Tampa Bay Watch

Working with Laura and Tampa Bay Watch was a wonderful experience. We held our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception all at this venue. It made it all so easy for our guests, most of which were from out of town. We held everything outside and we were the first wedding to use a tent for the reception. I still can't get over the transformation. With the already gorgeous scenic waterfront view, the use of the tent with the lighting, the flowers, everything was unbelievable! The rental cost for us seemed a little high sense we weren't using much of there facilities but was completely understandable since that was obviously our choice. It's also a great feeling knowing that the fee goes towards their educational programing. If you are looking for a outdoor, but not beach venue- I don't know how it could be any better than Tampa Bay Watch.

Great place for our wedding! So beautiful and everyone was great to work with.

The staff at TBW are amazing. They are there for you every step of the way and they want your day to be as special as you do! TBW has the most beautiful view and grounds that will make your beach wedding spectacular! The moment we stepped foot on the balcony, we knew we weren't going to have to look any further for a venue.
Thank you TBW!

Gorgeous venue. A bit on the small side for larger wedding, but we just need to get creative with the various spaces available. They were pretty flexible with my crazy ideas including hitting biodegradable goftballs into the gulf. Tracy and Laura were a huge help on the day of the wedding. We were a do-it-yourself Bride and Groom and during set up while we decorated and set up, Tracy and Laura folded 150 napkins for me!

Beautiful location, hands down the best sunset location!

When my husband and I checked out Tampa Bay Watch we both immediately fell in love. We thought it was beautiful and knew they were there for a great cause. Then, we met Laura and knew that Tampa Bay Watch was our venue; she was so approachable and we could tell she loved her job. The day of our wedding, we were greeted by another member of their staff, Tracy, and she was just as excellent. She was there every step of the way to make our wedding run smooth. We love TBW and we are were so blessed to have our wedding at such a wonderful place. Thanks again TBW, Laura, and Tracy for making our wedding beautiful!

This was the one and only place we wanted to get married. We live in Washington DC, but were going to get married in St Pete where my family lives. Once we saw TBW, everything else paled in comparison. The stunning setting on the water, the beautiful lighthouse, and the fact that your money is going to a great cause all sealed the deal for us. In addition to that - Laura McMurdock is the BEST. She was beyond helpful and accommodating, answering every email and question right away, giving us great advice on where to begin the vendor search, how best to arrange tables, you name it. She's done a million weddings and it shows. We were nervous about coordinating everything from so far away, but Laura helped make everything much less stressful and we're so grateful to her for that. And TBW is the perfect place rain or shine. It rained on our wedding, but our ceremony was just as beautiful on the deck as it would've been on the lawn. We're so happy we picked TBW!

Laura was great and the location was perfect!!!!!!!!

It was a beautiful and convenient venue but it was very expensive and the staff was unwilling to be flexible with us. The staff was helpful when it came to set-up and orchestrating the day of. It is not a good venue for a late-night reception as they are unwilling to stay open very late.

It was an excellent experience having our ceremony and reception at Tampa Bay Watch. The venue is gorgeous and Laura (POC there) was extremely helpful and easy to work with. She was very flexible and helped calm any worries that we even thought about having....and she is always smiling!

If given the choice, we would absolutely have our wedding there again. We will never forget the great experience we had at TBW.

Tampa Bay Watch was such a beautiful site to have our wedding! Even when it rained and we had to go with plan B - which hadn't really been set up - it still turned out intimate and perfect! Laura, the coordinator, is so easy going and makes things happen. She worked her butt off during the wedding to make sure everything was going as planned. When we had issues with the caterer, she handled them and I didn't even know about it until after! What a great experience overall! :)

The Tampa Bay Watch is the perfect venue for those couples who want an old Florida setting for their wedding. It is a beautiful coastal spot and a great alternative to beach/hotel weddings. We loved being able to bring all our own vendors in. Laura is great, very flexible and accommodating (although admittedly there were a couple of times I felt she didn't get back to me quickly on some things). The cost of the venue is also a little high, but it helps that you can save on catering/bar costs. All in all, we picked the absolute best place to have our friends and family gather for our wedding. We lucked out with perfect weather, too! We love TBW!

