It came down to three things for us: location, style, and space. The location we both agreed it should be near or on the ocean, in a city that was easily accessible and had plenty of accommodation options for our guests. For style and design preference, we wanted a luxurious and beautiful hotel venue that had amenities like a spa, resort pool, on-site restaurants, and high-end service. The most important was the actual space. We loved the idea of having an outdoor ceremony with an indoor reception and knew whichever venue we chose needed to have those options.

The Vinoy Renaissance is unique because it has the historical look and charm, but with all of the modern features and amenities you could need. The location was absolutely perfect and met all of our requirements. The Grand Ballroom is what really sold us, along with the ability to have the ceremony in the Tea Garden. The wedding planners, staff, and servers were all five stars during the planning and day-of.

I was looking for a venue that could provide me with the ultimate enchanting, romantic experience all outdoors from beginning to end.

I chose the Vinoy Renaissance for its unique historic charm and beautiful outdoor setup for my ceremony and reception. The Tea Garden is so unique and one of a kind. It was exactly what I was looking for and so much more. The Esplanade, where the reception was held, had the most breathtaking views of the bay and such a charming feel.

The Vinoy provided excellent service from the first phone call with the catering sales executive Chris Starman who was exceptional and answered all of my questions to the day of the wedding, all of the staff was amazing to work with. I especially enjoyed the private tasting event that was held for us to choose our cocktail, hors d’oeuvre, and dinner menu. Catering manager Rainee Herrera was also extremely helpful in the planning process.

The Vinoy Renaissance is a historical hotel with a lot of character. We wanted our guests to feel the historic vibe in the Sunset Ballroom with its arches and beauty. We also wanted our guests to feel cared for. During the reception there were dancing shoes, delicious food, glow sticks, and late-night snacks (sliders and chicken and waffles). The wedding was a blast!

We both knew we wanted something that had history and was timeless.

We originally had chosen a Sarasota venue for the wedding. However, due to COVID-19 we canceled the wedding and had to go a different route. We downsized from 135 guests to 15 and chose The Vinoy Renaissance because they were able to offer a smaller private space that made more sense for what we were doing, while at the same time still elegant and beautiful. It was also a place I visited throughout my childhood as well as the place Avery and I had our first date, so it held sentimental value.

Meg at the Vinoy exceeded our expectations. She gave us complimentary nights at the hotel, and we were also given Marchand’s for an after-party after having a noise complaint in our suite. She was always very quick to respond and helped so much with our room block.