The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature Reviews

​From the moment we walked in the door of the venue, to the moment we were saying goodbye, Farrah was there for us and helpful in so many ways! Not only did she make the wedding day comfortable and seamless, but she lent a helping hand in every way possible. With her calm attitude and efficiency, you are sure to have a perfect wedding day!

The courtyard at The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature is such a beautiful and unexpected space. It truly felt like a little European escape tucked right in the heart of Bradenton. Whether it’s a wedding, cocktail hour, or private gathering, the space feels both intimate and elevated. What really made the experience stand out, though, was the team. They were absolutely amazing, professional, attentive, and genuinely invested in making everything run smoothly. Their support made the entire event feel effortless and enjoyable. The courtyard became even more magical, with the warm twinkle lights that guests truly loved. Overall, it’s a stunning and versatile venue with an incredible team behind it. Highly recommend for anyone looking for something unique and memorable!

I had my wedding here and it was an absolute dream! The courtyard is stunning! We hired Farrah to be our event coordinator, she handled everything for me with ease. I could not reccomend the bishop enough!

My wedding was an absolute dream and a large part of that was because of the Bishop. I had guests come up to me all night and comment on how cool this venue was. If you’re having it at the courtyard, the fairy lights and the fountain the space comes with is all you really need for decoration. Farrah was our coordinator and she was so responsive and helpful (we’re talking emails back within minutes of me frantically asking something on a Saturday night). We had manatees at our wedding so there was a decibel limit but you honestly couldn’t tell. The music was still loud enough for guests to dance and everyone fell in love with our aquatic guests. We were allowed to store our stuff in the boardroom and it was so nice having that space to sneak away and have some quiet time together (bonus: it has a fridge!). We had our cocktail hour at the planetarium which is just such a cool and unique space. Our guests were mostly from out of town and they loved being able to walk over to the wedding from the hotels in the area. We also were able to keep the party going and hang out at the nearby bars afterward. Overall, I recommend the Bishop for any brides + grooms who are budget conscious but still want a magical experience for guests.

I did my baby shower here a few weeks ago and had such a smooth and amazing experience. Farrah helped me with planning and organizing the entire thing. She kept in good contact with me and was super supportive and easy to work with. I loved my experience here and I’d definitely come back and work with Farrah again!

Specifically we used the planetarium portion of the museum, with it's lobby and galleries for reception. The space is unique and beautiful, the staff were a dream to work with and helped us through all the details we'd need. Then the event day went smooth as could be. We had an amazing wedding and reception and couldn't have found something more perfect. Side note: their courtyard space is absolutely picturesque well worth checking out too if you're considering open air venues.

Having our wedding at the Bishop was amazing. Staff was very communicable, flexible, and professional. Our big day went exactly as planned.

Perfect wedding venue for those with a smaller guest count!! The Bishop event ladies were wonderful throughout the entire process of finding, booking, and securing our space!! The vendors they work with were also so helpful as they already knew the process of everything! The courtyard is an absolute dream for a wedding venue and cannot recommend it enough!

My husband and I recently got married at the Bishop Museum and I am so glad we did. When first touring the space, I had a "this is it" moment. The space itself is beautiful so you really don't need to spend much on decorations. The staff is very friendly and helpful during the planning process. The space is accessible to guests with different physical needs and the twinkly lights make the night feel even more magical. We worked with some other vendors from their preferred vendor list and knowing our team of vendors had worked together before at that location gave me peace of mind. I absolutely loved having my wedding here.

Honestly I could not be happier with the Bishop Museum as my wedding venue. Originally I picked it because the courtyard is already absolutely stunning and in my opinion, needs very little additional decoration. It did not disappoint. My wedding was beautiful and the best day of my life. That being said, I have to say a special thank you to the manager, Danielle. This wonderful woman eased my anxiety so much and helped make sure that everything went off without a hitch. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and helping me take a breath and just enjoy my special day. I’m so appreciative.

The minute I walked into the South Courtyard and saw how beautiful it was I knew it was the place I wanted to get married at. The fountain was on and the manatees were swimming in their tank. My guests loved that part the most. We rented the courtyard, the boardroom ( for holding room and you can see the manatees even closer) and the planetarium lobby (for cocktail hour while they flipped the courtyard from ceremony to reception). It was the talk of the day with my family and said it was perfect. At night they turned the courtyard lights on and it made it even perfect, like being in Greece at night. Christine made the day go smoothly with assisting my guest where to go and if my Event Planner needed anything or had questions she was there to assist. My night was perfect!!!