Laura, the Tampa Bay Watch coordinator is awesome. I had my wedding in March and everything was perfect! We couldn't have picked a better location!! The Tampa Bay Watch has the most beautiful sunsets in Pinellas County!

Laura at the TBW was extraordinary!!! She made my special day the best it possibly could have been. Laura was so nice and so helpful...I was truelly amazed to find out what a great resource Laura was to me throughout the entire process.

We were thrilled with Tampa Bay Watch. The location is fantastic and the views were amazing. Tampa Bay watch staff were very accomodating and provided us with the level of service we would expect from this professional and worthy organization.

Laura, the site coordinator, was wonderful! It was like having a wedding coordinator the day of, and prior to the wedding she was full of helpful advice. My wedding could not have gone more smoothly :) Tampa Bay Watch is also just a beautiful place to have a wedding. All our guests keep telling us what a great wedding we had!

it was awesome! the perfect location for a wedding and reception in one. Laura was fantastic to work with really helping me to feel at ease through planning wedding. I would suggest to future brides to include the sunset as part of their reception. Its beautiful, entertaining, and great for pictures.... Thanks to Tampa Bay Watch I was able to plan my dream wedding. It was affordable, fun, and beautiful.

Laura Murdock was fabulous to work with. She was patient, calm, fun and a lot of help come wedding day. I highly recommend using this venue. Beautiful and clean! Chairs and table are include for indoor use, which saved us 100's of dollars! You can have both the ceremony and reception at one location, which saves your guest the stress of traveling and saves some money for your wallet! I had the best wedding day imaginable thanks to Tampa Bay Watch!! Thank you!!

Laura and the staff at Tampa Bay Watch were as helpful as they could be. The venue was perfect, all of Laura's suggestions were great and we had a blast. I could not think of a better place for my daughter's wedding.

My husband and I searched the entire state of Florida almost for the perfect wedding location where we could have everything in one spot. We stumbled upon The Watch and fell in love. This venue is perfect because you get a waterview location with a beautiful reception room overlooking the sunset. Our ceremony felt so unique because of the serene environment, calm water and the sound of seagulls. It is an excellent alternative to a beach wedding because there is grass instead of sand as well, but still only a few feet from the shore. Laura at Tampa Bay Watch is fantastic to work with as well and was so flexible throughout our planning process. She would even meet us on weekends to let us in to view the venue. I would absolutely recommend this venue to everyone interested in something off the beaten path, surrounded by nature and with impeccable views.

Laura McMurdock and the staff at Tampa Bay Watch were so wonderful to work with in planning our wedding reception. We enjoyed every aspect of planning with Laura. She was extremely accommodating, and helped our wedding day go smoothly and was instrumental in helping us translate our vision for our big day into a reality! The beautiful and inspiring setting of Tampa Bay Watch on the water, with the sunsets, and bay breezes was a hit with our guests and my husband and I are so grateful that we had the opportunity to have our wedding reception here!

Tampa Bay Watch was top notch! Laura was so easy to work with. She just wanted everything about the day to be perfect. The venue is breath-taking. For a waterside wedding, this place is the best. And the reception room is versatile for whatever set up you need. We had a band and 150 guests. The room was filled tight at that number (we broke down 2 tables to create more dance floor after dinner) but it was still gorgeous and comfortable. Laura took such good care of us!

Laura was such a help and was a true blessing to me while planning the wedding. I would recommend Tampa Bay Watch to any and everyone!! What an amazing place. Every single person at the wedding loved it! My bridal party and family members who were helping me really were impressed by the work of Laura and her expertise and advice!! Thank you!!

I love Tampa Bay Watch it is a wonderful location! Laura is amazing she is super friendly and helpful! I wouldn't have choosen any other location, I would recommend anyone to check this out for your wedding day!!!!

