Grace River Island Reviews

Before I begin, let me start by saying this was one of the easiest 5 star reviews I have ever made. I would give it 10 stars if I could!

My wife and I had our wedding at Grace River Island on June 3rd, 2023. The tour of the venue had barely started before we decided this HAD to be our wedding venue. The property is beyond beautiful! We had toured a ton of venues, but once we saw Grace River Island we knew we had to have our wedding there. Not only is it a beautiful place, the property has 20 beds so our family could stay there with us during the weekend- that really sealed the deal.

The ceremony spot right on the water, surrounded by the river on three sides, provides the perfect backdrop for incredible pictures. The property also provides three separate locations for the reception. We wanted to have the reception on their waterside deck, but the forecast was calling for rain. I can’t lie- we were very worried about this. We called Mike and Karen, the venue’s owners, and they provided us another plan. We secured a tent and had the reception in their clubhouse and courtyard. This ended up working out perfectly as we had access to A/C in the clubhouse and also had outdoor access under the tent in the courtyard. Everything was perfect!

Rain is always a potential problem for summer weddings in Florida, but at Grace River Island you don’t need to worry about it because Mike and Karen have made sure that your wedding will be able to go on regardless of the weather.

Speaking of Mike and Karen, the owners of the property, they are some of the nicest and most helpful people you could ever meet. From day one they were there to assist us in the planning process and immediately answer any questions we had. We are so grateful for them.

All in all, our wedding at Grace River Island was amazing and we would recommend the venue without hesitation!

My partner and I recently had the pleasure of hosting our wedding at Grace River Island Resort and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect experience.

The hosts, Mike and Karen, were the kindest individuals we could have hoped for. It was evident that they were genuinely invested in ensuring our special day went flawlessly. They were absolute all-stars during the planning process, too. They were always there to answer our questions promptly, providing detailed information and guidance whenever needed.

Mike and Karen were also experts when it came to setting up and planning the day. They effortlessly coordinated all the elements of our special day, ensuring that everything flowed seamlessly. We also appreciate how prepared they were for the weather. We had concerns about potential rain on our wedding day, but the hosts had thought of everything. They had umbrellas at the ready, furniture under the tent, ready to be moved at event time. And, even though we had a light sprinkle here and there, we were able to delay our ceremony just a few minutes so that chairs could be dried off on the lawn.

Although we never had full rain, we ended up having our reception in the clubhouse which was a blessing with how hot it was. And afterward, we still were able to enjoy dancing and socializing on the deck and throughout the whole property.

Speaking of the venue itself, it was absolutely amazing. The setting was unlike anything we had ever seen before in SW Florida. The picturesque landscapes and breathtaking views provided the perfect backdrop for our ceremony and reception. The various lounge areas were such a wonderful, unique feature that really made Grace River Island a unique venue.

Some of our favorite memories are from spending the weekend at the house. We rented it from Friday-Sunday and had the bridal party and some friends stay with us. It provided such a fun opportunity to celebrate with our closest friends and family all weekend. After the wedding, we all even decided to take a swim which was such a cool, core memory. Grace River Island Resort offers a one-of-a-kind experience that we and our guests will cherish forever. If you're looking for an amazing and truly unique wedding venue, look no further. We highly recommend this venue to anyone seeking a memorable experience.

If you are looking for a wedding venue with accommodations for many including a bridal suite and grooms quarters or a vacation spot for a family reunion or large group, Grace River is your place. Tucked away on the river with beautiful scenery, Grace River was truly the most peaceful and serene property to host my daughter’s wedding. Mike and Karen were very easy to work with. They supplied us with a list of vendors, some of whom we used, but they were also open to the new ones we brought in. We started our weekend with a welcome dinner (wood fired pizza), then wedding day (Mission bbq) and a picnic to close out the weekend. Our guests were never lacking with activities to do or relaxation to enjoy. I would absolutely recommend using this venue.

We had my daughter’s wedding at Grace River Island Resort, which for us meant a destination wedding. We had our hands full planning from a distance, and while there were things that didn’t go as planned that day which probably no one noticed but us, the ONE thing that went better than planned was our wedding venue. Mike and Karen are absolutely the best hosts one could imagine, so accommodating and kind, so present that day to smooth everything related to set up and take-down, and just the nicest people you could ever wish for.

