If you’ve been dreaming of a wedding with water views, fresh air, and unforgettable charm, this one’s for you. Forget the standard ballroom or barn—Historic Downtown Sanford is offering couples something entirely different.
On a breezy April afternoon, I Said Yes! FL PROS hosted its latest networking luncheon, “Beyond the Shore,” at one of Sanford’s most scenic and surprising wedding venues: The Sanford Galleon. Surprise! Guess what’s right next door? A literal riverboat venue: the St. Johns Rivership Co.
Tucked along the shoreline of the St. Johns River, the Sanford Galleon is a 5,000+ square foot indoor/outdoor event venue offering picturesque water views, a blank canvas interior, and the flexibility to host everything from weddings and rehearsal dinners to large social gatherings.
With dark interiors and oversized windows, the Galleon is perfect for couples who want to bring in their own flair while still keeping it classic and elegant…with the water just steps away, the vibe: all tucked in!
Just next door floats 1 of Central Florida’s most one-of-a-kind reception spaces: the St. Johns Rivership Co., a fully operational paddlewheel steamboat that hosts weddings, dinner cruises, and private events right on the river.
Couples can choose to dock-and-dine or set sail down the St. Johns River, giving guests a totally immersive wedding experience they’ll never forget. Whether you’re planning a welcome party or an intimate elopement, this is where coastal romance meets vintage charm.
Bonus? Both the Galleon and the Rivership are significantly more affordable than most private estate or resort venues, with no compromise on location, vibe, or amenities.
The April luncheon was beautifully brought to life by some of Sanford’s top-tier wedding professionals, making this event not only gorgeous but expert-approved:
Together, they curated a dreamy and nautical afternoon on the water!
Curious about Sanford’s walkable wedding scene and vibrant vendor community? Be sure to read our Historic Downtown Sanford Wedding Pub Crawl Recap from earlier this spring! It was an industry-first for I Said Yes! FL, where pros explored Downtown Sanford’s venues, distilleries, and glam teams on foot with cocktails, coffee, and whatever they wanted to sip as we crawled our way around Sanford’s finest!
When you’re ready to plan a Central Florida wedding that’s rooted in charm and rich in experience, don’t overlook Sanford. From scenic docks and paddlewheel cruises to mystical venues on the water, distilleries, and legendary restaurants, this hidden gem delivers personality, practicality, and unmatched waterfront vibes.
To tour the Sanford Galleon or the St. Johns Rivership Co., contact the venues directly.🎉 Stay tuned for more I Said Yes! FL luncheons, pub crawls, and creative showcases to give you a behind-the-scenes and insider discovery into Central Florida’s most inspired wedding creatives, event venues, and everything in between!
Venue
Capacity
Catering
Features
Sanford Galleon
200 seated / 300 cocktail
On-site & outside options
Indoor / outdoor, water view, private bar
St. Johns Rivership Co.
Up to 150
On-board catering
River cruise, dance floor, full bar
Downtown Sanford is known for its charming streets, riverfront sunsets, and vibrant creative community. It is quickly becoming one of Central Florida’s hottest hidden gems for weddings, and we toured some of the best during our historic downtown Sanford wedding pub crawl.
This spring, wedding and event professionals took over the historic Sanford district in style, thanks to I Said Yes! FL. They hosted a wedding-themed pub crawl, the first of its kind! The event kicked off at Awe Glammed Up, a full-service hair salon with a mobile glam team that travels to brides across Central Florida.
The goal? To spotlight Sanford’s thriving wedding and event scene through real-time experiences with local pros from Sanford pub to pub. Throughout the historic Sanford wedding pub crawl, guests explored everything that makes Sanford a dream destination for engaged couples. From venues like The Sanford Galleon to small-batch spirits from Loggerhead Distillery, and elevated catering by Hollerbach’s Upstairs, this event had it all.
