It was important for our venue to host both the ceremony and reception, and since The Birchwood is a hotel, we could both also get ready at the same location. We also wanted that location to highlight Tampa Bay's beauty and have plenty of delicious food and a good bar for all our guests. It was really important that our guests had a great time.

We fell in love with the location of The Birchwood in the heart of downtown, the elegance of the ballroom, which provided its own decor with sweeping views, terrace, mirrors, and chandeliers, and the size of the ballroom. The wedding team was incredible during the planning process and always checked in. We enjoyed the tasting, and everyone raved about the food at the wedding. We highly recommend The Birchwood, and they really are a well-oiled, all-in-one venue where you can customize your vision.

When looking for a venue, an indoor venue with a gorgeous backdrop was my number one priority. Because we were supposed to get married in July, it had to be indoors!

I actually did not choose The Birchwood; The Birchwood chose me! I called them crying not once but twice to book their ballroom with two weeks' notice! They accommodated me even after inevitably canceling. They quickly rebooked me when I called in February for a wedding [one month later]. It's really all a blur, but I am so happy we ended up at The Birchwood! The boutique hotel, plus the location, made it the perfect place to have a wedding. I loved that we went out the night before and the night of on the rooftop! Their staff was beyond amazing; plus it is so gorgeous there. The Birchwood absolutely exceeded my expectations! Even as I was in complete chaos with them constantly trying to plan a wedding in two weeks! Of course, they delivered, and I am so grateful for their accommodations. Also, their food was incredible!

The first and most important aspect we looked for was a place where we could fully customize our dining experience. We knew going in we wanted a bespoke meal and cocktail offering. We also wanted a place that felt like us; a bit modern, a bit formal, a bit old world. Additional considerations included how many weddings were going on the same day and how we jived with the staff. Planning a wedding is one of the most intimate things you will do and having a team of people who are excited to execute the vision you have is imperative to its success.

First and foremost was the food and wine. Taking in all of our considerations for a location, The Birchwood was a natural choice. It not only has an incredible beauty with its modern Gatsby-era feel and breathtaking views of downtown St. Petersburg, but the staff was truly excited to create a unique dining experience with us. They powered through our numerous questions and requests with quick responses, unreal tastings for food and wine, and the utmost creativity, joy, and professionalism They are truly exceptional and brought every aspect of their creativity and industry know-how to bring our vision to life. The Birchwood put together a custom five-course dinner for us. Each dish was inspired by a meal we enjoyed along our journey together. The wine was an extension of those choices. We knew we wanted one red, one white, and one sparkling for the day. The wines we served are wines we love and drink often. A stand out moment was when Chef came out to talk us all through the menu for the evening. His explanation of the courses, and how we came up with the menu to share with everyone, took the feeling we have had in other wonderful restaurants along our journey and brought it to our wedding. It was such a sweet moment for us, and we hope for him, too. The Birchwood’s dedication to executing our bespoke vision was truly inspiring. They brought every bit of creativity and professionalism to their work throughout, from the cocktails to the wine, to the meal, and space. I am still awed that our vision became a reality, and their team was a huge part of that success.

We wanted something elegant, fresh, clean, and big enough so our guests felt safe during COVID. We chose the Birchwood because I especially love anything with a vintage vibe. The staff was amazing and very accommodating. From the very beginning, they were on top of it and made sure that every detail was discussed thoroughly and we were able to choose what we wanted. They were very caring. The day of the event was amazing! We couldn’t have asked for anything more from a venue. They over-delivered and made us feel special on our wedding day.

The Birchwood was perfect because they had the rooftop bar that made our after-party and rehearsal party so much fun. Our guests could really enjoy the scenery and fresh breeze coming from the water.

The most important parts of the venue search was to find somewhere that already had a finished look and wouldn't need much more work to be wedding-ready. We felt it would be a better use of our budget to spend less on décor and more on top-quality vendors. Whenever people asked about our venue, our response was, “It’s in the hotel’s ballroom, but it isn’t the bland gray ballroom you’re thinking of!”

We had eaten at Birch and Vine before and loved their food! Food is super important to us so this gave The Birchwood a slight edge over some of the other venues which would have required outside catering. The Birchwood being a hotel made get ready time very easy and straightforward. The entire Birchwood team was awesome from the first time we reached out all the way through our day-after brunch. They are all seasoned pros who can answer any and all of your questions and concerns!

The Birchwood gave us the best of both worlds, elegance and a venue that provided a beautiful view of the water and the city.

We wanted to pick a venue that was nostalgic for both of us. The story of why we chose The Birchwood begins with how we almost didn’t get to see The Birchwood! We took a day during Thanksgiving vacation to visit the five places we had on our list. Naturally, The Birchwood was fifth on the list because we did not know much about it. Initially, we weren’t impressed with the other four places we visited, but when I called The Birchwood, we didn’t get an answer at first. Stefan told me, “Maybe it's not meant to be,” so I called one last time as we were getting ready to head home, and we got an answer and scheduled the first available slot for the next day.

The tour experience exceeded our expectations. We loved the Grand Ballroom and how we could visualize the space flowing beautifully for the reception. The outdoor terrace attached to the ballroom was a cherry on top because we got the view of the water and downtown, where the guests could enjoy the beautiful weather when they needed a breather from the dancing

After our tour, we immediately got into the vehicle and looked at each other, and agreed that this was the place for our special day. Everything about the service at The Birchwood was excellent. From when we selected them as our reception venue, the amount of communication and how they tended to us at each step of the reception planning process was excellent. We loved the food and drink packages. We gave our guests options for three different plated meals, and there was an open bar for four hours. Our guests told us from the moment they walked into cocktail hour, hors d'oeuvres were served constantly, and drinks were flowing from the bartenders. They also gave us a complimentary couples suite for the night of our wedding, which was beautiful.