finding a venue

Finding a venue was the hardest thing we have done so far! Before we got engaged I wanted to have a beach wedding. Once we were engaged and realized how much everything cost- the beach wedding went out the door pretty quickly! It got to the point where I just wanted to book a wedding date and a venue and be done with it. We did look at some Beach Hotels, but for what you got included- it just didn't meet our needs! We also looked at the church that my parents got married at over 30 years ago, but that quickly went out the window as well! ( The preacher refused to marry us in the church because we live together already, He wouldn't even meet with us, or give us a chance to get married there) After many tears, we moved on and began looking at other places. Towards the end- it was between Bay Harbor Hotel in Tampa (Hotel connected to Crabby Bills on Causeway) and Cross Creek Ranch in Dover, FL. Honestly- once I went to Cross Creek Ranch, it was a no-brainer that we would get married there. Bonnie- the owner of the property is beyond amazing, and does everything with you. The property is absolutely beautiful and the ceremony location is under a beautiful oak tree and the reception takes place in a beautiful barn that she fully decorates on the wedding day. I couldn't be more pleased with the service, the people and the venue so far, and I will be sure to keep you updated on future pleasant experiences!

This is the barn, light up at night!

and of course I had to throw in a picture of the bar. We are able to bring our own beer and wine, and we can have a speciality drink if we would like to! The staff at Cross Creek Ranch (CCR) will serve all the drinks! This is the beautiful oak tree where the ceremony will take place.