I’m so happy that I found this venue on the knot. The location was amazing, there was so many things to do within walking distance. The courtyard was STUNNING and let’s not forget the manatees, they were a huge hit with my guests (and me of course). The staff was so kind and helpful. I did go through two different event coordinators, but honestly it didn’t change a thing. I’d get married here again 100 times.

We are soo happy that we chose this venue for our wedding!! It was truly magical. We didn’t need a lot of decor because the courtyard is already beautiful as it is. Love love love those hanging lights, it definitely gave the whole day a more romantic feel! Adam the museum’s business development coordinator was so very responsive to all our emails and on top of managing everything as far as the table rentals and everything.. we were truly lucky to have him helping with everything around the venue. 1000% recommend this budget friendly gorgeous venue for your wedding!!

The venue was beautiful for our wedding. The event staff were very communicative and answered all of my questions leading up to the day. They also ensured a perfect event, the wedding went seamlessly. They even had a plan in case it was to rain, but it luckily didn't.

This venue was beautiful, affordable, and the staff were very kind. I highly recommend them!

Our wedding was perfect Thanks

My husband and I fell in love with the courtyard at the Bishop Museum. Our families and friends love the venue and it fit our italian rustic look so well. The staff was accommodating and was willing to work with any idea I had. They were always quick to respond. We will forever have a special place in our hearts for the Bishop.

The museum is such a naturally beautiful venue. It was perfect for my daughters wedding day. The staff is great to work with. Thank you for helping make my daughters day so special!
Rebecca Griggs

With covid, we were trying to find a ceremony-only venue for a small group of about 12 people. Our original location fell through only 6 weeks-ish before the big day, so we were scrambling. The courtyard at the museum is so beautiful, it was an easy choice. All the references we had were of large weddings, but with an amazing canvas, there were so many ways to make it our own. Emily P was fantastic to work with and helped me every step of the way. We had the wedding right at 5pm to allow for the most natural light before sunset, and everything was fantastic. We were able to get perfect lighting and the twinkle lights toward the end.

Our wedding here could not have been more beautiful. The venue was gorgeous and Debby is a joy to work with.

We just had our wedding reception here this past weekend. We knew it was going to be good, but it was better than we could have hoped for. The space looked gorgeous and the manatee tank was a huge hit. I used to come here as a child and to have my wedding at some place that was both nostalgic and beautiful was the best. The museum was well priced and easy to work with too!

SFM was very affordable and not only that but the staff did an incredible job at making sure I was happy and satisfied! It is a beautiful location for a smaller wedding. I could not be more than happy about the way my wedding day turned out! Thank you South Florida Museum for the wonderful wedding experience!

Laurie at South Florida Museum was hands down, the easiest person to work with while planning our wedding. I sent her numerous emails, and her replies were always prompt, sometimes within just a few minutes. She even went the extra mile and reached out to another couple who had recently gotten married at the museum to ask them about a recommendation for me. Laurie did everything she could to make me feel like our event was important to her and the museum. The museum itself is beautiful and unlike any other venue, which is why we selected it. Our family and friends continue to comment on how nice of a setting the museum was, and we couldn't agree more! Just remember if you do decide to have your wedding here to add one more spot on your guest list- for Snooty!

My husband and I couldn't have been happier with the museum as the venue for our wedding reception. Everyone talked about how beautiful it was. The staff was very helpful with all of our questions.

I cannot say enough good things about the South Florida Museum! Tara was incredible to work with. She was understanding, responsive and flexible. She only cared about making sure I didn't have to worry! I couldn't have asked for anything more with the staff at the SFM. The venue itself is beautiful and can really be transformed with very little because it has so much character. They are flexible with caterers and vendors, which makes a wedding so much easier to plan. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking at it!

My husband and I looked at several ceremony/reception sites before checking out The South Florida Museum and as soon as we saw the chapel and courtyard we knew this was the place we wanted to get married. The chapel is really nice for a small ceremony (we had 50 ppl) and then the courtyard was the perfect back drop to our reception! Everyone loved to see Snooty (he is a manatee) swimming around his tank during the night! I have gotten non-stop compliments on our ceremony and reception site from our friends and family. And compared to several other venues in the area you can't beat the price!

