The Florentine Building

Since posting my review (original review is below), I've been billed $260 for 50 missing napkins. Even though I had nothing to do with the linens and certainly did not ferret away 50 random napkins-nor did any of my guests-I am having to pay for their servers' incompetence. Between the rehearsal dinner and the wedding reception, we paid almost $20,000.00 to the Florentine. They refused to cover the missing linens themselves or even meet us halfway and split the invoice. Once again, the owner/caterer was extremely rude and unaccommodating. Because of the steep fees to bring in outside vendors, I would not recommend using this venue. It's just not worth it in the end. There are many, many beautiful places to spend your wedding day in Birmingham-- don't let any part of it be marred by having to deal with mercenary, unaccommodating vendors. The Florentine Building is absolutely beautiful. Do yourself a favor: tour the inside and get a good look at those breathtaking windows. The blue ceiling and chandeliers add even more elegance and charm. We could not have picked a more gorgeous venue for our reception. Caroline was lovely to work with and always prompt in her response to our questions. My criticism lies with the catering portion of the Florentine. I was planning my wedding from Boston so I had limited windows for vendor visits. When I heard that the Florentine only does two tastings per year, I altered my entire schedule to attend the tasting in February. I was sorely disappointed. The menu I was given for my reception entree choices was (I think) 6 pages long. The menu for the tasting only covered two entrees. Two! Out of dozens! How could I possibly narrow down my menu choice by only tasting two dishes? I thought that was outrageous. It didn't help that one of the entrees was so unappetizing I could only stomach one bite. I had to fight for a private tasting and was told I had to pay for it. After contesting that demand and explaining that I had already paid for one set of plane tickets and would have to pay for another to come to an additional tasting, they eventually backed down and let me do the second tasting for free. Again, I had a limited number of entrees I could choose to taste and I was very disappointed that I couldn't try more. FYI, this was not Caroline's doing; it was the caterer/chef. I requested one special meal for my nephew who has severe allergies and was told they could not accommodate it. I find it comical that a Wendy's up here in Boston can guarantee that my nephew's food won't come in contact with dairy or eggs, but a supposedly renowned caterer in Birmingham can't make the same promise. We had to bring in a meal from Chickfila for him. Incidentally, they guaranteed his meal was cooked without contacting any allergens. I would rate this venue 5 stars for the ambiance and architectural details, but 1 star for the hassle I had to deal with regarding the menu.

The Florentine ballroom was the perfect place for my daughter’s wedding reception! The flowers and decor were beautiful, and the food was delicious! Caroline (event coordinator) met with us several times to help us with all the details, and She was there to make sure everything went as planned during the reception!

The Florentine is the perfect reception venue. Caroline, the Event Coordinator, is a God send. She was a pleasure to work with, was incredibly knowledgeable and responsive, and completely understood my vision and brought it to life. The food was delicious, the cake was amazing, and every detail of the night was exactly as I planned it. Michael, the florist is an artist and one of the most kindhearted vendors we worked with. I cannot say enough good things about this whole experience. We had a seated dinner and there were enough servers that it never felt like anyone was waiting too long to get their food. The bartenders were great as well. We opted for valet service for our guests, which I would recommend. I did not have to worry about a single aspect of the night. Caroline worked with our DJ to keep the night on track and with our parents to get our gifts and decorations sent home with them at the end of the night, so I could just relax and enjoy the reception. We loved it!

I am so happy we chose the Florentine for my daughter's wedding reception. The venue was absolutely gorgeous and everyone is still commenting on the décor and the AMAZING food. Caroline and Michael was a joy to work with, so professional and friendly. Michael also decorated the church for the ceremony and it was absolutely beautiful. They were so patient in accommodating any change or idea that we wanted to discuss. They handled every detail during the reception so we were able to enjoy the celebration.