The Rusty Pelican

The Rusty Pelican's wedding package is an excellent deal. It provided almost everything I needed to carryout a successful wedding. Because I was trying to plan my wedding from Atlanta, it was very convenient having this all-inclusive package deal. It allowed for less headaches and less vendors to communicate with. The quality of food was better than I expected with a selection to please all.My only complaint would be the communication with my coordinator, Sarah Bauscher. There were many details that she would often leave out or loose track of that caused some confusion. We had planned a separate food tasting time for me since I was an out of town client. However, when I had driven all the way from Atlanta for my food tasting, she had completely forgotten and said I had not filled out the proper paperwork. Also, she did not mention that vendors would receive a basic chicken dish and children would receive a chicken finger dish. So when I asked my vendors if they wanted chicken or prime rib, some were excited for the prime rib. Luckily, a couple guests did not come who had ordered prime rib, so I was able to offer it to my vendor. Sarah allowed me to replace the chicken finger children's dish for a veggie pasta, but then on the day of the wedding, the staff still gave the child a chicken finger dish, which was just an error of communication. I was also excited for the limousine transportation being included in my package, and was told that the limo could pick us up anywhere in a 20 mile radius and bring us to the Rusty Pelican. However, at the last minute less than a week before the wedding, when my schedule was already planned, I was told that 20 mile radius was 20 miles round trip. Thus, the limo would only pick us up within 10 miles, and my ceremony location was 18 miles away. As far as I know, radius means the distance from a certain point. It does not mean round trip. So I had to rearrange my transportation plans from the ceremony location because of this. However, despite these communication issues, my wedding was executed with little fault. I was very pleased with the value of everything included. Having the meal, table decorations, cake, service, open bar, etc all included made everything more than worth the price.

I worked with Sarah and Don and both were Awesome! They really helped me in the whole planning process! You are getting a great deal for your money and my guests were blown away by the whole thing! If you really want to have a memorable day and surprise all your guests i suggest this place!!!

Absolutely AMAZING! We had our ceremony outside at the gazebo then our reception inside in the Grand Ballroom. Don was our wedding coordinator and did an excellent job guiding us along the way and making things as easy for us as possible. We brought all of the items we wanted for the ceremony as well as the reception the day before our wedding and the staff set everything up. During the reception, we were treated like royalty by our banquet manager Norma. She even put the dressing on our salad and prepared our dinner plates for us from the buffet :) The food was wonderful, the room looked better than I could have imagined. So many of our guests called it a fairy tale wedding. Thank you for the wonderful experience, I would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a beautiful wedding with excellent staff

Sarah was wonderful! My wedding was perfect and she did a good job in making sure it went smoothly. She was also quick to respond to any questions or concerns I had. I also really like that I had to much included in my package it made my planning my day that much easier

We had our ceremony and reception at Rusty Pelican in Tampa. It was PERFECT!!! The ceremony was outside along the water. Sarah made sure everyone was where they needed to be and checked on me a few times before the ceremony started. She made sure everything went smoothly for the ceremony and it did. She brought us some champagne during pictures and gave us a private moment before the reception with some appetizers. It was so nice to have that moment with my new husband :) Once the reception started she turned us over to the dinner manager who checked on us multiple times during the night and brought us over drinks when we needed it. The food was perfect! We had a sit down dinner with Filet and Chicken Jack Daniels, mashed potatoes and veggies. Everyone complimented that it was the best wedding food they ever had. Sarah was very friendly and organized and always answered me promptly with my millions of questions :) I was very, very pleased with the service we received and our wedding was perfect and beautiful :)

Our wedding coordinator quit in the middle of our wedding process and we were given Don to work with. I left crying my first in person meeting with him, and he was so rude to me on the phone when I called about our tasting a few weeks later that I immediately called his supervisor to file a complaint and asked that we be switched to someone else. There were a TON of miscommunications during the entire process because of the personnel issues they had.We ended up working with Sarah and she was great. Very sympathetic to the issues we had been having and did what she could. She saved the ball for this place.I would 100% recommend this place with 5 stars if you have Sarah (or someone else) as your contact. It really was amazing except for the experience with Don! Pros: CEREMONY - The ceremony was beautiful. This place is a great location with an amazing view.FOOD - The food the night of the wedding was great. We heard a lot of guests who loved the apps served during cocktail hour and the dinner served was great.SERVICE - The service the night of our wedding was amazing. We had a server dedicated to us the entire time who gave us refills, food, etc. whenever we asked. Very attentive and very sweet.Cons:DON - If you're a bride who wants to actually enjoy the process of planning your wedding, ask for Sarah, or someone else. Don is just too short, rude and a not-enjoying-the-process kind of a person for me. From the other reviews, I get the sense you either love him or hate him. My recommendation is to play it safe and ask for someone else. You're getting married. It's exciting and you should have someone who's excited for you! :)

Sarah and the rest of the team were amazing. Everything turned out to be exactly what we wanted, better then expected.Everything was absolutely breathtaking and we had a blast. Glad we went with Rusty Pelican to help us with our wedding.

Sarah was great at planning the whole thing for us. It was a beautiful setting and everything went as planned. We had 2 months to put it all together and it would have been a headache if The Rusty Pelican had not given us a list to work with. They demanded all the paperwork on a timely manner to insure everything was perfect the day of. Carlos helped during the wedding to make sure all the food was delivered properly and was wonderful, as was Jean and Jessica. It did seem a little rushed but they had a deadline to accomplish and it all went smoothly. The decorations were beautiful and just how we ordered it all.

Everything with all the vendors went perfectly except for the Rusty Pelican. I too had a Coordinator that quit. I was only notified through mail that I had another person to help. Even though Don knows what he's doing, we felt somewhat uncomfortable asking questions. It seemed that we were supposed to know how things worked. We were also rushed to set up our decorations for the ceremony and for the reception. We wanted to give Don a list of special things we wanted to do, but he wouldn't take it. So a lot of items were never put out at all, so I actually wasted money on some of my ceremony items and had to mail other items to some guests who didn't receive things.On my wedding day, Don was there helping with the ceremony and disappeared after that. I found out during dinner he left and had someone else over-seeing my event. Carlos was a sweetheart, but we had some problems that were not communicated. We had a raw bar with little or no utensils. My Grandfather had to ask for a nut cracker and my husbands mother had to ask for a fork. We were supposed to have a Viennese table, which was forgotten, so at the end of the night they put it out for people to take home. We were also to have an end of the night toast which was discussed with Don, but Carlos was not told. So they rushed the champagne out and put it on a table in the cocktail room.The champagne was warm and my husband and friends were grabbing the glasses to hand out to people because there was no staff left to serve it. My DJ, Eric Hardy was the best! He took control of the night and helped us out tremendously on how things worked and what should be done!!!Beautiful place, great value, awesome food, but they really need to talk to their clients more and organize their events better.

I absolutely love the decor and ambience of the Rusty Pelican. My issues falls with the staff. We paid the Gazebo fee and got rained out. We were out that money. We also paid for a wedding consultant. Honestly, she was a nice lady. However, I feel I wasted money. All she did was write receipts. According to the contract, she sets out name tags, table assignment/seating chart and favors. I did NONE of those. And I still had to pay her fee. She wouldn't set up any of the things I had done myself, such as a candy buffet, family tree/heritage table, centerpieces, none of it. My bridal party and I had to get up early to set up my wedding, the morning of my wedding!

