Completely Lost!

blseverance

Hi ladies!! I'm newly engaged (about a week and a half now). My fiance and I are planning on getting married in June of 2011. We are originally from the DFW area in Texas. I had looked around in Texas and new the venue, caterer, bakery, etc etc... We moved to Florida in September of 2009 to be close to my family.

I'm hoping that some of you would reccommend venue ideas for me to look into. I'd like to get that taken care of as soon as possible, as I know June is a very popular month for a wedding!

Lynn :O)

Pretty Parula

Hi Lynn! What town are you in? Your profile says West Coast, but if you're looking over in the Central FL area as well everyone here has loads of ideas. Tell us what you're looking for and we can be more helpful! Indoor, outdoor, ballroom, older building, waterfront, etc.?

I'm getting married at Casa Feliz in Winter Park - it's an old Spanish-style house that's become a historic landmark, and it's gorgeous. I'd recommend it to anyone! (It's a smaller venue, though, so if you have a large guest list it may not work for you.)

Anyway, the more you tell us, the more we can help - and it makes us happy to hear about everyone else's weddings, too. Happy planning!

blseverance

I suppose it would have been smart to tell you what I'm looking for.. LoL.. Clueless should be my middle name..

I live in the Lakeland area.. But I'm willing to look anywhere from Tampa up through Orlando. I don't want to go much farther than an hour. I'm also looking for something indoors. I need an indoor space for the wedding ceremony as well as the reception space, preferably together in one location. I doubt we'd have more than 100 guests as our families are so spread out. I've tried looking up locations through the site but it's mostly fancy hotels I couldn't afford.. LoL.. :O)

Thanks for the help!!

Lynn

jmucheech21

I just went to Harmony Golf Preserve (which is in Harmony.. just south of St Cloud) this week and absolutely fell in love with it!!  They have 3 major outdoor locations, but also let you get married anywhere on the property you choose.  In addition (and probably the reason I loved it so much and sounds like what you'd love it for) is they have an indoor location that can be used as a primary site or rain location.  The room is gorgeous!!!  You can also use the same room for your recption or use the larger ballroom for your reception.  Michelle spent 3 hours touring with us and showing us pictures, going over quotes and answering questions. Unfortunately, it may prove to be a little out of our budget.. but we are seriously looking into increasing what we spend on venue because we loved it so much!!!  I don't think its very extravagantly priced... we're just on a pretty tight budget.

Today we went to the Courtyard at Lake Lucerne.. that is our definite second runner up, but it is primarily for a wedding slightly smaller than ours.  I'm not sure how it would work out for an indoor event, but you may think its worth looking at.  

The other place we visited was Lake Receptions in Lake County.. which may be a bit far for you.  I wasn't hugely impressed, but they have kind of an "indoor outdoor reception location."  Its covered and very garden-ny but is not completely outdoor.  We weren't as thrilled with it, but it was pretty.

Hope that helps!!  We've just kind of started too, so I haven't seen many yet!

jmucheech21

OH and I forgot to mention...I saw you said June is popular, but I've been finding out that June actually isn't as popular in this area!!  Which works out really well for you, because EVERYWHERE I have talked to offers discounts in that month!!!    

Happy venue hunting!!!  

Pretty Parula

There's Town Manor in Auburndale (I think?), which is where SarahSmile got married. If you're doing a guest list of 100 or less, Courtyard at Lake Lucerne should be just fine. In Tampa, the Davis Island Garden Club is a really pretty backdrop, but the indoor space would probably need to be dressed up some. Hope those ideas help!

Megs30

I am not familiar with venues in that greater area but I did want to say congrats on your engagement and good luck with your planning!

Spingchicken

 agreed.  June is  not a popular month for weddings here due to weather. 

brit21489

Hey, congrats, and happy hunting!! I am getting married at Lake Mary Events Center. There is a room called the Rotunda which is a round room with windows all around it. There is a great view of the lake and grounds from there. That's where our ceremony will be held. Connected is the grand ballroom. That is where our reception will be held. I love that place. It is about 1.5 hours from Lakeland, but I think it is worth looking into. Good luck searching!

Fuschiablu

I'm getting married at Maison & Jardin in Altamonte. They can definitely accommodate your guest list. It's a really pretty older looking building. Also, they cater so you don't have to worry about finding a caterer and the food is amazing. 

kenzie.lee.85

I loved Casa Feliz! I think it ended up being a little out of our budget, and my fiance didn't want to make anyone feel excluded if they were in a room away from the rest of the party bc its a old home its split into different rooms. But its beautiful! We're getting married at Highland Manor and I'm obsessed with the food, we have 80 people but it fits 120 easily.  Dubsdread was also really pretty, and its really reasonable, the catering manager is great and willing to work within just about any budget. Have you thought about doing your wedding on a off day like during the week or a Sunday? Thats been our saving grace, bc even when somethings been out of our budget we've been able to negotitate them down bc its on a Sunday.

blseverance

WoW!!! You ladies sure offered up ALOT of suggestions! Thank you so much..

I will admit, I'm thrilled to hear that June isn't all that popular. I wish I could switch to a day that isn't Saturday but, unfortunately my fiance is adament about getting married on June 25. That's the day we officially met back in 2005. :O)  SO it's kind of a special day to us..

Thanks again for all your help! I can't wait to get out and start looking!!! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

~Lynn

SarahSmile23

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_completely-lost?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:b24ccb89-6457-46cb-b790-31ea53999a1cPost:9a8a0d92-ea0c-4480-9eaa-45f75f2db785">Re: Completely Lost!</a>:
[QUOTE]There's Town Manor in Auburndale (I think?), which is where SarahSmile got married. If you're doing a guest list of 100 or less, Courtyard at Lake Lucerne should be just fine. In Tampa, the Davis Island Garden Club is a really pretty backdrop, but the indoor space would probably need to be dressed up some. Hope those ideas help! :)
Posted by Pretty Parula[/QUOTE]

Good memory, Alyssa!

Yeah, Town Manor is probably going to be one of the closest venues to Lakeland, actually! Check them out. :) I have tons of pics in my married bio. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Good luck!

MrsWhitneyAmanda

I second Dubsdread It's in College Park, right off of I-4 in Orlando. My reception was there and the main ballroom would fit 100 people nicely. They've got a second room that I used for my cocktail hour but it would be a lovely ceremony room as well. Give Cathie a call - she and her staff are awesome

sharonskye

Yay! Another person in the Lakeland area. I got married in Lakeland, and I used the Peggy Brown Building. It's right on a lake, with a gorgeous garden next to it. Lots of people actually get married in the gardens. There's also the Magnolia Building on the same lake. Also the Junior League has a really pretty building that fairly cheap ($800). It you want a country club I'd suggest looking into Grasslands or Lone Palm, both were really pretty. Anyway, if you do want to stay in the Lakeland area, I'd check those out.