Great venue

This place is perfect for wedding of 110. Beautiful view and Laura is great to work with.

The people at the Tampa Bay Watch were extremely professional and made our wedding more beautiful than we could of imagined! The view was beautiful and the atmosphere was relaxing. If you choose to have your ceremony here it is very private and intimate from any onlookers. Laura made sure that everything ran smoothly before and during the wedding. I recommend the Tampa Bay Watch to any bride!!

The staff and crew were very helpful and extremely flexible. They bent over backwards to make everything turn out exactly the way I wanted. Although I had a bit of trouble receiving prompt call backs, I always received full service and detailed answers to all of my questions and concerns.
The locations was beautiful and extremely convenient. The building layout and arrangement was very easy to work with, and the lawn space outside was well-kept and bright. The location of the elevator made loading and unloading decorations and gifts extremely easy and efficient. The band had no trouble at all with all of their heavy and cumbersome equipment. The location of the building itself was convenient as well. It was central to many different options of locations for the guests to stay and our rehearsal dinner.
Our wedding was an afternoon wedding on Saturday, so having time on Friday to decorate and set up was a real blessing. We use the location for the ceremony and the reception. We also used the mess hall, the building adjacent to the reception hall, provided us with more than enough room for all my bridesmaids, myself and the mothers to get ready. The bathrooms in both the reception hall and mess hall were well-kept, clean and very large.
Our coordinator provided us with amazing recommendations for vendors. I was extremely pleased with the quality of service provided by those recommendations. With everyone working together, my wedding turned out exactly the way I wanted it. I enthusiastically recommend the Tampa Bay Watch Community Center for any event.

Absolutely Perfect Venue and Reception Hall!!

My husband and I were so incredibly pleased with both the Tampa Bay Watch venue and staff. We had a gorgeous outdoor wedding ceremony and a fantastic reception upstairs overlooking the water. The staff was so hardworking and accommodating. A definite five stars all around!!

I couldn't have asked for a better experience with Tampa Bay Watch. I originally booked with a different coordinator there and when there was a personnel change, I have to admit I was a little nervous. I was so foolish to think that there would be any loss in quality or customer service because Laura McMurdock was the best! She had suggestions and tips that were extremely helpful and was always accessible should I need to speak to her. She suggested vendors that were amazing and even saved me hundreds of dollars on transportation costs alone! The night before at rehearsal, she even took over some tasks to help me set up for the reception (including running to the hardware store for something I forgot). As far as the venue goes, my wedding was on November 7, 2009 and the weather was perfect, the sunset beautiful and my guests could not stop talking about the view and location. This place spoke to me and my now husband and we knew it was the perfect place for our wedding and were on cloud nine on our day when it exceeding our expectations. My advice would be to take advantage of the classic Florida feel of the location and play up on its best features. You don't need to over do it at a place like this because the venue does all the talking for itself. We used the colors of the beach, left by boat instead of limo, had a steel drummer for cocktail hour on the beautiful lawn and ate dinner by sunset looking out the huge windows. I look forward to returning here year after year to visit and relive the memories. Thanks TBW!

We love the Tampa Bay Watch. We love that our money went towards funding a great organization that educates on environmental conservation and restoration. The natural surroundings are absolutely beautiful and can be enjoyed from their wrap-around deck...especially during the sunset. They are extremely flexible - You can create the wedding of your dreams without limitations...we did! Laura rocks! She is fantastic and VERY helpful. I contacted her several times for advice on vendors and she's full of ideas. She's also patient and always got right back to me. Our wedding at the Tampa Bay Watch was everything we wanted and more!

Laura at Bay Watch is spectacular! We could not have been happier with her! The venue is also gorgeous and the location was perfect!

Note: Time your ceremony for before sunset so you can get great pictures!

Tampa Bay Watch is a beautiful location for a weddding. The staff is wonderful and very helpful. They're flexible and are open to any ideas you have. The price is expensive but it is worth it for the beautiful location and view. And we loved the fact that all of the money goes to help a non-profit coastal restoration organization! During my wedding I was so glad that I chose TBW as my reception site, I could not have found a more perfect place for my seaside-themed wedding.

