The Birchwood

Downtown St. Pete – The Birchwood is a boutique hotel that is ideal for couples looking for a modern and timeless venue setting. The elegance in this historic wedding venue can be seen throughout their 1920’s inspired vintage glam decor, award-winning rooftop lounge, and chic design.

The five-story Spanish Mission-style building sits at a prime location on Beach Drive, overlooking the picturesque St. Pete Pier, Straub Park, and Tampa Bay. The historic inn underwent a major renovation in 2013 and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, as well as a historic landmark in St. Petersburg. The remodel included an upscale rooftop bar and lounge, Birchwood Canopy, that offers breathtaking views of downtown St. Pete’s waterfront, making it an ideal cocktail hour and after-hours hotspot.




The Ceremony:

Grand Ballroom: “Say ‘I Do’ with a View!” Ceremonies are held within the east wing of our Grand Ballroom while overlooking North Straub Park, the waters of Tampa Bay, and Beach Drive.

  • Up to 120 guests for a traditional ceremony, combined with a ballroom reception.
  • For couples with guest counts higher than 120, a reception-style ceremony is an alternative option within the ballroom. Couples are also welcome to host an off-site ceremony at a local church, park, or garden!
  • LGBTQ friendly

Ceremonies include: Gold Banquet Chairs, 8’ Birchwood Wooden Posts, Ceremony Pipe and Drape & Private Champagne Toast for Couple

The Cocktail Hour:

Guests can enjoy their cocktail hour all within the Grand Ballroom, utilizing our welcome foyer, main ballroom, and two private outdoor terraces. We also offer an upgraded semi-private rooftop cocktail hour, where wedding guests can enjoy the cabanas, outdoor living room area, waterfront glass look-out area, and their own private Satellite bar.


The Reception:

The Grand Ballroom features a vintage glam, coupled with a simple elegance that is the perfect palate for any wedding day celebration. Natural light pours through the fourth floor Grand Ballroom and Terrace which spans 4,000 sq. ft. Upon walking into the private event space your eye immediately goes to the modern chandeliers, which add to the elegant atmosphere.

Located just one level below our iconic rooftop bar, the Grand Ballroom can accommodate weddings, rehearsal dinners, post-wedding brunches, and other celebrations with up to 200 guests.

The ballroom includes exclusive use of our welcome foyer, custom built-in bar, private restroom suites, and two outdoor balconies with panoramic views of the downtown St. Pete/Beach Drive area.

  • 200 seated dinner/250+ Standing Reception Style


The Food & Drink:

The Grand Ballroom includes a full-service catering kitchen, complete with its own team of talented chefs who are dedicated to servicing your wedding reception. We include a la carte meal selections which allow each couple to cultivate their very own wedding menu! The Birchwood sources several local, fresh and organic ingredients in order to provide the best meal experience for all guests. A complimentary wedding tasting is also included with all booked couples. Depending on your hosted bar preferences, there are a variety of selections to feature as well as a fun Signature Drink add-on!


Pricing:

Food and beverage minimums range between $5,000-$18,000 and vary by day of week/month of/year. A’ la carte menu pricing is available. Vegan Wedding menus are available.
Average plated/buffet dinner reception range: $125-$150/pp
Average (5) hour full open liquor bar range: $44/pp
*22% service charge and 7% sales tax applies

Savings Tip: Reduced food/beverage minimums available for Sunday-Thursday celebrations!


Additional Packages:

Small Wedding Packages

Custom packages are available for intimate celebrations ranging from 30-60 guests. Available for Sunday-Thursday bookings only. Packages include 4-hour reception, decorative décor, and linens, cocktail hour hors d’oeurves/displays, plated entree/dinner buffet, champagne toast, open bar, and coffee station.

Rehearsal Dinner and Brunch Packages

Looking to kick off the wedding weekend with a large welcome reception/rehearsal dinner? Or perhaps wind things down with a farewell brunch? The Grand Ballroom & Terrace is the perfect location to host your pre and post-wedding weekend festivities!


Special Offer for Marry Me Tampa Bay Readers:

Complimentary Ballroom LED Up-Lighting (10 Lights) $500 Savings, mention at the time of booking.


Mary and Grace Headshot The Birchwood

Meet Mary and Grace

Mary Barnett is a true Florida native and lover of all things rosé! She has been working within the weddings/event industry for over 10 years and her main role as the Event Sales Manager is to help couples with the initial venue selection process. She LOVES to witness her clients making the exciting decision to (finally!) select their wedding day venue. She understands that each couple has a unique vision when it comes to their special day and enjoys offering creative and custom options to help design each couple’s perfect day! To schedule your private wedding venue tour Email Mary or call 727-317-2841.

 

Grace Summa is the Special Events Coordinator at The Birchwood in Downtown St. Pete! She loves her dog, pizza, and all things weddings! She knew from a young age that she wanted to be a part of the wedding world so she attended Florida Atlantic University and graduated with a degree and certification in Meetings & Events. Go Owls! She just recently got married in March 2021 and got to experience the other side of wedding planning and this opened her eyes to so many tips and tricks and helps Birchwood Couples through the planning process and to offer as much advice as she can. Grace truly enjoys celebrating every couple’s love for each other, and thrives to see everyone’s smiling faces on the wedding day.

 

Website

The Birchwood Reviews from Marry Me Tampa Bay Couples:

Marry Me Tampa Bay curates the below reviews from real couples whom we've personally interviewed. As Tampa Bay's most trusted wedding planning resource, these reviews are 100% accurate and aren't created by fake accounts.

