The Rusty Pelican

We had an amazing wedding at the Rusty Pelican in Tampa. Our ceremony was outside, private, and just beautiful. Our reception was in the Grand Ballroom with amazing views of the bay. Don was excellent to work with and made the planning process stress free. All of our vendors were on the preferred vendor list and fabulous to work with.The service and the food was terrific. I would highly recommend this venue. Our guests loved everything about this venue especially the views. Thank you RP, Don, and staff for making our day the wedding of our dreams!

We worked with Don at the Rusty Pelican and he was amazing! Very professional and courteous!! This place was so wonderful!! Everyone who worked here were so nice and went out of there way to help us. My husband and I are so EXCITED that we had found and chosen this pace for our wedding!!! Everything went so smooth and the facility took care of everything!! (SUCH A RELIEF!) This place is every brides dream!!!

I cannot say enough great things about The Rusty Pelican in Tampa, FL! They did an absolute amazing job. We had both our ceremony and reception there. Sarah was our coordinator and she was VERY easy to talk to and very easy to get in touch with...for all those last minute questions/details! We had so many compliments about how wonderful and organized our wedding was and we have Sarah and The Rusty Pelican staff to thank for that! It is truly a beautiful location.

The Rusty Pelican was beautiful. The view in the room is breathtaking. This venue gave me everything I wanted for my wedding and the staff was great to work with. They are very organized and make wedding planning very easy. The Rusty Pelican has a great open house to pick vendors off their preferred list. I cannot imagine getting married anywhere else.

The Rusty Pelican was the venue for my reception. The food is amazing and the exclusive packages are fantastic. You get a lot included in your package selection which makes planning so much easier. Don and his team catered to everything, it was an amazing reception.

The Rusty Pelican is actually where me and my husband love to go for celebrations - birthday, anniversaries and other special dates. We didn't even know it was a wedding venue as well until we saw a bride there on one of our visits. Once we started the planning process, it was his first suggestion. I went and met with Don and instantly decided we had to get married there. You can't beat the ceremony site. It's the best way to do waterfront without having to be in the sand. Our reception was in the Grand Ballroom and that room doesn't need much to be beautiful. Don was our coordinator and I really appreciated how easy he made the planning process. If you follow his list, then nothing can go wrong. I'm so thankful for his guidance and reassuring words as I got out of the limo. Exactly what a nervous/anxious bride needed. After the ceremony, we were transitioned to Norma, the banquet managers service and she absolutely wonderful. She took care of us the entire night and was so attentive to every need. Everyone who worked there was so nice and great to work with, but Norma was truly a gem. The food was delicious and the bar service was great. We are so happy we have another Rusty Pelican memory and look forward to going back for the next special occasion.

I have recently just got married at the Rusty Pelican. They were great. The service that day was impeccable, we never had a single problem. The staff on the day was very fast, efficient, caring, elegant and just perfect. The food we heard ohhs and awws..it was tasty and a lot of choices to choose from. There is an Open Bar option with your package or not if you choose. My coordinator was Don, he was very helpful and kept things smooth. The weather was perfect and everything fell into place. The Dj, (Dj Hardy) Photographer (NeilShannonPhotography),Florist (forbetterforless) and pelican staff worked in Sync with each other. They have done so many weddings together they are a family. I didn't have to worry about one single thing besides not tripping as I walked down the aisle.

Fabulous, flawless, spectacular...just a few of the words to describe our experience with Sarah and her entire staff at the Rusty Pelican! The food, the attention to detail, the courteous service, we had it all and more! The room looked stunning and we could not be more pleased with our entire experience from beginning to end! Thank you for making our daughters wedding day even more special!

My husband and I loved getting married at the Rusty Pelican! It is THE place to get married if you want an outdoor ceremony, indoor reception and the least amount of planning stress as possible!! It is amazing how much stuff they do for you and Don, who we worked with, is a true professional and knows exactly how to keep his vendors and his brides on schedule! I never had much of anything to worry about, in fact I would email him periodically and ask if I should be doing anything, but he just reassures you that everything is being handled. The venue itself is beautiful and I can't wait to see our pictures!! Overall, you will not be disappointed by choosing the Rusty Pelican. The food is delicious, the service is excellent and the view is amazing!!

