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.