The Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe

We had our wedding on Oct 19th when it just so happened a tropical storm was rolling through. Rachel our wedding planner had to deal with the weather changing every hour and took care of all the details so we did not have to worry. The wedding and ceremony turned out amazing and the salmon we had for the main entree was a huge hit for all the guests. It's an amazing venue with amazing people who helped make our day awesome! We even planned the whole wedding from a distance. I would recommend Rachel and the wedding venue to anyone looking for a destination wedding spot.

This was the perfect destination wedding. Megan was so pleasant to work with, she made sure to cover ever detail and made sure I got exactly what I wanted. The entire staff here were outstanding. My special day was everything I always dreamed of. Thanks guys!!! You rock

Couldn't have been happier. Megan and her staff really kept my mind at ease. We had a destination wedding so has to do all of the planning without ever physically going to the venue. This place is beautiful and the food was ,staff were pleasant. Megan was very professional and made sure she went over every detail and always had many options and great recommendations. My wedding was the dream wedding I always wanted and it was completely STRESS-FREE. Thank you "Sunset Weddings"

Absolutely THE WORST reception experience I have ever been a part of. Totally unorganized. Guests had to be stopped as they left to pose for photos because they were done so late in the reception. The planner should have anticipated this and advised the bride. There was NO music for the reception besides the random band playing at the very loud bar immediately behind where the reception tents were pitched. We were told the beach would be cleared for the ceremony. It was not, and the bride will have random people in bikinis in the background of her photos. No instruction was provided about how the recessional should occur after the shell ceremony. The cake was never even brought out. I was there for a couple hours before the bride and groom left to take sunset photos and the wedding cake sat inside the restaurant on the bar. During the rehearsal, a random bar customer seated at a tiki hut - angered at being asked to step to the side so that the bridal party could pass - made lewd, sexual gestures at the wedding party. The planner went to "talk" to him but did not make the man leave. When the MotB said she would speak to a manager about it, the planner rudely stated, "I AM a manager." An absolute farce. I strongly recommend you go for a classier place unless you are specifically looking for the public to be involved in a margaritaville wedding of poor planning and white trash hand gestures.

We had such a great experience working with Gulf Drive for our wedding! The ceremony and reception were amazing and the food was delicious!

Our wedding at gulf drive cafe was incredible. Stefanie and Stephanie did an amazing job from start to finish. Every aspect of the wedding was perfect. They were so helpful during the whole planning process, touching on every aspect. It made my wedding planning experience so easy!! Words can’t even begin to describe how happy we both are that we chose this venue.

My husband and I are so glad we decided to have our wedding at the Gulf Drive Cafe. Stefanie and her team were excellent and made planning our wedding all the way from California so much easier. She was always quick to respond to emails and wanted to make sure our day was everything we wanted it to be. We were also provided with a list of preferred vendors which proved to be extremely helpful. All the vendors we chose from their list turned out to be wonderful as well. The location is beautiful and having the sunset as a backdrop for our reception was amazing. The day truly exceeded our expectations and our guests had a great time. I would highly recommend the Gulf Drive Cafe for your dream beach wedding.

Best. Venue. Ever. We could not have asked for a better, more accommodating venue to have our wedding. From the moment we walked into Gult Drive Cafe for the first time, and met Stefanie, our wedding coordinator, we could not have felt more at home. Every moment leading up to the big day, was perfectly orchestrated & fun... No detail was left untouched. The actually big day? Perfect. Flawless. Beautiful. Fun. Also, perfectly orchestrated. How could you ask for a better experience than having your ceremony, happy hour, and reception all on a beautiful Florida beach? You couldn’t! Anna Maria Island? Also the best... Especially for a wedding with a lot of out of towners who are looking for the full vacation experience, with a beautiful wedding thrown in. It also must be said that Stefanie and her crew are the best at what they do. Of course, I don’t have any other experiences to go by either (Lol!) but we wouldn’t trade a single second of our wedding experience for anything different. I hope your special day is amazing as ours was.

