The Rusty Pelican Reviews

We had our small (40 guest) wedding ceremony and reception at the Rusty Pelican Tampa in Feb. 2024. We had the ceremony at their outside gazebo and our reception in the Tampa Room. This venue did so much to make our day run smoothly, from the planning process to the banquet captain on the day. Anytime we had a question or a concern leading up to our wedding day, they answered within 24 hours, and on the day itself there was always someone available. They also accommodated several special requests without any issue. We purchased the Platinum package and the extra perks were totally worth it in our opinion.

We had to post pone our wedding for over a year and a half, in the beginning we had a different event coordinator from rusty pelican who was not helpful and made everything more difficult. But then, Micheal Jessup became our new coordinator and he was AMAZING! very responsive, experienced and helpful. Leading up to the wedding day he answered my millions of questions and was always very knowledgeable. He made sure everything went smoothly the day of as well! We had a great wedding day, thank you!

We got married at the Rusty Pelican last weekend and honestly everything went as perfectly as I could have imagined. We worked with Michael as our coordinator and Carlos as our banquet captain. We were planning from a different state and so were so grateful with how well organized and run this venue is for weddings. The setting can't be beat, leading to amazing photographs to remember our day by. Almost every single guest told us how much they enjoyed the food. And the day was run so smoothly that neither of us had to worry about anything. It truly was the best day and that is in large part to the amazing work done by the staff at the Rusty Pelican! Can't recommend highly enough.

Loved this venue and the team! Spectacular event!

michael, carlos and his staff were absolutely amazing. arlene floral design was fantastic. my photographer jasmine baetzel impressed me beyond words. my dj frank lebano was the most perfect entertainer i could have chosen. i am a virgo, and a perfectionist and over-planner. my whole wedding team impressed me beyond words.

The place was absolutely gorgeous. They have fantastic views from the rooms. Savannah is extremely helpful with every little thing you need.

2 years afo I took my girlfriend there for her birthday dinner it was awesome. It was then I noted a wedding venue available there.
Two years later it came to mind after proposing marriage. I looked at other places but most were poor responsive. Jill reached out to me immediately and offered a package that is almost perfect for our needs.
The restaurant is beautiful and the service was excellent from our experience so it should be a great place for a smalk intimate elegant wedding.

We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary there.
“We absolutely loved the Rusty Pelican! So many people complimented both the nice and attentive staff!

Our wedding could not have been more perfect, all thanks to the staff at the Rusty Pelican and their preferred vendors.

From the moment I saw the beautiful ballroom views at Rusty Pelican I knew I wanted to get married there!!! It’s like having a beach wedding without dealing with Florida weather. We worked closely with Don, Angeline and Carlos the night of our wedding. Everything was flawless! We had some very specific things we wanted and they were very understanding and organized. I cannot recommend them enough

The Rusty Pelican was one of the first locations my now wife and I toured and we instantly fell in love. The location sets it right on the water and our wedding was right around sunset. The view was absolutely magnificent. From the start, the Rusty Pelican event staff makes you feel comfortable and assured that your wedding will go off without a hitch. Our event coordinator was Don Valente and we cannot thank him enough for all that he did. Don took care of everything. He made sure we had our vendors lined up, he organized the room to ensure the best flow of traffic, and made sure everything was set up perfectly the day of the wedding. If you choose this location, know that you will not need a day of coordinator. They do an excellent job of making sure everything is in place to make your day perfect. This location is not cheap...but my wife and I can honestly say that every single dollar spent was 100% worth it. The food was AMAZING, but the staff was even better. Our dinner coordinator was Norma and she was absolutely outstanding. One nice thing about using this location was their understanding of the craziness of the day. They make sure that the bride and groom have a small separate moment to enjoy a small meal before everyone else eats dinner. Norma made sure we had champagne and some food and her staff was incredible when it came to tending to tables or helping our guests. Thank you so much to all of the staff at the rusty pelican for making our day so incredibly special.

We couldn’t have asked for anything to go more smoothly!!!! This venue not only had the best view, but from start to finish was an easy process!!! We couldn’t have asked for a better venue for a perfect day!!

We looked at 20+ venues in Tampa and did a lot of research before deciding to use The Rusty Pelican as our reception venue. It was a great decision!! Rusty Pelican not only has amazing spaces with spectacular views, it also has great service and delicious food! There are so many perks to the package, including an event coordinator and banquet manager (we worked with Don and Norma who were both great - so professional and responsive), that create even more value on top of the views and food. Additional pros of using Rusty Pelican are that all the food is made in house at the restaurant (instead of catered) and it includes a lot of the stuff you would have to rent otherwise (like tables, chairs, linens, etc.). So we had minimal other contracts and coordination with other vendors which was so helpful in the already stressful planning process. I would highly recommend Rusty Pelican as your venue!

We are so happy we chose this beautiful venue! They are so organized and detail-oriented. I was looking forward to having my ceremony outside, but unfortunately the rain ruined that plan. Don (Catering Sales Manager) let me make the decision on my own without any pressure and the inside option in the Grand Ballroom ended up being equally gorgeous. He provides expert advice while allowing freedom to make your own decisions during the whole process. I also had my reception in the same room, which they transitioned quickly. The service day of was impeccable, thanks to Norma! We got a private room after photos to have a sip of champagne and some cheese/fruit/hors d’oeuvres and recharge for a minute before the reception. The flow of the entire night was perfect and I was able to relax and have the best time. The only negative was that the beef was overdone. Everything else was delicious. Highly recommended.

