Anyone get married in the Tampa Bay area?

[Kelli]

I'm looking for a hotel that can host all of the events (rehearsal dinner, wedding, and reception). My wedding is in February of 2010, and I'd like to keep the budget around $20K for well over 100 people.

My sister recommended the Gaylord Palms in Orlando which I would absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE, but it doesn't even seem possible for our budget.

There are SO MANY places to look, but I live at least an hour away from most of them and won't have the time to go driving around looking for quite a while. If anyone has any recommendations (or even places NOT to look), I'd love to hear them. I'm open to pretty much anything in the west/central FL area.

THANKS!!

 

[lliang_chi]

My future SIL had her wedding at the Marriott in Sarasota/Longboat Key 2-3 yrs ago. She had about 75 ppl and it was around $20-$25K. She did not have the RD there, and her husband''s family paid for that, so I''m pretty sure that wasn''t factored into the cost. Hope this helps.

 

[audball]

I friend of mine got married at The Vinoy in St. Petersburg, FL on 5/17/08. I think everything was taken care of there...? From waht I remember, she said they had around 120 guests and the cost was 18-20k?? The photos were done by Jason Angelini, and they looked fabulous! I''ve attached a photo of where the ceremony took place which shows no faces clearly.

Link to hotel -- http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/tpasr-renaissance-vinoy-resort-and-golf-club/

Link to photographer -- http://www.jasonangeliniphotography.com/

 

[audball]

Another photo, inside for the reception...

 

[Kelli]

Wow thank you! That looks beautiful, and now I''ll look it up. Thanks again.

I''ll look at the Marriott there too lliang_chi. Thanks

 

[audball]

No problem, I know she doesn''t mind sharing the photos as long as faces aren''t exposed so if there are any other shots that may be helpful, I''ll dig through her albums and see what I can find anything you may be interested in seeing. Just let me know!

 

[annadragon]

I used to live in the area. You may want to check Pinellas County. I believe down in St. Pete/Largo area there are the Sunken Gardens and a Botanical Garden that could could quite possibly host all of your events. I apologize for not having exact names/locations as it was several years ago that I helped a friend pick a wedding site.

I don''t know specifically a location but near Ybor City/Channelside there may be venues which can accommodate an all inclusive event.

 

[Kelli]

Thanks Annadragon! I''ve been a total slacker and haven''t looked anything up yet, but I''ll get on it soon. I''ve been thinking more about my guest list so I have a good idea on the number of people before I go looking around too much.

 

[beach]

Look at the Hilton or Sandpearl Hotel in Clearwater. Great venues and great wedding coordinators there. As for photographers, I HIGHLY recommend Ortiz-Sellers Photgraphy. http://www.ortiz-sellersphotography.com/
They are a husband and wife team and are the best of the best in the area IMO. I also have recs for chocolate fountain vendors, florists, wedding planners etc... If you have any other questions, ask away

Good luck!

 

[Izzy03]

THE GAYLORD PALMS! Gorgeous! My fiance and I stayed there while they were setting up for a wedding and it look amazing. However, you will need much more than 20 grand for that!

Can''t think of anything off the top of my head but if you are open to having a Sunday wedding, or even an early February wedding prices may be a lot cheaper!

 

[Kelli]

Thanks Beach and Izzy. My date isn''t really changeable, because we chose to get married on our ten year anniversary, but that IS on a Friday night. I hear Fridays are usually cheaper than Saturdays, so maybe that would help. I think I''m going to at least set up an appointment over there and go see what would be possible. $20K isn''t an absoulte fixed number, I just don''t really want to be spending much more than that. Also, I don''t plan on doing a sit-down meal, just drinks and heavy hors d''oevres.

Once I go there, and most likely confim that I can''t afford it

, I''ll start seriously looking around. I''m still holding out a little bit of hope for it though