Seagate, Powel Crosley Estate — Attraction in Sarasota

The Powel Crosley is absolutely stunning inside and out! We got married here in April 2024 and, I can assure you, that you won't find many venues that are more beautiful, especially if you get a gorgeous day and a sunset in the evening like we did! Our guests couldn't get over it!!

I only have a few complaints / pieces of advice for other couples:

1. You WILL need a day-of coordinator if you plan to hold your event here. This isn't spelled out in the contract or by anyone during the planning process, but trust me...budget it in. I honestly don't know what we would have done if we hadn't opted to get one at the last minute.

The Crosley's event manager was great to work with leading up to the big day, but I only saw her once on our actual wedding day. My coordinator subsequently told me that the Crosley's staff were there more to 'police' the catering team and other vendors rather than help with anything. They were apparently even giving the catering team a hard time about which tables they could use.

2. Because the venue is owned by the county there are a lot of rules and regulations - especially surrounding alcohol. We signed a form ahead of our wedding saying we wouldn't bring any of our own booze to the venue - which we abided by even though we were going to be there all day taking photos. However, my husband got lectured about the venue's strict alcohol rules when he asked for a beer from the bar a couple hours before our ceremony (eye roll). My maid of honor was also given a hard time when she asked to grab one of the glasses of champagne set out for our guest's arrival so that I could take the edge off before walking down the aisle. Overall, just silly little things that made us feel more like they were doing us a favor by allowing us to hold our wedding there - Rather than that we had paid thousands to be there.

3. On that note, they will nickel and dime you wherever they can. We were told a couple weeks before our wedding that we would have to pay an extra $200 or so because the lighting team (which was one of the Crosley's preferred vendors) needed to come early in the morning to set up the chandelier and outdoor lighting for our 5 p.m. ceremony. The Crosley's event manager then emailed me about a week before our wedding to say that we would be receiving another invoice because the caterer had let her know that they would need an extra hour to move-out. I pushed back and asked why we were just finding this out last minute when our event timeline had been set for a year. I'm glad I asked questions instead of just automatically paying since I never heard another word about it.

4. Last, if you're planning on taking photos prior to your ceremony and have a lot of people coming early, I'd highly recommend renting the Gwendolyn suite or one of the extra rooms that the Crosley has available. They do provide a bridal suite downstairs and a separate grooms suite upstairs. However, once our family arrived to take photos everyone was inside downstairs - basically taking over my bridal suite since there was nowhere else inside to sit. It would have been nice to have a separate room to utilize for just myself and some of my...

Our wedding on 3/22/25 at the Powel Crosley was truly a dream come true! For years, it has been my dream to get married at this beautiful venue, and I’m so thrilled that it became a reality. The Powel Crosley will always hold such a special place in my heart, not only because it was the location of our wedding day but because of its timeless beauty and rich history. From the moment we arrived, we knew we had chosen the perfect venue. The historic architecture and stunning surroundings gave our day an incredibly elegant and classic feel.

Working with Liz and Kristen was such a pleasure! Both of them were incredibly kind, attentive, and professional. They answered all of my emails and phone calls promptly, which helped make the planning process so much easier. They were always there to offer guidance, and I could tell they genuinely cared about making our day as perfect as possible.

The venue itself speaks for itself—it is absolutely breathtaking! The combination of historic charm with modern touches made it the ideal setting for our ceremony and reception. Whether you're looking for a place with beautiful outdoor spaces, timeless interiors, or a location rich in history, the Powel Crosley has it all. We were constantly in awe of how perfect everything looked throughout the day.

We also decided to get ready on-site, and I’m so glad we did! The bridal suite was the perfect space for me and my bridal party to relax and get ready for the day. It was spacious, beautifully decorated, and made for such a calm and enjoyable experience before the ceremony. It really helped set the tone for a relaxed and joyful wedding day.

I can’t say enough about how much I love this venue, and I highly recommend it to any couple looking for a place that’s both breathtaking and steeped in history. The Powel Crosley made our wedding day unforgettable, and I will forever cherish the memories...

Signed up to have our wedding here. The place is nice, but the value is horrible. I'm not generally a major critic, but this is definitely one of those venues that finds a way to nickel and dime you for everything. In addition, would NOT recommend this place if you have a wedding larger than 75 people. (Can't make everyone fit inside and see what's going on, you have to break them up across rooms which ended up being VERY weird for a wedding.) Per usual, you have to use their list of vendors and they take a cut of that too. Need a cake? They'll take a cut. Bringing in decor? They take a cut. Need a tent? You can't get it yourself (quote was $1800 for me personally), you have to go through a vendor (quote from the vendor was $8,000-$10,000...you read that right... wasn't a typo). Why the price difference? "We have to supervise the company setting it up and taking it down and make sure it doesn't hit any power lines." Then the PC takes their 10% on top of that and will charge you for every minute their partner vendors show up early and every minute they're gathering up the stuff late. Operationally, there are two bathrooms. Your wedding WILL have a major line at the bathrooms and they weren't well cleaned either. We put money down here and paid vendors, when we ended up being quoted about 40% over our budget after all was said and done and we were 3 months away from the wedding, we changed venues to an equally nice, but more much more accommodating venue in the area. They couldn't give us a single dollar back "per policy"... I didn't even mention the red tide.... (Don't think I wasn't stressing about it... But this place had no trouble putting us in position to be in financial ruin with the nickel and diming... Not a great way to start off a marriage for us, or retirement for my parents in a few years.)...