The Island Resort Reviews

Hi Hi! My husand and I got married at the Island in March and it was absolutely lovely. They worked so hard to get everything ready and the set up was exactly what we hoped for. The day is stressful enough without having to worry about if everything looks how you hope. They were very kind and willing to add a few special things we requested. Overall it was a lovely experience. The bridal suit was perfect and fit all my gals for the weekend, plus they were every kind to my extra large wedding party during the course of the weekend 💛

Great place, people and food. The staff were amazing to work with. The staff that worked my wedding were so amazing. They helped make my special day even more special.

I started out working with Dana of events, and halfway through Brandy took over as Dana was retiring. Congrats Dana! Dana and Brandy both did an amazing job of executing my wedding, and making changes last minute. They included me in all decision making and were extremely friendly. If you want a southern hospitality venue that offers everything on site (restaurants, room service, indoor & outdoor venues, bridal suite, view of ocean, lovely view of grotto pool, cool swim up pool bar) than the Island is the only way to go. Not only are the staff extremely friendly (miss Anne head of catering has been working here 27 years!), but they personally stopped by multiple times to make sure I was okay during getting ready of my wedding and that were present to make sure event went well. The location is one of the original hotels of the coast that has been remodeled, and has that cool boutique vintage 70s vibe with a modern twist. This is a one of a kind location, great for hosting large groups (we had about 100 people), and it was lovely running into people on the elevator, in hallways, at the beach and at the pool. Highly recommend having your wedding here for a great price, 10/10!

Josh and I cannot say enough great things about our wedding experience at The Island on New Year’s Eve. We had the absolute best time and that was all thanks to the amazing team at the venue! It could not have been done without the amazing help and leadership of Dana. From scheduling to food tasting to day of coordination, Dana truly went above and beyond. The food options were awesome and our guests all enjoyed the food. We had our reception in the large ballroom on the 6th floor and it was spacious and setup perfectly. We also enjoyed our rehearsal dinner on site as well followed by a private bonfire. It was awesome to have all of our family and friends in one spot to celebrate. We stayed in the bridal suite; or 3 bedroom suite and it was incredible. All the girls were able to get ready there and we had plenty of space to spread out and relax. Highly recommend this as your wedding venue!

Dana was so good! We were supposed to have our happy hour in the over hang area, we weren't thrilled with it, but...we were so happy when we arrived we were told it was moved to the area by the pool. It was perfect - great place for us to gather. Drinks and food were great. The night before bonfire was perfect -- only complaint there was some kids from the hotel snuck in for pizza. That is the only complaint I have -- and we were only told about it the next day. The venue was perfect and the staff were the best. Highly recommend the bonfire the night before and renting the bridal suite for the bridesmaids.

Omg where to begin… let me start by saying that Dana B. and her staff are literally the exact team you dream of when you think about your perfect wedding. Most venues we toured had wedding staff that came across as mildly snobby, entitled, and mainly worried about the money. Luckily for me, Dana and the team couldn’t be further from that. Dana was so extremely warm, accommodating, helpful, and truly became family to us by the big day. She happily fielded an over abundance of calls from me, my mom, my MIL, and my husband both at work and on her free time, and did so eagerly with no signs of frustration - just sheer hospitality (and trust me, we were annoying). She even cried when she saw me on my wedding day… I mean, how much kinder could this woman get! My husband and I are very particular people and had a specific vision of having our 200-person ceremony on the Island Green, cocktail hour at the Tavern by the pool (indoor / outside concept), then the reception back on the Island Green. My wedding was not light on decor (included an entire Polaroid wall for guest seating), and despite my other vendors telling me the quick flip on the green couldn’t be done, Dana was our advocate and absolutely made my dream happen! My husband is also very picky with food, and Dana and her staff went above and beyond to create a tailored meal experience for our guests - something that I’ve never seen at any other wedding. Additionally, the entire wedding weekend with all of our guests staying at the resort just made the experience the most dreamy weekend (no ubers necessary, there are airbnbs across the street if the hotel doesn’t work, great location for adults and kids, affordable food, tons to do, plenty of other venues on site for RXL dinner, and restaurants within walking distance). And it’s soooo affordable! Weddings in general are very expensive, but you’re not going to find the same caliber of venue for this price (or a Dana) anywhere else. Trust me, I looked near and far, and this is IT. Any other venue / hotel on the beach will charge you almost twice what the Island will for lesser quality of experience, staff, food, etc. And if you think Rosemary beach is better - it’s literally half the size of the island green (they cram people) and 3x the cost because of their exclusive vendor list. The Island is truly a one-of-a-kind place with one-in-a-million people as staff who we now can call our friends. Thank you Dana and the Island staff!! We love you!!

We can’t say enough about The Island Resort! Not only was the venue beautiful, the food was delicious, service was exceptional and above all Dana, the wedding coordinator, exceeded our expectations !

I cannot say enough great things about The Island and Dana! She helped make our dream wedding possible. From the moment we toured we knew this would be our wedding venue. Dana was super helpful with providing referrals for vendors, setting up a food tasting, working on the floor plan, rehearsal dinner, etc. Our day was truly magical and it was seamless! The food was amazing - from rehearsal dinner, cocktail hour, to reception dinner. They even let us have the option to have post reception food in the hotel lobby so we could keep the party going. The bridal suite was perfect for getting ready and taking pictures. All of our guests loved that they were able to stay on-site after wedding festivities. Also, they allowed us to have our dog at the ceremony and reception! It was truly such a special day and we are so thankful for the entire team at The Island for making it so wonderful!

There are no words to describe how perfect The Island was for our wedding! The scenery is absolutely beautiful! So many wedding ceremony and receptions and great on-site places for pictures! It is conveniently located with plenty of food and drinks options. The staff was amazing! Everyone from the customer service at check-in, to the housekeeping, and the bartenders/servers! Dana was a dream to work with! She checked in on us frequently and made sure our big day was perfect! I can’t recommend this place enough!

My husband and I knew we wanted to do a destination wedding right away, and when we found The Island it was the perfect fit. Being from out of town, we were worried about planning and getting everything ready, but Dana and The Island staff made everything from planning to the day of run seamless. We had our ceremony on The Island Green and our reception in the Island Tavern. It was all beautiful!! We have received endless compliments about everything - especially on the food. As our wedding party said, the food was 13/10 (especially the cheesy potatoes)! I would highly recommend having your wedding at The Island!!

Brooke & Megan were so lovely to deal with. I was a destination bride, and had to choose my venue before seeing it in person. They we so accommodating every step of the way. They did a tour for me over facetime and answered every question i had. We married on the island green & had our reception in the tavern. Both spaces were gorgeous. Our ceremony photos were stunning & the reception space was perfect for our ~90 guests. I really appreciate how many details they handled so I didn’t have to. Planning a wedding is stressful, but they made the venue piece pleasant & stress free.