Our wedding ceremony and reception were at the Rusty Pelican. Don was organized. The staff for the reception were unaccommodating and unorganized. We selected the midrange option, which included Call brand bar, passed Hors d'oedurves, Cheese and fruit display, sit down dinner, Champagne toast, wine served with dinner and the list goes on. Within 15 minutes of cocktail hour, the cheese and fruit display were gone and never replenished. Staff passed hor d'oeduvres were far and few. Our guests were starving by the time dinner was served. We had comments that the chicken was rubbery, dry and unable to eat. We had one veg meal that was given to the wrong person. By the time it finally got to the right person, the veggies were raw. Our cake from Chantilly, never reached the tables. When your dinner is table served and not buffet, cake is served. Needless to say no one got cake!:( After the reception was over, we were informed by the captain, to hurry and get our things out. They had to "turn the room over for the next event". Mind you, This was a Sunday night at midnight. By this time, they had thrown away all my votive candles, I brought in. And when I asked for the boxes I brought all my things in, so I could to load carry my things out. They threw those away as well.:( I am speak less on how we were treated at the end of our reception. As through we were a inconvenience. When we booked with the Rusty Pelican, we felt it was a good value, with a beautiful view. Do not be deceived by what looks like alot for your money. There are many beautiful venues in the Bay area. And after our experience at the Rusty Pelican, we would have selected a different venue and paid a few dollars more. We give an "F" :(

The Rusty Pelican was great - we could not have been happier with our entire event and our guests were blown away by the view of the Grand Ballroom (in addition to the setting outside for ceremony at the Gazebo). It was perfect, and the staff was great. Don loves his job and covers every small detail with the bride - he really makes it easy for you. I highly recommend this venue!

Don was my wedding coordinator, and one thing that I can say about him is that he definitely has a type A personality. He was very polite and courteous at all times and he always paid very close attention to details, which was very important to me. I really loved how organized he was. The list that he gave me made planning the wedding a breeze. People always talk about how stressful the planning of a wedding can be, but everything went so smoothly. To be honest it scared me because I thought that I had to be forgetting something or something wasn't going right. I kept thinking to myself "it can't be this simple", but it was! Don told me the first day, if you stick to the list everything will come together and the day will be perfect, no worries. Well he was right. Anytime I felt like I should be doing something, I would check in and he would tell me no worries and to refer to the list. It was as simple as that. He always made sure all of my questions were answered and he would walk me step by step through each process of the planning. On the day of the wedding he was right there with me to make sure everything went perfectly (which it did). I don't know how I would have done it without him. He was absolutely AMAZING.

Don Valente, Catering Manager, was very professional and attentive to detail as was his staff both before and on our wedding day. The food was excellent. All of our guests cannot stop talking about it. The ballroom was clean, and set up exactly as requested. We had no problems whatsoever during our wedding reception. The best part of the venue is the view. You just can't beat it. The Rusty Pelican is beautiful, and I highly recommend it for your wedding.

We had our reception only here, but had a great experience. It was nice to get a "package deal" with the cake, food, drinks, linens and place settings included. There are so many things you dont think about like the setting up of a dance floor, the breaking down of a room and its tables, servers for served meals, that you have to plan for if you dont have a venue with all of these included. The Rusty Pelican was very organized, gave me a timeline with due dates and decisions to make and they handled the rest...it was awesome!

My overall experience with the Rusty Pelican was great. I started with one RP coordinator, and then was passed to another when the first left. I felt that there were many areas that they were trying to get the most money out of us as possible, and when we would tlak to people in the field, they would share ways we could save money at the RP. We ended up saving close to 7000.00 by not doing what we were originally instructed to do. We also had a lot of trouble the day of the wedding with taking pictures because there was another wedding going on and we were put on the back burner. Don was rude about telling us to leave one of the photo sites where our photographer wanted to get sunset pictures. The site itself was gorgeous. We were constantly being told how beautiful the scenery was and the Grand Ballroom with the sunset. I would def. suggest this location to other brides and grooms to be.

I was absolutely stunned at the not only beautiful atmosphere at the Rusty Pelican, but also the service. I have dreamed of getting married there since I first attended a wedding ther 10 years ago. My dream really became a reality. Not only was it affordable, but everything was fantastic. My family is full of "foodies" and they are all ravaging at everything from appetizers to dinner to dessert. The gazebo was perfectly set up, as was the room for the reception. They truly made this day wonderful. They took all of the stress out of wedding planning and allowed for us to enjoy every minute of our day.

Don was our coordinator at this venue. As organized as he appears to be, on my wedding day things did not go so smoothly. The details that Don had meticulously required from us did not pan out on his end.

An absolutely SPECTACULAR place for your wedding and reception!! From day one when we met with Don, I had no doubt that he would help us have a wonderful experience! He provided us with checklists, outlines and timelines so there was never a question of what to expect. He was very professional and had a "no nonsense" attitude assuring me everything would go smoothly. The day of my wedding he was one of the first people I saw when I stepped out the limo and his smile took all my jitters away. We got married at the gazebo and everything was so beautiful. The Grand Ballroom hosted our reception and it was stunning! It was so nice to have everything in place and set up for us!!! Norma provided my husband and I with exceptional service and although the day went by so quickly, the memories will last forever! Thanks Don and everyone at The Rusty Pelican!!!!!

My wedding ceremony and reception at the Rusty Pelican couldn't have been more beautiful! The staff at the Rusty Pelican are simply amazing. Don was on top of every detail ensuring that me, my husband, family and guests could enjoy every moment of the day without having to think about a single thing. The staff was very attentive and accommodating. The venue is absolutely beautiful. The food was delicious.

We chose this venue because it was a great value and included items many resorts nickel and dime over: linens, bartenders, wine service, cake cutting, even the cake. The view was incredible (especially at sunset) and the food and service was excellent. Our coordinator Don wasn’t exactly fun to work with, but he is a veteran at weddings (the Rusty Pelican hosted 9 weddings the weekend I was married) so he knows what works and likes to do things his way. If you don’t mind sticking to his packet, it is really a fantastic venue.

Our wedding was absolutely beautiful, and Don was extremely helpful and made everything go smoothly. My only complaint is that we had a smaller wedding, but we still had to spend so much money so we ended up having to add more appetizers, etc to hit the minimum amount.

The Rusty Pelican is a beautiful place to get married! They worked with our budget so we could have a great wedding! Don is on top of his game. He is a busy man but knows his stuff! Norma helped us all day-from helping bustle my dress, to getting my husband and I drinks, to being by our side whenever we needed anything. Everybody loved the location-overlooking Tampa Bay! I wish I could repeat that day :)-Kimberly and Christopher Travis

Location, location, location!!! I wanted to get married at our favorite resort on St. Pete beach, but when it was time to book a place I thought we should explore our options just to be sure we didn't have any regrets. We chose a few other venues on the beach and added the Rusty Pelican to our list of possiblities because we're birders and it is named after a bird... I know it's silly, but that's how it happened. We stopped there on our way to St. Pete and after meeting with Don, we were sold! Every time I asked a question about who or how, Don replied "we take care of that." We did visit the four other locations but when we compared each one to the RP, none of them came close. Our ceremony was perfect, the Pelican room was stunning, and the staff was wonderful. Don was terrific from day one and his list of suggested vendors made my job that much easier. I don't know how he did it, but he even arranged a beautiful sunset. Thank you Don and everyone at the Rusty Pelican.

