Happy Hump Day and #WeddingWednesday, Everyone! We are halfway to the holiday weekend, and I hope that you have something fun planned! Today I am taking you on another venue tour, and this time I will be featuring The Fountain of Youth in historic downtown St. Augustine, FL!
The Fountain of Youth was discovered in 1513 by no other than Ponce de Leon who discovered the area during the Festival of Flowers at Easter time, and he named this beautiful land "La Florida". In 1565 Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded the city of St. Augustine, FL, and in 1587 the first Catholic mission in the present-day United States was established on this site. This is just a taste of the rich history this family owned and run historic property has to share!
The Fountain of Youth as a Wedding Venue
The beautiful and historic Fountain of Youth is primarily one of St. Augustine's top attractions during the day and remains open to visitors, but they offer their property for weddings and events in the evening exclusively to booked events starting at 6pm. Events may begin as early as 5pm, however the park is open to patrons until 6pm at which time it is exclusively available to booked events. The Fountain of Youth is an expansive 15 acre property that overlooks the Mantanzas River and St. Augustine Inlet, and features views of downtown St. Augustine, the Bridge of Lions and is adjacent to and has clear views of The Big Cross at The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios. The Big Cross is the worlds largest freestanding steel cross that stands at 260 feet tall, and it is a beautiful sight to see!
When securing the Fountain of Youth for your big day, you have exclusive access to this 15 acre property in the evening after 6pm, which includes The Magnolia Room at The Fountain of Youth. The Magnolia Room is a recently renovated pavilion that has been totally redone and is now enclosed. The Magnolia Room is a nearly 2,500 sq ft air conditioned building with an exposed pine ceiling, impressive wood tile, and panoramic floor to ceiling retractable doors that can be left opened for easy access to an elevated patio that features an additional 600 sq ft of uncovered outdoor space that can be used for additional tables, a dance floor, cocktail hour, a Photo Booth, and/or a full bar. The Magnolia Room can seat up to 150 people for a seated meal.
There are several available on-site locations for the Ceremony, and the possibilities for other locations are endless. The most common location for the Ceremony is just a short walk from The Magnolia Room under the oak trees and in front of the water. There are beautiful oak trees there that lend plenty of shade to your guests, and the flexibility of playing with different Ceremony alter designs to work with the natural beauty of the location. For example, you could hang drapery or a chandelier from one of the trees to help highlight your Ceremony alter. Another option for the Ceremony is in front of the statue of Ponce de Leon, which allows you to use the concrete pathway as an aisle. One of my favorite options for the Ceremony is the expansive dock that leads you out to the water where you will find an instant calm and peace being surrounded by the beauty of nature and the water. The dock can accommodate up to 100 people for a Ceremony, and there are just so many possibilities!
The property itself features a variety of historic exhibits for you and your guests to enjoy throughout your event, including the historic Fountain of Youth itself! You can incorporate these exhibits into your cocktail hour plans and give your guests something to do during the cocktail hour.
I can't forget the infamous peacocks at The Fountain of Youth, there are so many gorgeous peacocks roaming around this beautiful property! There is even an all white bridal peacock!
The Fountain of Youth is located off of Magnolia Street, which is an iconic street in St. Augustine, FL known for it's "Oak Tunnel" of plentiful oak trees that line the street and drip with spanish moss making it a beautiful and ideal location for photography. Many local photographers take couples and bridal party photos on this scenic and quiet street, which does not feature too much traffic.
The Fountain of Youth is an off-site, or non-inclusive wedding venue, meaning that when you rent the property they include the venue rental, tables and chairs only. You are required to bring in the rest, but with their competitive rates there should be plenty of room in your budget to accommodate everything else that you will need to organize a spectacular Wedding day!
PRO TIP: When working with an off-site, or non-inclusive venue, they typically require you to have a Wedding Planner or Coordinator with a minimum of day-of coordination because they rarely have someone onsite on the day of the Wedding. The Fountain of Youth requires an off-site coordinator, and I recommend hiring a Wedding Planner anytime you decide to book an off-site or non-inclusive venue for your big day. The reason being that you are literally organizing and planning the whole event yourself, and if you have never planned a wedding or large event, then there are way too many details that you need to know in order to execute a successful event at a location like this. Do yourself a favor and hire a Wedding Planner to make you aware of everything that you will need for your big day!
The inner designer in me was having way too much fun visualizing all of the different design possibilities of this incredible property! It would be an absolutely perfect location for a bohemian inspired Wedding, and my mind was reveling in a million different ideas to pull off an absolutely unforgettable experience at this gorgeous property!
My good friend, Ali Fraser, is the point of contact for Weddings at The Fountain of Youth, and her family owns this beautiful historic property which has been in their family since 1927! Working with a family owned venue is a HUGE perk, and helps to support your local community and businesses! For more information about hosting your big day at The Fountain of Youth please follow the link below to their website, and inquire with Ali directly at the email that I have included below.
Inquire with Ali Fraser: foyevents@gmail.com
I hope that you all enjoyed today's #WeddingWednesday! :)
Happy Planning,
