The Grand Pavilion at The Sandbar

The staff at The Sandbar were FABULOUS! They made sure everything went smoothly and that I had everything I needed for the perfect day.

I have been a wedding photographer in Philadelphia for 13 years and have photographed over 400 weddings. The question I have gotten countlessly over those years is “what would YOUR wedding be like?!” I always told people I would either elope or have to do something super special and a bit more unconventional. I have been vacationing in Anna Maria with my family for 18 years, it is our home away from home! So when we began planning our October '22 wedding, I knew the destination had to be AMI. We were so excited to share this corner of the earth with our friends and family. The goal was to plan a four day weekend for our 85 guests, with the highlight being wedding day. There’s no better place to get married on the island than The Grand Pavilion at The Sandbar. We noticed several years ago when a new wedding venue was built right by one of our favorite restaurants but we hadn’t looked into it much until we booked the venue. It was absolutely the right choice. Samantha was accommodating from start to finish. She answered all of my questions promptly as well as doing a venue walk-through during our yearly visit. We flew out some vendors but chose our DJ, Florist and Hair & Makeup from their suggested vendors and they were amazing! We brought quite a few decorations from PA and were able to drop them off at their office a couple of days before the wedding so we could enjoy the weekend. River was our day of coordinator and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I have worked with many day of coordinators in the past and they typically are hit or miss when they are only involved in one day. But River was a hit! We went over the run-down of the ceremony right before rehearsal and she helped to execute it seamlessly. I quickly could tell she was assertive, take charge and knew what she was doing. The BEST kind of coordinator. After rehearsal, she took the time to go over my decoration list and assured me everything would be set up accordingly. The day of our wedding could not have gone more smoothly. The ceremony started right on time. We had an abbreviated cocktail hour, since it was very important to me to do our first dance at sunset. We did our intros before the first dance and it went off without a hitch. If you’ve been to AMI before you know their sunsets are EPIC. We were gifted one of the most amazing sunsets that went on for what felt like hours! Our guests migrated to the beach to take photos and take it all in. My favorite moment of the day. It put us slightly behind schedule but The Sandbar was quick on their toes and allowed for the moment to happen while getting us back on track. The servers and food alike were amazing! They took care of us but weren’t over bearing. The buffet lined moved quickly so we could get to speeches and DANCING. Truly, a dream come true. From both a wedding professional and now a bride, The Sandbar is superb.

I'd give more stars if I could! We planned a destination wedding and the entire staff at the Sandbar couldn't have been better! Communication from the first to the last person was terrific. They all kept everything low stress and helped with all the planning along the way. The scenery is AMAZING at the sandbar. Wedding on the beach, and the reception in their pavilion just behind the sea oats. It was the wedding I imagined. I just wish it could've lasted longer. The food was delicious and I received so many compliments from family and friends.

My husband and I renewed our vows for our 25th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago on the beach in Anna Maria at the Sandbar. Samantha and her team were amazing to work with and made us feel so special on the big day. Beautiful venue with the best back drop ever! Out pictures turned out amazing. Everything turned out better than we could have ever imagined, despite a little rain. We hated for the day to end. Thank you Samantha, the Sandbar and the whole crew!

Loved this location for our ceremony and reception. Everyone who helped us was incredible. I worked with Samantha to set everything up from a distance and she was able to get everything that I wanted and made everything look beautiful. Everything looked incredible on the beach with our alter and the chairs. We booked an officiant and photographer through our package. The pavilion looked incredible with a beautiful chandelier and a table set up just the way we requested. Both Jess and our Bartender did an amazing job at keeping things on schedule as well as incredible service offered. I could not give a higher recommendation to this place and the people who helped us!

Where do I begin? Absolutely best choice hands down for a down to earth but yet stunning venue! Our wedding day was perfect. Shawn is AMAZING! Planning our wedding was so seamless with her. We did most of if living 1000 miles away and it was easy. Shawn recommended fabulous vendors! The day of the wedding was beautiful, she brought our vision to life along with the day of planner. Don’t hesitate, just book your wedding here!