Stefanie, McKenna, and ALL the Gulf Drive Cafe staff were wonderful to work with! From the pre-planning to the service the day of everything was perfect and we were treated like royalty! They work so hard to make everything as easy and stress free as possible and it shows. Our guests can't stop talking about "the most beautiful wedding they've ever been to"!

The Sunset Weddings was AMAZING throughout the whole process! Any question I had, Stefanie was right on top of it and went above and beyond to make sure everything was how I envisioned it. She upgraded us to the larger tiki on our wedding day (at no extra cost), because the weather was going to be less than desirable. All night, and days after, our family said that this was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to. I couldn’t agree more! We were nervous about planning from so far away (Pennsylvania), but it really did turn out exactly the way I wanted. The PERFECT place to have a wedding/reception!!

The wedding venue provided by Gulf Drive Cafe is like no other experience you will ever have! From our initial meeting with Stefanie Lawrence who coordinated the total event and made so many recommendations and suggestions during the year long preparation process up to the last minute of the wedding provided a truly stress free flawless wedding. Even changes in the venue that inevitably arose were handled professionally with a caring attitude by Stefanie due to her prior experience and expertise. All of the staff at Gulf Drive Cafe were always helpful, friendly, and eager to help any way they could. Compared to the multiple other venues we interviewed with on Anna Maria Island the value was much better with no continual hidden charges at Gulf Drive Cafe plus most importantly the atmosphere and the view is literally second to none. If you want the "Best of the Best" this should be your first wedding stop.

We were married on the Beach 11-23-18 With Stefanie and McKenna and team we had planned and executed the most amazing Wedding Day. Every Detail was handled, so smoothly and professionally. Every Guest commented related to how amazing our Wedding was. Give Stefanie a call, and get the same results we did. See you soon under the HUT

We are very happy we got married at this location with The Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe. We were able to plan this wedding living in south america, long distance, just sending emails and one skype meeting and by the time we arrived everything was taken care off, no worries, stress free! The team works very hard and they do it all. We all enjoyed it and are extremely happy. Thanks so much!!

We loved everything about having our wedding at The Gulf Drive Café and Tiki with the Sunset Weddings staff. We had a long engagement and booked this venue about a year and a half out from our wedding date but Stefanie never made us feel like we weren’t a priority because our wedding was far away when we reached out with questions. Because it was destination, we knew it was going to take extra effort planning and the Sunset Wedding staff was incredibly accommodating with quick response emails, Skype meetings, and being flexible when we were able to make trips to have meetings in person. Now to the good stuff, I am a perfectionist designer so I needed to be pretty hands on with everything and I’m sure that can get annoying but I never ever was treated that way. Stefanie welcomed all my ideas with open arms and we worked exceptionally well together. As the date got closer, the weather was looking scarier and scarier. We communicated our plan b and brainstormed different ways to keep it magical and it honestly turned out perfect regardless of what the weather was doing. I had all the faith in the world that Stefanie and McKenna would be able to pull off absolutely anything, and they did. They listened to our vision of all the handmade decorations and where they should go and when we showed up to the venue, I cried because they did such an incredible job setting everything up. Those two girls will have a special place in my heart forever! The backdrop of the beautiful beach with the large tiki hut and mini tiki’s is unmatched. We also did the caribbean taco bar as our dinner and people were raving about how unique, fun and delicious it was. If you’re a big fan of the beach, working with people that genuinely care about you and making your day perfect, I HIGHLY recommend getting married here, you won’t be disappointed!!!

