Isla Del Sol Yacht & Country Club

This is the review I dreaded writing the most - because I don’t know if I could ever thoughtfully put into words just how much I appreciate Melissa Rowjohn and the team at Isla Del Sol Yacht & Country Club! What drew me to Isla Del Sol was the reviews that raved about how amazing the food was and how amazing their day-of-coordinator, Melissa was. I was intrigued and booked a tour. I had two tours scheduled on this particular Saturday and two the following Saturday. I did the two tours on the first Saturday and cancelled the following week’s tours. I just knew Isla was the place. First off, Melissa. The second we arrived, she just made us feel at home. She was so unbelievably kind, welcoming, understanding, willing to work with us and answer any questions we had. I immediately knew why she had so many positive reviews. She is an unbelievable coordinator. She is technically a day-of-coordinator, but she goes so above and beyond to help you during the process and to give you vendor recommendations. I can’t even begin to explain to you the amount of essay-like emails I sent her with never-ending questions, but her kindness (and quick responses might I add) never wavered. Since I didn’t have a coordinator and I was serving as my own, her support helped so much and she did a phenomenal job making sure everything ran smoothly and to my liking on the day of the wedding. Above all else, the number one reason I booked Isla was to ensure that my day-of coordinator would be Melissa, because I trusted her and knew she would do anything in her power to make my day as perfect as possible. And she truly listened to me, took notes, etc.

A couple of my other favorite things about Isla -
1. The staff. I’m so bad at names, so I can’t remember his name, but the waiter we had (for bride and groom) was so kind and always asked us if we needed anything. I only heard positive things from my guests about the service. It was definitely worth the price. Plus Melissa.. but you already know how much I love her by now. Haha
2. They lock in your date for 10 days after your tour - Okay, so this was during Covid, so things could have changed, but hopefully they didn’t because this was one of the main reasons I booked this venue. I am so used to the pushy sales tactics. “Oh, this is a very popular date, this will go very fast if you don’t make a decision.” Or “I already have three couples interested in this date” (which may or may not be true). When I toured, I pretty much knew I loved this place and wanted to book, but I didn’t want to book the first place I looked without touring some other options (I was still torn between the country club vibe or the outdoorsy barn vibe). Melissa told me that it wasn’t a problem because Isla holds my date for 10 days so that I have time to tour other places and make a confident decision not based on the “fomo.” That alone made me want to book immediately. What an amazing and service-driven policy! I didn’t feel like I was walking around with a pushy car salesman. They really put their couples’ needs first. This might have changed since the wedding industry is booming right now, but still something I wanted to mention because it was the number 1 thing that made me want to book besides Melissa.
3. THE FOOD - It’s worth the hype. It really is. This is not your typical wedding food. The steak was unbelievable and so was the chicken. We were able to customize to fit our desires and it exceeded our expectations. I still hear people talking about how good our food was.
4. The simplicity of having your venue be your caterer too - DON’T just look over this. I see so many brides stressing over caterers in my wedding FB groups, but I just got to sit back and relax because everything at Isla came in the package. I still got to choose my decorative elements (like chair covers, chargers, centerpieces, etc.) but all of the main items you need for a wedding that you don’t even realize and that starts to add up (i.e. tables, chairs, flatware, glassware, plates, napkins, table cloths, etc.) came with the package price. I was able to pick my exact menu, exact appetizers, they had an open bar option, it all came with bread, salads, champagne, regular non-alcoholic drinks - You just don’t even realize how insane the planning can get until you do it and realize everything you need. Isla did most of the legwork for me, and Melissa even recommended a vendor for chair covers, speciality napkins, etc. and I picked what I wanted and Isla and that vendor handled the rest.
5. All the beauty of a beach wedding without any of the hassle - Isla has a gorgeous gazebo, so you won’t need to worry about a backdrop or arch. (Plus it has electricity for DJ and mics and stuff) They put up the seats for you, and have water available for guests. And BIG plus - they have a boardwalk and path to walk for the aisle, so sand isn’t a big issue. The biggest plus? It’s a PRIVATE beach. The club members are respectful and make sure to stay away during the weddings. It’s quiet and there’s no photobombers hanging out in the background! The only negative is outdoor weddings can be affected by wind and bad weather (though luckily, I had neither) and the whole “make sure the groom doesn’t see you before you walk down the aisle can be tricky as well. (Though, I managed to do it using doors and some very sneaky hiding places they have there.. I also managed to wear a cathedral veil without it blowing away or causing issues - just ask Melissa about “Courtney” and I’m sure she’ll remember all the fun we had trying to plan this out to match my vision! Haha I was a determined bride!)
6. The pictures!! Tell your photographer to ask Melissa for directions to the private bridge. It's extra time but you'll thank me later.

My only two suggestions are 1. Hire someone to do decorating if you need it. I had a lot of DIY things and Melissa was busy doing day-of coordination to do that too. I hired someone just for decorating and it worked out well! 2. Have Isla set aside some appetizers for your bridal party. My pictures took longer than what was expected and my bridal party told me that by the time they got upstairs, there were no appetizers left and they were starving. I recommend using one of the private rooms you have available for your use and have some appetizers set aside in there just for them so that they have a place to sit down for a minute and grab a bite to eat before dinner. Also a tip - Isla doesn't really have a "get ready" room. The room you get to use is a good size, but the lighting isn't the best and it's more like a small banquet room than photogenic "get ready" room. HOWEVER, the bathroom, connected to that room is great! Melissa told us that we could use it, but that members would still be allowed to use it as well. Only a few members came in that day, and they were all so welcoming, friendly, and told me congratulations. No issues at all! We grabbed a few chairs from the other room and sat in the corner of the bathroom, which has huge mirrors, amazing lighting, and a counter to hold all of our supplies. It was four bridesmaids and me (the bride) and well as my hairdresser and it was a perfect size to accommodate us all. It probably would be more difficult to fit everyone if you had a huge bridal party, but for my group, it was amazing. We played music and it felt like a fun spa day. Since this is a country club that also does weddings, they understandably don't have a specific "get ready" room with the typical mirrors and other things that "wedding only" venues have, but this worked for us, and the room for the guys had a TV that they hooked up a Switch to and they just played games all morning. lolol

TLDR: I’m sorry this is so long, but I wanted to include every detail I could because I am just so happy with the service I received here and want to help future brides as much as I can! Overall, I really couldn’t have asked for a better venue. They were so accommodating! I see so many venues having weird rules like “no candles, no sparklers, no this that and the other.” Isla let me use real candles, they let me use sparklers, they even let me have a horse-drawn carriage ride in their parking lot. They will go the extra mile to make your day as perfect as possible and I cannot thank Melissa and the entire Isla team for helping me bring my dream wedding to life!!