My wife and I booked The Island from our home in DC and Megan and Dana could not have been easier to work with. They answered all of our questions in a timely manner and kept us up to date with any changes. Dana is great and helped us make our wedding dream a reality. She met with the chef to see if we could have a Venezuelan traditional appetizer for our cocktail and made it a reality. She made sure that our guests with eating restrictions were well taken care of. Dana was very flexible and accommodating and even adjusted our invoice last minute when some of our guests got COVID and could no longer make it. She was a great help and our wedding could not have happened without her.

My husband and I spent several weeks looking for the perfect wedding venue. Neither one of us is native to Florida, but we were willing to consider a destination wedding on the beach. 
After several partly satisfying venue visits in the area, we had almost given up our beach wedding dream, until we met Brooke and visited their beautiful property at the Island Hotel. 
Their recently renovated resort was an absolute hit amongst all of our wedding guests. The hotel is filled with several fun activities for any age group. There are multiple gorgeous event spaces to pick from including a few with breathtaking beach views. 
Brooke did an excellent job of explaining the logistics behind renting their event spaces, including going over seemingly trivial but potentially extremely important details about heaters and back up venue spaces. She even offered to volunteer showing our photographer around their beatiful venue to capture gorgeous photos. 
Another clutch feature the hotel offers is their beatiful island suite. We utilized it as a hangout space for our friends and family during the entire weekend, and we couldn't be happier with it. 
The Island Hotel went above and beyond to host our three day Indian wedding filled with several different events during the entire wedding weekend. Their hotel manager Dana was an absolute delight to work with during the entire process. Thanks to her and the entire hotel staff's promptness and organization skills, our demanding wedding weekend was a huge success. 
We very highly recommend this wedding venue, and most importantly, the people of the Island Hotel who were responsible for making our big day amazing. 

Our communication with Megan and Dana was phenomenal. My husband had a blast at our tasting. He showed up very hungry and the Chef ended up pranking him with a tiny steak at our reception, haha! They made every detail feel special and personal. Dana responded quickly to all my emails and helped with every last-minute change I had to make. Our ceremony was on the green and reception in the tavern. Megan recommended so many wonderful vendors and our DJ was AMAZING. Miss Ann and the catering staff made our reception flow smoothly. I think our guests who stayed somewhere else really regretted their decision because the property is so wonderful and the ones who did had a blast! I couldn’t have asked for a better night! Take it from a local couple and book your wedding here!

The Island Wedding team was fabulous to work with! Megan, Brooke, and Dana catered to my every need throughout the entire process. Even upon arrival- when we had to get married during a tropical storm. Mrs. Ann was also amazing and took the best care of us! I cannot say enough great things about the entire Isand Wedding team and I can’t wait to visit The Island Resort again!!

Words can't express how incredible our wedding was at the Island. From the first tour to the exit at our wedding I felt like we had an entire team ready to handle any issue that could possibly happen. After cancelling our original wedding due to COVID we opted for a smaller destination wedding along the Gulf. We chose the Island because of the all-inclusiveness and their stunning venues. The hotel room blocks, the delicious food, the cake, flowers, and the DJ were all able to be done through them which saved us a lot of time and stress. What ultimately made up our mind was that truly there was nothing along the entire gulf that was as stunning as the Island Green where we had our ceremony. It gives you the feeling like you are on the water but without ever having to touch the sand and the privacy you want on your big day. And if for some reason mother nature decides to shake things up they had a backup plan for everything which really allowed us to be able to sit back and relax for our big day because we knew they had it taken care of and that trust is priceless. Dana and Megan and the whole Island team were amazing to work with! I would recommend The Island to anyone getting married, especially those looking for a perfect getaway location, from the beach, to the grotto pool, to the onsite restaurants and excursions across the street it really was a dream venue that made our dream day possible.

I grew up in the area so I always knew I would get married somewhere on a beach or outside. The Island Hotel was the perfect choice of having the best of both without having to actually be in the sand. Brooke and Megan were so easy to work with and so attentive. I booked The Island almost a year and a half out without hesitation and they were responsive from then on within days. Dana was brought on closer to our day and even she made it stress free as the days and weeks were leading up. We had our ceremony at The Island Green and it was everything and more I could have imagined, it really is the focal point to a ceremony with the beautiful palm trees and backdrop of the ocean. Our reception was The Tavern and the outside area with the food truck was so fun. If you don’t live in the area and need a team who will work with with you endlessly to meet your dreams then Brooke, Megan and Dana are IT! BOOK NOW! Even if you’re local, I now live in Pensacola and I didn’t have to travel the little hour it takes to handle business, they took care of it for me.
If you’re in need of a wedding planner of day of coordinated which I would HIGHLY suggest, Sarah Harris is your go to girl at Slhevents on Instagram, she was AWESOME everyone listened to what we wanted and our dream day came to life on April 3, 2021

So many great things to say about this venue and the people that work there! Brooke, Megan, and Brandy went above and beyond for everything and I enjoyed working with all of them! They are all quick to respond, very organized, friendly, and professional. We got married during Covid and they all did a great job of keeping in touch with us about any changes. We had our ceremony on the green space overlooking the water and it was absolutely gorgeous! I looked at a couple other venues with green spaces and none of them compared to the size and beauty of this one! All the staff at the hotel were all very nice and helpful. The staff that served our food for our rehearsal dinner and reception were all amazing! We had a buffet for the rehearsal dinner and a plated dinner for the reception and they both worked out great! The food is delicious! All of our family and friends had so much fun at the hotel. The hotel rooms are newly renovated and everything is very clean! I’m so glad we chose this venue and I would happily do it all over again! Thank you Brooke, Megan, and Brandy!!

WOW. Honestly I don't even know where to start writing this. Let me give a little back story first. We booked The Island before it was even a wedding venue (literally, no venue, active construction going on, we had to step over construction tape on our tour) because Brooke SOLD us on the concept and she was SPOT ON, it is so stunning. Some more background we have the pleasure of getting married not only during the pandemic in 2020 but we also had the pleasure of getting married during a hurricane. It really doesn't get more stressful than that.

That being said, Brandy, Megan, Brooke and their team MADE IT HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT.

From the logistical side, we had to change our entire food menu from a buffet style to a plated option for COVID, Brandy made it happen and never questioned it. We also had to move our ENTIRE outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour inside at the last minute because of the hurricane, they made it happen! It wasn't our dream but you really cant predict the weather in Florida. Due to the last minute moving the ceremony inside the ballroom logistics were a little different with the timing of the staff getting ready for dinner. we could hear faintly the staff in the kitchen during our ceremony. However, due to the last minute call to move it inside it was the best case scenario! The food was fantastic!!! I didn’t eat much on wedding night but we got to take to-go boxes to our hotel room after and it was DELICIOUS - we went with the Pepper steak, blistered tomatoes, Green Beans and Potatoes, Rosemary Chicken and The Tofu veggie options!!!

Second the accessibility of The Island staff, they must have answered more than 2,000 emails from me, they let me come in early and drop off all the decorations, they walked through where I wanted everything set up, and they even got creative making some same-day decor options with our wedding planner to make the ballroom more decorated since we didn't plan on being in there. Seriously, the amount of help they gave me was above and beyond what a venue does. I have been in several wedding parties where the bridesmaids were setting up the tables, setting out the decor, etc NOT THE ISLAND, they help with EVERYTHING along with the planner the day of the wedding. I was SHOCKED to see how active they were the day of the wedding. It is something that really sets the island apart from other venues.