I absolutely loved having my wedding reception at the South Florida Museum! All of my guest loved the courtyard and the open air feel. The manatee tank was lite up and the manatees were swimming all night and our guest loved seeing the manatees up close. Tara the event coordinator there was a pleasure to work with. Everything was set-up so beautifully and the Spanish courtyard is just breathtaking. My reception was one in a million and am so happy that everyone loved it as much as I did!

Having been in the wedding business before getting engaged, the South Florida Museum's courtyard was a venue I knew right off the bat I wanted. The day I got engaged, 10-14-09, we knew we wanted a 10-10-10 wedding. I called the venue to see what their pricing and I guess to see if they were available on that date, after all I had only been engaged for about a half hour! SO when I asked about the 10-10-10 date she said "believe it or not, we just had a cancellation," so I called my mom and fiance to see if we should go for it and was given the go ahead and I am so glad I did. Upon walking in the venue the day of my wedding, I burst into tears because it was gorgeous! The lighting out there, the details of the building was the perfect location, perfect backdrop and perfect secret that not a lot of people know about....which creates a unique and intimate wedding instead of your ordinary, same old same old, traditional wedding. My pictures were perfect, the video of the wedding shows how awesome the venue truly was. It was by far the best venue I have seen in all of the weddings I have been to! I have been to and worked at numerous weddings at the Crosley Mansion and the first time I saw the South Florida Museum, it reminded me of it....just better, less than half the cost of the Crosley and easier to work with!

The museum is an absolutely beautiful spot to get married and / or have a reception. We got married next to the manatee tank and then had our reception in the rest of the courtyard. It was amazing, especially when the sun set because the manatee tank lights up and the twinkle lights shine! It was a little hot so I would recommend November - March. We had ours in May and it was hotter than I expected!

Amazing venue. My guest are still saying that its one of the most beautiful outside weddings they ever been to. My Caterer, Simply Gourmet (Outstanding), handled communication between the staff, and we had no issues at all. Plus, how many people can say they celebrated their wedding with a manatee.

The Spanish style museum courtyard at SFM is enchanting. Seriously, its like a fairytale. We got married mid November and the weather was perfect.

The museum people have lots of rules but its mainly to upkeep the place and make sure no one burns anything down. You have to have event insurance to rent it out and if you want your vendors to get in earlier than 3:00 (?) you have to pay extra but its worth it. The twinkle lights are awesome, the adults and kids absolutely LOVED snooty and the white noise of the water fountain in the background is such a nice touch to eveyone talking and laughing at the wedding reception. Feels very old world European.

Frank the groundskeeper/helper is a great guy and on my numerous site visits out there was always willing to open doors, show us around, let us look at everything and basically was very helpful.

You can have your ceremony here as well, but we did dinner/dancing reception only with cocktail hour in the corridor next to Snooty. The long buffet food tables were in a horseshoe around the back end of fountain by red gate. We had long feasting tables along the sides of the fountain and the dance floor was right in front of the fountain. My husband and I had our sweetheart table in the little raised platform thing and our guests were in between us and the fountain. I felt very queenly and the whole set up with the lanterns and the light was romantic and breezy, I just loved it.

The staff at the bishop helped me with all my questions throughout the planning process and I felt they were there if I needed help! The venue is beautiful and I couldn’t imagine being married anywhere else !! The only thing to keep in mind is the museum is open to the public during certain hours so you can only use the space once business hours end!

While March 12, 2022 was one of the coldest AND rainiest on record in Bradenton, Florida, the venue was magical and a great start for a marriage. The conference room worked well as the preparation area for the bride and her crew, and the planetarium lobby combined with the front loggia were great for giving guests ample space for their safety in reference to Covid.

The Bishop Museum was the perfect venue for our April, 2021 wedding! It’s gorgeous outdoor Spanish courtyard area has a lovely lighted fountain and twinkling fairy lights above so you can dance the night away. Our guests are still talking about how beautiful and perfect our wedding reception was. You won’t find another venue this unique and beautiful. Another important thing to note is the affordable rental rates. Their staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. You will not be disappointed in the Bishop Museum as a venue for any gathering. We’re so happy to find this gem!