The event coordinator, Laura, was amazing. She helped so much with questions and concerns. She really helped to ease my mind with everything. She was great. The venue was absolutely beautiful. Exactly what we were looking for. We couldnt have asked for a better location.

Beautiful venue and amazing view. and the staff is great!

The Tampa Bay Watch is a beautiful venue to have a reception. The staff there, especially Laura, was extreamly helpful to us. They were responsive to all of our questions and promptly provided help for all of our problems, they even discovered a problem with one of our other vendors and informed us before the vendor themselves did. I highly recomend the Tampa Bay Watch to any couple thinking about having a wedding in the Tampa area. It is well worth the cost.

Tampa Bay Watch is an amazing place to have a wedding! The facilities are gorgeous and the staff is amazing (especially Laura!).

I love doing hair and makeup at this location! It is so lovely and peaceful there.

We absolutely love this venue and would recommend to any bride looking for a beautiful panoramic water view....Laura and her staff are personable, attentive and a blast to work with!!!

The Tampa Bay Watch is a beautiful venue with a picturesque view of the Tampa Bay. We’ve seen gorgeous ceremonies on the lawn and stunning receptions inside the Community Center. The wrap around deck is also a nice addition for your guests to mingle at during a cocktail hour. Every event that we’ve worked on at the Tampa Bay Watch has been executed to perfection! We love working at this venue!

Great location!!

I love this venue. It is charming, a waterfront venue but not on the beach. It has a nice size room for medium size wedding receptions, a ready room for the bride, and a beautiful wrap around porch. The lawn is great as a ceremony space. The staff is very accomodating as well. Tables and chairs are included which is a plus!

I love this venue. It is charming, a waterfront venue but not on the beach. It has a nice size room for medium size wedding receptions, a ready room for the bride, and a beautiful wrap around porch. The lawn is great as a ceremony space. The staff is very accomodating as well. Tables and chairs are included which is a plus!

Tampa Bay Watch offers picturesque views of Tampa Bay and has a gorgeous wrap around deck perfect for your cocktail hour. They have a caring and attentive staff that is a pleasure to work with.

Tampa Bay Watch is an amazing place for your wedding! They have the most amazing view of the water and sunset for both your ceremony and reception. Laura and her team will make sure your wedding is perfect. You will have outstanding settings for great pictures!

A wonderfully Unique location to host your Wedding Reception... 90% of the view is all waterfront... Wrap around Deck for your guests to enjoy a beautiful Sunset...... Fort Desoto's closest Wedding Reception location. Very Well kept and worth every penny............

This location is a just a gem! Each Bride that we have had choose this location as a reception site has had nothing but praises to sing. Images shot here turn out amazing because it has more than the typical hotel feel. The staff is flexible and dependable and the location makes for a picturesque backdrop.

What a wonderful, unique location for your special day! Accommodating up to 120 guests at tables indoors, TBW, also can expand your guest seating with tables on the surrounding deck. For those of you with imagination, there's the amazing lawn to place tents and celebration seating facing the sunset on the Gulf.

The enormous waterfront setting also offers plenty of space for a wedding ceremony facing the northwest corner of the property.

Laura, the rental coordinator, is a joy to work with. She has great ideas and bends over backwards to make certain both vendors and clients get the most out of their TBW event.

I highly recommend the location for a unique setting!

Confetti Events LOVES Tampa Bay Watch! Laura is amazing...she is incredibly accommodating, professional, and a pleasure to work with! What a beautiful venue!

This is the most magnificent location for your wedding or other special event. I love it! When I officiate weddings there, or recommend the location to couples, I am sure the day will be fabulous. They are true professional, and the location is amazing!

Tampa Bay Watch is the perfect place for a wedding and recepition. Beautiful Sunsets and sea breezes make this a remarkable spot. The weddings we have done here have always been both rememberable and fun.