Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
3251 South Miami Avenue
Miami, Florida 33129
Average Base Cost: $32,000
The average base cost for a Vizcaya Museum and Gardens wedding is calculated by figuring a 125-person guest list for a 6-hour Saturday Ceremony & Evening Reception using $100/pp for food and beverage. Entertainment, furniture, tents, additional decorations and rentals, DJ, and photography are not included. Price is rounded up to the nearest thousand and includes tax and gratuity.
*Prices subject to change
How it Breaks Down
While Vizcaya also offers use of the property for daytime ceremonies at a price of $1,500 for up to 25 guests and $25 for each additional guests, they do not allow chairs, runners, or other ceremony decor (except a hand-held Chuppah). This write-up is for an evening rental of Vizcaya only.
Facility Rental Fee:
The base fee for evening rentals applies to 125 guests between the hours of 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Further fees apply for additional guests and/or extended hours:
- Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday: $12,500
- Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: $7,500
Supplementary Fees:
- For each guest over 125 but under 500: $25
- For each guest over 500 but under 1000: $35
- For each additional hour between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.: $1,500
Catering and Rental Equipment Permits:
All facility rental clients are required to obtain a Catering and/or Rental Equipment Permit, which will be included in the contract. Permit fees are as follows:
- 1–200 Guests:
Catering and Rental Equipment Permit: $375 - 201–500 Guests:
Catering and Rental Equipment Permit: $525 - 501–1000 Guests:
Catering and Rental Equipment Permit: $750
All permit fees are non-refundable.
Extras:
Vizcaya recommends hiring police officers for larger events (300+ guests) for traffic control and pedestrian crossing on South Miami Avenue. Vizcaya will retain Miami-Dade police officers at sole cost to you for $100/hour each (four hour minimum).
In case of inclement weather, you may rent a tent to cover the East Terrace overlooking the Barge and Biscayne Bay. For events with 400 or more guests, rental of a 33’ x 180’ tent is required regardless of weather. The tent prices break down as follows:
Food and Beverage: A licensed caterer must be used, however you are allowed to bring in any vendor you like. Tip: Look for a caterer that doesn’t insist on providing the alcohol so you can purchase it and pay them for bartenders and setups only.
Party On! Events can go until 1:00 a.m. Music is encouraged to be “lowered” past 11 p.m. since the museum is in a residential neighborhood.
What’s Included? Nothing. You (or your caterer) must bring in everything else.
More Stats
Space Type: Mostly Outside (The inner courtyard is covered, but the terraces and gardens are not).
Size: The inner courtyard can hold 100 people, and the outside (East Terrace) can accommodate up to 300 people.
Food Service Type: Your choice
Bridal Suite: Brides have to use the restroom for a dressing room.
Parking: Vizcaya’s parking lot can accommodate up to 125 cars. You may hire valet for additional vehicles.
How Will Grandma Get There? The museum is a 5-minute drive from hotels in Coconut Grove and Brickell, and about 15 minutes (with traffic) to Miami Beach. Out-of-town guests can easily take cabs to these location.
The Report
Vizcaya was built by industrialist James Deering, and he used the mansion as his winter home from 1916-1925. Deering wanted the house to mimic the look of an Italian Estate that had stood for 400 years…and it really does. The 50-acres that villa sits on are expansive and gorgeous, like something you would see in old-world Italy or France. The most beautiful thing about the house is that it sits right on the bay, and has an amazing stone terrace that looks out to it. Inside, there are over 70 rooms that are preserved with original furnishings (the majority of these rooms are roped off, and would be for your event as well.) The inner courtyard is covered, so if you are worried about rain you would have to tent the terrace.
Woman Getting Married Says
Having grown up in Miami, I’m very familiar with just how spectacular this place is. It’s location on the bay is stunning, and I think it might be one of the most beautiful places in Miami, period. The venue rental fee is obviously very expensive considering it doesn’t include anything such as tables, chairs, etc. However, the fact that you can bring in your own caterers and vendors is a huge plus.
This will allow you to offset the venue rental fees at least a bit by being able to shop around for the best caterers and vendors in your price range. All-in-all, considering the immaculate grounds of the property combined with the ability to bring in your own vendors, I love this as an option if you have the budget.
Some links in this post may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them. Thank you for your support!
Do you know how to contact them to book a wedding? It is such a beautiful venu but they don’t answer emails and their phone is just automated. All inquiries on their social media platforms just sends you back to square one with the unanswered emails. I’ve been trying for a month. Has anyone else had this problem?