We had a beautiful wedding at the Sandbar on 11/13/21! Such a beautiful site. Molly was our event director and was such a pleasure to work with. She was there for us as our wedding got postponed due to being scheduled in the middle of the original COVID outbreak and helped us transition to our postponed date. She was always so helpful and provide us with recommendations for various vendors. I don’t know how she keeps up with all of the emails and communications but she was always there for us to answer all of our questions and concerns as we approached the big day. I am SO thankful to have had her! Bailey was our day of planner and was outstanding. She made sure everything went smoothly and keeping us on track of time. I highly recommend a day of planner bc I couldn’t imagine our wedding without her. The only thing that would make this venue even better is availability of more bathrooms on site - or bathrooms specifically for venue guests so they don’t need to wait in line with restaurant customers

Fantastic experience with The Sandbar! They are a “one stop shop” venue that knocks it out of the park. They have recommendations for every vendor you’d need (florist, transportation, officiant, DJ, dessert, photography, videography, rentals, photo booths, etc), but offer a lot themselves. The managers were phenomenal through the entire process. They take care of set up, take down, food, beverages, everything - I cannot say enough about this venue. It’s also in a gorgeous spot and has the ability to be customized in so many ways to personalize it to a tee.

do not have enough wonderful things to say about my experience with the Sandbar. I thought planning a wedding would be stressful and they made everything so easy for me. Not only were the people amazing and attentive but the venue was stunning and our wedding was perfect. The food was delicious and everything was organized and timely. Thank you to everyone at the Sandbar that made our day special. Especially.. Amanda, Molly, Samantha, River, and Jessica.

Highly recommend the Sandbar! Everything exceeded my expectations. We planned the entire thing never being there. I also would get the day of coordinator again. I was going back and forth on that, but it was well worth it! We will forever be grateful to the Sandbar and all our vendors for making our wedding the best day of our lives! (emvbeauty, celebrations24, cakes by ron, flowers by fudgie, igotshotbylisamarie)

The Sandbar was exactly what I pictured for my beach wedding! Everyone loved the venue and having the beach steps away. The staff was absolutely amazing and my day of wedding coordinator, Bailey, went above and beyond!! Also, would love to mention Shawn, who helped me plan everything. She was so helpful and made the planning process so much more enjoyable!

We had our wedding at the Sandbar in early September. Molly was our event director and she was wonderful! We felt like the communication was always open and she was extremely helpful with making decisions and keeping us on track with planning the entire day. She went above and beyond to make our day feel special and tailored to our wants & needs. Bailey was our day-of coordinator and she was very responsive and definitely brought my vision to life, even though she only had a week of communicating with me and a couple hours to go over all my decor! I gave her creative freedom when setting up my decor and I love the way everything turned out! Our guests could not stop talking about the food, a month later and they still mention our wedding dinner and dessert! We will be going back to the restaurant for our one year anniversary because we loved it so much! When planning a destination wedding, you always worry about booking a place you haven't seen, but we could not have picked a better venue to bring our beach elopement to life! Thank you, Molly & Bailey!

Planning a wedding from out of state can be stressful. We were lucky enough to meet at the venue a couple times beforehand. Amanda was very knowledgeable and helped us book our wedding. Shawn was awesome! She answered all of my millions of questions and requests. She always made sure I understood and was accommodating. She even met with us to check out the venue when we came into town before the wedding. Bailey, our day of coodinator, made sure everything was spot on for our wedding. She put my mind as ease and made sure all things would be in place. She had everyone coordinated and the wedding ran so smoothly! Our guests can't stop talking about how amazing our wedding at The Sandbar was. We surely thought it was THE BEST DAY EVER!!! I would highly recommend The Sandbar at Anna Maria Island for your perfect beach wedding! You will not be disappointed!

Throughout the planning process, we felt like we made the perfect decision on choosing The Sandbar. We booked The Grand Pavilion without ever having seen the venue and we could not have been more pleased. Our wedding day was amazing and more than we ever imagined. Everyone involved was excellent, but Molly, the event coordinator, went above and beyond to help plan our better than perfect wedding. Amanda was the first person that we spoke to when booking the Sandbar. She was kind, informative, and even went out of her way to say hello on our big day. The entire event ran very smoothly and our day-of-coordinator, Bailey, put us at ease. Bailey handled things that we did not even know about, but we told by our wedding party. Being a same sex marriage, we felt very comfortable and felt like we deserved to be celebrated which was important to us. The ceremony and reception are right on the beautiful beach of AMI, which is great for a destination wedding. They provided a list of preferred vendors and we were very pleased with the ones we chose. All of our guests keep commenting on how the food “wasn’t typical wedding food” and was delicious and how beautiful the venue was. We were able to tailor our food selections to what we wanted and they were very flexible in honoring our requests for appetizers to pass, Brussel sprouts to add, combine two tiers of food, and have our beverage preferences at the reception. We wish we could host another event at The Sandbar. Book your wedding there now!