The venue was breathtaking, incredibly well done from the interior of the home to the grounds and all the little details that make such a big difference on an important day. The home has everything you could ask for, a place for the caterers to set-up and do their thing that was separate from the main part of the house where the wedding party was getting ready and many other things were busily happening. The outside area is lovely, everything was in perfect condition and there wasn’t a detail overlooked by our hosts. Imagine this – the area where the ceremony occurred that looks grassy and is bordered by white rocks up to the water’s edge wasn’t actually grass that the women’s heels could sink into and could dirty the shoes and the bottoms of the dresses, oh no it is high grade astroturf! Genius…

You can’t do better than booking your event at Grace River Island Resort, it’s perfect in every way and to be honest it was competitive from a cost stance. We saved money by having our event here, and were able to have the whole wedding party reside at the house so we could pass those savings onto the friends and family who came in from out of town to stand up for the bride and groom. Give Mike and Karen a call, talk to them and feel the sense of family that we did. You will walk away with a smile and the sure knowledge that your event is in good hands and you can move on to other details that won’t be as easy or enjoyable to arrange.

As a side benefit, we rented another one of Mike and Karen’s properties, literally one door down from the venue, for our family to stay in since we didn’t want to intrude on the wedding party festivities. It is called Bay of Grace and boy was it perfect too! As elegantly and expertly appointed with every little detail you could possibly think of, and enveloped in the caring that Mike and Karen bring to the guests they host. Case in point: We had a 1 person overflow one night as the wedding party arrived at the venue in waves, and with a simple request to Mike about the potential for an air mattress one night only to offer my adult son, they brought us an air mattress (dropped on the front porch along with blankets and sheets so they didn’t intrude on our family gathering) and were so gracious about doing so. These are the little things that ease the stress of large events, those simple unquestioning acts of kindness, and we can’t wait to go back and have a family vacation there again. The most amazing house and amenities, the finest of details and extras you never expect but are so excited to find, and the nicest hosts we’ve ever had in all our years of AirBnB and VRBO rentals. Thank you Mike and Karen for all you did to ensure our event was successful and everything we dreamed it would be. We love you guys!!!

Grace River Island Resort is beautiful! We celebrated our daughter’s wedding here in March 2023. Everything was set up perfectly…the ceremony on the point, the reception on deck, cocktail hour in the courtyard, etc. The entire wedding party stayed on sight as well and the accommodations were so comfortable. Do not pass up the chance to have GRIR as your venue!

Where do I start? From first contact to check-out, these folks are amazing! Beautiful, accommodating, flexible, insightful, responsive & nice. We had a weather issue, the owners were on it, and the alternate was even BETTER than anticipated! Can't say enough good things about the property and the owners. If you don't choose GRIR, well...

WOW!!! Mike and Karen's place is absolutely amazing! It was the perfect place for our daughter's wedding. We were able to set up the reception room and outside ceremony space just as we wanted. The space is great and the views are terrific. Loved it. The house also made it much easier to host the immediate family with plenty of space and very very comfortable. Mike and Karen were always available and were a tremendous help before, during, and after the wedding. Five star venue. Would recommend to anyone seeking a private location for a wedding. It is beautiful.

Mike and Karen did a phenomenal job with the venue, the view is beautiful and very photogenic, the tables and chairs are included which is a big help. Everyone is still talking about our wedding and how fun it was and how this venue is a hidden gem. Book them now while they are
available.

As a Pastor in Fort Myers, I officiate my fair share of weddings, and I've seen many (most?) of the venues our area has to offer. Recently, I conducted a service at what was, for me, a new venue, and WOW! It's an incredible venue, surrounded by the river, with terrific guest-house amenities, a Caribbean Island vibe, and, in the owners (Mike and Karen Peterson), a terrific combination of high skill and true servant's attitude. Again, I've seen the venues this area has to offer, and this one is incomparable!

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Grace River Island is GORGEOUS! The pictures don’t give it justice to how beautiful this place truly is. This place was perfect for our wedding day! December 5th, 2021 was and always will be a magical day for us and Grace River Island was a huge part of it.
As soon as we drove thru the driveway and saw the the palm trees open up to a private island feel, with water surrounding it, and seeing how breathtaking the sunset views were; we knew we had found the perfect place to get married.
Mike and his wife were very kind since day one. From showing us around the entire property to helping us with vendors that were great and easy to work with. Every question we had along the way was answered quickly and professionally.
We cannot wait to see how all our photos came out!! We are definitely coming back to celebrate an anniversary!! Thank you again Mike!!!!

We just spent the weekend at Grace River Island for our wedding on 10-16-2021
Mike and Karen could not have been more attentive and responsive to our needs and questions from the day we booked the venue to the moment we arrived on Friday and then checked out on Monday.
Our family loved the space of the home, cooking in the kitchen for our rehearsal dinner was a breeze thanks to the kitchen being stocked with utensils, pots, dishes, etc., the guys enjoyed kayaking and fishing the morning of the wedding. The girls relaxed in the upstairs area where we did our hair and makeup.
Our wedding guest were amazed at the beauty of the grounds and the amazing sunset we were blessed with that night.
We could not have picked a better place for our family of 20.
It’s was everything we envisioned when looking to have a wedding at a home where we could also stay for the weekend.