From preliminary planning 9 months prior to the wedding to the event itself the Rusty Pelican and its staff were absolutely superb in every way. Don is a careful, thorough and well organized advisor who provides excellent leadership and coordination for the wedding and reception. He is truly one of the best wedding coordinators that, as United Methodist ministers, we have ever worked with. The entire staff of the Rusty Pelican far exceeded our expectations in every way. The food was delicious, the Grand ballroom was elegant, the cocktail room including the bartenders was well staffed, well supplied and formed an excellent transition between the wedding ceremony and the reception. Whether perspective couples and their families know little or much about planning a wedding and reception they will be well pleased with Don and his staff at the Rusty Pelican. I can think of absolutely nothing that we would want done differently about the entire experience for our daughter's wedding. We felt that the cost for the services we received was reasonable and fair. If you choose the Rusty Pelican as the site for your wedding I am confident that you will be as pleased as we were. They are first class!!!

While the venue was spectacular and the value for the price was great, exactly one week before my wedding, my point person (they call them your wedding planner) quit and I wasn't even contacted. I called as I hadn't been hearing back from my emails. It appears my wedding planner went out of town for Thanksgiving holiday (to which she never gave me the heads up) and then decided not to come back. My wedding was on 12/10/10. On 12/2/10 I called and Don (another wedding planner) and he did review that he recieved the info I had been sending in. He told me my planner would be in the following day. I called back the next morning on 12/3 to be told that my planner would not be returning. While Don was accomodating and did the best he could, I felt that I had worked with the other person for months and then one week prior needed to begin again with another person. Don had his full plate and then took on who know how many more events... needless to say, I felt his stress level while working with him (which again I undertand, but wasn't fair to me:().

We could not have asked for a better experience than what we had with Rusty Pelican. Don set us up for success with checklists and time lines that ensured all bases were covered and that no aspect was un-manageable. Don was there for us every step of the way, eager and happy to help us with any of our concerns. The day of the wedding was absolutely perfect. As a Bride you know you want everything to go perfect, but you assume that you are going to notice some small detail out of place. I can honestly say how amazing it was to look around and see that every little detail fell in place and was perfect! The Venue at Rusty Pelican was beautiful and beautifully set up. The food and service were outstanding. We thought Carlos, who assisted us the night of the wedding, was awesome! He did a great job making sure everyone was happy and that everything went smoothly. As beautiful as the location is, the care and commitment by Don, Carlos and staff are the real reason our wedding was beyond perfect. Don's recommendations of vendors ensured each aspect was perfectly executed.

I really loved having our wedding at the Rusty Pelican. It was affordable and looked so classy and elegant! We got married outside in the gazebo on the water and had our reception in the Pelican Room. It had windows throughout the room that over looked the water and was beautiful! I would definitely recommend them! Janida was wonderful to work with and so was Carlos!

My husband and I were married at the Rusty Pelican on Halloween of 2010. We could not have asked for a better experience! Our wedding consultant, Don, was very helpful and professional, and seemed as if he had been doing weddings for a long time. We did not have to worry about a lot of details for our wedding because The Rusty Pelican has strict times for doing things and sets things up by a formula (if you are one for being late, or want to micromanage every part of your ceremony, I suggest you do not go for this venue. They do things a certain way to reduce your stress, so be prepared). The Rusty Pelican also did our wedding buffet and the food was delicious! All of our guests commented that everything tasted wonderful and some guests even went back for seconds. I highly recommend getting their buffet (and their partner for wedding cakes, Chantilly Cakes, is the BEST). Everything in the ball room was also set up beautifully and all of the staff was courteous and helpful. If you are looking for an all-inclusive venue with a great view and wonderful staff, look no further!

Everything was just how I wanted, whatever I wanted was done!

We had our ceremony at the gazebo and our reception in the pelican room. Our day was beautiful and everyone had a great time. I will admit that I am Very Very detail oriented, so I made sure everything was exactly how I wanted it before hand. There were little details that weren't perfect before, but they were promptly fixed. Our wedding day went perfect! Our bartender was amazing and kept up with all our guests and Carlos was our captain for the reception and was spectacular! My only complaint is that we had to leave the gazebo right after the ceremony and didn't get to have any pictures there after the ceremony.

Very happy with the out come, however it was a bit of a pain to try and plan it!

The food was amazing and the staff was wonderful!

Don did an amazing job answering all of my questions and making sure everything was perfect for the day of. The gazebo looked beautiful and the Grand Ballroom also looked amazing. They work very well with all vendors and if something needs to be adjusted in any way, they will try and accommodate it anyway they can. My only complaint is in some of my pictures there are people standing on the handicap walk watching my wedding, that were not part of my wedding. Not that big of a deal, but am not a fan of them in my pictures.

I absolutely loved having our reception at the Rusty Pelican in Tampa Bay. The quality of service we received was stellar and the personal was EXTREMELY professional. We had the pleasure of working with Don and appreciate the his care to the quality of the event and his persistence to make sure that you don’t have any worries on your wedding day. He even made sure we had some time to ourselves to talk, drink and try the appetizers before our entrance into the grand ballroom. The view from this venue is to die for and all the we all enjoyed the sunset colors coming into the ballroom. It created the perfect mood for a perfect evening. All the guest have complimented the food and service. If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely select The Rusty Pelican again. Thank you! ~ Adriana Shaw

I recently got married at the Rusty Pelican. The first time that I saw it I fell in love with the atmosphere. I knew that I wanted to get married there. Great things about it: the service is exquisite; we ended up ending our wedding a half an hour early and they refunded us for that. The food is great and the scenery is beautiful. Some negative: after our ceremony we were rushed out of the gazebo area and we did not get to take pictures with us and our party in front of the gazebo. They need to time their events better and not have them so close together in the gazebo area. Another thing that I did not like is how they do their tasting. The restaurant is different from the catering (which does the wedding) so they only let two people “taste” the food. You go as you were going out to dinner and they plate everything like a normal dinner. My parents came with us and had to order off (and pay for) the regular restaurant menu. My husband and I had to share our plates with them so they could taste what we would be eating on our wedding day. This also limits us to what we could taste. I think that they should just have a sample of everything so we could have picked the ones that we liked the best. For the money that we paid I would have expected more of a “tasting”. Everything else was fantastic though. I loved having my wedding there and I would recommend it to anyone that wants a beautiful wedding on the water

The Rusty Pelican was THE perfect wedding reception venue. I am so happy with my decision to book with them. We really wanted a place with a view of the water that wasn’t a conventional all enclosed hotel ballroom and we weren’t crazy about the beach idea… so it was just perfect. We visited the Rusty Pelican first and then searched almost every venue in Tampa/St Pete. Needless to say, we ended up back there a year later and I couldn’t be happier that we did. Throughout the planning process our coordinator, Janida, was AMAZING. She’s so sweet! Very responsive and overly willing to help us with our questions. She always knew what to say and do to make me feel at ease. I always left our conversations feeling happy and 100% positive that everything would be perfect on my wedding day…. and it was. The food was delicious (we had a buffet with Chicken Marsala and Sirloin), Janida was there to make sure everything went off well (and she even helped my mom bustle my dress – thanks Janida!!!), and everyone thought the Pelican room we were in, along with the view, was just gorgeous. Everything about the Rusty Pelican is fabulous! It’s upscale but not stuffy. I’m really looking forward to visiting for dinner on my one-year anniversary =)

Great from booking right to the wedding day. I was switched to another coordinator mid-planning, but they handled it perfectly and Janida was fantastic. It was such a relief to be provided with a list of recommended vendors, and I was able to find great services within our limited budget. The weather was fantastic for our Sunday morning ceremony at RP's gazebo, and our guests raved about the food (brunch buffet), and how professionally the entire day was handled. Most importantly, Janida steered our rehearsal and wedding day perfectly, and she is a joy to work with. I would definitely recommend RP for anyone in our area. You really cannot beat the value for money. More importantly, though, it was such a relief to be able to just let their team do what they're great at, and to get to enjoy our wedding day, worry-free.