Third, The Island hotel was A BLAST!!!!!! Our wedding guest still talk about how much they loved the pools, hot tubs, the bars and restaurants! I loved having all of our guests staying at the Island because we all got to meet at the pool the next day and had so much fun playing all day in the sun and water. It was really the best weekend of my life. They let us rent out the hotel bar until 2am Friday and Saturday, they let us set up karaoke in the hotel lobby/bar for our after party celebration after the reception. It was too much fun and I wish I could re-live it.

Last, the bridal suite is a MUST have, book it, you wont regret it. Forget getting an offsite air bnb, that is just going to add stress. It was the perfect space for my entire bridal party, we had plenty of room, the pictures were gorgeous in there.

There are endless positive things I can say about this venue and the staff. If I had to do it all over again The Island would be my #1 option. It was the best weekend of our lives. Despite the absolute chaos we had to go through The Island made it all happen and worked great with all our other vendors. Simply the best!

Forever thankful,

My husband and I had to completely re-schedule our wedding due to Covid and had basically 3 months to plan the entire thing! To say I was anxious and stressed is an understatement, but literally the minute after I met with the Island and toured their venue, I was sold and put at ease. The staff is so welcoming, inviting, and happy. They make wedding planning so much fun and I could not be more thankful for their help.

Megan, Brooke, Brandy and everyone at the Island could not have been more kind. I was in a unique position where I had already planned an entire wedding in another state, and I was shocked with how fun and communicative the team at the Island was when comparing to my last venue. They are so great at getting back to you quickly with any question you may have whether it was through email or phone. They provide a wide variety of packages for your budget and they were super flexible when choosing the menu and flowers.

Not to give away any fun surprises, but when we had our final meeting the week of the wedding and when we checked into our hotel, there were so many fun surprises and sweet, thoughtful “extras” that made us feel so special and thought of. They have so many options for getting ready the day of including a bridal suite and several other rooms to rent. The bridesmaids lunch when getting ready the day of the wedding was so stunning, we were all joking that we should just take it and use it for the wedding! All of the girls involved with the wedding were present and available when needed that week and during the entire planning process; I never felt out of the loop or nervous about anything with planning. They took care of all of my needs and concerns and I was fully confident in their ability to fulfill my dreams and wishes for my wedding day!

Trusting a company with your wedding is a huge deal and something that you should not take lightly. I could not recommend the Island enough to trust in your big day! People always warn you that something will go wrong the day of your wedding, but our wedding day was perfect! We can’t wait to go back and visit all of the staff that we became friends with and spend more time on their beautiful property.

The Island Wedding Company will provide you with the perfect wedding day full of joy and free of stress. Brooke has established a strong leadership culture at The Island and has built a high-performance team that embodies high expectations. Every member on her team including Megan Chafin (Director of Communications), Sarah Harris (Event Coordinator), and Brandy Heuer (Wedding Concierge) take pride in making sure that every need for your special day is met with complete personalization. They truly make your wedding vision flawlessly come to life!

My initial wedding plans were unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19. Brooke was so supportive during this time and scheduled a meeting with my family to discuss options on how we could handle the situation. What I admire most about Brooke is her honest business practices that are built with a customer focus. She understands how to help resolve problems and is committed to creating a climate of trust and establishing a relationship with her all brides. The way she handled the situation and the support she provided me caused me to make the decision to continue to work with The Island Wedding Company until it was safe for me to have my special day.

During the planning process, Megan, Brandy, and Sarah were ALWAYS optimistic, organized, and knowledgeable. As a full- time PhD student and working professional trying to plan a destination wedding, these ladies made the planning process an absolute breeze and stress free. They took care of every detail for the wedding. They even went above-and-beyond to make sure that I did not have to deal with vendors and they even contacted Simply Elegant Bridal to deliver my dress to the hotel so I had nothing to worry about on my wedding day.

If you are looking for an elegant and relaxing location to have your wedding, I highly recommend The Island Wedding Company. All their venue options are beautiful, the food is delicious, and the customer service is top notch. Trust them and let them work their magic!

Brooke Wheeler really made our wedding a dream come true. We had to postpone our wedding due to Covid, and Brooke was there for us no matter what, to make whatever changes needed to happen to change our date and was incredibly accommodating in every way. From the moment that we first met Brooke in the lobby of the resort for our tour of the venues to the day we checked out after our week-long wedding, she was always there with a genuine smile, willing to do whatever she could to make us happy. Throughout the wedding planning process, Brooke was the one person we had full faith in; she gave my husband and me a sense of calm, and we knew that she had everything under control for our wedding. Brooke's advice was most appreciated, and I wish I even took more of it when it came to vendors; she truly knows what is best and always has her bride and groom's best interest at heart. Brooke, as a person, quickly became someone we loved and cared about. The wedding team at the Island was on top of everything going on at all times. Megan was also exceptional and there for us when we needed her; you can tell she loves her job and will do whatever it takes to make her brides and grooms happy, and we very much appreciated her. I would highly recommend getting married on the Island, not just for the fantastic venues but also because of the incredible wedding team that works hard to make all of your dreams come true.

I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. My wedding day was perfect! Everyone loved the venue, and we had so many compliments on how beautiful everything was. Brooke and her team take the time to consider all of your wants and needs. They checked on me numerous times and were so organized!

The Island Resort is an amazing venue overlooking the Beach in Florida! Brooke is absolutely amazing and was very accommodating to work with even with the Covid-19 pandemic. My client and I loved the intimacy of this resort. Upon our site visit, Brooke had everything organized with vendor meetings set up with the resort for that weekend and the chef to prepare delicious foods for our tasting. After looking at all of the space options, Brooke was able to shift some things around and ensure all of the space my client was looking for become available so that we could make our Bride's vision a reality. As a wedding planner, it's important to work with a venue that is accommodating and flexible. Brooke definitely is awesome to work with and I look forward to working with her soon with my future clients!

Planning a fusion wedding (especially a big fat Indian one), you need a lot of space, ideally at an affordable rate. The Island is amazing in the fact it offers many spaces BUT each so unique that you may as well be at a different venue each time, which was awesome especially for a multi-event wedding spanning over multiple days.
Brooke was my first contact through the hotel and she is just THE BEST!! She listened to my ideas, offered even better ones, and when I went for my site visit went above and beyond! Everyone I met there made me feel like it was going to be all about my wedding and every girl wants that feeling for her special day.
If you're looking for a beautiful venue with a responsive and caring coordinator and staff who will make your imagined wedding day come to life, THIS. IS. THE. SPOT!!