My husband (then fiancé) and I spent months and months looking for the perfect place to say "i-do". We were coming from California and planning mid-pandemic, we knew we wanted a way to have all of our family and friends together in one place for multiple days and Grace River Island surpassed my expectations tremendously. We had only seen their online presence but Mike and Karen were extremely communicative and made the entire process stress free and enjoyable. The day we got to the island I was shocked, it was even better in person. Mike and Karen helped out with our rehearsal dinner the night before as well as the wedding day which was a dream come true, as we did not have a wedding planner. I could not be happier with how everything turned out and will forever be grateful that Mike and Karen allowed us the opportunity to get married on their property.

AMAZING venue!! The place is definitely a hiden 💎 in Fort Myers. We had our wedding rehearsal, ceremony , and reception there and it was beautiful. Karen is super kind and attentive, always trying to help. The only minor problem was the music volume and hours, the neighborhood was constantly complaining about the music. Everything else was absolutely perfect and pictures came out great

We had our wedding at Grace river island at the end of April, let me tell you Mike and Karen were absolutely throughout the entire process leading up to our big day! They also were extremely helpful setting up on the day of the wedding and if we needed anything they wanted us to let them know so they could help us out. I highly recommend having your wedding here, the place is absolutely gorgeous.

This was the amazing location for our daughter's wedding. We took a leap of faith because we hadn't seen it in person, even though the owner provided us with a video tour. But wow! It exceeded all expectations! The house and outbuildings were clean and very well-maintained, tastefully decorated and welcoming. The views are spectacular. The owners were very accommodating, providing us with recommendations for local vendors and actually helping us set up for the wedding. We could not have been more pleased.

Our first two venues fell through within a month of our wedding BUT Mike and Karen were so welcoming and understanding. And in the end, we had the perfect weekend because of it. To have our own island for the weekend with beautiful scenery for view and pictures as well as a place for the bridal party to stay, they provided more than we could’ve dreamed of. The owners and Grace River Island Resort are incredible and anyone would be blessed to have a wedding here!

Mike and Karen are amazing hosts! We had a small wedding ceremony and reception (35 people) and they were extremely helpful with setting up and making sure our wedding was perfect from start to finish! We book the house for an extended weekend and had our wedding party stay with us on site and had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner there the night before. Spending the weekend there was one of the best ideas we had, since we had time to get stuff ready and were able to spend extra time together with our friends and family.
Mike and Karen also had everything we needed for our stay and for the wedding. The house was stocked with all of the essentials and they provided chairs and a wedding arch for the ceremony and chairs, tables, and linens for the reception. If we had any questions or needed help before and during our stay, Mike and Karen were very quick to reply and assist as quickly as possible!
We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding location and we are extremely happy with choosing Grace River Island Resort!

Mike & Karen went out if their way to make our event a personal, memorable evening! They are gifted hosts and their location is stunningly beautiful yet so very welcoming! We and our guests throughly enjoyed Grace River Island Resort! The grounds and house were lovely to mingle and receive guests to enjoy the sunset over the water. The club room was perfect for sharing our presentation with a group!

I hosted my son's rehearsal dinner for 100 at sunset at the beautiful Grace River Island resort. Mike and Karen Peterson were the most gracious and attentive hosts. They set up tables, with chairs and tablecloths, and outdoor patio heaters on their spacious outdoor deck for our event. Rope lighting along all sides of the deck and a spotlight in the tree provided perfect lighting for our evening event. Mike and Karen also set up tables for appetizers on the lawn where we gathered before dinner to watch the sun set over the Caloosahatchee
River. What a beautiful view! Mike and Karen were available and graciously attentive for any question and need we had. 25 of my family members stayed at the resort having a beautiful 3-day wedding family reunion. They enjoyed the heated saltwater pool and hot tub and kayaks and fire pits. Joy and laughter filled the house. I sing the highest praise for this beautiful island resort and its gracious owners!

Mike and Karen take pride in offering the very best! They are hard working, kind, down-to-earth people. And they really care about people and making it all about their guests. You won’t be disappointed.

The host was extremely accessible and accommodating. I was able to ask her questions about our stay and got immediate responses. The actual home is breathtaking. From the spacious common spaces, to the cozy bedrooms, to the claw-foot bathtub — we were in awe the whole time, and felt at home (everything we needed, we found easily!). We planned to have the wedding outdoors and the views were picturesque. We could not have asked for a better location for this event. All of our guests were overwhelmed with the beauty of the spaces.

Grace River Island is a hidden gem in Southwest Florida! It's a great location for destination brides along with local ones too. The ambiance is so inviting with the water surrounding you and your guests. The house can booked as part of your package and sleeps 20 guests which is great for friends, families, bridal parties and out of town guests. Do yourself a favor and book this venue!