I couldn't ask for a better location for our wedding. We worked with Janida who was absolutely wonderful. The site is beautiful and all the vendors that we did work with brought out the best features and made the gazebo and ballroom breathtaking. There were only a few day of details that fell through the cracks and we did have a problem with the hostess we were given that evening, but they immediately switched us to an amazing host, Carlos, who took care of us and our every need for the remainder of the evening. It was a night we won't soon forget and our guests loved it too, especially the location which is convient to the airport and many hotels. It was a wonderful venue for a romantic FL wedding. Many of the beach locations don't give you the intimacy and privacy that you really deserve for the wedding and we felt like it was just us and our guests. The food was great, but the only thing I wish would be for them to update and customize the cocktail hour menu. It is pretty status quo, but they execute marvalously! Thank you Rusty Pelican for a fantastic wedding!

They were pricey but my wedding day went off without a hitch. I only had the reception there but everything looked beautiful. The room is kind of small but overall I was very impressed with the venue and would highly recommend it. They handle so many of the minor details which is such a big help when you're planning your own wedding. I am still getting comments on how beautiful everything looked that night and how great the service was. Thanks Rusty Pelican.

Don is easy to work with, as long as you stay on your schedule! They provided the most wonderful and attentive service to us, we couldn't have been more pleased. The food was amazing, and everything ran very smoothly. A must see location, we used the gazebo for the ceremony and the Bay Room and Pelican Room for cocktail hour and reception. I couldn't have been more pleased.

OMG..where do I begin? First off Don was all that I could ask for in a coordinator and some. He was etremely helpful and a pleasant person to work with. I will admit in the beginning he seemed to be a bit harsh but as time drew near he began to be more and more approachable and helpful. We had both the ceremony and reception on site and it was beautiful. Everything was set up exactly as we discussed and we had a personal waiter who was AWESOME!!! She was there for me and my DH throughout the cocktail hour and reception and made sure we were comfortable and all our needs were met. Our experience was breathtaking and I would definitely recommend them for future uses.

We chose The Rusty Pelican for our venue because it is beautiful. We wanted a venue on the water, and also wanted our ceremony to be intimate and at the same location. We had the ceremony at the gazebo and it turned out to be perfect for us. Don was the third coordinator we were given. Unfortunately, due to staff changes, we went through two others before we had a permanent contact. This was a bit stressful and aggravating because many items we discussed with the other two had not been communicated to Don. He was very helpful the last few days leading up to the wedding. He is very straight forward and may rub some the wrong way, but he kept everything on time and in order. There were six weddings held on the same day as ours, and everything went smoothly. The staff was great and the food was excellent. We received so many compliments from our guests. There was miscommunication between Don and the staff that could not be remedied because he did not stay the entire evening. (We did not know he left.) We were suppose to have the venue for an extra half hour, but the manager that was left to oversee everything had no idea. They are not lenient at all with time, nor were we given a compromise. Also, there were a couple requests (minor details) that were not met. Overall it is a beautiful venue and we are very happy.

Such a great and beautiful place. Everything was amazing and the food was raved about! The price is excellent no matter what your budget is. All inclusive and no hassles and trying to hunt people down. Had a great and amazing time.

The Rusty Pelican was a beautiful place to have our wedding. It was very convenient with the packaging available, and we enjoyed being able to have our ceremony outside and the reception inside at the same venue. On the day of the wedding, we were very well taken care of and everything went according to schedule. I would definitely have my wedding at the Rusty Pelican if I had to do it over again.Cons.1. There were 3 weddings on the same day. It worked out fine, but it did make it feel a little bit like a wedding factory.2. Don-I did my best to read everything thoroughly and be informed, but this is the first time I've thrown a wedding, so obviously I'm not going to know everything. I was often afraid to ask simple questions because of the manner in which they would be answered. He also definitely rubbed family members and friends the wrong way when they had any interaction with him. He's organized, but I think a little more patience and friendliness would go a long way.

Everything about the Rusty Pelican made my wedding day perfect. Don the coordinator was perfection. The entire staff waited on everyone hand and foot to the point where my guests were raving to us about the servers, bartenders, etc. by name. The food was AMAZING. They took care of all our little needs without any issue. My wedding was close to perfection, thanks to the Rusty Pelican.

Our wedding at the Rusty Pelican was fabulous! Great food, beautiful setting, totally professional staff. Our wedding coordinator, Don, was fabulous! It was like having a built in wedding planner. If you use Don's recommendations off their recommended vendors list, you cannot go wrong. We looked around and this was the only location we could find on the water that provided a full service wedding/reception package that truly accomodated a smaller wedding at a reasonable cost. Most other equivalent locations on the water in the Tampa Bay area wanted a minimum of 100 guests of $10K costs. The wedding was run with military precision. Although this might be viewed by some as being somewhat inflexible, it was done for one sole purpose. During our wedding time, it was all about us and they ran the event tightly so that same quality of service is given to every couple. Don did help us work in allowing my nephew to play guitar (with an amp) by the gazebo before the service and he found a way to keep my very ill mother in the wedding march without having her have to stand outside for a long period of time. I would HIGHLY recommend Rusty Pelican to anyone wanting a wedding and/or reception by the water with eloquance at an affordable cost. They came highly recommended to me by another bride, and I pass on the same recommendations to any other brides out there.

The treatment I encountered at the Rusty Pelican was atrocious. The customer service was poor, to say the least from our first experience to the last.Don, who is a manager was the first manager we worked with and from the very beginning he was extremely rude and dismissive, but we pressed on because I was set on having my wedding there. Also he refused to accommodate my schedule as I was an out of town bride and experienced a death in my family was not able to make the scheduled tasting,Secondly, when we finally did our tasting, he refused to speak to us and then IN THE MIDDLE of our tasting we were asked to leave because the restaurant was busy and offered a drink. We had to explain we were in the middle of tasting and asked to speak with Don. Of course he did not come and we had to speak to a higher up.We asked for a full return of deposit and it was given. It shows that did not want us to be there from the beginning.

Before I get into my review, I'd like to comment on other couples who had difficulty with one of the caterers named, Don. My wife and I agree that Don may sound as if he is being condescending or rude; however, we found him to be extremely professional, trusted his judgment completely, and believed him to be exactly what we needed as far as organization for our wedding ceremony. We chalked it up to "Don being Don" and his particular (or peculiar) sense of humor.The site is absolutely gorgeous and we fell in love with it the minute we arrived. The Rusty Pelican was our last hope really because our previous location site (not to be mentioned here) was filing for bankruptcy and may not have been able to keep us convinced they'd get out of it in time. With no other sites available in April, we were fortunate enough to find one date and time available with Don.Everything down to the table settings and cake (provided beautifully by Chantilly Cakes) was incredibly well done and excellently prepared. When we walked in to see the Grand Ballroom before everyone entered, we were speechless. The best part was after our photo session right before our introductions, Don took us into the restaurant portion and allowed us to relax with some wine and the Hors d'œuvres we would otherwise had missed because of our photograph session.The wait staff was extremely helpful and attentive to all guests. We had one minor issue that was resolved very quickly which was an error on my part. The food was outstanding and cooked to perfection. We added chair covers and bows to match our colors (Hunter Green and White) for an additional charge. The scenery is gorgeous especially with the gazebo for our ceremony overlooking the water in the bay. We also loved seeing the water and bridges in the background from the Grand Ballroom during the reception turning into night with a gorgeous sunset.Absolutely stellar location, service, staff, and within a reasonable budget. The one thing to note is if someone is over 21, regardless if they drink or not, they will be charged the adult-with-bar price. Children under 12 are charged a children price. Gazebo is extra $500 - $650 and well worth it.Thank you Don and The Rusty Pelican for making our wedding day perfect! We will see you again on our 1st year anniversary and many more to come!