I could honestly write pages on how amazing Brooke and her team are. If you are looking for a place to hold your wedding, your way, this is the place for you. Brooke works to make sure each bride has their vision come true for their wedding. Once you are one of her brides, she’s got you. She made our planning process so stress-free which is a blessing during wedding planning. We originally planned a three day wedding weekend with Brooke and her team and planned to have over 200 guests in attendance. When I tell you she went above and beyond for me that is no exaggeration. She had tons of ideas to make sure both our guests and my husband and I had a memorable weekend together. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our November 2020 wedding due to COVID but Brooke and her team were helping us plan the most magical weekend and I am so grateful to them for that. Brooke was honestly made to do this type of work and if you want someone to bring your vision to life and help take care of every detail along the way, book with her at The Island and you won’t be disappointed. Though our wedding weekend didn’t happen, we are already excited to plan more events with her and can’t wait to be back at the beautiful Island hotel!

The Island was by far the best place we could have chosen to have our wedding. Every aspect was perfect all thanks to the staff that they have and how involved they was with everything.

The Island Hotel couldn't have done it any better! Coming from locals we were amazed at the newly renovated areas this place had to offer. So many different locations and options for getting married and receptions areas. Brooke Wheeler and her staff go up and beyond to making your wedding planning experience so much easier and smoother then I could have ever imagined. There is nothing I don't think they wouldn't do or try to find to make your wedding dreams come true. The ambience, staff, and definitely the food is fantastic. Every person you work with along the way is truly excited to be apart of your wedding experience and makes things as easy and stress free as possible for you. What bride doesn't want that!

Although our wedding had to be cancled do to the corona virus, Brooke and the rest of her team at the island hotel were nothing short of amazing the whole time that we were planning our wedding with them! We would definetley reccomend them to anyone looking for a destination wedding.

Unfortunately, we were part of the Coronavirus weddings that had to either postpone or cancel. We were very sad to have to cancel. However, planning this wedding with Brooke Wheeler and The Island Hotel venue was one of the best experiences and has set the bar extremely high for our future plans. Brooke has a bright talent in event planning and marketing that is a professionally refined craft that exceeded our expectations. We live in Indiana and traveled to The Island 3 times over the course of our planning. Each time, Brooke and her Island Team took great care of us. Brooke knows the ins and outs of this industry better than anyone we encountered, and recommended all of our vendors. If we were unsure of who to book, our first line of help was Brooke. From the day we started planning, to the day we were hit with mandated quarantine, Brooke stayed with us the whole way. We cannot recommend The Island Hotel and Brooke’s team enough.

Brooke,

Thank you very much for all of your help. You have become family to us over this entire process and we sincerely hope that we not only get to see you again soon, but also a prosperous future for you, your family, and your team. A planning process that is notoriously difficult and frustrating (even outside of a pandemic) was made enjoyable and memorable. We owe that joy and memory all to you. You are amazing. You are doing great things and even though The Island is a stunningly beautiful resort, you are what make it a truly special place. Thank you so much.

Dustin and Karah

We absolutely loved our whole experience with The Island! Brooke was so helpful and made it a breeze planning a Florida wedding from our home in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, due to coronavirus, we had to cancel our dream destination wedding plans at The Island. Brooke and the entire staff were so supportive during this time and were a huge help with our change of plans! They were by far the best vendor at handling this unexpected change of events and we are so grateful. I would highly recommend them and we will definitely be back to visit!!!

This place is amazing!!! We live the renovations. This is our go to play from now on!!

This venue was absolutely gorgeous and everything that I imagined. Everything concerning my wedding went perfectly. It was the best day ever! Brooke Wheeler with The Island Wedding Company was amazing! She was very responsive and helpful throughout the whole planning process. Everything was set up perfectly and just how I imagined it. She was there on the wedding day through the entire process. Brooke arranged a private area for me where I could get dressed and ready before the wedding. I would highly recommend the Brooke Wheeler with The Island Wedding Company to anyone looking for a gorgeous wedding venue with professional and friendly staff. I love how the greens and palm trees overlook the beach and the Gulf! Just beautiful!

From start to finish Brooke made the entire process as stress free as a bride can be. She was always available to handle and address any of my questions and/or concerns. I also put a lot of faith into her and the vision she had as the space wasn’t even built when I booked my wedding. It turned out to be the best decision I could have made. The space was gorgeous and my vision was made reality.

We had our Island Wedding 3 weeks ago and we are still smiling over our experience and time spent at The Island.
Brooke is an absolute angel who works so hard to ensure each bride has the most dreamy and stress-free wedding experience. Every single detail of our wedding was executed perfectly by The Island staff. We loved our newly renovated room with a gorgeous view, the brand new and beautiful wedding venues we were able to chose from, every person apart of The Island staff was so pleasant and professional. There was not one complaint to be had over the week we spent at The Island and our wedding they put on FOR US. One of our favorite parts of having a destination wedding and a wedding at The Island in particular was that every single detail was taken care of for us so that all of our family and guest were able to enjoy their time together on the coast rather than being put to work helping prepare the wedding.
We are forever grateful for our PERFECT wedding and planning experience and can not wait to visit The Island very soon!
NO REGRETS!

We chose The Island for our ceremony and reception because the property is absolutely gorgeous and provided the exact "beachy island" feel we were looking for. The property is also in a perfect location with numerous restaurants near by providing the ultimate convenience for all of our out of town guests. We planned a destination wedding from Illinois and initially booked The Grand Canopy which is now The Tavern and we couldn't have been happier with our decision. Everything from the ceremony and reception was absolutely gorgeous and perfect and the food was delicious! Jackie (sales manager) and Vanessa (group housing coordinator) were an absolute pleasure to work with and went above and beyond to make sure everything was just as we wanted. We can't thank everyone enough at The Island for making our special day so perfect! We can't wait to come back!

Brooke, Sarah and The Island were absolute perfection. Starting with Brooke she was an absolute gem from day one. She was super quick to respond and had us sold in a matter of seconds. When I say putting trust in someone, I mean I put my full trust in Brooke. At the time we booked our wedding reception was only half way complete and Brooke promised me her vision would come true and would be finished in time for my wedding. And she was right her vision literally made my heart so happy and it construction was complete well before my wedding. Brooke sent me pictures of the place as soon as it was complete but man pictures didn’t do this place justice it was absolutely stunning. Brooke came to check on me on the day of the wedding and boy she was the sweetest thing on earth. Now for Sarah the worlds best wedding coordinator omg!!! I can’t tell you how many times I emailed her at 3am with a panic attack trying to plan my wedding in only six months and she would respond immediately or by the next morning with words of encouragement and solutions to any problems I was having. She is an absolute gem. The day before the wedding she was a boss which was everything I needed and more. I dropped everything off with her and she told me to go get in the pool and she would make all my dreams come true and she most certainly did..... she was the best thing we could ask for. She was there for me every step the day of solving problems putting things together or just making sure there was nothing I needed. She was absolute perfection!!! And lastly the island omg can you say stunning!!! This place was a beauty every where you turned there was something beautiful to look at. The island green just absolutely made the wedding just amazing every picture taken just came out perfect. Literally my wedding day was a dream come true and I literally teared up the whole way home just playing back all the memories over and over again and falling in love with the day over and over!!!!

