Deering Estate - reviews?

Priya490

Has anyone ever been to or had a wedding at the Deering Estate? I'm interested in your reviews!

We flew into Miami last weekend and looked at a million venues. I feel in love with the Deering Estate but have some concerns. For one, it's about a 30 minute drive south of Miami. We'll have a lot of out of town guests probably staying in the Miami/South Beach area so we'd have to rent a bus or something to take them to the Deering Estate so I'm not sure if that will be annoying for them (maybe not if we provide some alcohol on the bus haha).  Another concern is that we'll probably have around 200-250 guests, which they can fit outside on the lawn and dinner outside behind the house. But I'm wondering if everyone will be able to fit in the dance room inside the house because apparently, they aren't allowed to play loud music outside for the reception.

Let me know what you think!  Your honest opinions are greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

rxjen

I LOOOOOOOVE the deering estate! I went to a wedding there and it was absolute gorgeous! Amelia and Carmen were the caterers. The bride said the planning was perfect. The only little complaint that I have is the mosquitoes! They were bad. The wedding was on Dec 28 and they were still crazy. The mother in law had OFF wipes and they were given to us but that is such a pain....HTH

ssolo98

That was my initial first choice.  I changed it because I heard bad things about the bugs( I am having a September wedding) and more importantly because the music and the dinner would be seperate.  I LOVE the look of deering but for the "party type"atmosphere I want for my wedding it just didn't fit. HTH.

WeAreGs

I also think it is a beautiful location! I am not too sure about how many people can fit inside for the dancing but my concern with this venue was that the dinner had to be held outside. Miami weather is so unpredictable that this would be nerve wrecking to me throughout the planning process. I am sure a tent would be something you are able to rent?

In regards to transportation for your guests, if you are willing to provide the transfer then I say don't let that stop you from having it there, if you love it. I only think the distance would cause a problem if guests were expected to find a way there on their own

Priya490

Oh this is really helpful, I didn't hear about the bug problem!  Do you think it would be like that in March?

rxjen

Im not sure because that wedding was in December and that is not normal for the winter. I think a couple of citronella candles here and there will do wonders! That is the problem with South Florida

Rainbow17

Hi Priya.  I looked at Deering Estate, and the only problem I really had with it was the location (too far down south, although beautifula area).  Did you look at Vizcaya?  Vizcaya is beautiful and also allows outside catering.

andamu

Priya, I don't think renting a bus is awful.  We're renting a bus to take a big group of guests from one end of Palm Beach County to the other (about 30 minutes).  It can help cut back on drinking and driving, which was part of our thinking.

That said, if you like big house-type places, look into the Temple House and Villa 221.

RemyAlexandra

I think my planner's wedding was there, Jennifer Johnson of Jennifer J Events.  Her pictures were GORGEOUS, and she's done a bunch of other weddings there since then.  Maybe ask her? her website is www.jenniferjevents.com

salamary

Don't know if it'll fit that many people, but another place to look into is Thalatta Park.  It just opened last week.

http://www.palmettobay-fl.gov/parks-bayfront.htm

I was down there 2 weeks ago, doing the same thing (wedding planning) and we got a tour, even though they were still under construction.  You get the same view as Deering Estates and it's a little cheaper.  I couldn't go into the house part, since they said they didn't want to take the risk of me tripping over something while they did the finishing touches, but they should be open by now.  For a Sat, the fee is $3500 for the entire property, ceremony and reception I believe.

@Andamu:  What rental bus company are you using?  Since I'm from out of town, I want to offer some kind of bus service for the day of the wedding.  This is in Miami and not Palm Beach, but any recomendations would be appreciated.

Priya490

As always, thank you for your help!

Nina - we did look at Vizcaya and although it is beautiful, it was over our budget when considering all the costs on top of the rental fee.

Andamu - I haven't heard of Temple House and Villa 221 so will definitely look into them, thanks for the recs!

Remy - thanks for your planner's info!  I'll prob give her a call tomorrow to see how her wedding was!

Salamary - will definitely look into Thalatta Park, thanks for the rec!