The Rusty Pelican knows weddings! Janida was fabulous to work with and never made me feel like I was annoying her like some coordinators can. The food was fantastic and everyone complimented me on it. My wedding was exactly how i pictured it and I couldn't have asked for a better day. I would HIGHLY recommend this venue to anyone.

I had my wedding at The Rusty Pelican in March (2010). The place of course is beautiful, the Ballroom (where I had my reception, the ceremony was at another site) was amazing and it really had that traditional classy look that I wanted for my old-hollywood glamor inspired wedding. I worked with Don who was very organized and direct, which is what I like because I was planning most of the wedding from NYC. I knew exactly what to expect, and Don worked with my vision and tastes. The food, open bar, sunset. . .wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. My NYC guests had an awesome time, and are still talking about it. Thank you Don, for such a smooth ride!

Couldn't have asked for much more from the Rusty Pelican. It started off a little rough as the first person that was assigned our wedding planner was unfortunately let go a couple months after we paid our initial deposit. We were then bounced around to a couple more planners before we were finally assigned to Janida. Wow, she is amazing. She spent quite a bit of time with us going over every detail to ensure everything was perfect. The food was fantastic as well. We had the ceremony outside at the gazebo, and the reception in the grand ballroom. Everything was perfect. The bartender was also amazing. Thank you so much!

The Rusty Pelican in Tampa was seriously the best bang for our money. The staff and our sales manager, Janida, made our day perfect. There was no stress and no worries because they had everything covered. They are so personable and the location is just gorgeous. From the catering managers to the banquet staff, you can not help but to be delighted. The atmosphere is awesome. The food is delicious. They make everything so much easier! We will advise all of our family and friends to go the Rusty Pelican for all of their banquet/party needs. If you are trying to decide on the perfect location for your ceremony/reception..... This is the place!!!! My husband and I could not be more thrilled of how our wedding came out and a lot of that we have the Rusty Pelican to thank for!!

I was quite pleased with my wedding. It was beautiful and a lot of fun. I have so many great memories of my day to look back on. Everyone was helpful and it turned out great. My only complaint was that the day of they weren't very accomodating. I felt like things got rushed a little and I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. But overall, a great experience.

We had our wedding ceremony and reception at the Rusty Pelican on 2/26/10. We were seeking a venue that was all inclusive as we live in the Florida Keys but chose to get married in Tampa where we met and have family. The Rusty Pelican offers a simple but beautiful ceremony site on the water and all of the food, linens, etc. are included. The only thing brought in from offsite were the cake and the flowers. Don, the wedding coordinator at the Rusty Pelican, is an efficient and effective man. Don is very detail oriented and does an incredible job. He is there to orchestrate your wedding, not kiss your ass or feed your ego. Follow his instructions exactly and I can guarantee that your wedding will be amazing.My only critique would be that I felt the ceremony site should be less expensive for those that are also having their reception at the Rusty Pelican. For what it is, chair set up and a weathered gazebo, not including or discounting the site seemed rather penny pinching to me. Your florist gives the ceremony site all of its flavor. The ballroom setup was flawless, the food delicious, and the staff helpful and virtually invisible at the same time. An incredible time and venue all around.On a side note... check out the Rusty Pelican's Champagne Brunch on Sundays, AWESOME!

Overall, my experience with The Rusty Pelican was good. They are a beautiful venue and know what they are doing. However, there are a few things that I feel should be noted. Don, the wedding coordinator, is very professional the day of the wedding, but before then he is condescending, abrupt, and sometimes downright rude. He herded our wedding party through our rehearsal like a bunch of cattle and didn't even stick around after the ceremony. He often likes to answer any questions you have with his own (very obvious) questions (which is where the condescending part comes from).Another thing worth noting, if you are having a dry wedding (ours was for religious and family reasons), this is not the place to go. The options for non-alcoholic beverages are limited and the prices are obscene ($35 a gallon for punch!) I imagine it is to make up for the lack of revenue that they would have if there was a bar package purchased, which I can understand, but they could make a special package for those who chose not to have alcohol at their wedding.The day of, everything was taken care of and I didn't have a worry in the world. You just have to not let things get to you during the planning process with this venue. It is an absolutely beautiful venue with great food, which in my eyes made up for it.

I don't know where to begin....The Rusty Pelican was perfect in every way! Janida and her staff were absolutely amazing. I had planned for an outdoor wedding at the gazebo, but the weather did not cooperate, so we had the ceremony inside in the grand ballroom, same location of the reception. The staff at The Rusty Pelican transformed the ballroom for the ceremony, beautifully. Our guests still had the amazing water view from inside. The guests were moved into another ballroom for cocktail hour and the staff transformed the grand ballroom back into the reception setting. Everything was ran so smoothly and my guests loved every minute of the event. They are still talking about how beautiful it was! Rich and I loved it so much that we wish we could do it all over again and again! Thanks to everyone at The Rusty Pelican!!Heather and Rich Gunagan

Very smooth. almost no gliches and the one I did have Don took care of it without me having to worry about it.best view ever, the food was excellent, the drinks were great!i've had endless compliments since the wedding

Our brunch wedding was the most perfect event we could have dreamed of. The location itself is beautiful both inside and out. Everyone was incredibly helpful, including our rep, Janida. She was amazing. It was incredibly busy during the holidays yet she was able to lay any stresses to rest. We had a strict budget and they were very willing to work with us. I think one of my favorite things was the 15 minute break my husband and I had to enjoy some time to ourselves before the reception. I drive on the causeway everyday on my way to work and it makes me smile everytime. Everything was absolutely perfect and I highly recommend The Rsuty Pelican to any bride and groom.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED my wedding. The Rusty Pelican is awesome, the staff was awesome and my guests did nothing but RAVE about the ceremony/reception.The only downfall was our coordinator, Don. He was extremely condescending and always made me feel stupid for asking questions. He even responded once with "Um, if you would've read your contract more closely, you wouldn't be asking me these questions". He wasn't very nice to deal with and he even made my pastor want to cuss him out at the rehearsal. At least he gave my family and I something to joke about with the memories from our experience, about what a jerk our coordinator was..Other than THAT, our wedding was AWESOME!!!!!!!! :)

I loved our wedding and it was perfect and that was in large part thanks to Don and his rigid rules, timeline, etc. On the other hand he definitely always made me feel like I was not the bride but rather a bride. He certainly knows his stuff and like I said the wedding was exactly as I had wanted it but working with Don has its benefits and its negatives and I have also had friends work with him since and I have been told that guests and vendors had complained about his rudeness. All in all I would do it again because for me the wedding day made up for it.

Our wedding was planned in just 5 weeks and the Rusty Pelican did a fantastic job. We could not have been more pleased with the venue, the food, and the wedding.