Sunset Weddings at Gulf Drive Cafe was an absolute dream wedding venue! Stefanie and McKenna made our day exceptionally special and made sure that my husband or I never lifted a finger. They made EVERYTHING happen and because of that, it still feels like a fairytale. When I first started looking for venues, I was lost in a sea of decisions (no pun intended), but as soon as my then fiancé and I met Stefanie and toured Gulf Drive cafe we knew we had found our venue! Stefanie and McKenna go through every single detail with you to make sure everything is perfect—what I really loved was that if I couldn’t decide what I wanted or some other little detail, they gave advice and helped us come to decisions based on our vision. I cannot say enough about how amazing this venue and the ladies that helped make our dream wedding a reality were! If you are looking for a local Florida feel w/gorgeous sunsets and amazing people, look no further!!

My husband and I got married here in the middle of October and it was absolutely incredible! Every little thing — from the ceremony rehearsal to the vendor coordination to the small details in our centerpieces — was perfectly executed. Being from the Midwest, we were reliant upon Stefanie and her team to help us make our wedding day just the way we pictured it, and they did not disappoint! Stefanie is a master planner and communicator, which is a godsend for us brides. She is kind and outgoing and always keeps your best interests at heart. We could not have hosted 100 guests on the island without her guidance! The ceremony setup was so simple and beautiful. We did 30 chairs for those who needed seats, but had the other 70 or so guests stand for our 20-minute ceremony. Stefanie made sure the bar was open prior to the ceremony so that our guests could enjoy the ceremony with a beverage, which was exactly the vibe we were going for. The venue itself was gorgeous — they low key have the best beach views on the island. The food was delicious (as many of our guests commented on it) and the bar service was impeccable! Geoff was an absolute blast behind the bar — we definitely kept him busy! If you’re planning a destination wedding on Anna Maria Island you would be remiss not to book The Sunset Tiki. Their wedding planning staff and the venue itself are next to none. It was everything we hoped it would be!

Stefanie and McKenna at Gulf Drive Cafe are amazing! They were always available to answer questions or give suggestions when I needed them. The whole entire wedding process from initial booking, to the wedding day, was 100% stress free! My husband and I could not be any happier with how or big day turned out. It truly felt like a dream wedding. I highly recommend the Gulf Drive Cafe for both ceremony and reception.

Firstly we had the awful task of locating a venue without the opportunity to see it first hand as we are from Massachusetts. Making everything much harder than it already was. After looking at dozens of venues online we came across The Sunset by the Gulf Drive Cafe! The pictures looked incredible, such a beautiful location and such a beautiful venue. We both fell in love with the look and feel of the venue over pictures alone. We got in contact with Stefanie and WOW words aren't enough to explain how professional, nice, enthusiastic she was. She is the TRUE definition of a wedding planner. She really put our minds at rest and we knew even though we hadn’t seen the venue it was definitely the right place for us. During all the months leading up to the wedding we were in contact with Stefanie and McKenna- we obviously had so many questions and requests through not being able to be there physically, but they were there and quickly responded to all our emails and give helpful friendly advice for everything. Stefanie and McKenna were there for us EVERY step of the way. People often ask us what was the best part about our wedding day and for both of us the best part about the day was that we didn’t worry about anything. If we had any advice to couples looking to plan their wedding- I think we would both advise that preparation goes such a long way. Always listen to the advice the venue has to offer, they will know best! They’ve seen many weddings so they know what will work and what may not come off as well as you’re thinking. Thank you guys for everything my wedding was truly a fairy tale.

The venue was absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t change a thing it was beautiful and beyond our expectations.

We had our Oct 28th 2018 wedding here. magical place for a beach wedding. Staff did a great job for our wedding on the beach was clearly magical. Stefanie Lawrence & McKenna Ainger are the best. The Sunset Weddings Event Team Gulf Drive Café | The Kokonut Hut

Wedding day was amazing! Stephanie and staff put together an unforgettable day. Decorations/set up of reception were beautiful. Staff was always on top of keeping the day flowing, keeping wedding crashers out :), and making sure we enjoyed the day. If you are looking for a beach wedding this is the venue I would recommend. I had a day that I will never forget. Thank you to everyone at the Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe.

