The Don Cesar Wedding Reviews

We wanted something upscale and elegant with breathtaking views. It was so nice to ‘wow’ my guests in the courtyard and on the terrace without having to toes in the sand. After all, I am a lover of designer shoes and couldn’t imagine leaving them behind. Since the majority of our wedding guests were from out-of-town, coming from a winter weather environment, it was important for us to have everyone experience the beauty of St. Pete Beach! We loved that our guests would be able to stay at the resort and feel as though they were on a tropical vacation. I may be partial to The Don CeSar since I am lucky enough to work for the resort, and I knew that the team would be able to exceed every expectation. It was extremely special to have all of my coworkers be able to be a part of my big day!

Who else can say that they have worked, married, played, and stayed at Florida’s ‘Pink Palace? The cherry on top is my new last name! Kassel, pronounced “Castle.”

Food was absolutely at the top of our list. With Matt being from New York and me from Connecticut, we had high standards of what we wanted throughout the night. We tasked the culinary team at The Don to find a way to incorporate Florida cuisine with an ode to our Northern routes. The team took the challenge and ran with it! We ended up with a South Florida station featuring grouper bites and then lobster bisque shooters to represent classic New England and a full Italian pastry display for dessert for a true New York feel. They fully understood what we wanted our guests to experience.

“The Don CeSar is a Tampa Bay icon, as well as being beautiful and timeless both inside and out. We loved the Grand Ballroom. Their Beach House Suites made it easy for families to stay together, but also close by. The service at the Don CeSar was exceptional. Everyone was so helpful, efficient and professional. Lauren Jones (our venue coordinator) was also another huge reason we felt at ease. She was always available via email or phone and was so helpful with different ideas.”

“The second we pulled up to the Don CeSar, my heart melted, and I knew. There is no better venue in St. Pete. The service was amazing; they pay attention to every detail. The views were incredible. Just thinking about it now, brings a smile to my face!”

“We wanted something that would accommodate all of our guests especially the ones traveling from out-of-town. We also wanted it to be a vacation getaway for them, not just to go to a wedding for the night. The Don was the first place we looked at outside of Sarasota and as soon as I saw it I just knew it was the place. It has beach access, is beautiful, close to the airport, is resort style with no need to rent a car and is an amazing New Year's Eve party for those who stayed the weekend! It was perfect!”

“We wanted something that would accommodate all of our guests especially the ones traveling from out-of-town. We also wanted it to be a vacation getaway for them, not just to go to a wedding for the night. The Don was the first place we looked at outside of Sarasota and as soon as I saw it I just knew it was the place. It has beach access, is beautiful, close to the airport, is resort style with no need to rent a car and is an amazing New Year's Eve party for those who stayed the weekend! It was perfect!”

“The Don CeSar is such a historic location, and it's our view from Brett's parent's place along the intercoastal. The Don was perfect because the gorgeous courtyard was the happy medium to provide us with that outdoor, beach-y feel without being on the actual beach. I also fell in love with the terrace on the fifth floor which was where we had cocktail hour, as well as the two levels of the Grand Ballroom where we had our reception. The service was exceptional from the moment we checked in through the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, cocktail, reception and through checking out.”

“The Don CeSar had everything I was looking for in a venue. It has the iconic old world glamour I wanted, matched with being on the beach that made it the perfect fit for both of us. We couldn't have been happier with their service. The entire staff went above and beyond to make our guests stays and our wedding wonderful.”

“We decided on The Don CeSar because I grew up telling my dad that I was going to get married there. I wanted to be a princess with a big dress and pink shoes. Luckily I was able to live out those childhood dreams with my prince! The Don CeSar is a beautiful, classy, and historic building. It's the closest thing to a castle that we have in St. Petersburg; it was my dream. I thought their service and staff people did an amazing job. They were incredibly helpful and always willing to answer all our questions!”

“The Don is a beautiful and historic building, and I was honored to be able to be married there. The service was great, and the food was spectacular!”

“The Don is known for its high level of service and product. It gave me peace of mind and made wedding planning and the actual wedding weekend more enjoyable to know that everyone would be wonderful thanks to the Don CeSar team. Having worked at the Don CeSar for 10 years with most of that time as a Catering Manager, we were heavily involved in creating our own dinner stations menu. The Don Cesar’s food and service were top notch. All of their staff were genuinely happy and excited for us. We had a great feeling through the whole weekend from all staff. Our guests loved our food, especially the mac and cheese in the parmesan wheel with short ribs and truffle. People are still talking about it months later. We celebrated all weekend long there with the rehearsal dinner on Saturday, followed by the welcome reception then the wedding and reception on Sunday. The weather was perfect and everyone had a blast enjoying the beach and the amenities.”

“I knew the Don CeSar had that classic, romantic and vintage feel that I wanted for our wedding, plus we knew the food there was amazing, so it was honestly an easy choice. After seeing the Grand Ballroom for the first time I knew I had found the perfect place for our wedding reception. From day one everyone made the process so easy for us, from helping us with the menu options, the room block, even providing us with an outstanding on-site wedding coordinator, and even dealing with my 1,000,000 emails a week. The service was EXTRAORDINARY! I cannot express enough how amazing everyone at the hotel was. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a one-stop wedding venue with fantastic staff, gorgeous reception rooms and without a doubt the most delicious food any guest will ever eat at a wedding. Our guests are still raving about how amazing the food at our wedding was and how helpful the staff was, and we owe it all to the Don CeSar and their staff.”

“We searched for a large space to dance and a great location with plenty of activities to fill a weekend. The Don looks like a palace and is such a beautiful hotel. Everyone was very accommodating; they were open to all my unique and sometimes crazy ideas!”