Our wedding at The Rusty Pelican was beautiful. We held both our ceremony and reception there. Compared to the other venues we toured and priced, RP definitely represented high value. We worked with Don, who is a very experienced professional. I can see where some people would have an issue with his attitude at times, but the bottom line is he knows what is best, and you will be better served to go along with what he says. You will not be disappointed, I promise. The staff that worked the reception was AMAZING. They went out of their way to make sure every little detail was handled with perfection. No one had a dirty plate in front of them, no one had an empty glass, and no one was disappointed. Our guests all complimented the food as well as the service. Overall we were very pleased, and felt that the price was fair.

We were married on November 22nd. My experience was wonderful. I received so many compliments on the food, decorations, flowers, service and staff. The staff went above and beyond to make my day stress free. Our wedding could of went either way-doing a DIY wedding is not easy without the right help. Granted my mom is a wedding planner but we did our own flowers and decorations, the cake vendor didnt deliver on Sundays -Believe it or not we delivered our own cake! Scary as it was, the Rusty Pelican staff was excellent! They helped me with every aspect of my DIY wedding. Most venues were not willing to help with anything they werent hired to do. I would like to make a special mention to our Janida, she was so pleasant and never said No we dont do that-her response was its your day were here to make you happy. She made the impossible Possible. The General Manager was excellent-I cant say enough good things about it except the Rusty Pelican made all my wedding dreams come true.

Overall, having The Rusty Pelican as a venue for your wedding and / or reception is totally going to be worth it in the end. My fiance and I were always of the opinion that the views from the gazebo & reception room alone were totally worth the cost. Our wedding day was a beautiful, sunshine-filled afternoon of about 76F. The sky was a clear blue, the white gazebo sitting right at the edge of the water. The bay stretched out directly from the floor-to-ceiling reception windows, and the sunset was clearly visible to all of our gests over the course of the reception. I gave a half-star off on responsiveness and flexibility because the coordinator we worked with was quite strict about everything having to go a certain way. He was clearly very used to doing things this certain way, and was not tremendously open to alternatives (such as answering questions via e-mail. He'd always say, "call me to discuss this", even if I'd already answered everything in the e-mail). That said, they did make an exception for us to bring in an outside cake when they were not able to provide a vegan wedding cake, and they did work with us on a vegan menu, although I had to keep explaining what vegan meant several times after being assured at the initial meeting that they "do that all the time". As I said, though...in the end everything was perfect. Our coordinator's strictness came in handy on the day of the wedding as he kept everything moving at the right time, and the rest of the reception staff was very courteous and professional. Everything had been set up the way it had been promised, and there were absolutely no problems - which is a huge relief to any bride on her wedding day. The dinner ended up being delicious (although butter was served with the rolls!), and as previously stated the views could not have been better. I would recommend The Rusty Pelican to any couple thinking of getting married in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, particularly if you're looking for a package of wedding ceremony + dinner reception.

I had my ceremony and reception at The Rusty Pelican. The staff at Rusty Pelican (I worked with Steve Gurgold) was fantastic! They answered all of my questions, even if I had to call or e-mail questions that were minor, they were always there for me. The day of my wedding they were on top of their game and were more than professional! I was so pleased and so many guests compliment on the quality of service that they provided. My ceremony was at gazebo and my reception was in the Pelican Room, overlooking the bay and the gazebo area. It was absoultely beautiful and everything I wanted. In fact, I had a wedding coordinator the day of to make sure things were placed correctly and she said she barely had to lift a finger! The staff not only worked with my budget, but took care of everything the morning of, so all I had to worry about was walking down the aisle :) I would absolutely consider holding another event at The Rusty Pelican. Food, atmosphere, service, grounds, cleanliness, view....A+!!

Everything was amazing! Great location, food, service! Hands down the best wedding vendor choice we made!

Rusty Pelican is a beautiful place to have a wedding. We had our wedding there on Sunday 10/25/2009. It was a brunch wedding and it was AMAZING!!! Don is incredible and loved working with him. They treated us like we were rock stars for the day! We were offered the full brunch buffet they offer for no extra charge and I'm still hearing from people that attended the wedding of how amazing the food was and how much there was to choose from. Rusty Pelican made our wedding day the best day ever and I will always be grateful to them. This is a day you can't do over so I'm so glad we chose Rusty Pelican for ours!

I had my wedding at The Rusty Pelican. The event coordinator, Don, completely eliminated the need for an additional wedding planner. His guidance helped me throughout the whole planning stages of my wedding. He is so organized and helpful. He answered all of my questions (and I had many!!) With his attention to detail, I knew my special day would be everything I ever dreamed of. He is a true professional and an asset to this venue.

The Rusty Pelican was a beautiful place for our wedding. They did a great job setting up everything that we had. Our day was perfect. The staff was very nice and accomodating. The wedding coordinator was a little impersonable and could use a warmer approach. I understand that they do weddings everyday but this was my first and one and only. We had scheduled a meeting with one coordinator, but when meeting with another, he told us that all of the information that we were previously given was wrong. My mom and I were very organized and that made it a little frustrating to get things done. Carlos, our server, was AMAZING!!! He kept everything fun and he was really on his A-game! It was a FABULOUS day, besides some of the meetings leading up to it! I really enjoyed how they give you and your husband a 15 minute "intimate moment" to recollect before making your entrance into the reception. That was a great few minutes alone for us to regroup.I would highly recommend the Rusty Pelican for your wedding :)

If you are the type of person who does not like to do a lot of planning and you want an absoultely gorgeous wedding.... This is your place. Oh and if you get married on a Friday you save yourself a ton of money! My husband and I got married at the Rusty Pelican in Tampa, FL on Sept. 18, 2009. We got married at the gazebo right on the water and our reception was in the Grand Ball Room with huge bay windows that overlook the water. It was PERFECT! We could not have asked for a better day. The location itself is breathtaking. It does not need a lot of flowers or decorations because it is beautiful all on its own. Don Valente who is the wedding coordinator for the Rusty Pelican does a phenomenal job. He can be a little overwhelming, but he made sure everything was done in a timely manner and made sure everything was done right. If there was any problem at all.. I had no clue. :) I highly recommend this location for your wedding.

The RP is a very elegant and gorgeous venue... perfect for a waterside ceremony/reception venue without the hassle of a breezy and sandy beach wedding. The RP is very set in their ways, which makes making your wedding unique very hard to do. 15 minutes to set up your ceremony space is not nearly enough time, and if there is a wedding planned after yours, do not plan on too many pictures in the garden/gazebo before the dun sets. Don, one of the coordinators does do his job, no doubt about it, but he does have a very condescending manner to him which makes it extremely frustrating... especially to a bride who already is stressed with everything else. It would help if he were not so abrubt and understood that every client is NEW and we are not as fully aware of how the venue runs. Nonetheless, the day of could not have run any smoother! The staff is just full of extremely professional individuals, and I was completely relieved to find this out when I arrived. All in all, if you are looking for great food and a great view and you don't care how you get it, this is the place for you.

The venue was perfect, the staff very accomodating and the food delicious and a great value

The Rusty Pelican was the most beautiful venue ever. The staff was wonderful. Thanks for everything.

A beautiful venue and great back drop for photos if they would have given us the time. If I had it to do over again, I would have done more research and found something a little more unique. The food was good and our guests did enjoy the wedding and reception.

My future husband and I searched at least a dozen venues before we found The Rusty Pelican. It was so beautiful, and accommodated the outdoor wedding my husband wanted to have. The food was delicious and the view is breathtaking. I would recommend this venue for anyone's wedding. The only complaints I have is that it is VERY expensive, and the staff isn't very helpful. And any flexibility on their part is out of the question.