Indoor Grand Ballroom Wedding Ceremony Inspiration | Gold Oval Top Chair Ideas | Tampa Bay Event Venue The Birchwood

Elegant Pink and White Downtown St. Pete Wedding | The Birchwood

I looked for a venue that had a lot to offer and was in a great location. I wanted a beautiful space where I could do both the ceremony and reception.

I can absolutely say The Birchwood provided amazing service! I could go on and on about them! From the minute we signed our contract with them until the end of the wedding day, they were the absolute best.

The Birchwood is in a great location in downtown St. Pete and offers so much to help you have an amazing wedding day. I love that they have so much to offer, unlike other venues that just provide a space. On top of that, the food they serve is so delicious!

-Ana and Holden
Indoor St. Pete Wedding Ceremony | Downtown St Pete Wedding Venue The Birchwood

Champagne, Gold, Ivory Downtown St. Pete Wedding | The Birchwood

“The feel of our reception was most important to us: the music, lighting, location, great cocktail hour on the roof and beautiful custom altar, it needed to feel like a fairytale. Every person that we know has told us that they have never been to such an incredible wedding.”

-Barbara and Toni
Romantic, Ivory, Blush and Gold Wedding Ceremony Ideas and Inspiration with Rustic Arch with Blush and Ivory Flowers | St. Petersburg Wedding Venue The Birchwood | Tampa Bay Wedding Photographer Ailyn La Torre Photography

Romantic Blush, Champagne and Blue Downtown St. Pete Wedding | The Birchwood

“We wanted a unique venue, water views, and good food. We found all of that at The Birchwood. I loved the look, the rooftop space for cocktail hour and the fact that we would be the only wedding there that weekend. Their service was incredible. They made planning process as easy as possible, the food was incredible, and the hotel stay was wonderful for all of our guests. We also wanted the wedding to feel intimate; being a boutique hotel with only 18 rooms, our friends and family pretty much had the hotel to ourselves which was so much fun! Having the wedding at The Birchwood gave some great options for places for our guests to stay while being surrounded by great restaurants, museums, and shopping.”

-Carli and Mike
Bride and Groom First Dance | Downtown St. Pete Hotel Wedding Venue The Birchwood| St. Petersburg Wedding Photographer Limelight Photography

Glamorous Nautical Downtown St. Pete Wedding | The Birchwood

“I love everything about the Birchwood: the food, the Prosecco glasses, the staff, the managers and the view! The Birchwood tops all other downtown St. Pete venues because it’s just cool, elegant yet sexy, fresh and the food is delicious! Their ballroom is gorgeous, and the hotel itself is amazing to stay at and get ready in! Much of the décor lends itself to amazing pictures too. We had a black-tie cocktail hour and reception at The Canopy rooftop and The Birchwood Grand Ballroom. We wanted it high-class, yet nautical and glamorous, and we feel like we nailed it! The Birchwood offers the best views of downtown ever! What more could we have asked for?! Amazing!”

-Carrie and Jason
Bride and Groom Portrait at Downtown St Pete Wedding Venue The Birchwood | Tampa Bay Wedding

Rose Gold and Blush Pink Downtown St. Pete Wedding | The Birchwood

“We wanted a venue that was convenient for our family, since we have a few family members with limited mobility. The Birchwood had everything all in one location (a restaurant, hotel, ballroom and after party), and we could get married outside, which was one of the main things we looked for in a venue. The people we worked with at The Birchwood were phenomenal! You could tell they were very experienced with big events and weddings because they were organized and full of helpful hints and tips for us. The food was unbelievable too and everything was served quickly and hot! The bartenders and wait staff were all friendly and helpful too. They did an amazing job.”

-Katie and Kjel
Natural Organic Wedding Reception Sweetheart Bride and Groom Table with Stylish Gold Mr and Mrs Letters, Herbs Growing in Ceramic Pots, Greenery and Silver Pillar Candle Table Decor, and White Birch Tree and Branches with String Lights Arch | Downtown St Pete Hotel Wedding Venue The Birchwood

Natural, Organic St. Petersburg Vegan Wedding | The Birchwood

“We knew that we wanted something classic and elegant, and The Birchwood definitely delivered. From day one, everyone we worked with was extremely responsive and flexible. We wanted our entire wedding to be vegan, and all of the staff at The Birchwooddidn’t even bat an eye! The banquet chef was open to creating a plant based menu, and he was genuinely excited about it. The whole staff had such a great attitude about it. This was absolutely not the case with any other venue or catering company we talked to.

We also loved the elegant ballroom and the rooftop canopy bar, with breathtaking sunset views of the marina and the St. Petersburg skyline. We wanted our ceremony to take place in nature, so we were pleased that The Birchwood is right across the street from a pretty park and the water. The bridal suite was gorgeous, and they delivered a nice plate of our appetizers and mojitos to us during our cocktail hour so that we could have a moment alone before making a grand entrance to our reception. When we walked into our reception, it was more than we ever could have hoped for! The sweetheart table they set up for us was so beautiful, and there were many little touches that we never would have thought of that pulled everything together perfectly. Our wedding guests were raving about the food, and they were surprised that eating an all plant-based meal could taste so good! At the end of the night, a few of us went up to The Canopy rooftop bar and enjoyed a few drinks and some cupcakes in a cabana. When we returned to the bridal suite, a bottle of champagne was waiting. It was all so magical. The Birchwood staff thought of every little detail, and worked very hard to make our day as special as possible. Every step of the way, we knew that we had chosen the right venue.”

-Lindsay and Daniel


As Seen on Marry Me Tampa Bay