Wedding venue destroyed by Hurricane Helene

We're so sorry to hear this Debbie.

We have some advice you can check out to help you strategize about next steps, you can also reach out to us at help@weddingwire.com:

You’ve Decided to Postpone Your Wedding. Now What?

How Knowing the Force Majeure Meaning Will Help Your Wedding

Some other people had stuff like a sale of the venue site where the new owners did not keep it available or one where the family that owned it had a conflict that made the site unavailable. Can you check with vendors if they still can provide services and maybe with a way to regroup for the wedding plans?

Oh, Debbie, I am so sorry!! I saw pictures of your venue (our former venue) and my heart broke. Are you still trying for this area? (Sarasota/Bradenton) I can give you some places that may be able to accommodate you if you needed any help.

Hello - our family booked the Sandbar on Anna Maria Island for a 2025 wedding. We have not heard anything from them. We would like to cancel our contract. Would you be able to share your experience, whether your venue is also the Sandbar, and if you have been able to cancel your contract with them?

View Quoted Comment There is nothing left to The Sand Bar, so I think cancelling the contract shouldn't be an issue. Anna Marie Island got hit again with Milton on Wednesday, so anything left standing is probably gone. The entire island is shut down, and sand is in HUGE piles on roads, driveways, basically everywhere. Heartbreaking. We are in Sarasota and are 36 hours without power, and downed trees that thankfully fell at an angle, missing our house by about 3 feet.

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Hey Betty,

I was in touch with the management company and Carley before Milton and they assured me that the Beach House and Sandbar would be fully restored by then. They just posted on the social media pages of both addressing rumors that they aren't reopening. It is a dilemma about what state the island as a whole will be in and if we'll be getting married in a construction zone. When is your wedding?

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They were making fast progress after Helene but now Milton has gotten everyone back to square one. Both venues have exterior and interior damage but the structures are still solid so we just have to see how quickly the new management company makes renovations. We have a backup plan that we're looking into, but all our vendors are booked and deposits paid.

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Hey Betty,

Did you manage to talk with anyone at the Sandbar? When is your wedding meant to be?

View Quoted Comment Debbie - Just saw news that Beach House is OPEN!!!! We are actually heading there Saturday (11/16) for dinner. Hope your are still able to hold your wedding there now!

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Hey Pat, yes! They are open. We met with last week and everything is fortunately back on track.

I hope you have a wonderful dinner there, please email me and let me know how it is looking compared to what it was like pre-hurricanes. Luckily we still have another five months until our wedding!