The ceremony site was perfect - the outside gazeebo was just what we were looking for! The reception site was beautiful with the large windows over-looking the bay. The food was the best "wedding food" that we've ever had. They really assisted in making our day go off without a hitch!

The Rusty Pelican was a beautiful place for my husband and I to have our reception. We were in the Pelican room so we were able to view the sun setting over the water as we ate our dinner. The food was excellent!! We had the filet of beef and chicken marsala. Our guests were amazed at the quanity and especially the quality of the food. The Pelican provided our wedding cake, which was from Chantilly Cakes. The cake was by far the best cake I've ever eaten. The Pelican made sure our room was finished, completely with chair covers. We were able to provide our guests with tons of food, an open bar and an incredible cake for far less than other establishments. People have told us (and keep telliing us) that our reception was the best reception they've ever been to.

The Rusty Pelican proved to be the perfect wedding and reception location for us. The Wedding Gazebo is fantastic and we are still getting comments on how amazing the wedding was! I will be recommending this venue to future brides as it was truly all I could have ever hoped or wished for!

While The Rusty Pelican was somewhat difficult to deal with before the wedding, on the day of everything was perfect. They did a really great job of making sure my husband and I were happy and well taken care of all night. They were fairly accomodating in making changes where I requested them and explained why others could not happen. Overall I was very happy and would definitely recommend this venue.

The Rusty Pelican is a beautiful venue for a wedding. I was very happy with everything the day of our wedding. The room was beautiful, guests raved about the food, the bartenders and waitresses were attentive, and everything ran according to schedule. I still can't believe how elegant our wedding was. However, they were difficult to deal with during the planning process. I only talked to our coordinater (Don) about 3 times during our engagement. I found him to be very disorganized and rude. During our wedding day he was very pleasant and organized but I was very frustrated leading up to the wedding. I would highly recommend the Rusty Pelican for a venue but ask for a different coordinator.

We had our wedding and reception at the Rusty Pelican in Nov 2008. The place was exactly what we were looking for for our small destination wedding. The food was really good, I'd give it a 4 out of 5. The wedding rep we worked with there, Heather, was nice enough, but was either new or really didn't know what she was doing. At the beginning when we asked about having 2 entrees, she specifically said we'd just be charged for the more expensive dish. Which was fine. But when the final invoice came, we were charged the the most expensive dish PLUS an additional fee per dish for 2 entrees. When I asked about that, she said I must have misunderstood. However, I had everything written down in my Wedding notebook. And after calculating the total bill, the numbers still didn't add up. I use to work at a bank, so numbers are easy for me, but apparently not so easy for this place. We ended up paying a couple of hundred dollars over what was planned, but I didn't push back as I didn't need more stress then. The reception maitre de we had was a tall asian fella who was phenomenal. He deserved a full 5 stars all by himself. He was professional and at the same time very attentive to our needs. He got us drinks and refills before we even noticed to ask, he was by our sides with a glance. And I know he did everything he could to make it as easy and carefree for us as possible. I feel terrible that I can't recall his name now months later, but the day was quite a blur. However, I would definitely recommend you request the gentleman who assisted the Nguyen/Oie wedding.

My daughter and her fiance decided to have a buffet dinner for their reception. They also wanted a beach ceremony. They were on tight budget even with their parent's help and so decided to go with a wedding package at the Rusty Pelican. This venue was my suggestion and with the help of the banquet manager and assistants we were able to have the wedding of all our dreams. The gazebo on the bay at the venue was beautiful and provided the perfect romantic backdrop for the ceremony and the grand ballroom was so beautiful at night. The wall to wall windows over looking Tampa Bay just created the perfect ambiance for the reception. My friends and family members are still raving about the beauty of the night.

My Mom insisted we have our wedding and reception at the Rusty Pelican and I'm so glad we decided to! We originally wanted to get married on the beach, but we decided to have everything all in one place rather than have everyone drive from one location to another. It was still an outdoor wedding on the waterfront (right on the Bay), which provided the perfect backdrop for our romantic Florida-style ceremony. It was held under the gazebo in the garden, and I didn't have to deal with sand blowing all over me, my dress, my flowers, and my guests! After the ceremony and photos, during the guests' cocktail hour we were ushered into a quiet area by a fireplace (it was chilly that day) and they brought us food, wine, and whatever else we needed or wanted. This gave us time to recuperate and "soak it all in" before heading into the reception. Once we got to the room (the Grand Ballroom), we were mesmerized by how beautifully lit it all was. All of our vendors worked together with the Rusty Pelican to provide exacatly the ambiance we were hoping for. One of the most important aspects of our ceremony besides the ambiance was the food, drinks, cake, and dessert. When we had our tasting, I couldn't have been more impressed. Other places where I've attended weddings usually have mediocre food, at best. We had the chicken marsala, trout with lemon sauce, and they even accomodated my husband, who is a vegetarian, by creating a dish for us that isn't on their menu: the yummiest spinach lasagne I've ever had, simply OOZING with cheese! It was so tasty, all of it! The best part is that the food was exactly the same at the reception as what we had at our tasting. We were worried that it wouldn't be as good as at our tasting, but we were more than pleasantly surprised! If you are looking for a venue that will take care of almost every aspect of your wedding, this is definitely the place to do it.

The Rusty Pelican is beautiful. The food is excellent. The wait staff are very professional.

The Rusty Pelican was great. Don was very helpful and answered all my questions promptly. He is very organized and the day went smoothly. The setting was beautiful and the food was great I couldn't have asked for more. Our guest had a great time.

Overall, we were very satisfied with the Rusty Pelican. We were switched around a couple times to new wedding coordinators and we ended up with Don and Heather. You can always reach them by phone, email was a little difficult. I booked the smallest room, The Tampa Room for 60 guests. That was the max the room could hold and it was nice and cozy. Service on the day of the wedding was fabulous. Our room manager was Dee Tombs and she went above and beyond her duties. Besides handling some of my requests, she even pinned bouts on my guys since we did not have a florist. Little things like that helped a lot. The food and atmosphere was wonderful. All of our guests throughly enjoyed themselves.

Best location ever.... Couldn't have asked for better food and service. Myself and my guest were treated like Kings and Queens for the night. For being a summer wedding, seeing the sun set, just perfect!

The staff was helpful and professional, easy to plan, answered all my questions, beautiful setting, amazing banquet room

The food was delicious and the atmosphere was festive. Only complaint I have, as well as from a few of our guests, was that the service was a little less than stellar.

The electric was not sufficiant in the ballrom to have the lighting we needed. Had to have generators. Don was our coordinator he was very abrupt and not flexable almost pushy it was his way or no way.

The Rusty Pelican was great. As the bride I was treated like royalty and I didn't have to think about anything. The staff made sure I was where I needed to be and doing what I needed to be doing at all times. Which, trust me, is exactly what you will want on the big day.

This was a great wedding venue! Don catered to all of our needs. I have never had a better experience. The venue was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for more.

The food and location was fabulous, but our wedding planner person Don was rude, and unprofessional. On the day of the event we were promised an alternative location in the event of rain (our ceremony was outside). Well, it just so happened there was rain, and we discovered that we were lied to, and their excuse was opps we doublebooked....they offered to allow us to have the ceremony on our dance floor of the reception! Luckily for us the rain stopped an hour before the ceremony, and we were able to have it outside as planned.