Hi there– Anyone have a budget sheet with their vendors listed? I am trying to budget for my wedding at Vizcaya but having trouble figuring out how much to budget for since I know everything needs to be brought onto the premise. I was also advised that hiring extra hands will be needed as the set up will be from scratch and needs to happen within a certain time frame.
Hi, there:
My wife and I married at Vizcaya in 1982. Back then, you could also rent the Tea House for only $150. We had a small wedding with a few friends and family, and my brother-in-law played his guitar for our wedding march. It was a lovely day, with a Hobie Cat regatta on Biscayne Bay going on just when our ceremony was occurring. Unforgettable – no more lovely a venue than Vizcaya.
Hello!!
We are most likely going to have our ceremony and reception at Vizcaya in Miami, however before putting down a small fortune, I have a few questions… I’m a little afraid that 6:30pm-11:00pm may be too rushed? I know you can add a few hours, however I’d rather have more time beforehand, say start at 5:00pm or so. Did the hours provided leave you with enough time for the ceremony, pictures, reception, etc. without feeling rushed?
Also, since there is no bridal suite and the bathroom is your only “prep area”.. is this the same bathroom guests will be using before the wedding? Is it nice/big enough or should I rent a nice RV or something to have as a “bridal suite” to get ready?? Are there any other helpful tips or suggestions anyone has?? Thank you so much in advance!!! 🙂
Vizcaya is really stunning, but definitely up in the price list. I have to say though that it is one of the most beautiful Miami Wedding Venues and locations in Florida. There is a lot of other options as well that are great for weddings. Some of my favorites are the Miller Plantation and Club of Knights!
Hey! This site is amazing, congrats! I am recently engaged and am currently planning my wedding in Miami. I am from Brazil, and I am facing some issues due to the tradition of how a wedding should be in each of the countries. Long story short: wedding ceremonies + receptions in Brazil last over 8 hours – at least – with lots of music (both live bands and DJ’s performing), dancing, and open bar all night until the sun rises. As most of my guests will come from Brazil, they will have their expectations and I will have to ‘live up’ to it in terms of the length of the party. Vizcaya is by far the most amazing venue I’ve seen so far, and would certainly make my ‘dream wedding’ come true. My biggest concern regards the duration of the reception, as they set as a timeframe from 6:30 pm to 1 am the latest. I was wondering how strict is their ‘time limit’ policy, and if they would be willing to negotiate on this. Do you have any comments on this subject? Would you suggest any similar venues in which I would not face this problem? Also, if Emily from the comments above have any saying on this I would also enjoy! Thanks for your time!!
I am planning my wedding at Vizcaya right now! Your sight was one of the first ones I stumbled across, so in case anyone needs more information, here is what I have learned:
Adrienne (event director) and her assistant Linda are very nice. Do not, however, expect them to answer emails. I assume that every newly engaged person in Miami emails them and they really do not have time to respond. It is best to call until one of them actually answers the phone.
After talking to planners, caterers, etc, we have found that for a party of ~120 guests, the total cost of the reception (venue, food/drinks, lighting, photographer, cinematographer, florist, DJ, ) will be 60-80k. I expect to be well below 70k, probably below 65k.
You really need vendors that are familiar with Vizcaya. In my case, the caterer is very familiar and includes tables/chairs AND can coordinate lighting.
The tent is not quite as restrictive as it seems. Book it if you definitely want it, but if you really don’t want it then they say they will be able to accommodate a week before in the event of rain (but you must pay in cash at that point).
You have to bring in lighting for outside. It can be a bit more expensive because everything must be freestanding (cannot attach to any walls/trees/statues/etc).
If someone has questions, let me know and I will try to get back to you!
I’m looking for an outdoor space where I can have a tent wedding in Florida. Any suggestions?
Hi Pam! Thanks so much for writing in! I’m so glad the site has been helpful so far. And yes, I can absolutely update Vizcaya…and hopefully add more Miami venues over the coming weeks!
Hi there! I love your site. The wedding planning process seemed so daunting I hadn’t even seriously started looking into venues… until I found your site. Do you think you could do the score card you do for more recent reviews for Vizcaya?! I would love to know the score you would give Vizcaya relative to everything else you’ve seen.. since you’ve seen so much more than I could ever hope to! Thank you.