We could not have asked for a more perfect venue and experience for our wedding! Stefanie was amazing to work with. She walked us through everything, every detail, every little thing we never thought of, with the patience of a saint! We had one on one meetings with the chef to get exactly what we wanted food-wise. We could not have been more pleased. They took all of the extra steps needed to ensure our happiness. Not a single special detail was missed. Thank you Gulf Drive Cafe!

Everything about the Gulf Drive Cafe was great (Location, Food, Service) except one thing. We were told the we could cancel the band for the night and play our own music over the speakers. We created a special playlist for the day. We went from being able to cancel the band, to not being able to cancel the band, but they would find a band that fit our musical taste, to no band that night and having a DJ instead. Our style - acoustic folk rock. The DJ's music drowned out our music. It wasn't until my sister complained that we finally got the music turned down.

The entire staff at Gulf Drive Cafe was amazing. Stephanie went above and beyond to make the whole experience unforgettable.

When we started looking at venues for our destination wedding, we came upon The Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe and immediately fell in love. We wanted a small intimate wedding with family and friends on the beach. Stefanie brought our dream to reality. The beautiful sand, tiki huts, and the arch in which we were married provided such a stunning background and magical day. We couldn't of had a more perfect day! Upon booking our destination wedding, we were given a preferred list of local vendors, photographers, etc to contact (which did help being so far away). Unfortunately, Mother Nature brought the red tide our way and a Plan B was made just in case the smell was too bad (thank goodness our wedding day had no issues) but it made me feel much better knowing a back up plan was thought of by Stefanie and her team. The wait staff made sure drinks were in hand for all our guests at all times. Stefanie and her team had everything covered – guests, seating, our cake / cupcake table, decorations ... everything was BEAUTIFUL!! The FOOD was amazing! Everyone LOVED it! Thank you to the entire team at The Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe!!! Kelli & Frank

The function was a retirement party. The food was tasty, venue beautiful, and the staff was extremely helpful! Special thanks to Stefanie!

Easy, fun experience planning a destination wedding!

Our wedding and reception at Gulf Drive were everything we dreamed of! Stefanie and the rest of the crew went above and beyond for us. We had no issues planning our wedding/reception from five states away; it was smooth and easy! The venue is absolutely perfect for a beach wedding...the views are amazing. Thank you so much for everything!

The wedding planning Team took great care of us and were so patient!

We could not have asked for a more perfect wedding at the Gulf Drive Cafe! The weather, venue, and service were amazing! Stefanie and Sarah were awesome to work with. We are from out of town so it was nice to have them both as they were so helpful and quick to respond through emails and phone calls during the planning process. I didn’t have to worry about a thing! Also, Sarah was a rockstar the day of!! She was a key role in making our wedding day run smooth and perfect! Multiple guests came up to me and said it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. I have 3 sisters and they all have their sights set on getting married at the Gulf Drive Cafe. We HIGHLY recommend the Gulf Drive Cafe!

The Sunset at Gulf Drive Cafe is amazing! Everything was simple and easy from start to finish. The wedding coordinator, Stephanie, was so helpful, informative, and fun to work with! She made what can be a stressful time for a bride so worry-free by helping you plan everything and giving great suggestions! The food was great, the photographer was great, and we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset the night of our wedding! We couldn't have asked for anything better!

