So you’ve decided to utilize a food truck (or food trucks!) for your special day? You’ve made the right choice! Despite the growing street food trend, not all wedding venues are necessarily food truck friendly. Different wedding venues have different rules and stipulations about the usage of outside caterers. Thankfully, we’ve done the digging for you and the 8 venues listed below have been given the Tampa Bay Food Trucks stamp of approval. We have served and successfully executed beautiful events at each of the following locations:

1. Saint Petersburg Shuffleboard Club (Saint Petersburg, Florida)

Did you know the club does more than just host shuffle board tournaments?! This charming venue is tucked away in Downtown Saint Petersburg on Mirror Lake Drive. The St. Pete Shuffleboard Club was established in 1923, and to this day boasts 1,200 members who utilize this 90-year-old club. Don’t let the early establishment fool you, as brides and grooms alike have chosen this club for it’s easily transformable space and central location. If you’re looking for a nifty vintage, coastal inspired, and/or unique wedding venue - you’ve found it! For a sneak peek, see Orange Blossom Bride's (An Orlando based wedding directory) write up on Sarah and Bryan’s wedding at the club. You can even see a food truck in action!

2. Stonebridge - formerly The Lange Farm (Dade City, Florida)

Wow your guests with a combination of southern charm and elegance at Stonebridge. This venue provides a picturesque rural backdrop, with over 80 acres of space. This venue offers a multitude of areas to incorporate into your event, including four different ceremony sites, separate groom and bridal suites, and two reception areas. Replete with oak trees, gazebos, Joshua trees, and the southern blue barn, this locale is bursting with beautiful photo opportunities. It has even been used as a wedding set in TV commercials. This venue is currently rated 4.7 stars out of 5 on WeddingWire.

3. SoireEstate (Lutz, Florida)

Spanning 10 stunning acres of land, SoireEstate steals the show as one of the most romantic, picturesque venues in the Tampa Bay area. Located in Lutz just minutes from Tampa, this location provides a breathtaking locale for weddings of any size. This venue is easily adapted to suite your event's theme, whether you are leaning toward a more rustic, bohemian or glamorous vibe - all with a hint of the tropics. The space is screaming to be dolled-up with Pin-spired ideas, and has earned a solid 4 out of 5 stars on Wedding Wire.

4. Rialto Theatre (Tampa, Florida)

Distressed brick and elegant architecture combine to create an unforgettable wedding location with a rich history. The Rialto Theatre opened in 1924 and closed midcentury as television and suburbanization soared after World War II. The space was re-purposed as a factory until it was shuttered once more in 2005. Today, the vintage space is being used for weddings and special events alike. With over 5,000 square feet of space, this Tampa Heights based venue is a great building to showcase your Tampa roots. There are three different main event spaces, and the building boasts 27-foot ceilings, giving your event a rich, open concept feel. Just a hop skip and a jump from Ulele, Downtown, and Seminole Heights, this venue is perfect for orchestrating a wedding weekend with multiple stops, be it your bachelor and bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinner, and/or post-wedding brunch. This venue earned 4.1 stars out of 5 on WeddingWire. 

5. Tampa Bay Watch (Saint Petersburg, Florida) 

Dreaming of a waterfront wedding? Think Tampa Bay Watch! This location offers a natural waterfront setting, a large deck with sunset views, close proximity to beach resorts and the airport, bamboo flooring and a neutral palette (which means lots of space to play around with and decorate!), not to mention their expansive grounds. The building is even perfectly angled to catch a classically gorgeous Florida sunset. When choosing Tampa Bay Watch as your wedding venue, you can also feel good about how your money is being spent - to benefit restoring and preserving our waterways, wildlife rescue, and educational programs. There are even two contingency plans in the event a summer shower tries to rain on your parade. This venue has earned 4.9 stars out of 5 on WeddingWire.

6. Casa Lantana (Brandon, Florida)

Casa Lantana is set on a 12 acre estate, offering a peaceful wedding and reception site. This venue is located in Central Brandon, close to I-75 and the Crosstown Expressway. This venue sets itself apart with its location and amenities including: a honeymoon suite, bridal suite, groom's suite, bed and breakfast, 3,500 square feet of air conditioned building space, and of course the buildings themselves; the Mediterranean Grand Villa and Rustic Red Wood Barn to utilize for your ceremony or reception. This venue limits their usage to one wedding per day, so your party won't be ushered off site to make way for another couple coming in immediately after. This space can be transformed for any theme you can dream up and can be as all-inclusive as you would like. This venue boasts a 5 star rating on WeddingWire.

7. Iola Lakeside (Dade City, Florida)

Located in the heart of Dade City, Iola Lakeside provides a quaint, intimate setting to exchange your vows. Hold your ceremony by the lake or inside the white and brown barn, and dance the night away under the stars and Spanish moss! Iola Lakeside sits on 5 acres of lakefront property and the barn is a spacious 4,000 square feet to accommodate your guests. This venue offers a variety of packages, and clocks in at 5 starts out of 5 on Wedding Wire.