I fell in love with the courtyard and the "extras", like the manatee viewing tank and veranda entrance, the Bishop Museum had to offer for our wedding. With the lanterns and twinkle lights set above, you and your guests will feel whisked away into a Spanish-style escape. There were a few staff changes during our planning stage but they were always open to questions. In addition, you have to follow museum protocol and open hours so rehearsals and start times are definite that you may need to workaround. I will forever remember my breath being taken away the first time I saw the ceremony and reception space, truly beautiful.

The venue was beautiful! The venue was very affordable but I really wished they would have had tables and chairs which isnt something I considered at the time of booking so new brides this is something to think about-rentals are more than you realize! I would definitely still choose the museum again. Its beautiful without much decoration on your part. The staff at the museum were very helpful and open.

The South Florida Museum is a beautiful down town Manatee county area in walking distance to the water. The museum has a big court yard with fountain for receptions and weddings wich also includes bathrooms and dressing areas for the wedding party's. When dusk falls the beautiful string of lights across the courtyard are illuminated and give the reception that party atmosphere. I have nothing bad to say about this venue.

The Bishop Planetarium at the South Florida Museum worked out perfectly for our cocktail style reception with the ceremony in the theater. We got married under the stars without all the heat and bugs! Our guests also had the most comfortable wedding seats ever. The lobby is beautiful and very modern with nice ambience. After a few hiccups the staff was really great and made everything happen that I had asked for. It is definitely an out of the box location so if you want different this is the place to be. Thank you again. ~Mr. and Mrs. Wilkens

After looking at several other venues, I walked out into the Spanish Plaza courtyard of the South Florida Museum and I knew instantly that it was where I would get married. The coordinator is very helpful and the plaza is absolutely gorgeous at night. One of my guests said that she felt like she was in a fairy tale, and another said he felt like he was in the Mexico Pavilion at Disney's Epcot. It was magnificent.

The Bishop is an incredible museum, the outdoor courtyard offers an amazing location for a unique wedding. The string lights at night were stunning and the board room with the manatees was such a great addition to our day.

The Bishop Museum's Spanish Courtyard was a beautiful venue. We received many comments that the location transported the guest into a different world many of them forgot they were in Florida. I will say, the venue is a museum first and is not that flexible as a wedding venue. As long as you can work within their guidelines, the wedding will be beautiful. I loved my venue and was in awe at how my planner and other vendors transformed it. It was a perfect distance to the marina where we had our sunset photos taken.

We loved this venue! It doesn't take a whole lot to dress it up, so if you are planning more of a destination wedding, that will work to your advantage. Also, how can you go wrong with a venue that has manatees?? Only minor downsides- your rehearsal has to be over a lunch hour which can be hard to get all your people to the venue to practice, and they do give you a specific list of vendors that they will allow (although this wasn't a deal breaker for us as Sarasota Catering did a fantastic job!) My only regret is not booking the holding room in which your bridal party can be tucked away while the guests filter in. Truly, you can't go wrong!

Very nice venue with lots of space!
The manatees make it extra special!
For the price it was well worth it.
The only downside to this venue is they didn’t give us much time to decorate before the wedding started so it was very rushed and that really makes things feel rushed and nerve racking.

South Florida Museum was the perfect location for our ceremony and reception. The Spanish Courtyard is absolutely gorgeous with the fountain lit up at night and string lights overhead. Our guests loved the venue and we were very pleased with the overall service.

This venue is absolutely breathtaking. We rented the Spanish Plaza and it was incredible! The stringing lights that hang above the fountain are such a gorgeous touch when the sun starts to go down. The guests enjoyed seeing Snooty in the aquarium, which also made for some great photos! The only downside was that the museum staff that was in charge of facility rentals had left her position a couple months prior to our wedding so we were barely ever able to get a staff member on the phone that could help us. We provided our own liquor and in order to do that we had to get insurance which costed about $160 and only took a few minutes. This venue is truly a hidden treasure :)

We booked our April wedding reception at the South Florida Museum and everything was exactly as we hoped. The venue was gorgeous - everyone raved about it. Debbie was always very responsive to emails and provided answers to all of our questions, as well as recommendations. Highly recommend!