Through the whole process I can say that I could not have picked a better place than Gulf Drive Cafe and Kokonut Hut!! Special thank you to Stefanie who was always available to answer all my questions and help with everything! The day of the wedding both Stefanie and Sarah our wedding coordinators were by my side and my husband serving us like we were royalty. These women are amazing at what they do and have done a fabulous job.i can also say the servers did an amazing job checking on all the guests and tending to all their needs! I received so many compliments from my guests about the whole wedding and staff on how attentive they were. This is one of mine and my husbands favorite places to go and will continue to go there. As our family and friends come to visit we will take them back too. Thank you everyone who was involved to make our day a dream wedding! 💕

We had an absolutely magical wedding at the The Sunset. It was everything we could have imagined and more. Wedding prep and planning was made so much easier with Stefanie. She was responsive, open to anything we suggested, and a pleasure to work with. Leading into the wedding weekend, we had our Rehearsal Dinner at Gulf Drive Cafe, and the wait staff was beyond attentive and the food was fantastic. Our family and friends had a wonderful time. For the wedding day itself, I was able to enjoy my wedding day prep as Stefanie, Sarah and team worked to set up our reception and ceremony site. They never lost their smiles and were always there to keep things on track, but most importantly, making sure that my husband and I were enjoying ourselves. Thank you to Stefanie, Sarah, and the entire Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe staff for making our wedding day such a wonderful experience!

I had my wedding and reception here! The staff were all very friendly, especially Stephanie! She made sure that everything went off without a hitch and that my husband and I were having a great time. The views were great and everything was so beautiful.

We had the best wedding!! Stephanie and staff were phenomenal, very professional and always available when we had questions. The location was breathtaking. Very highly recommended

Stefanie was AMAZING! We had a very simple wedding with just 3 guests. She went above and beyond to make sure every detail was perfect and responded to any questions we had right away. There was no stress and that’s all we truly wanted. The elegant white linens and starfish hanging from the arch were perfect along with the sand ceremony she helped give some great ideas on! I highly recommend whether it’s a simple ceremony like ours or a wedding party of 200 you’ll be in great hands! Thanks for all Stefanie and everyone at Gulf Drive Cafe!

My husband and I had always dreamed of a beach wedding. I always had a vision of my dream beach wedding in my mind and The Sunset by Gulf Drive Cafe exceeded my expectations. From the beginning they were very helpful with every aspect of the planning. A few months before our wedding the coordinator we had been working with moved on to another job and I was very anxious at first. But then after Stefanie stepped in, I was put at ease. She worked really hard to make sure everything about our day was perfect. All my ideas and decorations were put up and taken down by the staff and it looked amazing. From the moment I stepped into the sand to walk down the aisle, Stefanies attention to every last detail was evident. She made sure we had everything we needed and more! I would recommend this venue to anyone. We had guests tell us it was the best wedding they’d ever been to, including their own. Thank you for making mine and Richards dream beach wedding a reality.

Wow. Incredible experience!!! The staff was so friendly and hard working. All of our guests were raving about the food and service!!! We did our rehearsal dinner here and I highly recommend it for those wanting to show their loved ones the beautiful beaches of Bradenton!

Our son and daughter-in-law had a beach wedding planned for December, on a very small budget. When their original plans fell apart 3-4 weeks before the wedding we contacted Gulf Drive Cafe and they were able to work with us on very short notice. The cost was over our original budget but it came with a wedding coordinator, Stephanie who took care of all the details that we didn't have the time to handle. When the weather forecast kept getting worse each day leading up to the wedding Stephanie and Gulf Drive Cafe were wonderful, they came up with a great solution to move our guests inside for dinner. And on the day of the wedding when the weather still wasn't cooperating for a beach ceremony they were able to move the ceremony inside too. Stephanie was great to work with. She got back to us within minutes of every phone call with answers to our questions and requests. She also emailed us immediately after conversation and kept us informed of the costs the entire time. You can't control mother nature but Gulf Drive Cafe did everything in their power to make it a memorable evening for the Bride and Groom and all their guests. We highly recommend using them!