8. Bird Island Lake Ranch (Dade City, Florida) 

Bird Island Lake Ranch is a naturally rustic outdoor wedding venue with space for up to 300 guests. Everything from the handmade wooden benches to the fire pit surrounded by rocking chairs allows you to incorporate the feel of private, rural Florida into your special day. There are several outdoor spaces available, providing a unique location to host your ceremony or reception as well as seating, private suites and lighting all available on site. Bird Island Lake Ranch is another venue that limits the use of their grounds to one event per day. This venue has been rated 4.5 stars out of 5 on WeddingWire.

#1 Does your venue allow outside catering?

#2 How do you envision your guests being served their meals?

#3 What is the best way to utilize a food truck at your wedding?

#4 What type of cuisine would you like to serve?

This article was originally published by Orange Blossom Bride on February 26th, 2018. All photos by Jordan Weiland Photography.

Participating Vendors:

Venue/Location: Loggia at Lake Mirror
Planner: Tampa Bay Food Trucks
Photographer: Jordan Weiland Photography
Florist: Taylormade Floral & Event Decor
Officiant: Rev. Rick Price
Dress: Ti Adora  from Malindy Elene Bridal Boutique
Makeup: Melissa Kinsey of True MD
Hair: Shannon Harvey of The Copper Penny Hair Studio
Men’s Attire: Nathan’s Men’s Store
Dessert: Craving Donuts
Rentals: A Chair Affair, Inc.
Invitations: Minted.com

To contact us about wedding catering and/or event coordination, please contact our office at 813-802-9119. Don't forget to check us out on Wedding Wire:

When selecting a food service for your wedding, an important consideration for most couples is the experience that will be delivered to their guests. One of the most common questions we receive during the planning process  is “how long will my guests wait for their food?” To answer, we would first like to explain that food truck service at a private wedding, is very different from the food truck experience you will receive at a lunch location or a rally. Why? There are a couple factors that weigh into the time it takes to place an order and receive your food from a truck: namely, menu selection and the exchange of money.

At a public event, customers approach a truck, order their food from a large menu, pay for their meal, and then wait for it to be made. However at a private catered event, the food truck is not taking money from each attendee, thus significantly cutting down on the time each person spends at the window. Another factor to consider is that catered events such as weddings usually have a pared down menu of several entrees. Since the food truck knows what will be served, and for the approximate number of people, they can prep in advance to expedite their service. When your guest approaches the truck, all they need to do is ask for their meal, it will be completed quickly, plated and handed over - ensuring your guests only wait for about 3-5 minutes. The wait is similar to what you would experience at a buffet style service.

Speaking of, Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally also offers other methods of service from the food trucks. For example, the meal can be set up buffet style in chafing dishes inside or in front of the food truck, instead of serving from the window of the truck itself. Or, we can set up hors d'oeuvres or a salad station inside your venue for guests to start at, before directing them outside to the truck to pick up their entrees.

We also have the experience and knowledge to advise you in situations where your event may benefit from multiple trucks, rather than a singular truck, which will also speed up the rate of service. To make the experience even smoother, we recommend sending your guests in groups to the trucks or buffet, rather than all at once to ensure no one is kept waiting. To assist with this, we offer an expo service of employees who can help direct your guests, similar to wait staff at your venue.

Food truck service is even quicker for late night reception snacks of singular items such as donuts, tacos, churros, burgers, or slices of pizza. And don’t forget about dessert! We offer trucks that can scoop ice cream, pass out hand packaged dessert samplers, or even create a tower of wedding cupcakes for your guests! Contact us today to see how we can help you plan a memorable and delicious event!

Stop back and check out our next post "Why a flat rate with a food truck is a no go"

Looking for a wedding caterer? Look no further than Tampa Bay Food Trucks (TBFTR)! Headquartered in Tampa, FL we service weddings throughout the local area, including Orlando, Sarasota and Lakeland. Tampa Bay Food Trucks is a professional food truck caterer that has been active in the Tampa Bay wedding industry for over 4 years. We specialize in wedding receptions (including indoor and outdoor venues), rehearsal dinners, wedding brunches, late night snacks, corporate events, birthday parties, retirement and graduation parties, and employee appreciations.

What makes TBFTR unique is that we’re actually about 100 caterers in one. We have the flexibility to customize any wedding package and can help you plan your entire event, or just handle the catering. We are partnered with most food trucks in west-central Florida, and can pair you with the best possible truck(s) for your event. Not every food truck on the street is TBFTR-approved. The food trucks we have selected are all properly licensed, insured, and have a proven track record of high-quality food and service with us. We can ensure you are hiring a truck that will provide prompt and professional service, and mouthwatering food your guests will be sure to remember.

We will work with you to develop a menu that meets your cuisine requirements, as well as your preference for service. We can have your guests order from the truck itself, or set up a buffet. We can handle your entire wedding weekend from start to finish, just your reception, or just a late night request for hot dogs or donuts. We can also provide our TBFTR mobile DJ truck, dance floor, tables, chairs, lighting and assist with other rentals. The sky really is the limit in terms of how you would like to utilize our services.

Call Tampa Bay Food Trucks today, or fill out our information request form here to get started!