The Sandbar was an amazing venue for our beach wedding! Everyone was amazing from Amanda to Shawn to Jess! They answered all of my questions promptly and without hesitation. My wedding day went smoothly and was stress-free thanks to this professional team! They even brought hors d'oeuvres down to the beach so the wedding party could enjoy them between pics! The food was awesome! If you are planning a beach wedding, I definitely recommend the Sandbar!

We had our daughter's wedding at the Sandbar this month and it was spectacular! The Events team and staff at the Sandbar were so extremely helpful and attentive throughout the entire process. We had so many guests and even strangers come up to us to say they thought the wedding was "staged" that's how perfect it was....thank you Sandbar for making our wedding so magical. It was truly a night to remember.

We had to cancel our wedding due to Covid-19 and the venue is not refunding our deposit. Originally we were told we would get our full refund, and now we found out today we will not receive our deposit!!! The restaurant/venue is not even open right now to dine in or hold an event per the governor of Florida!! Our wedding was suppose to be April 9, 2020.. And to be told we would get a full refund and now we are being told we won't get it all back?? They told us we can re-schedule but that is not a option at this time, we are also from out of state. This is terrible. And so very sad. Do not have your wedding or event here.

Words can’t express how grateful I am to The Sandbar and their staff for making my wedding day beyond my wildest dreams PERFECT. Shawn Rhoton truly loves her job and it was obvious throughout the whole planning process all the way to the day of the wedding. She is professional, fun, energetic, and promptly answered my 8,000 daily questions. My event coordinator Bailey made me feel completely at ease the day of the wedding getting every detail perfectly in place. I felt stress free since the day I began planning my wedding at beautiful Sandbar restaurant bc of these people. The venue was gorgeous, the food was amazing, drinks were great, the recommended vendors were on point, and people are still reminiscing about our wedding day 3 weeks later. I would HIGHLY recommend this place for any occasion not only because it’s beautiful but because of the staff you will work with. I honestly felt like family. I felt like my wedding was THEIR wedding and they made making it perfect their priority. I’m forever grateful.

My husband and I weren't initially planning a destination wedding, but after "attending" a wedding one night while we were dining at The Sandbar, we fell in love. Molly made everything easy. She answered all my questions, quieted my fears and anxieties, made sure that nothing was forgotten or left out. Bailey, our day-of coordinator (hired through The Sandbar) took all the pinterest photos I had passed along to Molly, and all our decor that we brought and turned the pavilion into the most amazing, picturesque reception venue I could have ever imagined! The food, as it always is at The Sandbar, was incredible (and one of the things my husband and I were most excited for). The bartender was incredible. I never really wanted a beach wedding but The Grand Pavilion at The Sandbar confirmed I was, indeed, wrong in every way. They truly made our wedding day absolutely us and absolutely perfect.

The sandbar is the best! They made every step of my wedding planning very easy- from selecting vendors, to creating the perfect timeline, and a beyond expectations execution on the day of! Shawn Rhoton was incredible!

Picking The Sandbar for our wedding venue was an easy choice! It's on a pristine beach with white sand & clear blue water and they are also one of the most highly rated restaurants in Flordia! What I didn't expect was how incredibly wonderful their staff would be! We worked with Molly, who is their wedding coordinator, and she is phenomenal!!! We were truly blessed to be able to work with Molly. She was quick to respond, checked in with us often and knew every answer to every question we had about The Sandbar and also about weddings!!!! Every vendor she recommended was perfect (which is very helpful when planning out of state)! We can honestly say that without her expertise and skillset our wedding would not have been the amazing day that it was! Everything ran so unbelievably perfect it was truly a magical day!

Location was great! Everything was amazing on the day of the wedding! Planning and schedule was a bit difficult and stressful.

What a great venue. Everything was perfect. Venue, decor and food. Molly was easy to work with even on a shorter time frame (3 months).

The Sandbar was such an easy venue to work with! Molly Powers was our coordinator. She was so attentive and great to work with! I would HIGHLY recommend this beautiful venue!