The folks at South Florida Museum were great to work with. They answered any questions we had about venue, including set up. We did have a slight snag because our contact person left and we had a new point of contact to deal with during the planning process. I think that is to be expected when people are transitioning though. On the day of the event, the set up crew got in without a problem and everything went smoothly. They provided a staff member and a police officer for security- they were both very helpful. They even helped us break down tables!

My wife and I had a wonderful experience getting married at the Bishop Museum. The courtyard space was able to accommodate over 130 guests with room to spare and was absolutely beautiful. The price for the venue was unmatched and our guests loved seeing the rescued manatees. We also felt good about the money for our venue going into a worthwhile nonprofit such as the Bishop Museum. The museum was flexible with accommodating our different vendors. Fortunately, it did not rain during our wedding but the backup plans in the event of rain are less than ideal, but they do have several spaces that can be used for an additional fee. The museum has an excellent room for getting ready and accommodating the wedding party prior to the wedding available for an additional cost. The only significant, yet understandable challenge was the venue is museum first, and therefore has a few rules that must be followed. Additionally, communication with the event coordinators was at times challenging as the coordinator who we booked the venue with had failed to respond to our calls and emails, and when we showed up to look at the venue, we found out that she had left for another job and nobody ever contacted us. Brandy and Adam became our new contacts and were great from that point on! Overall, we had the wedding of our dreams at the bishop and recommend it to any future couples!

Our original venue closed about a year before our wedding so we scrambled to find something better. We fell in love with the Museum. We were planning a destination wedding so pictures and communication was key.

Thank goodness my parents live within an hour from the museum so they could seek answers to our questions.

Weddings don't appear to be a priority to the museum. They're very concerned about what you aren't supposed to do rather than offering help. The good news is you are pretty much free to do whatever you want. They aren't going to offer much help as far as layouts or ideas go. Pier 22 was our caterer and they provided many more details on the place than museum staff did.

The maintenance staff is amazing and super helpful. They're around at all times and will help you with whatever you need. Talk to them all you can because they're more likely to help you than anyone else.

With that said, we were extremely happy with the venue. Our wedding was perfect and turned out better than I ever could have imagined.

I would recommend the Museum just be prepared to use your imagination and find your own vendors.

We loved the Bishop's courtyard. It was perfect for our small wedding but definitely can accommodate large weddings. There are some restrictions like day of drop of times that are strict which makes things like rentals more expensive if youre having a large wedding so reminder to get quotes first. WE picked our rentals up as we didnt need much, outside of that the space was beautiful. The venue is responsive and works with you even through the staff changes. All in all for the overall cost and vibe of the venue id get married there again!

We really loved having the museum as our venue. It was an amazing space. There were some changes during the year to what was allowed, but I guess that's par for the course. It wasnt anything major. In all I'm very happy we had our wedding here.

Great value for a wedding venue that includes tables and chairs. Most places don't include any. Beautiful location near the water, great photography and videography moments.

The venue speaks for itself, it’s beautiful especially after dark. They went through three event planners within two years though which made the experience frustrating. The manatees add a fun flair but they don’t tell you they turn the lights off.

The courtyard at this museum was a dream. It didn’t need much decoration, it was beautiful on its own. I have a special place in my heart for rescued manatees, which pretty much sold me on the location with their habitat located right there. The entire thing was a great value compared to most venues we looked at. You will need to hire from their caterers list, which wasn’t a problem for us. HIGHLY recommend renting the conference room located to the side of the courtyard. You are not supposed to set up before 3:30pm, so it made prepping that much easier. Also it was very kind of the venue to note that the security (we were required to pay for) never showed and they returned the cost with our security deposit :)

Like others, I’m giving it 4 stars because the communication with the venue wasn’t great. Our original venue contact was amazing and extremely responsive. Once she left without notice, we were left in the dark for a bit before someone finally responded. The new contact contradicted a lot of the things that were mentioned by the previous coordinator so please document everything you have been told so you can back up any changes. Besides the miscommunications, Brandy was pleasant to talk to and very responsive. I’m sure taking on all of the previous weddings was an adjustment. We did not see her the entire day of the wedding, nor did we know who we were supposed to meet with for questions or support until closer to wedding time when our day of coordinator met Alex from the museum. Also, we had originally planned for a late afternoon rehearsal the day before, but luckily I had tried to confirm that was still the case and the venue only told me then that we had to be in and out before 2pm because of another wedding. This is an extremely DIY venue, so if you have a lot of needs this may not be the place for you.

