No offense to Callanwolde or the Botanical Garden, but if money was no object and I could recommend literally any venue in the city to host a wedding, I would still pick Wahoo! Grill. (This isn't a paid-for review, by the way. We got married here in May, and these are my honest thoughts.)

First, the elephant in the room, or at least it was for me. The name of the place makes it sound like nothing special. Like it's maybe a beachside sports bar with fried fish and beer specials or something. Maybe you're not liking the idea of telling your parents that you're getting married at a place called "Wahoo! Grill", or how it'll look on the invitation, or whatever. Let me be clear with you. The name is a MASSIVE undersell for what this place really is. Do yourself a favor, be open-minded and give it a fair shot, because what's inside this normal-looking restaurant is not at all what you'd expect from the outside.

As soon as you walk through the entrance, you see their outdoor space, and it is incredible. Upscale rustic design and an impossibly lush garden surrounding you on all sides. Tour it in the warm season if you can, because everything is in bloom and you can see the garden at its peak. (We toured in winter, so a lot of the garden's beauty was hypothetical. Luckily we took their word on what it would be in summer.)

We were a little worried about the size, thinking it would be too small for our 110ish-count, but it was all good. The space is laid out nicely with an open area on one end for the ceremony, a tented area on the other end for dancing, and a tighter circle in the middle that gives it overall kind of an hourglass shape. We also purchased the restaurant buyout for a little extra breathing room. As far as weather plans, they have a thin shroud hanging over the ceremony space that handles light rain but recommend having a tent plan for heavy rain.

The food here is beyond excellent. All of our guests were raving about it, particularly the ahi tuna and the steak. Just as excellent as the food itself is their serving setup. These guys have the buffet down to a science, restocking it quickly and by demand so nothing is sitting out too long.

Honestly, though, what really won us over wasn't any of this as much as it was Pam and her team. They have taken their venue and restaurant and made it into a PERFECT WEDDING MACHINE. Pam herself is all at once the business owner, the venue manager, and your personal wedding director. She toured us herself, taking notes on us even before we decided to go with them, and made us feel taken care of from start to finish. Sydni was our point-person as we put our plans together, and her emails and questions were incredibly helpful. At one point we called her simply to say our budget was getting tight and ask if there were any ways to cut costs, and she combed through our entire banquet order and found as many cuts as she could within the day. And Caitlin was our hero during the event itself, seeming to be everywhere at once making sure everything was smooth. And it was. A lot of our family and friends said it was the most stress-free wedding they'd ever been to.

At the end of the day, what they're offering here is honestly worth far more than they're charging. But Pam says that's on purpose, and that she'd rather give people a great wedding experience than play the wedding upcharge game just because. I think her energy goes a long way toward making Wahoo! what it is, and I highly recommend you experience it for yourself.

Wahoo helped us have the wedding of our dreams and more, all for a reasonable price and with friendly service. Please don’t underestimate this hidden gem. After reading amazing reviews about the venue, it was the first one we toured. We loved it right away but wanted to keep an open mind so we toured other venues but could not stop thinking about Wahoo. From our tour to our send off, the staff at Wahoo exceeded our expectations. Sydni and Pam made planning a breeze and were flexible and understanding when we unexpectedly had to postpone. They captured my vision for our wedding perfectly and attended to every little detail. On our wedding day, Pam and Amanda blew us away! The space was beautifully decorated by the staff, and because the space itself is so beautiful and so many decorations are included in the venue fee, we spent very little on additional decorations. Pam even came to the rescue when I had a wardrobe malfunction minutes prior to the ceremony! Everything ran smoothly and the day was absolutely stress free because I knew Wahoo had it all covered! Our guests raved about the food and the staff made sure we had time to eat and stay hydrated. They even packed us a picnic basket full of food to take with us on our getaway! If I could go back in time, I would choose to get married again at Wahoo a thousand times over, and I will never forget the kindness and professionalism of the staff on the best day of my life so far!

They are friendly, flexible, and responsible.The place is amazing, too. If you want to have a little event or little wedding, it's the best place that you don't want to miss.