the Ritz Carlton Members Beach Club on Lido Beach.  Our wedding will be on a Sunday, where it is about 1/3 the cost of Friday and Saturday weddings, plus it is closed to outside guests.  I would recommend at least checking them out, they are much more affordable than I ever thought they would be.  And I'll bet they can do a great job with your smaller wedding.

www.rcmcsarasota.com for pictures of the venue.