I don’t want these comments to discourage anyone from considering this place. While these were hiccups, it doesn’t compare to the amount of success the night was for us. Everything that was promised to us, we received. All of our guests were in awe by the location and had nothing but wonderful things to say.

Beautiful venue. The museum staff are slow to respond and many times unresponsive. Had to go to there myself to get issues taken care of since I wasn't getting any of my calls returned.

The South Florida Museum is a hidden gem in Downtown Bradenton. The museum complex houses a planetarium, aquarium, and natural history museum in one convenient location. We held our ceremony in the planetarium under the stars, and our guests LOVED how fun and unique it was. The reception was in the Spanish-style courtyard (you can see into the manatee tank from the reception space--super cool!), which completely exceeded our expectations in terms of how gorgeous it was. The museum doesn't have a set list of approved vendors, which means you can hire anyone you want (a major selling point for us), and the price was very reasonable. The only problem is, the museum is staffed largely by volunteers, which means no one really has the authority or know-how to help deal with unexpected issues or special requests. Also, their main focus is on the museum guests, NOT the wedding clients, so they tend not to be very accommodating. If you know this going in, and don't ask them for too much in the way of special assistance, you'll be happy. Overall, we were very satisfied with the look and atmosphere of our wedding and reception.

I had the ceremony at the beach and the reception here. Since they are a musuem; the rules are extensive and strict. My caterer took care of it - but all those rules just added unnecessary stress! It was hard to get confirmation on following the rules.

First ones to have a wedding at " bishop planetarium". 8/9/1980. Wouldn't change a thing. Still married. The chapel was perfect for a small gathering.

I LOVED every minute of my wedding at the SFM. My guests had a wonderful time, the venue is beautiful, and Snooty was a great addition. We needed very little décor, as the courtyard is so beautiful by itself. We got married on the main front porch, which was different and beautiful, and had cocktail hour and reception inside the courtyard. It was definitely warm- we rented the boardroom as well to help guests, but there is no breeze inside the courtyard!

As other reviewers have mentioned, the museum is much more focused on museum guests than weddings. That is fine, but as such a beautiful venue, there is much more they could do, in my opinion. I was berated for not replying to an email (two days before the wedding that did not warrant any form of reply), the staff had times of our rehearsal and ceremony wrong and were not polite about it. There is definitely room for improvement in the customer services department.

All that said, I would still choose the SFM again. It is so beautiful and charming.

First off let me tell you I would not change my wedding venue for ANYTHING. It was the absolute perfect setting for our wedding & it turned out absolutely gorgeous! We had our ceremony & reception in the Spanish Courtyard & our cocktail hour in the Planetarium Lobby. The Spanish courtyard gave off the perfect vintage romance theme that I was going for & my husb& loves anything space related so to have both areas was a dream. Overall, our wedding day was perfect!
However, I feel that it is also my duty to prepare other brides if they also choose this venue.
When speaking with the event coordinator we were informed that we would be required to turn the music down at 10pm due to a noise ordinance. We thought no problem & ensured that we notified our DJ & confirmed, again, with the venue we just needed to turn it down. A couple of months prior to our wedding the original event coordinator went on maternity leave & we were assigned to the front desk receptionist. None of the prior communications & agreements was transferred to the new contact which resulted in issues. The museum manager (the new event coordinator was on vacation) notified us on our wedding day that the music was required to be TURNED OFF at 10pm, not turned down. He also was extremely rude & this cut our reception by an hour. I will agree with the reviewer before me in regards to the maintenance staff. We took several tours of the museum after booking to ensure that we had all our bases covered & both times we spoke with their maintenance staff which was beyond helpful. Overall, I do not think you should simply skip this venue because of my warnings. I would still have chosen this venue even with the issues I had. I would have simply been more diligent about getting everything in writing. The South Florida Museum is truly a unique & breathtaking venue. Who else can say they had the world’s oldest manatee at their wedding?!
**I would recommend with hesitation**

Pros:
- very inexpensive for what you get, regardless of which "package" you get
- absolutely beautiful
- manatees + ambiance + near the harbor
- organized day-of event staff (security and museum personnel)
- you get your security deposit back

