Lightner Museum Weddings & Events — Attraction in Saint Augustine

We booked our wedding for on a Saturday February 2021 back in January of 2020, long before most people even knew what COVID is. We planned on having a 100 person wedding, knowing that everyone, ourselves included, is traveling from out of town, and most from out of state. It would therefore not be possible to have most of our guests attend, due to work schedules, to host on any day but a Saturday. Because of our Jewish faith, we cannot host the wedding during Shabbos (Friday sundown - Saturday sundown). We therefore planned an early February wedding because the sundown time would allow us to have our wedding at a reasonable time (6:30pm start time).

Due to COVID, they are now working with most couples on a 8-10 week out basis to reschedule their weddings. If you're considering a venue and have never planned a wedding before, you should know how unrealistic that timeframe is. At 8-10 weeks out, your invitations should be out, you should be receiving RSVPs back, working on vendor specifics, have the bride’s dress altered, etc. etc.

We approached them to reschedule our Feb. 2021 wedding, as we had been hearing from nearly all of our guests that they would not be able to come, due to travel restrictions and health considerations. As an exception to the 8-10 week policy, they offered to reschedule our event to June of 2021 at the latest, which we appreciated, but due to Shabbos, we cannot have a wedding any later than February, as the sundown time would force us to start our wedding very late in the evening. For example, if it were held in April, we’d have to start at around 8pm; this would mean the event would end at 1:30, well past their cut off time stipulated in the contract. We then asked for a Saturday in late October, or all of November and December, and they offer us the Saturday before or the Saturday after Thanksgiving; no other dates! They know this is not workable for a wedding where everyone is coming from out of state; nobody would come to a wedding right before or right after Thanksgiving.

We then asked several times for Saturdays in January or February 2022, both of which would accommodate our guests’ travel needs and our religious needs, but they refused to provide that option, however several asks later, they agreed to provide those options, but insisted on charging an additional $2,000, on top of our already outrageously overpriced venue contract (to the tune of $15,500+ originally).

Because it was the only venue my fiancee and I both liked, we begrudgingly agreed to pay the $2,000 additional fee, but they then refused to host our wedding, saying they’re “not a good fit.” They took it upon themselves to cancel our contract, refusing to host our wedding as scheduled or on any other previously offered date.

This whole rescheduling process, by the way, started back in early September. Our wedding wasn't cancelled by the venue until the second week of November. Reason being that nobody at this organization answers phone calls or emails without a three day minimum to get back to you. Some emails went a week without a response.

If you are considering a St. Augustine wedding, do know that there are many other wonderful options in historic downtown and along the beach (keep in mind Treasury on the Plaza is also operated by this organization, where you’ll have similar poor treatment). You should consider these alternatives if you value good communication, customer service, and/or having your religious needs accommodated. You should also consider these alternatives if you are Jewish as they have proven that they are happy to discriminate against and mistreat Jewish couples...

We truly lucked out when our March wedding date was available at the Lightner. It was a dream wedding and perfect for us. We had a smaller crowd (70) and the team did everything we needed. Our love of Florida history and the elegance of the museum were exactly what we had hoped to have, and we were extremely pleased with the entire weekend.

We planned our wedding from out of town and the Lightner team was super about giving feedback and direction when we needed it. They gave a lot of individual attention and really listened to us so they could provide us with the experience we wanted. Emily was particularly helpful and she worked well with our wonderful wedding coordinator Shannon, who is on the vendor list they provide. We used local vendors and they were all familiar with the venue so it worked seamlessly. We even asked for additional Covid precautions at the wedding and they took care of them.

We are very family-oriented, and wanted our wedding to reflect that. My husband’s three daughters were my bridesmaids and my two sons were his groomsmen. My best friend from childhood walked me down the aisle to my boys, who walked me the rest of the way to the front. My two brothers officiated over the ceremony. My parents’ wedding photo had a place of honor in a reserved chair, which meant a lot to us. We created the ceremony we wanted and every detail to make this work was handled by our Lightner team and Shannon. They make you feel as if your wedding is the most important one they’ve ever worked on - they make you feel special. We had our ceremony in the swimming pool area, the cocktail hour in the grand lobby and the dinner reception back in the pool area. The flip from ceremony to dinner reception was amazing and both were beautiful. I recommend using the extra pipe and drape and lighting as it really makes the room magical.

Again, we feel as if it was a perfect wedding. I can honestly say my wedding day, thanks to the Lightner team and Shannon, was one of the most stress-free days of my life and I enjoyed every single minute of it. My husband feels the same. That, in itself,...

I found this venue on Wedding Wire when I was newly engaged back in the spring of 2019. From the moment I saw photos and videos, I knew my search was over! To start, the venue was originally a luxury hotel back in the late 1800s (same era as my engagement ring!) and at the time had the largest indoor swimming pool in the world. How cool is that? It's also situated in the heart of downtown St. Augustine and VERY walkable for wedding guests staying at the Casa Monica or nearby hotels, airbnbs, etc. AND it's just a timeless place that reminds me a lot of my hometown, New Orleans. :) These are just a few of many reasons this venue was a literal dream for my husband and I to say I Do in!

It's hard to put into words how appreciative my husband and I are for the Lightner Team - especially Kelly Hale and Brandy Boulette! Kelly is part of the sales team and did a fabulous job answering all the questions we had for her (there were many!) and taking us on a very comprehensive tour of the spaces we could rent - thank you Kelly! Brandy literally made our event happen, is amazing at what she does, and is overall just an awesome person. She knows the Lightner inside and out and will do her best to work with any idea you throw her way - including a traditional New Orleans Second Line from the ceremony to cocktail hour! haha! (Thanks for executing this so well, Brandy. Made me feel like I was back in the Big Easy!)

I also want to mention how professional Brandy and her team were with handling Covid-19 concerns and postponements. They created policies and set safety protocols which really helped to put a lot of our guests' minds at ease. While we definitely had our moments of uncertainty, Brandy and her team were always there to help.

Again, it's so hard to describe how grateful we are to have worked with this fantastic team at this stunning venue. We are beyond thrilled to have had our big day even in the midst of the pandemic and will cherish that night and all the planning leading up to...