We held our daughter’s wedding at the Sandbar on 12/8/18 and it was amazing. First of all Molly was a pleasure to work with through the entire process, she accommodated all of our wishes and offered suggestions where we needed them. Then the venue was absolutely stunning on the day of the wedding. Molly and her team took care of everything we needed, even a few last minute minor changes. The food was incredible, the drinks were terrific, everything went just perfectly and everyone had the best time. I couldn’t be happier. I can’t imagine a better place for a beach wedding

The Best Wedding Ever!!!! We cannot thank Molly and her team at The Sandbar enough. Our wedding was the most perfect day and was all we could have wished for and more. Molly helped our vision come to life for our relaxed and beautiful day. She was great at communication, even though we live in Australia it never felt like we were organising miles apart. On the day everything went perfectly, all the staff went above and beyond to ensure we were happy. A special thank you must go to the chef! The food was incredible!!! so tasty, fresh - totally delicious. All our guest were amazed with the quality and the amount! If we could do it all over again we wouldn't have changed a thing! Thanks again Molly & Team!!

This is a great place for a beach wedding and dinner following. We all loved it!

This is the best place to get married in the whole of Florida. Fantastic venue with amazing vendors who helped plan the day perfectly. All staff on the day were so helpful and truly amazing. The food was incredible. It honestly doesn’t get any better than this.

My husband and I had the absolute best experience. Kathy and the Sandbar staff truly helped to make our night a dream come true.

I can't say enough positive things about the sandbar! Everything was perfect! I got married 9/1/17 and it went so smoothly. This was a destination wedding so all planning happened through email and phone calls with Luis. He was very quick to respond. The food was absolutely amazing!!! Picture perfect view, great staff. Would definitely recommend to anyone!!

Luis and his team were great! Luis accommodated us without any problems. The sandbar is such an amazing place to get married at. I had zero issues. Everything came out exactly the way we wanted it too!!

I am so glad we chose the Sandbar for our wedding venue! Patti, the coordinator, is so fantastic! She was always quick to return emails, was incredibly accommodating to any changes we had to make (including moving our date!), and was really easy to work with. We just gave her a general idea of what we were hoping for, dropped off some decorations we had decided to make, and they took care of the rest. It was beyond anything we could have imagined! As an out of town bride, I was so thankful that Patti and her staff were all so kind and made the whole process really easy!

We had our dream beach wedding and it was all I hoped for. Patti and Luis were very helpful every step of the way anytime I had a question or concern. For our reception we went to the art studio on gulf and pine. It was perfect for our party of 60. I was able to get ready in the bridal suite all afternoon. The food was outstanding the service was terrific and the cake we got from hometown desserts was amazing. If you want a beach wedding and I can't imagine who doesn't, the sandbar is everything you could ask for. Sincerely a very happily married new couple Crystal and Dan

Loved having our wedding here! Patti was amazing to work with. She always emailed me back within 24 hours and always answered all our questions with details. It was such a perfect day and beautiful place!

I have always loved going to the Sandbar Restaurant and I knew it would be the perfect setting for our wedding. Patti was very helpful with all of our requests and everything was amazing. When I first walked in to the pavilion, prior to guests showing up, it took my breath away. The staff was very friendly and attentive. The food was delicious (especially the ice cream sundae bar, yummy!) And of course, you can't beat the setting. We have some of the most beautiful sunset wedding pictures I have ever seen. Thank you Sandbar (and Patti)!

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Patti and Luis were so attentive and helpful before and during our wedding. Everything turned out exactly as I imagined and so much more. If you are looking for a beautiful and relaxing beach wedding, check out the Sandbar Restaurant!

We had an amazing experience with our wedding here. They were budget friendly and very accommodating. Patti was awesome at helping us with vendor suggestions. I would highly recommend this vendor.

I can’t say enough great things about Patti and The Sandbar!! A hurricane hit the east coast of FL on my wedding day and Patti and the Sandbar still managed to make our wedding everything I had ever dreamed of!!! We had a destination wedding (from Michigan) and didn’t get to visit the Sandbar, or meet Patti until the day before our wedding at the rehearsal. Both the venue (beach pavilion) and Patti surpassed all of my expectations!!! Patti was incredibly prompt answering emails and returning calls, and had no issues making changes right up until the wedding day! We had 10 or so guests cancel right before the wedding (as in the day before) due to the hurricane, and Patti and The Sandbar actually refunded for those guests!! Something we didn’t expect!! Patti was just very easy to work with and straightforward, and having all of the options and pricing on the website made it pretty easy for us to budget everything. Patti made me feel confident that everything was going to be taken care of, and on our wedding day she left it up to us whether to have our wedding on the beach despite the wind or to have it inside, and we chose the beach of course. It was a beautiful (but windy) beach wedding and everything I had ever dreamed of! The food was incredible- lots of our guests told us they’d never had better food at a wedding. The BBQ shrimp and NY Strip Steak were the hands-down favorites. If you want a beach wedding you won’t find a better place than The Sandbar!!