We began with craft spirit samples from Loggerhead Distillery, served right inside Awe Glammed Up. Meanwhile, Sequoia Beats (aka DJ extraordinaire) set the tone with music, and Sigrid’s Savory Bites offered delicious grab-and-go charcuterie cups.
For guests looking to skip the cocktails? KINEO Coffee stepped in with a pop-up espresso bar that stole the show, and The Cookie Jar Orlando joined us as a Member Gallery pro and served CAKE. From there, we were OFF!
Throughout the crawl, we mixed and mingled with photographers, planners, DJs, caterers, florists, and more. All of our sponsors and pub crawl hosts came together to highlight the creative powerhouse that is Historic Downtown Sanford. This pub crawl was a celebration of local talent, walkable charm, and the collaborative heart behind Sanford’s growing wedding community.
Located in the heart of Historic Downtown Sanford, Awe Glammed Up is a premier salon and mobile beauty team specializing in personalized glam for weddings and special events. With a commitment to making every client feel radiant and confident, Awe Glammed Up offers both in-salon experiences and on-location services throughout Central Florida.
Awe Glammed Up provides comprehensive bridal beauty packages tailored to each bride’s vision. Services include:
NEXT on the Pub Crawl?!
A private showing of Loggerhead Distillery was our first stop on this historic downtown Sanford wedding pub crawl, and it was a true hidden gem. Their exquisite tasting room (complete with a view of the actual distillery) is nestled right in the heart of Historic Downtown Sanford.
Moreover, this boutique craft distillery is known for its small-batch, Florida-inspired spirits. It was founded by two Florida natives who share a deep passion for both the ocean and their community. Additionally, Loggerhead infuses locally sourced ingredients—like sugar cane, citrus, and botanicals—into every handcrafted bottle of vodka, rum, gin, bourbon, and even moonshine.
Final stop with ALL ATTENDEES?!
Up next?! Hollerbach’s Restaurant and Lodge, where we toured their upstairs event spaces and enjoyed complimentary Jagermeister shots! Thank you again to Sebastian & ENGLISH DAVE!!
If there’s ONE establishment Sanford is known for, it’s Hollerbach’s German Restaurant + Lodge (they have the entire block + offer catering!) affectionately known as Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café. They offer an authentic German dining experience infused with warmth, hospitality, and a Bavarian flair. Beyond its renowned cuisine, Hollerbach’s provides versatile event spaces perfect for weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate gatherings, and private celebrations. This was by far one of our favorite spots along our historic downtown Sanford wedding pub crawl.
Choosing Sanford for your wedding isn’t just about location, it’s about soul. With its vintage architecture, eclectic local businesses, and mossy oak walkable downtown streets, Sanford offers couples an intimate, customizable wedding experience. Historic downtown Sanford feels worlds away from traditional ballroom weddings and the chaos that can surround Orlando! It’s unique and all its own!
This wedding-themed pub crawl wasn’t just a blast; it was a celebration of collaboration. It reminded us that planning your wedding isn’t just about finding wedding vendors, it’s about the community that brings your vision to life.
Your wedding dream team is only a few historic blocks away in Sanford, Florida.
When planning your wedding, don’t just settle for the obvious options. Instead, take time to explore the local businesses tucked into historic neighborhoods—you might be surprised by what you find. For example, the Sanford Chamber of Commerce, located right in Historic Downtown Sanford, is an incredible resource. Whether you’re just getting started or fine-tuning the details, they’re ready to provide electronic, print, and in-person support to help guide your planning process.
You’ll find:
Looking for wedding professionals in Sanford and can’t find what you need? Review the I Said Yes! FL online directory to find YOUR FLORIDA wedding team! Explore the I Said Yes! FL blog for MORE inspo! Additionally, don’t miss the NEXT blog post: Sanford Weddings BEYOND THE SHORE and subscribe to our wedding newsletter to never miss a giveaway, sale, Central Florida wedding blogs, and more!
