The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

Best of Weddings (3x)

5401 Bay Shore Road Sarasota Florida

$20,000 starting price

300+ guest capacity

This venue can host 300+ guests

About this vendor

Located in Sarasota, Florida, The Ringling Art Museum is an elegant venue with breathtaking historic architecture, lush tropical grounds, and stunning waterfront views of Sarasota Bay. Our 66-acre property is home to the Ca' d'Zan Mansion, Museum of Art Courtyard, Historic Circus Museums, and beautiful Bayfront Gardens. VENUE OPTIONS: Museum of Art Courtyard A wedding venue unlike any other in the state of Florida, experience an evening of grand charm surrounded by replicas of ancient Greek, Roman, and Baroque statues on magnificently manicured lawns. Ca’ d’Zan Terrace & Campiello Say "I Do" as the sun sets over the Bay on the Terrace of our historic 1920's Ca' d'Zan mansion, then dance the night away under a sky full of stars as they illuminate the night on the Campiello! The Best of Ringling Experience all that The Ringling has to offer. This once in a lifetime elite package showcases both our Historic Ca’ d’Zan Mansion Terrace and Campiello, as well as our Museum of Art Courtyard. This is the Best of the Best!! RENTAL INCLUDES • Venue Rental from 6:00 to 11:00 PM • Private Access to First Floor of Ca’ d’Zan or Museum of Art, North, or South Galleries for Self-Guided Tours for your guests from 6:00 to 8:00 PM during event, dependent on your location • Two-Hour Photoshoot Permit, scheduled with Event Coordinator • One-Hour Rehearsal, scheduled with Event Coordinator • One-Year Ringling Museum Membership for Wedding Couple • Security Staffing for Event • Ringling Museum Event Specialist will collaborate with you and your professional planners and vendors through each phase of your event. MICRO WEDDINGS: 25ppl Max Year Round $2,000 + tax (6.5%) • Two total hours of event time between 10:00 AM and 2:30 PM • Approx 30 min. for ceremony, 90 min. for photography on the grounds. Summer Special: Evening Ceremonies June – September $2,500 + tax (6.5%) • Two hours of event time 5:30 – 7:30 PM • Approx 30 min. for ceremony, 90 min. for photography on the grounds. **Please note the rental is for the venue space only. No equipment, such as chairs, or décor may be brought onto property for this option, except for bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. Micro Wedding option does not include an officiant, photography, and/or videography. A list of vendors registered to provide such services at The Ringling is available upon request

Amenities + details

Ceremony Area

Covered Outdoors Space

Handicap Accessible

Outdoor Event Space

Reception Area

Wireless Internet

Dressing Room

Indoor Event Space

Liability Insurance

On-Site Accommodations

Ceremony Types

Civil Union
Elopement
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Vow Renewal Ceremony

Guest Capacity

300+

Settings

Beach
Waterfront
Estate
Garden
Historic Venue
Museum

Venue Service Offerings

Destination Weddings

Awards and Affiliations

4.8

out of 5.0

14 reviews

Search reviews

3/15/2024 • Taylor J

The most magical and perfect wedding venue!!! My husband and I got married here a couple years ago and our friends and family still rave about our venue. It's hard to compare to, it's such a unique setting. You feel like you're in Europe. I loved that our whole wedding could be outside and that the reception area was just as beautiful as the ceremony (that was very important to me). Guests were able to walk through the museum after the ceremony before cocktail hour which was also a cool memorable feature. A couple things to note: It's a museum so they are strict about some things (no sparkler exit, really expensive to do a specialty cocktail) but not huge deal breakers. Also, they have two venues with two separate venue fees (building on the water and the courtyard) and they can have two weddings going on at the same time - we didn't hear or see the other wedding at all. If you do the water venue, you are going to need to probably pay for a pricey tent as your rain backup plan and that's ultimately why we decided to go with the courtyard where the rain plan is under the gorgeous loggias. If you have a connection to the Sarasota area, look no further. Ringling is 15 minutes from downtown, guests can stay downtown and walk to the water and plenty of restaurants, and Lido beach is only 15 minutes away. The pictures and guest experience with a Ringling wedding in Sarasota is unmatched!

5/16/2018 • Tara S

Our wedding was a dream come true!!

8/06/2016 • shelbye s

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH! We are so happy we got married here. We worked with Stevie who was nothing short of amazing. She was so personable and nice, and made sure everything was perfect for us. The grounds are breathtaking and our guests were astonished.

4/21/2014 • Molly K

Ringling is by far one of our favorite places on earth. It is so spectacular! The venue creates the most amazing photo op options. Our pictures are so much nicer because of where we are in the pics! Our guests were blown away. We used the courtyard area and had each level devoted to different parts of the event - Ceremony tier 1; Cocktail hour tier 2; Reception tier 3. Guests were also able to walk through the museum which was extra special. Our wedding planner, Maria Brady with Choreographed Events handled all of the communication and details with Ringling and it was PERFECT!