The Sandbar was the perfect place for our wedding. We had the most amazing time there and cant thank everyone enough for making it memorable. Special thanks to Patti, she is such a wonderful person. We had a great experience working with her and she helped make our wedding the most amazing day of our lives. Thank you Patti and the Sandbar for everything, we will stop by and visit the next time we are there!

If you're even thinking about getting married here--DO IT!!! Cannot say enough about Patti & the staff. Planning a destination wedding sounded daunting, but Patti made it so incredibly easy. Do yourself a favor and book it now! So worth it.

We had our wedding at the sandbar restaurant on 4/8/16. I cannot even begin to express how amazing it was. We planned from out of town, and we did not do a site visit before the wedding. The venue was even more beautiful in person than it was in pictures. Patti was so easy to work with and put us at ease by updating me frequently throughout the planning process, responding quickly, and by sending lots of pictures. The staff at the sandbar were delightful and did everything in their power to make sure we were happy. We would choose them again and again! It was better than we could have imagined!

I recently had my wedding ceremony at the Sandbar. Patti the wedding coordinator was very easy to work with and made sure everything went flawless. The location on the beach is absolutely beautiful for a Florida beach wedding. Patti was always available during my planning whether it was phone call or email. I was an out of state bride and she made it very easy to plan the day from afar.

We had our ceremony on Anna Maria Beach at the point by the Sandbar. Patti was our wedding planner and our reception at the Studio at Gulf & Pine. It was beautiful, everyone was friendly, knowledgeable & accommodating. The venue was in line with other vendors. Everything that we asked for was accommodated. The only bad thing I have to say is that the beach entrance for the bride & guests should be swept. There were so many sand spurs & small pine cones it was difficult & uncomfortable to walk thru & took forever to get out of my dress. I would highly recommend them for an event?

We just had the beach wedding of our dreams at The Sandbar. We were looking for a low key venue with in house catering and bar and a naturally beautiful backdrop. Patti was our wedding coordinator and was so great to work with. She provided a list of vendors in the area and great recommendations so it was easy to plan the wedding. The entire wedding was SO BEAUTIFUL and SO AMAZING! The sky and sunset made for breathtaking photos. We decided not to rent a dance floor and everyone danced all night in the softest, whitest sand. If you're looking for an affordably unique and naturally beatiful setting for your wedding you must consider The Sandbar at the top of your list! We also were unique in that we were a same sex wedding with two brides. Patti and The Sandbar were incredibly welcome and open to our diverse situation.

We only had 2 months to plan our wedding and it went off without a hitch. It is the perfect setting for the beach wedding of your dreams. Patti was so easy to work with and we saved a ton of $ with our mid-week wedding. I could not have asked for a more beautiful setting and the food was delicious, and I feel like the food and drink minimum is fair, especially given the quality of food and service you receive (your own bartender, etc.). I highly recommend the Potatoes Au Gratin for the side dish. This place knows what they are doing and think of things that I wouldn't like ensuring there were heaters for our reception since it was a bit chilly.

The Sandbar is a beautiful venue to say your vows and dance the night away! I recommend to anyone who is dreaming of a white sanded wedding!

The venue was perfect! We couldn't find anything like it anywhere else. We had our wedding on the beach and the reception under the pavilion in the sand. It was amazing! The staff was wonderful! We couldn't have asked for anything better. They helped in every aspect. Finding vendors was so easy and everything was taken care of on the wedding day. The food was also delicious. Everyone keeps telling us how awesome our wedding was. The island its self is great. Its quaint and has the best fish around. The water is bath water warm and the sunsets are unbelievably gorgeous! I fully suggest the Sandbar to any bride for their perfect wedding venue!

