Venue Reviews

I promised to talk about all the venues I perused in March. I had a 2 day whirlwind adventure with my mom, and Ralph's moms. This is what we did on Day #1:

(1) We first visited Cauley Square in Cutler Ridge. It was a bit of a hike to get there from the airport area. There isn't too much by there either. Hotels in the area are even a bit sketchy. But still, the tropical garden was too beautiful to pass up a visit.

However, it is a bit cramped in person. But what really turned off of this otherwise lovely location, was their bathrooms. They were tiny and really rustic. Now I am not a prissy girl, you should see some of the places or lack thereof I have "gone". But for my wedding, I am not offering my guests in their fancy garb a lavatory like that. Yeah, that bad.

(2) Next we saw the lovely Deering Estate. Honestly, I love this place. However, they were terribly strict about that number of guests we could have that would work with our budget. It is too bad, because it is really pretty:


(3) Right by there is a place called Palmetto Bay Village Center. It is the old headquarters for Burger King, that has now been renovated as office space. The place is huge and had some lovely options for us.

Potential cocktail area

Potential Reception site

However, we agreed that it is a tad too modern for us and not warm enough for our personalities.

(4) Then we raced from South Miami to North Miami to the gorgeous Spanish Monastery. These pictures don't do it justice.

Potential ceremony site

Potential reception area

The bad thing was that no Saturdays were available for March. That didn't thrill me, plus it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. But it is very lovely and therefore an option.

Whew! That was a long day. But that didn't stop me from dragging my mom to Laurenzo's, an amazing Italian Market, and then Krispy Kreme (my #1 guilty pleasure).

Next up... Day #2