Gulf Drive Cafe is an amazing wedding venue! My husband and I got married here on November 4th, 2017 and it was absolutely gorgeous. We looked at a lot of different venues and this one was by far the best. The tikki hut looked amazing with our decorations and the ocean as our backdrop was magnificent. We received so many compliments from our guests saying it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever attended. The staff was amazing and so friendly....And then there is Laura. Oh my goodness she is the BEST coordinator EVER. She not only saved us money, but was able to pull off a very difficult wedding! We had an Indian/American fusion wedding. Laura was able to coordinate with our vendors which is very difficult, because there were a ton! When some of our vendors went over time and showed up late she was able to build in time into our schedule and save us about an hour! She was so incredibly accommodating I could not believe it! I truly believe this is her passion and calling. Her job is not an easy one! She is so warm-hearted and truly wants to best for her customers. What an amazing venue and staff!!!!

Our wedding at the Gulf Drive Café was perfection. From the location to the wedding planner, Laura, we could not have asked for a more perfect day. Laura was, by far, the best thing about the wedding planning experience. She was thoughtful and thorough and really easy to work with. She thought of things that I would not have thought of myself. She really understood what we were looking for and made everything about our wedding day perfect. We also enjoyed the food, location and service. The beach was clean and set up beautifully for our ceremony and the tiki pavilion was perfect for the size of our wedding. The menu choices we made were enjoyed by all of our guests. Thank you Gulf Drive Café for our perfect wedding day!!

We could not have asked for more! Laura is incredible. I was able to plan 95% of my wedding over the phone with her and everything went off without a hitch. I would recommend getting married here to anyone interested in a stress-free destination wedding.

Our reception at the Gulf Drive Cafe was gorgeous! Everything, the whole organization, and the event by itself like the Decoration, the Menue, the Cocktails and the friendly crew was perfect for us. A special thanks to Laura, who helped us in every way to make everything possible. You were always there for us! You did such a great job by managing everything! To have our reception at the Gulf Drive Cafe was the best decision! Thank you a lot and I can warmly recommend the Gulf Drive Cafe for a reception to everyone!

Laura is a rock star and the location is gorgeous! I looked everywhere around Florida and just kept coming back to this venue - it was exactly what I was looking for. Laura was so helpful and patiently answered my millions of questions beforehand. This was a destination wedding for me so I was a little nervous, but everything came together perfectly. Reading another review, yes, there was a service charge added to the total, but that's not uncommon at all. Laura was willing to make as many adjustments to the contract as we wanted and everything was very clearly laid out before we signed - there was nothing hidden or unexpected that popped up at the end. Back to Laura - wow. I had plenty of friends and family ready and willing to set up the reception location but needn't have bothered - we dropped everything off in the morning, gave her a general idea of what we wanted and by the time a couple of people went over to set it up it was already done and beautiful. Whether it was handing us our first cocktail as a married couple, snapping some unique shots with her phone that the photographers didn't catch, or delivering our dinner to our table so we could relax instead of going through the buffet line, she made everything so easy and effortless that I was truly able to enjoy the evening without worrying about anything at all. When we decided on a flower girl at the last minute and didn't have a handled basket, she made one by tying a little strip of burlap onto a basket for her. I never felt like I had to compromise on anything that I wanted - she made it all happen without exasperation and seemed happy to help the entire time. After the blur of the evening I tried to think back to anything that had gone wrong or anything I would have done differently and honestly could not. I am so glad that I chose this venue.

Laura was simply amazing at helping us plan an incredible wedding on a relatively short time table. Everything was perfect and she was delightful in every way. We couldn't have been more pleased with the entire process and our day was everything we had hoped!!

Our wedding coordinator Laura did a phenomenal job making sure everything was just right for our special day! She went above and beyond my expectations and left us with little to nothing to worry about! I could not be happier with how well Laura continuously communicated and helped us out with making our wedding day everything we hoped it would be. Would recommend with high regard for couples to get married at Gulf Drive Cafe!

My husband and I got married here on May 28, 2017. I cannot say enough wonderful things! Laura is beyond amazing. She took care of everything and kept in contact with us while we planned the wedding from 5 states away. She worked so hard and made sure we had everything we wanted. Even though our wedding took place on Memorial Day weekend and was probably one of the busiest times for the venue itself, she made sure everything was perfect... even bumping us up to a larger, more private space since it wasn't rented. I honestly could not think of anything to complain about, even if I tried! I highly recommend this venue, and especially Laura's coordinating services.