The entire staff at The Sandbar, and specifically Patti their event coordinator, were outstanding to work with! Throughout our wedding planning Patti was timely and thorough in her responses to all of our questions (and never made us feel as though we were asking too many)! Patti's attention to detail, expertise and recommendations were valuable and appreciated as we planned our wedding from afar. We felt so comfortable knowing that we could just sit back and enjoy our wedding reception! Our guests loved The Sandbar's pavilion right on the beach and also loved the service by The Sandbar staff who were all very helpful and accommodating. We felt as though they all had a genuine interest in making our event special. The Sandbar's food was delicious. The salad with the mango and passion fruit dressing is addictive – to the point that our guests went over to the gift shop seeking out bottles of it to take home. We just can’t say enough great things about The Sandbar, the staff and Patti! We will look forward to coming back to visit again and again!

Amazing staff and location. Best on the island.

My husband and I could not be more pleased with Patti and the services at the Sandbar on Anna Maria Island. Patti is seriously the best. Since we live in Indiana I had to communicate with Patti mostly with email, and she was very responsive and ALWAYS kind and respectful . Honestly she has a way about her that just makes you feel like family. Jeff and I are so pleased with her ability to provide us with our idea of a perfect wedding! I have not one thing negative to say about Patti, but the only thing that I would say negatively is that they had to close our ceremony down at 10pm. It was very upsetting but I am told it is due to turtle season that time of the year on Anna Maria Island which is understandable. Other than that I would HIGHLY recommend Patti and her staff for anyone looking for a beach wedding!!!

We had our wedding at the Sandbar on Sunday, June 15, 2014. Patti, the coordinator, was absolutely fantastic throughout the whole planning process. We had never been to AMI before and we were going off of the recommendations of friends that had vacationed there. We did all of our planning from Ohio and numerous (too many to count really!) e-mails between Patti and myself. She took all of my ideas and turned it into my dream wedding. The staff is very attentive and Patti made herself available for our rehearsal the night before even though they had 2 events going on there at the time. She also was very helpful the day of the wedding by keeping everybody in the correct order for the ceremony. If you are looking for an affordable, nice beach wedding-this is the place to look! Our guests are still talking about the ceremony, reception, and especially the food. I didn't have time to eat much at dinner that night, but we did get to keep the leftovers. The staff at the Sandbar made everything seem effortless and I did not have to worry about a thing on my day! Thank you so much to Patti and her staff! Also, a special shout out to Mary at the Sandbar. She made it a point to check on me multiple times throughout the reception and really cared about me that night. She is a very special person and the Sandbar is lucky to have her!

First let me say that my fiance and I looked for a venue for over a year before finding the Sanbar. We had such a difficult time finding a unique and affordable venue. When we found the Sandbar, I instantly new this was the place I wanted to get married. The location was absolutely beautiful. Now looking back at my wedding day, I can honestly say it was everything I wanted and more. Patti, the event coordinator, and her team were so helpful. My family and friends loved the food, especially the Caesar salad. There were also little things that came up during the ceremony and reception that the Sandbar went above and beyond for. There service was amazing. I looked at several places for a wedding in the Tampa Bay area but I am here to tell you that this is the place you want to be! A full service event venue that puts up your decoration if you want them to, provides delicious food at an unbeatable price. This venue is not a place that tries to charge you for everything you would like to do for you special day. Lastly, don't be afraid to have a weekday wedding. They charged us a low rate for the venue just by having it on a Thursday. My family made it a long weekend event after it. Sincerely,a May 8th 2014 Happy Bride

Patti and the staff were amazing! They were all responsive to our questions and helpful in the planning process. Our ceremony and reception went off without a hitch. Our guests raved about the food and the site was beautiful. We would recommend the Sandbar for anyone looking for a FL beach wedding

Of all the things I did to prepare for our wedding day, choosing The Sandbar Restaurant for our wedding venue was by far the smartest. I was blessed with amazing weather, but everything else was all Patti, their wedding coordinator there! She helped with absolutely everything! She wore so many different hats on March 21st, I could never thank her enough. From coordinator, to counselor, to bartender she did it all with smile on her face! Thank you Sandbar, and a big thank you to Patti and her amazing team!

I was amazed at the skills and organization that the sandbar had on my wedding day! I didn't have to worry about anything as they had taken care of it all! From the beautiful setup to pinning flowers on the guys, to letting the ring bearer and flower girl know when to take off they were AWESOME! The food was delicious and fresh !!! I would HIGHLY recommend this place for your dream wedding!