The staff at the Rusty Pelican are wedding pros. Whatever we needed, wanted or had questions about, they were on top of it all! I was apprehensive about having our wedding at the RP after hearing from other couples the problems they had, but I have to say, they knew what they were doing. Everything went smoothly.

We booked the venue when they had floor to ceiling windows in the main ballroom. A few months before the wedding, they decided to do major renovations on the room and never told any of the brides. The restaurant was a bit run down as no one was paying attention to the details of the bathroom or common areas. The corporate office was VERY difficult to work with when we had to resolve issues. The coordinator, Don, was efficient and nice but a bit inflexible. After a year of working together, he couldn't even stick around for 5 minutes after the ceremony to say congratulations. You feel like you are a number in a wedding factory. On a positive note, the food was great and the head captain, the night of the wedding, was fantastic.

We planned our wedding with the Rusty Pelican and their catering/wedding deparment beginning 18 months in advance. They are for the most part very helpful but once you lock things in make sure you have made the choices you're happy with as changing things can be difficult. Overall they are a great value, right on Tampa Bay, beautiful location for the ceremony on the water at sunset, multiple reception rooms on water, a great value. I would highly recommend!!

My Wedding Coordinator was Don at the Rusty Pelican he was extremely professional and organized. The day of the wedding I did not have to worry about a thing, everything went so smoothly, it was a blissful day. I'm so glad I did my wedding at the Rusty Pelican, they provided the ceremony/reception location, tables, chairs, linens and bows, catering, cake, and the honeymoon suite for your wedding night. They make sure everything goes according to plan so you my enjoy your day, guests, and new husband. It was a pleasure doing business with them.

It was amazing to get married in front of the ocean, though be careful what time it is because the sun was going down and it was melting everyone!

I was very UPSET at the fact that they got my color scheme wrong on the chairs, i wanted apple red and it was more of an orange, so nothing matched!

They are great. They addressed all my concerns and helped me make my special day amazing.

This is a fantastic reception location. The staff has always been professional and the mood is fantastic overlooking the bay. It makes for a great photo location for portraits before the reception. Think Sunset! Beautiful.

I have had the pleasure of performing many weddings on their property over the past 6 years and found their management team very helpful as well as professional. Their meals are excellent and a good bargain for the money spent.

I have had the pleasure of performing many weddings on their property over the past 6 years and found their management team very helpful as well as professional. Their meals are excellent and a good bargain for the money spent.

Great venue, had the amazing opportunity to coordinate a Greek wedding here in 2008! Staff is professional and flexible to the bride, groom, and entire family needs!

The Rusty Pelican is located near Tampa Airport on upper Tampa Bay. Don Valente is known for his eye toward details. The Rusty Pelican always delivers and the garden and water setting make for great photographs.

My company, Music On The Move DJ's, has been performing Weddings & other Events at the beautiful Rusty Pelican since 1995! The Rusty Pelican is the perfect place to host your Wedding Reception and Ceremony. They have the perfect area to have your ceremony; which includes a gazebo and lush tropical plants by the water. And of course the ballrooms all have spectacular views of the water. The staff are always courteous and helpful. I would certainly recommend having your special event at the Rusty Pelican.

"Twilight on the Bay Bridal Open House" was fantastic!Congratulations to DON VALENTE and all the ladies and gentlemen associated with him for the most successful Bridal Show. He displayed his venue to the fullest and Don coordinated everything, as he does a Wedding- Perfect. It looked beautiful. The couples and their parents ate and even danced in the Ballroom. Everyone was happy! We love the Rusty Pelican!Fred and CristinaFelten Video

We can't say enough positive things about The Rusty Pelican! First Class all the way. One of the jewels of Tampa Bay. From the breath taking view to the superb staff you can't go wrong with booking your event or wedding here!! We HIGHLY recommend The Rusty Pelican! 5 stars:)

I am a cake vendor on the Rusty Pelican list. They refer me to their potential brides. What I do have to say about the Rusty Pelican is that they make my life easy!!! They are extremely efficient and have weddings down to a science. How else could they do 250+ weddings a year. I love the fact that a week before the wedding they send me a fax and let me know the logistics of the wedding and exact time they would like me to arrive. I really appreciate this second "check up". They always have the cake table ready and available, I never have to look for the table, linens, etc... It makes my job that much easier!! All the coordinators are fantastic to work with!!Thank you Rusty PelicanLaurie CinelliA Piece of Cake

I've had the good fortune of playing at the Rusty Pelican on a regular basis since 1992, and it has always been one of my favorite venues. Not only does it offer breathtaking views of Tampa Bay, but the Rusty's food is delicious, their service is spectacular, and their management team is second to none. The interior has lovely rustic setting, and a warm, cozy atmosphere perfect for parties. From room decor to food presentation, the Rusty Pelican's attention to detail is truly amazing. Thanks to their very capable staff, each event is coordinated with a high degree of precision, always delivering exactly what their customers are looking for. I cannot say enough good things about the Rusty Pelican and highly recommend this wonderful venue for your wedding reception or next special event.

The Rusty Pelican is one the most beautiful venues for a wedding in greater Tampa Bay. It is an absolute pleasure to work with the Rusty Pelican wedding staff. They are detailed orientated professionals who do all they can to make sure a couple’s wedding is perfect. I always enjoy officiating a wedding at the Rusty Pelican and I am honored to be on their preferred Vendor list.

As a preferred vendor for the Rusty Pelican, we see many of their brides. Everyone comments on the professionalism of the staff and the beauty of the site. We are honored to be able to work with them!

Ah, the Rusty Pelican. My favorite venue! I am out of words....The ambiance is so breathtaking, anytime of the year. We work very well with their staff. The staff is very courteous, professional and timely! Sharron, Don and Janida and Susan are a great team. Their attention to detail, timeliness and professionalism becomes evident in the joyful outcome of the weddings. The food is mouth watering delicious! We went their on a few occasions for brunch, and had a blast. As for weddings, it is a very elegant, outdoorsy waterside place. Great for photographs, sunsets and romantic walks. I hear so many raves about the venue from guests. Try it, and you will love it!

We have had the pleasure of working with the staff at the Rusty Pelican for several years and continue to be amazed at their organizational skills in providing wonderful error free service to the many wedding celebrations they host. It's a team effort - Don Sharon and Janida are excellent co-ordinators, and are committed to providing their Brides with the very best and do so impeccably. The Banquet staff are just awsome led by great Captains, you will receive attentive professional service all the way through your Reception - wonderful food too. We, the vendors are part of the team and as a group are committed to helping each other, making sure we provide the best possible service for your wedding. But the Best has to be its unique waterside Gazebo and stunning views from it and the three main reception rooms - a combination no other venue in the area can match. The Rusty Pelican offers great value for money - perhaps the best in Tampa - you do need to put them on your list of possible venues and see for yourself.

We have been on the referral list at the Rusty Pelican for many years now and have found the venue dedicated to excellence. Their staff changes very little which tells you that people like working there and serving the bride's. When we set up a wedding, we always see Don or Janeda walk thru the room before the doors open- checking on all the details- are the mirrors clean, are the linens just right , is every detail in place. They have perfected the art of making it look easy. I have even seen the management on their hands and knees working on a spill on the carpet- nothing goes unnoticed.They also make sure that your wedding ceremony stays punctual and that guests know where to go. The food is served exactly as it should be- on time and hot because of their diligence to the schedule. It is our pleasure to work with the professionals at The Rusty Pelican - Rocky Point.