I looked for convenience and comfort for our guests—centrally located in Tampa, so easy to get to and from hotels, and indoors so they did not have to suffer in the Florida heat. In terms of the style, I did not want to do it in a conventional wedding space, so I looked for that.

While doing research on event spaces, I discovered J.C. Newman Cigar Co., and it checked so many boxes. I loved that it was in Ybor City and a cigar factory, which made it feel quintessentially Tampa. It was a blank canvas, and we were able to bring in our own decor and vendors, but it had a personality of its own with the beautiful red brick, the cigar museum, and the outdoor fountain. Eric is a history buff, which is one of the main reasons I felt drawn to the venue.

Tiffany Haas, their event manager, was also great to work with! She answered all my questions and was super collaborative in helping us bring the vision to life.

We looked for a venue with character, historic charm, indoor-outdoor flexibility, and a space that was unique rather than a traditional ballroom. We wanted the ceremony and reception all at the same location.

We chose J.C. Newman Cigar Co. because of its vibe. It just felt so unique and totally like us, since we live in Ybor City. It is just so beautiful on its own, so we didn’t need to do much in terms of decor. My husband is a big cigar smoker, so that was a plus. The fact that we were able to smoke cigars inside throughout the entire reception made the wedding pretty unique! J.C. Newman was exceptional at providing day-of planners and communication throughout the entire process.

Lots of space and natural light were important to us during our venue search, and J.C. Newman Cigar Co. blew us away! You get the whole building for your event, and it has a very historic Ybor vibe.

The museum on the first floor, used for our cocktail hour, was an amazing touch, as was the cigar lounge on the third floor. We are over the moon with the service from J.C. Newman Cigar Co. The venue came with a day of coordination (Jaelyn), and everything was handled to perfection. If anything went wrong, we didn’t even notice because the coordinator was so on top of it. The most memorable moment was seeing everyone be in awe of the venue. We highly recommend!

I already knew J.C. Newman Cigar Company would be our venue, but at one point we thought it might be too small for our large guest list. We ended up cutting our guest list to fit the venue, but before that, we considered other options. We wanted a place we could revisit anytime, somewhere we could enjoy long after the wedding. It needed to be more than just a wedding venue or a big space. We wanted it to be a staple in the community, a functioning business locals could enjoy.

My grandmother was a roller at the factory, and she was very special to me. We used to play dominoes and poker when I was a little girl. I always knew I wanted to get married there, especially after they renovated the building. My uncles were also all bakers at La Segunda across the street, so I knew I had to have their Cuban bread on our menu.

We wanted a venue that allowed for indoor and outdoor experiences, plus a lot of character. loved the Tampa history associated with the venue, and that it allowed us to do each portion of the event in the same location without feeling like you’re in the same place the entire time. We did the ceremony in the outdoor patio space, cocktail hour on the first-floor museum area of the building, flipped the ceremony space for dining, and then danced on the second floor.

We envisioned a unique wedding venue and made our selections based on our wedding design and style. Brant and I wanted to get married in a Cigar Factory. J.C. Newman recently renovated their venue in 2019. It was the perfect match for our wedding design.

The staff at J.C. Newman Cigar Company were so welcoming and shared our excitement with us. They were welcoming, accommodating, and very responsive, and shared our excitement with us every step of the way. It truly made the planning process so much easier.