Words can not describe how fantastic The Rusty Pelican is for a wedding venue!! It is such a great venue..pretty private, amazing food, super friendly staff, and omg the VIEWS!!!!!!! You won't regret choosing this place for your venue, I promise!!!!!
We worked with Sarah and she was just awesome. So easy to talk to and so helpful from start to finish! She truly made this experience so great for us. Planning a wedding can be stressful and overwhelming. Between Sarah and The Rusty Pelican you are honestly in such good hands. We used all of the preferred vendors which helped make things even smoother and I couldn't be happier I did! I highly recommend The Rusty Pelican!!

The Rusty Pelican was wonderful. From the moment I met Don, who can be a little overbearing and set in his ways (trust me, it works), I was taken back by how easy the place was to work with. Stick to the preferred vendor list, the people on it were amazing. Food was wonderful, NORMA was amazing during the night, and people were amazed at our view and our reception room. The only thing I do not like was that my wedding had to end by 10:30 PM... Just a little disappointment to some of us who like to party more then others. Otherwise, perfect place for everything! Hats off to you!

The coordinators are there for you at every moment, are very helpful- and listen to your wishes. The venue is beauty in itself- so you can either go all out - or just do simple- and no matter what- it will be stunning! They're super flexible and their deadlines and information reasonable. Food is GREAT- service amazing and I would do my wedding all over there again! Please consider the option of doing your ceremony there- its easy, beautiful (they time it with the sunset!- we even had dolphins jumping durning the ceremony!) and very convenient. I can't say enough praise about this place!! They made me feel like a princess!

My guests could not believe how delicious the food was! I keep getting complements on it! The wait-staff is excellent and very professional.
Plenty of food and satisfied...

Don was absolutely wonderful. He is so professional and detail oriented that I knew I had nothing to worry about. I am a control freak, and I don't give up control unless I totally trust someone. The staff was great too :)

The Rusty Pelican truly cannot be matched. It is truly a stress free process and so easy. There list of recommended vendors made my day run so well and they were all fantastic. Sarah made met feel at ease even when I emailed her five times a day! The food is 5 star worthy, I still have guests raving about how good the filet and grouper were. Some of our guests even said it was the best filet they ever had! Our entire ceremony and reception went off without a hitch! Our signature cocktail was amazing and included in the price of our event. Countless guests said it was the best wedding they had ever been to. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for fantastic views and a wonderful experience!

This place will give you a fairytale wedding. We had our ceremony and our reception (The Grand Ballroom) here. Our coordinator Sarah was the best! She made everything so easy. I knew I was in good hands and would be kept on track with her. The Rusty Pelican and all of their staff are simply amazing. The food is incredible as well. I received compliments all night about how beautiful the view was from the ballroom and how gorgeous the ceremony was. After the ceremony, Sarah swept us away with champagne and some food to snack on. It was nice having that moment with my new husband and the chance to take everything in. Once the reception began, Sarah slipped away and we were taken care of by Norma. She was there the whole night and was amazing. I did not lift a finger the entire night. I was able to enjoy the whole night without a single worry. Great venue and staff!!! :)

We worked with Don at the Rusty Pelican and he is FABULOUS!! I never once worried about the execution of our day because I was confident that Don had everything under control. He keeps you on track every step of the way. The service is absolutely, hands down phenomenal! They took great care of us all night!! The food is top notch and you cannot beat the location, the views, the rooms. Everything went as planned and turned out beautifully.

The only difficulty we encountered was a big puddle of water on the sidewalk (where I was supposed to walk down the aisle to the gazebo). It was difficult to walk in the grass around it to avoid getting my dress soaking...