We are still on cloud nine after our daughter’s wedding at the Island FL.
Our wedding search began last October and at that time contracted with the Island FL.
As a destination wedding; it was paramount that all the details be nailed down well in advance.
We found that working with Brooke and Sarah of SLH events absolutely no detail was too small.
They both took great care to make sure we delivered our daughter’s dream.

We entertained 90 guests at the Island with a welcome bonfire on the beach Friday evening;
the beach ceremony on Saturday afternoon and then danced the night away at the tavern on the island
event space. It truly was a dream come true; the food was divine, the décor simply perfect, the service
non-stop.

Many of our guests stayed several nights and enjoyed their rooms; the pools, the beach café and food
truck, even the housekeeping and front desk staff was attentive.

The moment they turned to be introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Peter Rola, the reaction – priceless.
A moment you dream of as a mother. Much love Brooke – God blessed us the day we met !

I would recommend using Brooke and The Island again and again. We put a lot of faith in Brooke and her team to deliver us our dream wedding week. When we first visited the Island, they were undergoing a lot of renovations throughout the entire grounds. Our venue space actually was not even built yet at this point. Brooke showed me her vision for the space, and she delivered a beautiful reception venue, The Tavern on the Island. We loved that we could have an indoor and outdoor space for our reception and not just your typical ball room. It truly was picturesque with the grotto waterfall in the background! I really mean it when I say that it turned out to be the most perfect day and our guests did enjoy their entire stay at the Island. All of our guests were placed in renovated rooms, I can’t wait to see what the hotel looks like when we return, as some floors still need completed. I know it can only get better from here. Now, let’s talk food, they have a new chef, and we received many compliments on how fantastic the food was at the reception. Our guests also enjoyed the food from the Island Grill and Hotel restaurant as well. Its hard to say all the great things about our wedding week, but I can say that we feel so blessed to have had such an amazing wedding and are still on cloud nine. Thank you!

A hurricane uprooted us just shortly after we settled on our first venue. Our trusted and intelligent wedding planner Clay Keels @signaturewedpc navigated us to The Island FL Hotel for a venue visit. Brooke Wheeler @theislandweddings welcomed us with open arms and a BIG VISION for what she knew The Island FL “WAS GOING” to be. At the time of the venue visit…. There was No ISLAND GREEN (instead, cinder blocks and sand), NO MAUI BALLROOM, NO TAVERN ON THE GREEN (just orange lines drawn on the ground), and NO FIJI ROOM. We could hear and see the wedding passion and design determination in Brooke Wheeler. She was glowing with pride in what she knew this one day would be. So we jumped, we took the “Leap of Faith,” and 7 months later - we had the Most Incredible Beach View Wedding on the Island Green July 26. Our Reception was in the Maui Ballroom, and it was absolute PERFECTION for our 130 guests. Our entire wedding party got ready with hair/makeup and fellowship in the FIJI Room. It was such a joyful & unique experience being able to watch @destinmobilemakeupbox transform our family and friends into wedding day beauties in the perfect location of the FIJI Room. Brooke was such a pleasure to work with, she certainly helped us weather even some figurative thunderstorms (bridal meltdowns do happen sometimes), but Brooke is calm, cool, and collected when it comes to her brides. She will even go to the ends of the “aisle” to make sure her clients get every single detail they anticipate. The Island FL venues BEAUTY is UNPARALLELED, but Brooke and the rest of the Island Staff are the BEST IN THE BUSINESS!!

I got married at The Island on June 22nd and could not be happier with our wedding and reception! We got married on the green space which was so beautiful and had our reception indoors. Brooke, who runs the weddings was especially helpful with any questions I had, finding vendors, and even some questions I had following the wedding! I live in California and planning from so far away can be tough, I was so happy that the team at The Island was only an email away to answer all the questions I had! I can’t wait to get more pictures back!

If you’re looking at this venue, I definitely recommend it for a beautiful and fun venue for everyone coming to visit the area!

Thank you again to everyone at The Island!

Every step of the way, The Island made sure my vision was being completed to the best of their ability! Brooke is such a gem and made me feel like one of her own! Even with last minute weather changes, The Island crew was calm and collected with their new game plans. The wedding itself was an absolute dream! The Island venue is so unique! I would definitely recommend this venue and team to anyone!

As soon as I saw The Island I knew that this is where we were going to become husband and wife. The Island is the best wedding venue in FWB! We did a ton of research into venues, & nothing even came close to The Island. It's an all inclusive venue - you & your guests can stay there for the weekend, the food is incredible & very reasonably priced, they provide all the tables, plates, glasses, & linens that you need. In addition to all this, they have an incredibly helpful staff. The green-space has breathtaking views and made for a perfect backdrop as we said I Do. The ballroom was stunning and the sunset views from the ballroom were incredible. Not only is the view stunning, but the food and service is outstanding. As much as I can go on about The Island, I just have to stop to applaud Brooke because she is the orchestrator that made everything run smoothly. I cannot thank Brooke enough for taking in my vision and making it reality. She is so kind and will do ANYTHING to make sure your day is perfect. Our guests are still raving over our wedding saying that "it was the best wedding we have ever attended!". Thank you so much Brooke and The Island for making our wedding the most beautiful evening of my life.

When we got engaged, we knew 2 things about our wedding: (1) we wanted to get married, locally, in the Panhandle area and (2) that we would have ALOT of out of town guests. Having moved to the area just 2 years ago, most of our family and friends live in other states. It was important to have all of our guests stay in one location, but also be in a location that has beach access (why else would you ask all your friends and family to travel so far?!). Which, come to find out, is difficult to do when you live in a beach town that is made up of predominately condominiums and beach houses. We were also taking into account the fact that some family would be flying and would not have vehicles here. Therefore, we wanted to try and eliminate as much travel within the city for everyone as possible.

We looked at 3 venues total. The first two were not really our “style”, but, finally, we did a tour with Brooke at The Island Weddings. Our tour was in October of 2018. The Island had recently been purchased by a new owner and the entire development was undergoing renovations. For those that do not know, The Island Hotel has been around since the 60’s. My parents vacationed there in high school and my brother vacationed there in college! So, we know the hotel and the area well and we were very excited that it was undergoing renovations prior to our wedding. When we did our tour, some of the wedding venues had not been renovated, yet. But we could tell that the venues that had been renovated were beautiful and we could see that the renovations were going to take The Island to a whole new level!

From there, it was an easy decision. The Island had the beach front view, the beach access, the ability to have everyone stay in one location, and the option of several different beautiful venues for us to have different events. So, we booked with The Island Weddings! (Also, it was an added bonus that, for anyone who did want to get off the Resort for a bit, there were lots of different restaurant [everything from seafood to Italian to burgers] and right across the street is Island Times where people can rent pontoons and other watersports – and they also have really good food!)

Throughout the wedding planning, Brooke kept us to date on the renovations by sending us pictures of all of our venues. It was exciting to see how our venues evolved from a 60’s vibe to a modern, chic look!