Wedding business listings are available on a variety of online wedding planning resource websites. To clarify, you can list your business on websites where brides and grooms are searching for wedding vendors. These resources vary greatly in services provided, listing options and in the ways you will connect with the engaged couples. Regardless of the sites you choose to participate with, it is imperative that you keep your listings up to date.
As much as we don’t like to admit it, what the internet says about your company speaks volumes to how the viewer will perceive you. Subsequently determining their choice to contact you, or not. That comment is not just for your personal website, certainly that is a conversation for another blog post. As a wedding business owner, you must also keep your listings on other websites up to date.
Your target audience is visually driven to take action. Regularly update the photos on your wedding business listings. That is to say, represent yourself as current, modern and relatable to today’s bride and groom. If last year’s trend was boho chic, but this year that is so not a thing. Then remove those photos from your listings and add photos of a more current trend. Don’t just add more photos, remove those that are no longer relevant to your current client. Styles change year to year, stay up to date on these trends and showcase your very best product and service as they represent your ability to connect to today’s client.
Also remember to look at the photos from the front-end. Be sure they are clear, properly oriented and represent who you are and what you do.
Broken links are bad for everyone involved. Most importantly it means when a potential client clicks on a link in your listing, they aren’t going to find you. Unfortunately this will reflect on your company, not the wedding planning resource site. If you get a new website URL, then immediately go update that information on all the vendor listings you have. Now that you have added an Instagram account, go add that account to your wedding business listings. In short, be sure engaged couples can find you everywhere and that when they click, they find you.
Question of the day, how can a potential client contact you if you don’t list your email address and phone number? I wish that I could say this never happens, but it happens far too often. Generally speaking, a bride or groom is searching for wedding vendors because they are getting married. Subsequently, if they have decided they want to speak with you, they need to be able to contact you. First list your phone number and include that texting is acceptable. Second, include an actual email address. Preferably with a URL instead of a Gmail or Yahoo. Next the handles for all of your social media platforms. As a result, your next client can choose to connect with you in the way they are most comfortable. If they want to email you, they need to have an email address. On the other hand, if they want to text you, they need a phone number.
I can’t end this section with out also saying set up a professional voicemail. Due to the fact that some wedding professionals use their personal phone numbers for their business conversation it is important to remind you that your voicemail also represents your company. Likewise always answer your phone professionally. Your client believes they are calling a business, show them you are their next perfect wedding professional by putting your most professional foot forward at all times. That includes your voicemail and the way you answer your phone.
That is to say, click on the contact us buttons and send yourself a test message and/or call. First make sure you receive the test. Second, review what it looks like to your clients. Third, design your future responses or your automated response around the look and information found in that contact us message. Further, click on any hot buttons or links to be sure they work properly.
Always request reviews. Reviews build consumer trust in your product and service. They also appeal to algorithms. For this reason, your listing on www.isaidyesfl.com has a “Review Us” hot button right on your listing. You can also send an email to your past client with a link to your wedding business listing requesting a review. In fact, email our team to get tips on how to get reviews and use your I Said Yes! FL listing to your best advantage.
Keep your wedding website listings consistent with your company branding. If you update a logo, update it on your web listings as well. Likewise use the same branding images, colors, slogans, tag lines. Keeping it consistent across all platforms will make you more recognizable.
Share you online listings on social media so couples know you are a reputable business. More important, add your badges to your site.
Now the question becomes, how do I keep up with all of these wedding business listings? I suggest setting a calendar reminder for the first Monday of each calendar quarter. Keep a list of each website on which you have a wedding business listing. Even better, keep a list with the links to your listings, so all you have to do is click each link. Now take this one day a quarter and review and update all of your listings. Add new services and remove services or products you no longer offer. Upload those new amazing photos and remove outdated ones. Next check all of the links to be sure they are working properly. Don’t forget to add your badge to your website and make sure the backlink works. Finally, share your badges on social. You should be adding new followers all the time. Remind them where they can find you and where they can review you by consistently sharing.
Cover photo provided by Press Play Entertainment
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