The Rusty Pelican has it down. They know how to put on an event. Everything was beautiful and taken care of. They saved my groom and I a plate of hors devours and served it to us in our own private room with champagne. They had servers get our every request. The food is amazing and the place is very beautiful. The only problem is sometimes Don can let his frustration show a little too well while still in planning stages and it makes the client feel like a bother or that Don is being rude. Don, however, makes sure your event is on time and running smoothly. Overall - great venue.

I can't say enough about how happy my husband and I are that we chose to have our wedding reception at the Rusty Pelican. The location can't be beat with the floor to ceiling bay windows with water views, beautiful rooms and a stunning fireplace entryway. We worked with Don from start to finish in the planning process and he was excellent. I was a little apprehensive about even visiting here based on reviews I'd read about him but I have nothing but wonderful things to say about him and the level of service he provided. He is impeccably organized which worked well for me because I am as well. He was very accommodating and extremely responsive in answering my questions throughout the planning.

As for the day of....AMAZING! After pictures, Don led us inside for a private moment to see the Grand Ballroom all set up before any guests, so we could take it all in and see how it had all come together. It was stunning. Then he led us to a separate room to enjoy a private 10 mins together with appetizers and cocktails. Then the reception began and the remainder of the evening was flawless. Another woman took care of evening from start to finish and catered to our every need, before we even knew we needed anything! Even from little details such as rushing to our side after the cake cutting to provide us with warm towels to wipe the cake from our faces. At one point I went to the bar with a friend and they didn't have the beer I had requested so I opted for more champagne instead...no biggie...but not 5 mins later, a server had found me and handed me the beer I had requested earlier. That is 5-star service and did not go unnoticed.

As for the food..again AMAZING! we still have guests telling us how good their meals were and was the best wedding meal they had ever had!

I have to give Rusty Pelican the highest rating possible because I honestly have no complaints! I definitely recommend at least visiting here in your venue search...it's...

Rusty Pelican was the perfect spot to hold my wedding reception. The view on the water is breathtaking, the central location between Brandon and Clearwater (where our guests are from) worked out beautifully. The buffet we chose was excellent, you can't go wrong with the preferred vendors list they provide- the vendors know what they are doing and have worked together many times before. I had Don as my wedding planner. He is precise and straight to the point. If he gives you paperwork to follow, follow it to a T. I asked any random question I had by e-mailing him. His responses are short and to the point. Don is a busy man who knows what he is doing. Don't take his personality personally. I hired him because of his personality. He gets stuff done, and gets stuff done right- the first time. He was a pleasure working with him. Rusty Pelican is a great place to have your wedding- they know what they are doing- if you want to minimize stress to your wedding I strongly recommend hiring Rusty Pelican to ensure you have a great wedding.

Don Valente handled our wedding at the Rusty Pelican and he could not have done a better job. He responds to e-mails almost immediately. Our day went so smoothly and everything was perfect. He is such a good manager you don't even notice him there the day of. I got so many compliments on the food. We had the chicken and petite filet and the grouper. My food was excellent and perfectly cooked. Some told me it was the best food they ever had at a wedding. The scenery there is beautiful and I can't wait to see my professional photos. The vendors they recommend are excellent as well.

Don, the event coordinator, did an amazing job with all the planning & execution of our wedding. We were very pleased with how everything turned out. The staff was very helpful & professional. Beautiful venue.

My HUSBAND and I had our reception here on July 6th. Sarah helped with the planning process and made my wedding planning so easy. The day of the wedding ran smoothly and beautifully. I must have emailed 1,000 times with questions and Sarah always responded immediately. People are still raving about how good the food was and what an awesome time they had the reception!! My husband and I had such a great time we wish we could do it all over again!!

My HUSBAND and I had our reception here on July 6th. Sarah helped with the planning process and made my wedding planning so easy. The day of the wedding ran smoothly and beautifully. I must have emailed 1,000 times with questions and Sarah always responded immediately. People are still raving about how good the food was and what an awesome time they had the reception!! My husband and I had such a great time we wish we could do it all over again!!