We know the typical tradition is to have all of your out-of-town guests to the Rehearsal Dinner, but with have a 200-person we wanted to do something smaller, more intimate for the Rehearsal Dinner. Therefore, we decided we would have the Rehearsal Dinner in the Bali Room with our immediate families and the Wedding Party, and a Karaoke Party/Welcome Party in the Fiji Room immediately after the Rehearsal Dinner. (SIDE NOTE: Anyone debating doing a Karaoke/Welcome Party, I HIGHLY recommend! It was so much fun and a great way to get everyone on both sides of the family acquainted with each other!)

We had 28 people total for the Rehearsal Dinner and the Bali Room was perfect for this. It felt exactly how we wanted to: Intimate. The food for the Rehearsal dinner was AMAZING. Chef Trevor is an awesome chef and the presentation was spectacular!

Everyone was invited to the Karaoke/Welcome Party, which we had in the Fiji Room. It was the perfect size. Everyone had so much fun! (Seriously… even if you are not considering a Karaoke Party, consider it! SO. MUCH. FUN.)

Brooke had the awesome idea to use The Fiji Room the next day (wedding day). Brooke helped turned it into a Bridal Suite, which was gorgeous. It is an all-white room, which screams Bridal Suite and furniture was brought in to give a feel of comfort. There was plenty of space to move around and get comfy, get your makeup done or eat. I can’t wait to see the pictures from here! Brooke really has a vision with the different venues and it’s amazing how she can turn one venue into something totally different the next day!

We were married at St. Mary Catholic Church in Fort Walton Beach (just about 5 minutes down the road from The Island). We chose not to do a first look, so, in order to get a picture of the entire wedding party prior to the ceremony, we set up on the first and second floors of one of the buildings and it was amazing. It was such a fun way to have a picture of us prior to the wedding!

Upon our return guests were greeted and guided towards the Island Maui Ballroom and the Island Capri Room. These Ballrooms are on the 6th Floor of the tower and there really are not any other words to describe them other than: GORGEOUS. Both have been beautifully renovated. The best part to us was that it didn’t look like just any other hotel ballroom (you know the ones I am talking about – they have the yellow, reds and greens in the carpet and long yellow curtains…). It was so much better! Hayley Odom, the interior designer for The Island, definitely knows what she is doing. The combination of the beautiful blues, grays and whites, with stunning chandeliers just make the room pop! Both Ballrooms have balcony access which was really nice at night with the breeze. And during the day, it has the most beautiful view of BOTH the Gulf and the Bay. I have never been to a wedding before with such a beautiful view!

We had the band, tables and bars in The Island Maui Ballroom and the food and a few extra tables, as well as, a seating area in The Island Capri Room. And, yet again, Chef Trevor killed it! The food was SO GOOD! (For anyone who likes re-stuffed baked potatoes, Chef Trevor’s a must try! He served them in smaller sizes, so, you can even pass them as an appetizer!) Everyone truly seemed to have an awesome night and we could not be happier that they did!

Overall, I could not be more thankful for Brooke and The Island Weddings. Weddings can be stressful, and Brooke truly helped us every step of the way and made it so much easier on us. Brooke pulled off an amazing weekend for us, our family, and our friends, and we cannot wait to make many more memories at The Island in the future!

Brooke is amazing!!! If you are needing a venue for your wedding I highly recommend working with Brooke! She made everything go smoothly and we had no issues at all throughout the day. Brooke was awesome to work with and we would 100% recommend booking with the Island for your big day!!

I cannot say enough good things about Brooke and this venue. If you're looking for a place to get married on the beach, but want more options, this is the venue for you. It has the beach, a gorgeous lawn, and stunning ballrooms all in one place. I'm a wedding photographer and I've shot weddings at many beach locations and the Island is the PERFECT beach wedding location. It is easily my favorite venue in our area.

The Island Hotel is a beautiful location with close proximity to the beach, ideal for after ceremony pictures. The coordination of vendors, clients, and everything in between was as smooth as you can as for on a wedding day.

The island is a perfect venue for any event, especially weddings! The Island Green is just a beautiful area for both ceremony and reception!!

I met with brooke and she was great

This past weekend we had our wedding ceremony and reception at the The Island by Hotel RL on 10/13/2018 and it was a dream come true. I had booked and planned the entire wedding in under 3 months and I have Brooke Wheelers, The Island Weddings Manager, and Jackie Gibson, The Island by Hotel RL Sales Manager, to thank for making it all happen for us.
Jackie and Brooke were very involved in the entire process from start to finish. They both put in time and effort to help make the process painless and were extremely accommodating. The week of the wedding, the Florida Panhandle was hit by hurricane Michael. This caused great concern for our family and guests, however, Jackie and Brooke kept in contact the entire time keeping us updated on the storm and the condition of the venue. We were lucky enough that the storm didn’t cause any damage to the beach and the plans remained unchanged.
Having the entire event at The Island by Hotel RL made it extremely easy for our guests to enjoy their weekend at the beach and eliminated the burden of finding transportation on our wedding day. Brooke did an amazing job taking care of the-day-of details and coordination, while Jackie handled the event crew and catering. This allowed for my family to relax and enjoy every bit of our special day.
On the day of the ceremony, we hadn’t heard back from our photographer all morning – Brooke immediately alerted my mom and called around for a backup photographer. She was able to find a replacement that could be onsite for both the ceremony and reception. This really showed us that this isn’t just a business for Brooke, she genuinely cares about her brides and will go above and beyond for them. We’re so grateful that she was the one there for us on our wedding day.
Our beachfront ceremony was incredible. I was very nervous about it not being completely private, but the way they set up the chairs and arbor right at the edge of the beach makes it so intimate and you really don’t notice anything else around it.
Immediately following the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour and reception under The Island Canopy. I highly recommend the outdoor canopy on a fall night. It was a blast and perfect for the number of people we had in attendance. The Island crew accommodated to time changes and the food was good. Service during the reception was timely and efficient. The presentation was on point and both Brooke and Jackie were there the entire time to make sure everything ran smoothly.
We were beyond impressed by The Island by Hotel RL and highly recommend anyone getting married on the Emerald Coast to book with them. We would like to thank The Island staff and of course Brooke and Jackie for making our wedding day a dream come true.

We had our wedding at the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort in 7/16/2016. The sales manager, Veronica Clark was absolutely amazing, helpful, very responsive with messages in a promptly manner, very professional, she provided excellent customer service and was super friendly! All the staff that cater to us during our wedding reception was excellent. The front desk personnel was very nice too. Everyone at the wedding loved the Reception food, we had the seafood festival buffet and it was a lot of food that everyone enjoyed. The quality of service was excellent! The wedding package and prices was within our budget and reasonable which was hard to find a venue in the area that included most of the services we needed in our big day. The beach is absolutely beautiful, breath taking despite the heat in July. Our Suite was located on the 5th floor with front view of the beach and it had 2 balconies, one in the bedroom and the other in the living room so that was great! Very specious, comfortable living room and kitchenette. Ramada recommended Beach Side Ceremonies for our wedding ceremony décor, wedding planner/coordinator, photography, and pastor which was included in the package. The only recommendation I would make to this Resort is a face lift and renovation of the rooms as it is a bit outdated. Our suite was comfortable and we did not have any issues, but a couple of our guests did in their rooms. Also, a little more organization in guiding the guests to the location of the wedding ceremony location, we had some guests that could not find the location and asked a staff, but they said they didn't know. Just a little room for improvement in things like that. Other than that, everyone was great, the food was delicious, our suite was clean and comfortable, the staff and team that helped us was great! Thank You Ramada Plaza Beach Resort for helping us have a wonderful wedding ceremony and reception.

