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.

  • 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 |
  • “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 |
  • “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 |
  • “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 |
  • “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 |
  • “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 |
  • “We looked for a venue where you could do a cocktail hour separate from the reception, somewhat of a water view, newer, walking distance to hotels and where drinks and food was catered from within. The price at The Birchwood was much better compared to a lot of other hotels. The food was very good, the open bar was a fair price and the ballroom with the balcony off of it, you can’t beat it!”

    – Madison and Kyle |
  • “My parents are the owners of The Birchwood, and it was really important to me to have our reception there. Even though The Birchwood is my family’s business, I hadn’t experienced the venue’s service as a bride. The sales manager, Mary Barnett, helped us create an ideal floor plan for our guest count, choose our food choices and drink tier and worked with my wedding planner on an emergency plan B for the rainy day. She also kept in touch with me through the weeks leading up to the big day to assure that all details went smoothly, and the vendors were all up to date on everything. I will never forget the moment I stepped in the ballroom and saw everything put together. The flowers, table linens, place settings, lighting, and details were exquisite. We received multiple compliments from our guests about the food (the bone-in filet was to die for) and the drinks, particularly the wine (which Dennis, the in-house sommelier helped us pair with dinner!). The service and experience the Birchwood provided was above and beyond our expectations.”

    – Rachel and Jeremy |
  • “What first stood out to us about the venue was how stunning the ballroom was! The Birchwood was done so beautifully that I decided to keep centerpieces and decorations minimal to really enjoy the beauty of the space. The functionality of the space was also a huge draw for us; we held our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all in the ballroom and ballroom foyer, which worked perfectly for us and our 70 guests. We also love downtown St. Pete, and we had a really wonderful view of the water and the rest of downtown from the ballroom. The Birchwood was also extremely affordable in comparison to other all-inclusive venues that we looked into. Overall, we had a really wonderful experience with everyone at The Birchwood; they were quick to respond to calls and emails, and were accommodating to everything we needed!”

    – Noelle and Nick |
  • “Of course, price was our first deciding factor. After that, we just wanted the most beautiful space for our money! Ironically, I always said no hotel ballrooms! But when I walked into The Birchwood’s fourth floor ballroom, it was so stunning! The décor was so elegant and the beautiful built-in bar was a definite plus, but the huge windows overlooking Beach Drive and the Vinoy Yacht Basin really sold us. It was the perfect spot to satisfy our wish of being on the water and feeling open and airy, while still hosting in an elegant atmosphere. We also hosted cocktail hour downstairs in a private space at the Birch and Vine Restaurant, and invited people up to The Canopy Rooftop bar after for drinks. Our dads were the last ones to leave and didn’t want the party to end!”

    – Haele and Tyler |
  • “We wanted convenience, location, good bones (with the interior and exterior), outdoor ceremony options, and great food! I loved the beautiful interior of The Birchwood: the crown molding, light bulb chandeliers, and waterfront balcony view! The staff is also incredibly kind and very attentive. The easy win factor for this venue is hands down the food.”

    – Shannon and Michael |
  • “Our first impression was extremely positive. We immediately loved the atmosphere, look, and location! It definitely met our requirements of timeless and elegance. We realized that we could utilize multiple floors, including their wrap-around porch, cocktail areas, and rooftop bar.”

    – Jennifer and Connor |
  • The Birchwood was incredible! We did not begin our planning process with a planner, so their service was greatly appreciated. They were always eager to answer our millions of questions and really treated my family with top quality service. Without The Birchwood’s superior staff, our wedding would not have been possible.”

    – Gabrielle and Tyler |
  • “The second we toured The Birchwood, it was decided. It had everything we could have imagined. The beautifully restored historic 18-room hotel was intimate enough for our family to all be on-site together for the weekend. Something that was important to us was having an indoor ceremony at the same location as our reception. The Birchwood staff easily flipped the same space during cocktail hour to accommodate our request. It was perfect. There wasn’t one thing about the Birchwood that I would change! From the moment we secured our date, the service we absolutely impeccable.”