The Rusty Pelican was the perfect venue for our July wedding! The view in the Grand Ballroom is a beautiful and romantic backdrop. Sarah and all others worked together to make the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the wedding run smoothly. She went above and beyond to help make sure everything was perfect! My husband and I had such a wonderful time and can not stop talking about how much we loved our special day! The food was very good and many guests complimented what a wonderful time they had. Even when there were a few bumps in the road due to Tropical Storm Debbie the week before, everyone at the Rusty Pelican made sure to pull off a beautiful ceremony and reception. Thank you to everyone involved!

Wow!! The Rusty Pelican was AMAZING!! Don did a fantastic job coordinating our wedding. We had a few unique touches and he pulled them off beautifully. He also helped us negotiate a vendor issue so that it was solved quickly. On the day of the wedding both Don and Sarah were FABULOUS!! They made sure we had plenty to eat and were in the right spot at the right time. Our event was moved indoors due to rain and everything worked out so smoothly. It was hard to even tell we were indoors with the great view of the water. What a fabulous location! I wish I could do it all over again. I HIGHLY recommend the Rusty Pelican and Don (and Sarah, although I only met her the night of the wedding) for an amazing wedding!!!

The Rusty Pelican is the PERFECT place for a waterside ceremony and reception! This place is a hidden gem! You would be so lucky to book with them! Don in event services didn't miss a single thing, he answered questions before I had them! He made things so special for our day, even though he often does 5+ weddings a weekend! It all felt so personal. He is easy to reach and the staff is so professional. Our "room director" for the evening was so very attentive!!!! The food was phenomenal! The services including linen and cake choosing were right on. If you want a stressful planning experience, this is not for you! They made things so very, very easy! The site is beautiful and romantic, the food is delicious and again Don makes things as easy as they can possibly be. Best of luck new brides!!!!

Don was our wedding planner at the Rusty Pelican. He was absolutely amazing to work with. Everything I ever dreamed of came true that night. The servers and wait staff were wonderful, Carlos and Al were awesome. My guest loved them both. They both took care of everything. Everything from begin to end was perfect. Nothing went wrong. Plenty of food for dinner. Cocktail hour was amazing I was told. I would highly recommend the Rusty Pelican for a wedding. Don and Sarah are both wonderful to work with.

i enjoyed my wedding it turned out beautiful and the service was great

Absolutely stunning!! Exceptional service and delishes food. staff was organized and attentive!I had no worries on my wedding day !!!

I havent had my reception yet but I liked The Rusty Pelican when I saw it because the area is beautiful. I personally feel that it has not been kept up as nicely as it should considering the price. I am getting the ceiling treatment to cover up the ceiling because I find it to look quite run down. The people there are nice and I'm looking forward to my reception. I would like to talk to brides getting married in April 2013 if possible for decoration ideas.

Sarah was our coordinator for the entire planning process. She answered all of my questions and had everything perfect and stress-free for me on our actual wedding day. I loved that after the ceremony I was able to hide out in the sales office with my new hubby and enjoy some beer and our appetizers before facing the crowd again. Everything was beautiful, all the guests had a blast, and our bartender who made our specialty wedding shot (inappropriately named by our inappropriate friends) did a great job. I enjoyed every second of it and never wanted it to end. The rusty Pelican was a BEAUTIFUL venue and they made all of the planning process completely stress free. I already know we'll be going back for our one year anniversary dinner! Thank you to Sarah and our dinner captain for EVERYTHING!

I got married on 3-23-12 and everything was perfect. We worked with Don and he was great. He answered my questions quickly and with straight foward answers. Everything started on time and went smoothly. Everyone looked the venue and the food.

At the Rusty Pelican you really get a lot for your money and it is such a beautiful place. I will recommend it to...