I always dreamed of getting married on the beach and The Sandbar made the planning effortless. My husband and I worked with Patti via e-mail and a couple visits to her office. She always had the time for us and was very quick on responses. She suggested many local florists, DJ's, hotels, etc. Our theme for our wedding was starfish, shells, fishnet, blues and corals. When I arrived at the pavilion the day of our wedding to decorate for the event, I was surprised with The Sandbars own touches of decorations that went perfectly with mine. The food was spectacular and the scenery was breathtaking. On our wedding day Patti and her staff went above and beyond to make sure our day was perfect. I truly appreciate everything The Sandbar and Patti did for us. I highly recommend The Sandbar for a dream come true beach wedding.

I had my ceremony and reception here this past October. The process leading up to the wedding was pretty easy and stress free. All the staff were really pleasant and friendly to deal with, especially the day of decorating - they all helped out which was greatly appreciated. Everyone loved the venue and the food!!!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Sandbar, Patti Mckee and her staff. We live in Philadelphia PA and knew we weren't going to be able to get back down to AMI prior to the wedding so all the planning was done over the phone and via email. All I can say is everyone should be so lucky as to work with Patti. She made the whole planning process totally stress-free, was very prompt with responses and was generally a joy to work with (as was the rest of her staff). The venue was perfectly gorgeous and Pattie added a few of her own personal touches that really added to the decor. The beach and gulf are gorgeous as is but with Patti's help and recommendations, we were able to add a few touches such as the bamboo arch with tooling, flowers and the lighted drapery that made the whole scene breath-taking. We opted to not rent a dance floor and just dance in the sand under the pavilion and loved it. As for the food - it was outstanding, really delicious! Additionally the staff did an exceptional job and keeping the "flow" of the event moving, ie photos, food, etc. We seriously cannot think of a single thing we would change about the entire event. I should also mentioned that she also catered our rehearsal dinner and it too was fabulous. Literally everyone that attended our wedding (about 65 people) continues to rave about the venue, the food, the beverages, the service. In summary, if you are looking for an elegant and natural setting for your wedding along with stress-free planning, the Sandbar is the place to go!

This restaurant/pavilion/venue is the most incredible ever! Anna Maria is known for its Sunsets and it is easy to see why if you spend any time there to watch one. This facility was amazing, the staff even better! Patti the coordinator is completely on top of her game, she knows everything, everyone and works over and above to ensure your day is teh most special day ever! The food was excellent, the scenary excellent, the staff working were excellent and the recommendations for others pertinent to wedding suggested by Patti were AMAZING! In case you don't know, you will now...the best part of the Sandbar is the entire island is on Island Time, so simply relax! Gorgeous, Amazing and beyond any expectations I ever had!

This was a beautiful spot to hold our wedding! The coordinator was very organized and got back to me right away with any questions or concerns I had! Overall extremely satisfied with everything they had to offer!

The beach/sunset at AMI is BREATHTAKING!! Our wedding at The Sandbar was absolutely perfect! The ceremony site and reception gazebo were decorated so beautifully. Patty helped plan the ceremony which went so smoothly. She's is very experienced and talented at her job! The food and service were also SO great!! Our guests were still raving about the food and atmosphere weeks after the wedding. =) We could not have asked for a better wedding day!!!

I am going to start by saying this is an absolutely gorgeous beach. And Anna Maria has the best sunset I have ever seen. I wanted a true beach wedding, with a reception at the beach too! I got exactly that. A perfect beach wedding. The location was well.. beautiful. And the pictures they show online (saying this because I planned my entire Florida wedding from Texas), are exactly what you get. Now Patty has everything under control and although at times I felt like she was going to forget half the things I told her because she always made it sound so easy.... SHE MADE IT HAPPEN. And DID NOT FORGET ONE SINGLE detail. It was perfect. I chose a DJ and a Reverend that do weddings at the Sandbar and that turned out to be terrific idea. They have worked together so many times that everything goes smooth with that trio! FOOD was great! Out of this world tasty and super fresh. The presentation was great and all my guests loved it. The bar was great... The staff was amazing. We got everything we wanted... and more. Would highly recommend this venue. And this restaurant too if you're on the island.

Patti was truly amazing. You can customize your wedding and that's what I liked most about it. They staff even packed us a to go baggie with all the food that was there, which was nice because I didn't really eat much during the wedding. Patti was fabulous with answering emails and phone calls. She is there the whole time during the wedding to make sure everything runs smoothly! If she can't do what your asking, she'll find someone that does, such as having your choice of color for table runners, overlays, or bow ties. We love the beach and was so happy to find this place!! It was perfect because our reception was under the pavilion and if it rains they have pull downs that protect everything.