11/30/2013 • Krystina M

We held both our ceremony and reception at the Ca d'Zan Mansion at Ringling. It sits right on the Sarasota Bay and is honestly the most breathtaking venue I have ever seen! Our pictures are incredible and everyone keeps telling us it looks like a dream! There are a lot of restrictions, but it is TOTALLY worth it! There is no better venue in all of Florida!

5/05/2013 • valorie m

I absolutely loved having my wedding at the ca d'zan mansion at Ringling. My husband and I both love the outdoors and being on the water and I've always had a love for fine art so it was an easy decision to have the wedding there. The wedding was amazing and it was even supposed to rain that day and it turned out to be the perfect whether for an outside wedding. I really loved how guests got to tour the downstairs mansion while we were taking our wedding photos. With that said if your going to have your wedding at such an amazing venue, it comes at a high cost. Its extremely expensive to have a wedding there and you have so many rules you have to follow. I understand the rules, its a historical and beautiful mansion and they want to keep it that way. In general everybody was really nice. I worked with Holly and Stevie and they were both super nice and helpful. Some, not all, of the staff and security not so nice. They watch you like a hawk there and can be rude if they see you doing something they don't approve of. Both my planner and my wedding party got yelled at during the rehearsal for standing in areas they shouldn't of, I guess? I'm glad they have good security but it was a little extreme and they could be a little nicer. Were paying a lot of money to have our wedding there and its kind of a damper when were getting discipled over miniscule things. But not all Ringling staff was like that, just some. With everything all said and done I absolutely loved my wedding there. Its was stunning and I have no regrets. If you want a beautiful wedding no one will forget, have it there. But word to the wise, make sure you choose a dry month. I lucked out with the weather but we ended up having to rent a tent the week of because a high percent of rain and thats a big last minute expense.

3/27/2013 • Courtney W

The Ringling has lots of rules, but they were amazing in the planning process and the day of. The weather quickly changed and we had to use a tent for our outdoor reception. They were very accommodating. You can't be the location and the beautiful venue!

12/08/2011 • Ashley M

If it wasn't for location, location, location for this venue I wouldn't have selected them. Although the staff was wonderful thier rules and restrictions are extreme but I guess that's expected for a museum. They have breath taking views and with the mansion on the water you can't beat this for a wedding location. As long as you can haggle them on the bar costs (only one vendor so they can kill you on price) and get a caterer that knows thier way around the property, they're great!

11/01/2011 • Chris R

We were married at the Ca 'd'Zan mansion, which is JOhn and mable Ringling's home. The terrace is on the water, and the wedding was at sunset. It was awesome. In fact, the sun set over the water during the cocktail hour, the stars came out during dinner, and we partied like rockstars - like 1920's rockstars - and all of our guests loved the place. We looked at the Selby, the Crosley, the Ritz, and, frankly, they are like comparing McDonalds to Bern's steakhouse in Tampa. We're not even talking the same league, here. Grooms, if you want to make your fiancee happy, swing by the Ringling on a Saturday afternoon around 4 pm while they are setting up for someone's wedding and check out the mansion. It is even better than the museum, and despite all the warnings on the paperwork that Holly is going to give you, it is a fantastic venue where you can party like elegant rockstars.

10/18/2011 • Lisa M

I got married in the Courtyard of the John and Mable Ringling Museum! It was spectacular! I had my ceremony, cocktail hour and reception at the same location! If it had rained they had a nice rain back up plan and no tents were required to be rented! I would highly recommend this venue to anyone planning to get married in the Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, Tampa area!

9/30/2011 • Kristen S

The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is such an exquisite place. The architecture and everything about it is beautiful, and my guests were simply BLOWN away! It's also located by the beach, so guests were able to enjoy the city/beach while visiting, and there were multiple hotel options. Holly at the Ringling was wonderful to work with and extremely helpful. I'm an artist, so this venue suited me perfectly. I loved how guests were able to actually walk through the museum part (we had the reception/ceremony in the courtyard as opposed to the mansion). Keep in mind that it is a museum, so you are restricted on what you can/can't do decor wise. Also, although it's pricey to rent the venue alone, you have to bring in everything else like chairs, tables, etc. On the plus, the gardens are so beautiful you don't have to have a huge decor or floral budget! Another great thing about it is the photo opps. There are beautiful banyan trees, and again the architecture is wonderful. I can't wait to see the pics!

3/31/2011 • A F

Love it!

10/10/2010 • Jason L

We reserved the Ringling after having trouble with our original venue, Kate Atkin was very helpful and sweet and just wanted to do everything in her power to make sure our day was magical. Our wedding was held in the courtyard and they gave us access to the north wing of the museum so our guests could experience the museum as well. We had an issue with one the the Ringling's preferred vendors, and when we notified Kate Atkin of the issue, she was on it and remedied the situation immediately. I highly recommend this venue to anyone who is looking for a wedding with style that will create a lasting memory for your guests, and will make you the envy of ever other bride!!!

5/10/2010 • Danielle B

I LOVED the atmosphere. All of our guests raved about the beauty of the venue and we have been told by almost everyone that it was the best wedding they have ever been to.