Cons:
- extremely rude and put-upon event manager who does NOT communicate clearly
- event manager spoke to us many times about accommodations but never wrote them down so day-of was quite strict and unyielding when it came to afore-mentioned accommodations.
- event staff locked us into the planetarium lobby and about every 5 minutes pushed on the doors to ensure we weren't "escaping". all my guests felt like criminals at that point.
- the museum has a few rectangular tables but you otherwise need to rent everything through an outside vendor
- we had several large-scale decorations that needed to be delivered on a week day. We had rented the board room in addition to the courtyard for the sake of housing these things. The museum refused to accept any of these in advance claiming that the space was going to be used. (It was not).
- yes, all of Bradenton has a noise ordinance regarding amplified music restrictions after 10pm. Our band was well aware of this since they are pros. It did not affect the party at all.
- We are late night party goers and knew our family would be as well. We were willing to pay to stay until 1am and pay for the two days of insurance. The museum refused to accept this under any conditions regardless of how much we were willing to pay. All other venues we spoke with could gladly add on hours for a fixed price per hour.

Bottom line: It was gorgeous, unique, and so great for our out-of-town guests. I would NOT choose it knowing what I know now because the rude staff and back and forth was too much hassle and stress for both myself and my wedding planner. There are equally prettier venues that will be stress-free for just slightly more if you pre-plan to get your desired date.

This venue is truly breathtaking. There is very little additional decor needed to make this place feel like an absolute fairytale. I can honestly say, I don't think our wedding could have been any more beautiful than it was in this space. We used the courtyard for both ceremony and reception. We used a pipe and drape in the large archway to block the doors which lead into the museum, and the catering company was able to set up almost all of our reception tables behind it ahead of time, so the transition from ceremony to reception during cocktail hour went quickly and seamlessly. Our sweetheart table was on the raised platform, which was so ideal as we were able to enjoy our dinner while looking out and truly taking in the entire event. We felt like a king and queen :)

All of that being said, I was absolutely underwhelmed by the staff at the museum. The only exception being the maintenance man there during our preliminary visits, whose name I cannot remember. He was incredibly helpful, as he showed us around, provided me with sitemaps of the museum, and offered a lot of helpful information.

When we originally chose this venue, the event coordinator had just left for maternity leave (and I guess she never came back??), so we were assigned to work with the front desk receptionist, Debby. This was extremely unfortunate for us, as Debby was quite unfriendly throughout the entire planning process. A week before the wedding, my DJ informed me of a 10pm noise ordinance in downtown Bradenton, which meant our reception would end 30 minutes earlier than I had planned. This was never communicated to me from Debby; and in addition to a few other last minute issues that arose regarding the venue, Debby responded to me in a very rude manner once I reached out to her, and never once offered to compensate or compromise or even ask if there was anything she could do to help. Very disappointing treatment for an event that should be such a happy time.

The South Florida Museum is absolutely beautiful and not expensive, however the staff is horrible. The level of communication is so bad that if it weren't for the fact that it was a week before my wedding that this all came about, I would have changed the venue. Everything worked out ok in the end, but with no help from the staff whatsoever.

Beautiful & affordable BUT I ran into a lot of problems. absolutely no communication, extremely irresponsible. Gave my date away with out calling to ask if I still wanted to get married there. Never charged card for deposit ( found this out 1 month before getting married) CEO Women was NASTY to my mom/aunt/coordinator/bridal party after we finished our rehearsal before it opened to the public, trying to rush us out the door 5 min after they opened. For those reasons, they are not worth it.

The worst decision for a wedding venue. The Bishop Museum is absolutely beautiful but the staff is terrible. Their communication skills and attitudes are substandard. For being a conservatory, there was no regard for the local wildlife. Our bridal party set off confetti guns and the event manager blew the confetti into the street to wash into the river. My wedding planner and my family had all intentions of cleaning up the confetti properly but the event manager showed no remorse for endangering wildlife with plastic waste. The event manager displayed her frustration and our wedding guests noticed it. She was extremely rude and in our opinion very unprofessional. Never in a million years would I choose the Bishop as a wedding venue. We have several engaged friends who are wedding venue shopping and after seeing the subpar quality of the Bishop they will never choose there.