I can't say enough about the Rusty Pelican! It was perfect and they are so on top of everything! Don was our coordinator and while there were many negative reviews regarding his services...he is really wonderful! If you remain organized, stick to the lists/schedules that he gives to you, and make all of your questions/concerns/requests known then you are all set! The ceremony at the gazebo was flawless and everything is timed perfectly. I had heard some guests saying that they ran out of appetizers during cocktail hours but others who said there was plenty...not sure what the case was but everyone loved the food. The reception room came out beautiful in the grand ballroom! While the Rusty Pelican will not set up centerpieces that you make yourself, they will take EVERYTHING not related to the centerpieces the day before the event and set them up...ie. card box, candle lighters, cake server/knife, disposable cameras, bubbles, programs, menu cards, etc. I heard nothing but excellent feedback from all our guests...they loved the Rusty Pelican and so did we! The head person during our event after Don left was Norma who was wonderful also...always making sure me and my husband's drinks were filled/replaced and that we were happy. The meal was delicious...filet and chicken marsala, and the bartender, Jessie, was great also! Would highly recommend this venue for any bride wanting the perfect wedding with little stress.

The Rusty Pelican made our wedding day perfect! Thanks to Don and his staff! The Rusty Pelican does everything from the ceremony to reception. You even get your own wedding planner to create your perfect day!

From the first moment I toured The Rusty Pelican, I knew it was the perfect venue for my wedding reception. Don was my wedding coordinator and he was amazing to work with, as well as, all the other staff who are employed at The Rusty Pelican. The ballroom was the picture of perfection; they listened and helped make my vision into a reality. The food was amazing and the wait staff were attentive. My husband and I were catered to the entire evening. I also received multiple compliments from friends and family regarding how delicious their dinner was. I would recommend The Rusty Pelican to anyone who is having a wedding or event, it was a great experience.

The Rusty Pelican was a great location for our wedding reception. Don was very knowledgeable and able to help us plan the right reception for us. He was slightly difficult to communicate with during the planning process. However, the event went very smoothly the day of and we really enjoyed our wedding reception! The food was also very delicious and the drinks were great. Thank you again for a wonderful wedding reception.

From the second I walked into the Rusty Pelican on Christmas Eve 2010, I fell in love. The view of the entire restaurant is gorgeous but the view in the Grand Ballroom, where our reception took place, is incredible. Our guests, most from out of town, were in awe of the ambiance those windows create, as well as the warm feeling the Rusty Pelican possesses. People are actually still telling me how delicious the food was and a friend even tried, unsuccessfully, to duplicate their bow-tie scampi pasta! We had the grand buffet with wine service at dinner and everything was amazing. The staff at the Rusty Pelican were extremely helpful, yet unseen most of the day! I don't know how they did it :). Don was my coordinator. His attention to detail was very much appreciated! If you are organized and on top of things, you will love working with him. The second my groom and I arrived at the Rusty Pelican he grabbed our hands and led us into our room to take it all in untouched. It was such a nice moment for John and I. He then brought us both drinks and told us to enjoy. I would not have changed one thing. Multiple guests have told me it was the most fun, most beautiful reception they have ever attended. I can't wait to go back for celebratory dinners in the future!

I would recommend the Rusty Pelican to anyone for any event. I have attended many events at this venue and book annual office Christmas events here as well. They always do a fabulous job and did not disappoint for this very special personal event either!! Kudos to Don for absolutely excellent coordination & organization. Carlos was a terrific maitre d' who took extra special care of every detail. Valerie & her staff from Pristine Pictures captured all of our beautiful memories on film. Tim with DJ Hardy & Company kept the place hopping & his sense of humor was hilarious. Publix created a spectacular & delicious wedding cake. Our only issue was with with hair & make-up...the artist was an hour late to our home which cut into our pre-event photo session and was pretty much the only stress in a day we decided we would thoroughly enjoy. So...no good review for hair & make-up. However, our photographer, Valerie, did a great job getting us through that session in short order and was still able to capture beautiful pre-event shots in the gazebo & out by the water. What a GREAT day we had!!!

the rusty pelican is an amazing place to hod a wedding reception it was beautiful, and everyone was a delight to work with they call you back right away and answer all of your questions, we had sarah as our event leader she was wonderful.