We had our reception at the Ramada on 04.23.16 and we really enjoyed our experience. Veronica Clark was a pleasure to work with! We were planning our wedding from Georgia so I was a little nervous, but everything turned out perfect! The food was delicious, the only complaint was the food wasn't left out longer so we could eat more! The staff was very attentive and we used their chair covers and centerpieces and we loved those as well!

Thanks Ramada!

They did our reception in the garden area cafe. It was beautiful and the people that waited on us were so polite and very good at their jobs. The food was great and they gave me great choices. The table was in a U shape so we could all mingle and not feel so far apart. They let me come in early and decorate which was nice cause i had a lot to put out. The ladies in the office were so nice always prompt at emailing or calling you back. Great price on the food per person as well. Thanks again it was the best part of my wedding.

After settling on a destination wedding on the beach, I scoured the internet for places to get married in Florida. There are several beautiful locations to choose from, though most wanted quite a lot of money (more than my budget) and often did not include catering. The Ramada had it all: a perfect beach setting with white sand, a ceremony package, catered food, a lovely room for the reception. Veronica Clark is an amazing person and extremely patient with all the silly questions I had; she was also very helpful (and even expedited a room change for us without having to wait in line!).

The ceremony itself was by a third part (Beachside Ceremonies); the Ramada offered us the beach, catering and a room for the reception (for 4 hours). We used the "Forum" room because it was a small wedding. The food is absolutely FANTASTIC and the staff is pleasant and helpful.

Please note that there is nowhere to get ready besides the rooms, which is fine unless you have a large party (it was a tight fit for myself, four bridesmaids, the hairdresser and my mother). The package I bought included a beachfront suite and champagne in the room, which was provided, though the room was pretty much the same as all the other rooms (beach view or parking lot view), just with a much better view from the 3rd floor.

The hotel itself is also a bit dated. But who cares? You are literally steps away from the beach.

We stayed at the Ramada all week and the rooms were very comfortable while still for a decent resort price. The showers were nice and the reception desk people were very friendly. We took a lot of our wedding photos in the quad that has the beautiful plants and waterfalls and our photographer was very happy with how they came out. I would definitely recommend staying here and even using the area for wedding photo shoots.

We had our reception at the ramada following our beach wedding! They did a wonderful job! The food was amazing! Especially the grouper! All of our guests commented on how delicious everything was! The staff was great! We couldn't have been any more pleased!

I was very pleased with Ramada Plaza Beach Resort. The staff was very friendly. The resort was always clean. On site food was good. Perfect location on beachfront property. Very happy. Great group rates!

We absolutely LOVED The Ramada. We planned our destination wedding from our computer so we knew we would have to take everything as it was once we got there. I chose this venue for our reception because it was affordable (both for the venue and for our out-of-town guests to stay). I was not disappointed! The Forum Room was on the top floor of the hotel overlooking the beach and the bay area. The hotel grounds were beautiful and allowed us for many photo opportunities. I also chose this hotel because it is in walking distance to The Boardwalk which hosted our 'after party'. The food was delicious (we are still getting compliments on it) and the package was perfect for what we wanted. I think the best part was the experience. The catering manager, sales manager, bartender, wait staff and directors brought us so many 'above and beyond' feelings towards the venue. If you are looking for a place with a lot of character and wonderful package, this is definitely it!

Some things to note: They offer a free space for the wedding outside the hotel. We did not do this due to high traffic on the beach. We ended up finding a free public beach down the street (2-3 miles) and it was perfect! Also, the rooms are a little out dated, but they were clean and the hotel grounds made up for it! Besides, we wanted our guests to be able to make the trip from out of town and it was affordable! I would recommend the Ramada to any of my friends. I think we might even take some anniversary trips there.

The Ramada is an excellent venue to have your ceremony and reeption. Our reception was in the Ambassador Room. The room is a large room without any views, but you are able to make great use of the space, and Brandon, the catering manager will work with you to ensure that you get everything that you need/want. Jamie and Haley were also available to answer any questions and provided quick responses to any emails. We have received many compliments from the food we served at our wedding. The ribs were delicious. As for the hotel itself- it is gorgeous and your guests will be impressed!

Amber the event coordinator was so helpful and sweet! Beautiful room (we used to empire room), DELICIOUS FOOD!!!! And they worked with us on our ever changing menu!

I love the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort the food was real good and customer service was good too. Ask for Amber Campbell...:)

Amber was AWESOME!!!! the place is very reasonable and they do everything they can to make sure it is exactly what you want. I also had them do the Carribean Luau, and it tasted sooooooo good. everyone remarked how good the food was!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!

Our daughter searched a long time for a venue for her wedding and when she found the Ramada, she fell in love! Her father and I did not see the faciltiy until we arrived for the wedding and it was like we had died and gone to heaven. The facility and the view were absolutely perfect and all of the staff went out of their way to make our event special and fun. Amber is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She sure helped me get through the MOB stress and always had a smile and encouraging words.
The seafood buffet was so good and all of our guests still talk about how good it was.

We searched and searched for a beautiful, yet affordable venue for our ceremony and reception. Ramada FWB was by far, the absolute best. The property is amazing, especially the waterfall and grotto bar. Ramada made our wedding gorgeous. All of our guests said they were really impressed with the hotel. I would reccomend this wedding venue to anyone. You need to request Amber Campbell. She is the go-to-girl for weddings. :)

The staff at the Ramada Plaza made our day everything we had hoped for and then some!!! The staff is fantastic, the venue is by far one of the most beautiful you will ever see and I still get comments daily from my guests about how the food is the best they had ever had at a wedding! They are super flexible and will work with you to make your day as perfect as ours! Ask for Amber!

Jaime Lamey at the Ramada was absolutely amazing from the very beginning. She made sure that everything was going ok and was always asking if there was anything else she could do for me, being that I lived 2000 miles away and couldn't make it there till the week of our wedding. Jaime put us in the forum room; which is on the 6th floor of the beach tower, what an amazing view.
Brandon Blesi, the catering manager, was truly amazing also. I had asked to substitute vegetables; which he did. I asked for the sauce to be on the side and it was. I asked for the kids to be served first, they were ( I totally recommend the chicken finger plate for the kids, they all loved it and was nothing left on their plates well except for the peaches). His staff did an amazing job that night. Everyone was complementing on how wonderful the food was and how hot it was.
Tim our bartender was helpful as well. He made sure everyone got what they wanted, even recognized us a few days later down at the beach bar. He was so good natured and thanked us for having a dj there.
The staff at the Ramada was truly amazing, I can't say enough about them, the hotel was astonishing, the views were amazing and I absolutely can not think of one bad thing to say. We had a very good experience from the time we walked in the doors to the time we left. Thanks to everyone who helped...