    – Carrie and Brian |
  • The Birchwood ballroom is so beautiful and the location is second to none. During the whole process, everyone made wedding planning so easy and enjoyable. I was incredibly pleased with the service they provided, and was even more thrilled with the food!”

    – Andi and Tyler |
  • “The Birchwood had everything I envisioned for my wedding theme. Their colors and vintage ambiance was exactly what I was looking for, and the water view from the ballroom’s balcony was a huge plus. From start to finish, The Birchwood’s service was impeccable! They were calming, professional, knowledgeable and overall full of great people. They were everything and then some!”

    – Melanie and Josh |
  • “What really stood out to us about The Birchwood were their gorgeous waterfront views and convenient downtown location. We also loved that fact that they offered catering and a full-service kitchen on site, which made it so much easier to coordinate for day-of logistics. From start to finish, the service was exceptional, and we loved being able to fully customize our menu. The Birchwood did an amazing job working with us to create some special items for our cocktail hour, like Cuban sandwiches and Philly cheesesteaks. Getting to add in those little details added the personal touch we were looking for.”

    – Elizabeth and Tim |
  • “We received 5-star service! Everyone at the Birchwood was so helpful and understanding through the entire process. The team at the Birchwood really helped me through the process, understood my need for organization, and treated us so well from the moment I checked in the night before to the day of our actual wedding.”

    – Danielle and Ryan |
  • “I saw The Birchwood for the first time on Marry Me Tampa Bay. We chose it based on the look, but the service was amazing. The size and location were perfect. It was right by Straub Park and downtown St. Pete, and there were plenty of hotels for our guests to choose from. Heather with The Birchwood was always so inviting and always responded to my emails immediately. The personal touches really set them apart.”

    – Allyson and Tyler |
  • “The Birchwood fit all of our criteria perfectly and was in downtown St. Pete. When it came down to it, we were between two St. Pete venues. Both were excellent choices, but The Birchwood fit our personalities and felt more like home. We couldn’t have been happier with their venue and services. The team at The Birchwood exceeded our expectations! They provided an excellent venue, bridal suite, food, and the flow of service was perfect. No one ever had to wait in line for food or drinks, and they were extremely flexible to fit all our needs.”

    – Amanda and Zach |
  • “I researched all different venues and found Marry Me Tampa Bay had a great variety of what was in the area and helped direct me to the Birchwood. We wanted a venue that was elegant and sophisticated, as well as quaint. We didn’t want a room that would swallow us up as we knew our wedding would be on the smaller side. Everything about The Birchwood is absolutely amazing. There we so many aspects that made it the true frontrunner when it came to choosing our reception venue. Something that was huge for us was the location and with so many of our guests coming from out of town, we thought being able to stay on the waterfront and have all the bars and restaurants within walking distance would be an awesome time for everyone. We also really fell in love with The Birchwood’s gorgeous Grand Ballroom because it fits perfectly with our elegant theme for the reception. The staff were all phenomenal and extremely accommodating. From day one, everyone was always super polite and willing to do everything in their power to accommodate us and really help us capture our wedding day vision!”

    – Joelle and Abram |
  • “We wanted an intimate, indoor setting with a classy, vintage feel. We have always loved The Birchwood and spending evenings at their rooftop bar, The Canopy, so it was kind of a no-brainer. I was always against using a hotel as a wedding venue, but The Birchwood is so quaint and boutique that it felt like we had the entire building to ourselves! The entire team was amazing to work with and catered to our every want and need. I truly feel like I made new friends while working with their staff.”

    – Courtney and Alexander |
  • “The Birchwood met and exceeded our expectations for a wedding venue from their food to their wedding packages. From the food to the ballroom space and all of their wedding packages and options the entire service from the Birchwood was outstanding. The night went off without a hitch! After a few meetings with their staff, you could really feel that the team understood my vision and had all the details mapped out with help from my day of coordinator to carry it all out flawlessly.”

    – Shelby and Gordon |
  • “It was important to us that our venue matched the elegance and intimacy we wanted while also showing off the Tampa Bay area. We loved the elegance of the ballroom at The Birchwood, but what really sold us was the option to host our cocktail hour at their rooftop bar, The Canopy.”

    – Monica and Matthew |