We worked with Sarah throughout our wedding planning and she is absolutely AMAZING to work with. She virtually was our wedding planner all the way until we were being announced at the reception, then we were sad to see her leave. The staff at The Rusty Pelican are nothing but professional and really make you feel like you are the most important person during your event!! Our captain was Norma and she really did a wonderful job throughout the reception to make our guests happy and a priority! What you pay for your event to be held here is more than worth the money, as you reduce a lot of your stress by allowing them to handle it all!! The gazebo at night is so beautiful and just right for anyone that isn't looking for a church venue!

Thanks to Sarah, Norma and the rest of the staff at The Rusty Pelican for making our wedding night a hit with all of our guests!! It really was a beautiful night!!

I had a great experience at the Rusty Pelican.
They offer a great price for a full service wedding! They have an amazing vendor list and an absolutely beautiful location! No complaints here! My wedding was beautiful, the food was great, and the guests were happy!
I worked with Don and he is very organized. He provides you with a timeline that makes the wedding planning easy and keeps you from getting overwhelmed.
I know not everyone enjoys working with Don but I think he does and excellent job, a true asset to the Rusty Pelican.
He's very honest and direct so that you will have a beautiful wedding. I think the folks who don't enjoy working with him are the ones who don't do their own legwork and have unreasonable expectations.
If you get married here you're guaranteed to have everything run smooth and a beautiful wedding.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!!

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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!

No words can express my satisfaction with the Rusty Pelican and their staff. In the middle of planning, our contact at the venue left, but the staff at Rusty Pelican never missed a beat. They worked with us up until the last minute to ensure that our day would go on without a hitch. The food was yummy and our cake was delicious! We were upgraded to a bigger room with a view of the bay. What a wonderful surprise! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

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 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 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.

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.

Have you been to this venue? It's gorgeous! Waterfront views in every room! The rustic charm adds a touch of elegance to suite any style. Don and Sarah are so great. They are knowledgeable, professional and on top of their games. You have no worries about your event going off without a hitch if you follow their lead! The ceremony gazebo is stunning, the vendors they refer are top notch and you ae sure to have a beautiful and memorable day!

As a Master Of Ceremony there are many factors that can either contribute or distract from the comfort of the guest and what I call the "celebration factor". The staff of the Rusty Pelican does an amazing job setting the rooms, serving the guest and making every person feel at home. Most of all, they personally take care of each bride and groom's every need and thus the outcome allows me the master of Cermony/DJ to be able to maximize my skills in creating an atmosphere of celebration and amazing memories.

While being a Perferred Vendor at the Rusty Pelican over the past 5 years, I can truly say, "The Rusty Pelican Offers 5 Star Treatment to their Brides"! I capture events at several different venues, however...The quality of service that Rusty gives is nearly unmatched. Don and Sarah help take away the stress by providing to quality vendors for every aspect of a wedding...Definately one of the top venues in Tampa Bay to say..."I Do".

IF you are looking for spectacular waterfront views and sunsets head over to the Rusty Pelican. Talk to Don or Sarah. Book your event with them and sit back and enjoy. They'll take care of the rest.

It is always a pleasure working with Don and Sarah.. Friendly , knowledgeable and their to attention details is what keeps all of my clients happy with the location and recommending to their friends...

We love working with Don and all the folks at the Rusty Pelican! We're the only preferred photo booth vendor of choice for the Rusty Pelican in Tampa, FL.

The Rusty Pelican is THE most coveted wedding venue in the West Florida Area! It is our favorite venue to photograph our designer weddings.
Exquisite service, food, a breathtaking panorama....its all there. It is definitely a Full Service venue with Panache. We love it so much that our studio averages around 75-80 weddings there a year!

Love this place! Best of both worlds - on the water yet close toTampa. Great food and Don (D as in details!) is amazing!!!!

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 Cristina
Felten 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 Pelican
Laurie Cinelli
A 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!