The Rusty Pelican offers beautiful indoor and outdoor ceremony spaces and indoor reception. Not many places I visited on my search for a venue offered a beautiful indoor and outdoor ceremony space. It was important to me to find a place that offered both just in case it rained on the day. My coordinator Don was amazing! He is very detailed, organized, and helpful - truly made my wedding planning a breeze. The staff on the day of the wedding were amazing too. They were all polite and professional. I highly recommend this venue! You won't be disappointed.

Getting married at the Rusty Pelican was by far the best decision we could have made! Don Valente is absolutely amazing at what he does. He is super responsive and extremely detail-oriented, and he truly made us feel at ease throughout the whole process. We originally wanted to have our wedding outside at the gazebo, but when we saw the weather report and learned how hot it would be, Don assured us that it would be no problem to move the ceremony inside. And let me tell you...the ceremony was more gorgeous than we could have ever imagined! It was just beautiful. After the ceremony and photos, we were introduced to our catering manager for the night, Norma. She was fantastic and handled the rest of the details for the entire night. We were taken to a private room before the reception, where Norma served us glasses of champagne and brought us some food from our cocktail hour. She even wore a flower in her hair that matched the flowers in our decor, which I thought was just a lovely touch. Bottom line: If you want to relax on your wedding day and have everything handled for you with grace and style, book at the Rusty!

We held our wedding ceremony and reception at the Rusty Pelican on 2/22/2019. Don Valente and his team were incredible. Our special day was one we'll never forget. Our guests are still sending us their wonderful comments on the event. Again thank you all at Rusty Pelican! Would highly recommend this venue for your special occasion.

This venue was absolutely amazing. Not only are the views stunning, but Don handled everything from the timing to the placement and guided us through the process. With everything from the linens to the alcohol included, it took so much of the pressure off of us when it came to planning, which was a huge help as neither of us had planned a wedding or an event of this size before! Everyone said how amazing it was and I have absolutely no regrets.

My husband found the Rusty Pelican while looking for wedding sites and boy are we grateful! Don made the entire planning process so seamless and he provided an outline of every step along the way. They take on a majority of the tasks and we literally did not have to lift a finger on our wedding day. From the time I stepped out of the limo to walk down the aisle to the gazebo, to when my husband and I made our exit, Don and Carlos and their crew catered to any and everything we as well as our guests needed. All of the guests raved about the service as well as the food and were extremely impressed with the layout of the ceremony and the reception. They made our day truly unforgettable!

From being to the end the Rusty Pelican and Don my coordinator was amazing! Don was easy to work with and made sure my wedding was perfect! Everyone raves about the food and open bar along with how smooth everything ran. I can’t thank him and the staff ( bartenders, the captain of the room and all the waitstaff) enough for a perfect day! My husband and I even had a caption of the room to make sure we had fun and everything we needed! I don’t think we could of asked for a better venue.

The Rusty Pelican was a beautiful venue. I would definitely recommend it. Don and his team are amazing to work with. He keeps you on a great timeline and makes everything flow so smoothly. Sunset there is unbelievably beautiful. It was the best wedding ever.

I absolutely loved my reception at The Rusty Pelican! We had our reception in the Grand Ballroom and the room and view of the bay are absolutely gorgeous and worth the money! Our guests loved the food at The Rusty Pelican, and the best part was that everyone had fun at the reception, even our 90 year-old-guests were out on the dance floor!! Well fed guests are definitely happy guests! I also can not say enough good words about our coordinator Katherine Turner!! Katherine was a delight to work with from the beginning of the wedding planning all the way to the day of the wedding. Katherine, you are a gem and excellent at what you do!

My husband and I got married on January 27, 2018 and for Valentines Day this year my first choice was going back to the Rusty Pelican because of all of the good memories from the wedding! Definitely check out The Rusty Pelican if you're looking for an amazing venue. :)

The Rusty Pelican is an amazing venue. I had an amazing wedding and couldn't have been happier. The food was amazing and all my guests enjoyed it. They have great vendors to work with. I worked with Edward and he was a life saver.

I got married at the Rusty Pelican over Memorial Day weekend and it was the most beautiful wedding I could ever have asked for. I knew from the moment I stepped foot on the property that it was my wedding venue. We worked with Edward Reynoso who was the most amazing coordinator. He was very patient and worked with us every step of the way. I honestly felt like he was family by the time the wedding came around. The cocktail hour was amazing, the food was a huge hit and everything was set up and decorated so beautifully. Tropical Storm Alberto came through Tampa on the day of my wedding and Edward allowed us to make the decision about an hour or so before the wedding about whether we should move inside or not and that was amazing because you never know what is going on with Florida weather. Alberto ended up clearing out and we had a beautiful, sunny wedding outside by the bay. At the reception, as my husband and I greeted and thanked all of our guests, everyone could not stop talking about how beautiful the venue and how delicious the food was. One of my coworkers got married at the Don Cesar Hotel in St. Pete Beach and he said he wished he had known about the Rusty Pelican before because he would have selected it as his wedding venue instead! The biggest of thank you's to Edward and Carlos and all of the staff. It was amazing that they whisked my husband and I into a private room during cocktail hour and gave us a private 10 minutes together. We were able to eat the appetizers which were served at cocktail hour and have a drink. It was a beautiful moment we shared together, away from all of our guests and the wedding party, just before the reception. I didn't think I would need that moment with my husband but with the hustle and bustle of the wedding day, it is so special that they give the newlywed couple such a private moment. I would highly recommend the Rusty Pelican to any couples looking for a wedding venue. You cannot beat the views, the food and the staff.