Our wedding turned out PERFECT. Laura was awesome and made everything easy the day of and all the days leading up to the wedding. We live in Ohio so planning a wedding in Florida could be difficult but it WAS NOT. The food was amazing and the weather and sunset was perfect as well. Could not of asked for a more perfect day!!

Laura was great! She had spectacular ideas that made our day unforgettable. The food, service and atmosphere were all top notch.

I would highly recommend the Gulf Dr Cafe for wedding ceremony/receptions. We had a great time for our Wedding on the 21st of October. Laura and her team were great to work with and they were very accommodating to our needs. I planned this wedding from out of state and we were still able to plan out all the details we wanted for the night of. Laura was also very helpful by giving suggestions for the event based on previous weddings she had seen at the venue. Talking with Laura definitely put me at ease to know I was in good hands with someone who is very experienced in events as these. As for the night of, Laura had guided us through the whole thing making sure we didn't miss any events in our schedule. It was very easy to follow her lead and enjoy the night. This was such a special day for my husband and I and we can't thank Laura and her team enough for all they did to make our wedding a night to remember.

We’re so happy we chose to get married at Gulf Drive. The view and atmosphere of the beach ceremony and tiki hut reception were exactly what we were looking for, and the staff made the day unforgettable. We were able to plan most of the details over phone/email all the way from Texas without issue. I’m still amazed at the value we got for the money we spent, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The waitstaff was super attentive and kind, and went out of their way to make us feel special. The bartender (Randy) even came over to our breakfast table the following morning to ask us how we were feeling. The whole staff is clearly made up of good people who wanted us to have a great time.  Our coordinator Laura was fantastic as well. She went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. One of our wedding guests even mentioned that she (politely) chased a few tourists off the beach and out of camera frame during our ceremony. Laura clearly has a lot on her plate, so if you can’t get a hold of her immediately, just be sure to follow up. She alleviated any concerns we had, no matter how small or silly they may have seemed to her, and took extra good care of us the day of the wedding. We even found a little note from her on some to-go boxes filled with leftover food.  This was everything we wanted and then some, and we can’t recommend this place enough.

As a wedding coordinator it was such a pleasure working with Laura Snow the event planner. She is extremely detail oriented and just an amazing person.

My family spend every summer on Anna Maria Island since before I was born. When I was 5 years old, I saw a wedding on the beach there, and knew that I wanted to have my own wedding there someday. 22 years later, my dream came true! During my search for wedding venues, we had a hard time on Anna Maria, because we have a very large family. I ended up with around 160 guests, and many of the other venues on the island didn't allow that many guests. We also had a band in mind that we wanted, and many of the other venues had issues with us bringing our own band that they had not approved of. When I talked to Kelli at Gulf Drive, she welcomed all of this news with excitement! Kelli was so incredibly helpful and patient with my mother and me throughout the entire process. She's understanding and helpful, and extremely generous with her time. I have nothing but kind words to say about Kelli--I feel so lucky to have had her helping me through the wedding process. The venue itself is gorgeous because it is right on my favorite beach in the world! The tiki hut is perfect for the reception, and I absolutely loved having it there. I highly recommend Kelli and Gulf Drive Cafe!

Wedding site, along with reception site.

I always wanted an outdoor wedding, and refused to have the reception in a ballroom. The tiki hut is beautiful and spacious. Just what we wanted! The communication with the staff was a bit tricky, and we ended up having some problems with the bill. However, everyone was very understanding and helpful. As for the food, it was very tasty but a bit dry... which is what we thought and also heard from some of our guests. Overall everything turned our pretty great! We are returning customers at their restaurant. The place is amazing.