Patti is AMANZING at what she does. Such a thoughtful and thorough wedding planner. She knows how to make the bride and groom feel as if they don't have a worry in the world. We corresponded through email since I had a destination wedding and she was the only vendor I dealt with that would IMMEDIATELY email me back. She and the staff at the Sandbar make it their top priority that things go according to plan. They are so wonderful!

Patty from the sandbar and the rest of the staff were awesome!! She made sure everything ran smoothly and was always available to answer questions. The food was amazing!! all of my guests commented on how yummy everything was and how great the sandbar staff had been to them. When my cake didn't arrive, i didn't even know there was a problem until patty had a solution. with in a short couple of hour a cupcake tower had been created and if i hadn't said anything no one would have known there was an issue. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

We found the Sandbar when searching for places for a beach wedding. Being from Iowa, there weren’t many beaches to choose from. Before making a commitment over the internet, we traveled to Anna Maria Island in Florida to check this place out in person. It was perfect. During the year of planning our wedding, Patti McGee was wonderful to work with. Since all of the planning was via e-mail, she would respond with an hour to any questions I would have. The day of our wedding was perfect! The staff were awesome, everything was just how it was supposed to be, and there was no stress. All we had to do is show up and do a little decorating. There was back up plans for weather, the food was beyond great and the margaritas were fabulous! The outdoor pavilion was our setting for the reception, which was just behind our beach ceremony site. We walked out in a picture perfect setting, and walked back for the same beautiful view. Guests loved seeing the award winning sunset, as well as the coziness and laid back feel of the island. Great place!

Having our wedding at the Sandbar turned out to be our best decision yet! It provided the perfect atmosphere with everyone's toes in the sand and a gorgeous sunset! Patti and her team were on top of everything and even accommodated a last minute table addition with no problem (I called about an hour before the reception to add a table for guests that RSVP'd no). She kept me up to date throughout the reception and everything was perfect. I highly recommend using the Sandbar for anyone's reception!

Ahhhhhhhhmazing!!!!! The venue is perfect. We had about 100 guests and it included 17 kids. Everyone had fun! The staff is outsanding. Patti and her staff do an amazing job to make the day of your dreams and work with you every step of the way with any ideas you may have! All of my guests have been telling me what a great time they had and how great the food was. We totally got lucky with the weather and it made for a perfect wedding and reception. The Sandbar is a class act!!! It is the best place to get married on Anna Maria Island. They have made another happy bride!! We only wish we could have danced longer!!!!!!

My wedding could not have been better! Patti McKee was key in helping me throughout the year and a half I planned my small wedding. The staff serving at my wedding were so wonderful! The food was delicious! If you want to get married on the beach in Florida The Sandbar Restaurant is the place to do it!

As soon as we visited the Sandbar, we knew that is where we wanted to get married. Patti answered every email I sent right away. When we wanted to meet, she was ready. I sent my husband over with all the decorations and the staff took it over and did a great job. She made sure everything was going well the whole night. They sent home food for us! They found lost keys. Everything was wonderful. Everyone wanted to know when we would do it again.

The Sandbar is an AMAZING location to have a wedding. Our ceremony was right on the beach with the reception in the separate pavilion steps away. All of the staff were so helpful from the very beginning and went over every detail from the food to the decor. They are so well prepared for every event/situation and know all of the other vendors really well. The views of the sunset were breathtaking and the food was buffet and tasted delicious. I would get married there year after year if I could!

We had both the ceremony and reception at the Sandbar. Patti, the event coordinator, was great to work with and catered to my every need. If you are looking for location for a beach wedding, this is the place to go. The food was good and the atmosphere was great. I would recommend you rent the dance floor. I tried to save a few bucks and my guests found it difficult to dance in the sand. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. My wedding was just how I imagined it.

I am so glad I used the Sandbar. They made sure everything was decorated and beautiful. I thought I would do my own centerpieces, and about a week before the wedding, couldn't decide on what to do. Patty was great- she had ideas, and had things on hand. She even found things to match my difficult "guava" dresses! My ceremony and reception were gorgeous, and I was relaxed knowing everything was taken care of. The night was seamless, and the food was great!

Patty and her crew at the Sandbar are amazing. They are in the business of hosting weddings and they know what they are doing. Even though they do hundreds of weddings a year they make you feel as though yours is the most special. Also, her pricing estimates were perfect and she gave great advice on everything from decorations to music. Awesome.