Service was wonderful. The food was very good.

My daughter’s wedding reception was held at The Island in October 2019. We are locals but all of our guests came from out of town. Over half of the wedding guests stayed at The Island Hotel. It was a GREAT place for a big group! We had around 150 people for a sit down dinner and dancing.
Once we signed our venue contract, we were then worked with their social coordinator Jackie. She was extremely professional, experienced, responsive and helpful. She answered all of my calls and emails promptly and really did everything to help make our day successful. I highly recommend working with her.
Quick overview of services:
Hotel Social Coordinator: Jackie was excellent and worked very hard to make our event a success. I appreciated her handling any and all issues that came up. It is obvious she is experienced. I highly recommend working with her.
Food: Absolutely fantastic. Their chef was AMAZING and our dinner was delicious. Everyone commented on how good the food tasted. A sit down dinner was the way to go.
Function rooms: We rented the Maui and Capri ballrooms. They are newly updated and have spectacular views.
Bartender: We had an excellent bartender. We were supposed to have more than one but someone called in sick. It didn’t matter though because he - Barrett- did a fantastic job. We had an open bar and kept him busy. He deserves a raise.
Hotel and rooms. Perfect beach hotel vibe. There were plenty of food and bar options. Our group kept the bartenders busy. Our sleeping rooms were updated and comfortable. Our rooming coordinator Vennesa did a great job keeping me updated about our group.
Banquet servers: This is the only area that was a disappointment. The servers at the dinner were substandard. Some(not all) of the servers skipped tables and forgot to serve a few people at the head table. They were rude to some of my guests and our wedding coordinator. My understanding is that this issue was addressed after our function and has since improved.
With a beautiful venue, excellent food, good bartender, a great photographer and incredible band - the wedding was a big success.
Overall - I give The Island an A+.
We would absolutely do another wedding at The Island.

Our wedding ceremony on the Island Green was absolutely gorgeous and could not have been more perfect and picturesque! You seriously cannot find a better outdoor, ceremony location that’s not on the beach anywhere else in the area. I took off one star because the driveway leading to the Green was no blocked off with cones as it was supposed to be, and thus there were cars blocking/in the background of some photos. I also had difficulty reaching some of the wedding staff sometimes, but everything got sorted out one way or another and it was perfect. The staff working at the front desk and throughout the hotel were so nice and knew who we were, making sure to congratulate us whenever they saw us. We felt so special! I would choose the Island Green for our wedding every time!

I was very pleased with Ramada Plaza Beach Resort. The staff was very friendly. Jamie and Katie were great to work with. The resort was always clean. Perfect location on beachfront property. Very happy. Great group rates!

Our food for cocktail hour and the reception was delicious! Guests have said it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. My only complaints are that we were told we could not have a band in the Garden Cafe and the group the night before us did. Also, we ordered kids plates and they didn't bring them out until the kids had already gone through the line.

All in all I would definitely refer the Ramada to anyone wanting to have a beach wedding in the Panhandle.

We had our wedding here in June, and it was perfect. Some guest had some room issues, but loved the pool and hotel overall. Sometimes it was hard to get responses during the planning process, but over all it was totally worth it! The ballrooms up top with views of the bay and beach were amazing for our reception!

In short, The Island is an AMAZING wedding venue, and it keeps getting BETTER.
I was married on The Island Green on March 16th, 2019. I was the FIRST bride to have a wedding at The Island’s newly created and renovated venues. My wedding planning story is anything but typical. I live in Panama City Beach and had my entire wedding planned in my neighborhood there. But, Mother Nature had other plans… 4 months before “I Do,” Hurricane Michael devastated our town, our venue and life as we knew it for us and many of our friends. Without wasting time, we set-forth to find a new venue, which was much harder the second time… Until I saw The Island and met Brooke, The Island Wedding Company Owner/Operator. I think my Mom and my planner questioned my sanity at the mention of wanting my wedding at The Island. When we toured, the GORGEOUS green space (The Island Green) over-looking the Gulf was a kiddie splash-pad… but I saw the vision, and if you looked at my Pinterest, you could see, it was everything I ever wanted but couldn’t find anywhere else in the area. I put A LOT of blind faith and trust in Brooke (and her team) to have my venues (one which was new construction and the other being totally renovated) ready by the big day, and they delivered. At that moment, I realized that everything happens for a reason and that, while the hurricane may have cursed us and our town in more ways than fathomable, it was also a blessing which led me to the wedding venue I dreamed of having. Brooke and the designer did an amazing job creating venue spaces fit for any theme. Brooke is SO kind and accommodating. She truly wants to please her brides, making sure all of their wedding dreams come true, and she will do just about anything to make that happen. In fact, Brooke had a baby ON OUR WEDDING DAY, but was at The Island just a day or two before advocating and making sure everything was taken care of for us. On the day of, she was texting with my planner to check in, all the while in labor with her first child. Although, not ideal to have the venue coordinator absent, Brooke made the effort to be as present as she could. Throughout the rushed process, Brooke advocated for us and never hesitated to call or meet with us when we needed her. There were certainly bumps in the road, as is true anytime construction is involved, but the venue spaces exceeded my expectations, and Brooke always made an effort to present any problems with a solution. The Island was the perfect wedding destination, allowing my guests to stay and PLAY all in one place. We had our rehearsal dinner/welcome party just across the street at Island Time/Dock on The Island, which was also AMAZING – SO MUCH FUN (Chef Tommy is killin’ it and was an awesome host). Our ceremony took place on The Island Green overlooking the Emerald Coast, and the reception was in the 6th floor ballrooms with beautiful views of the bay AND the Gulf. Soon, they’ll have another venue constructed (The Tavern on The Island – the plans sound and look DREAMY) and many more renovations to the property, which will continue to make The Island unbeatable as a wedding venue destination. I wish I could relive my wedding weekend over and over and over again! -- Just a short side-note ... Take EVERY CHANCE to be FULLY present on your wedding day. It goes by SO fast and is a very overwhelming day. Before you know it, you'll be on your honeymoon or living married life and wishing you could go back in time.

DO NOT GET MARRIED HERE

Do yourself a favor and do not get married here. I chose this venue because it looks beautiful but what a nightmare.

The elevators broke on my guests at the end of the night and literally fire department had to come. It is a very run down place.

Dana and her staff will say anything to you on your meetings but make sure that whatever she says it’s in writing which most of it is not. They do not uphold the things they say, and after all is said and done they will just gaslight you.

I was charged for services I did not receive they were not flexible, my groomsmen literally had to set up my ceremony room. The rain back up plan was for them to marry me at the round tables. At my reception, I felt it was unacceptable not to have an aisle. I trusted that Dana and her staff had my best interest in mind, but please do not make this mistake.

There are many other venues to consider, I would not choose this one again.

Staff do not communicate with each other, I had an attitude from many different staff during our end of night bar, or the front desk. They are not customer service oriented.

The vibe and clientele are very much “over priced motel”.