Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL – Central FL Wedding Venue Spotlight
Tavares Pavilion on the Lake, Tavares, FL | Modern Elegant Classy Indoor Wedding Venue Review | Best Affordable Central Florida Wedding Venues
We recently shot Lily & Ryan’s Asian-inspired wedding at the glamorous Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL and had a wonderful experience with this wedding venue! Sitting majestically along scenic Lake Dora, this space is actually owned by the city of Tavares, which makes it an incredibly affordable wedding venue—yet without lacking any of the elegance and charm of a privately-owned wedding venue.
We truly enjoyed Lily & Ryan’s wedding at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake and so, in our quest to share the best wedding venues (and most affordable wedding venues for micro weddings!) in the Orlando and Central Florida area, we’re heartily adding this stunning wedding venue to our list. Keep reading for an inside scoop of what it’s like to get married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL!
What it’s like to get married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL — Wedding Venue Review
Indoor modern elegant classic wedding ceremonies at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake
Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL, is the epitome of a picturesque wedding venue, blending the beauty of a lakeside wedding with all the modern conveniences of an indoor wedding space! Sitting at the end of a paved pier on the beautiful Lake Dora, this city-owned wedding venue is an affordable choice for weddings of up to 190 guests.
The venue boasts a straightforward design with two generous open rooms: the main hall on the ground floor for the wedding ceremony and a spacious gallery above for wedding receptions. A grand, sweeping staircase framed by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake connects the two spaces, providing a stunning backdrop for exchanging vows or capturing elegant bridal portraits.
Your wedding day begins in the separate, beautifully-designed getting-ready suites for both the bride and the groom, allowing you and your bridal party the privacy and comfort you need before walking down the aisle. We felt that the bridal suite erred on the side of being a bit too small, so large wedding parties might not be able to all get ready together, though a small group will certainly have enough space for the necessities. The main staircase is a stunning location for swoon-worthy first-look photos or bridal portraits before the ceremony begins, if you so choose.
When it’s time for your wedding to begin, your guests are comfortably seated in the main hall facing the staircase and breathtaking lakefront windows, with capacity for up to 190 guests (though it might be a tight fit—guest counts of 100-170 are more spaciously accommodated). Your grand entrance takes place down the additional staircase at the back of the main hall, ensuring smooth movement from the bridal suite to the front of the hall.
You won’t believe how absolutely STUNNING a vow exchange and first kiss are in front of the grand staircase and stately windows! We can guarantee that your guests will never forget how beautiful your wedding ceremony will be with this view framing your first moments as husband and wife.
Indoor modern elegant classic wedding receptions at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake
Once you’ve exchanged vows, it’s time to take the party upstairs—literally! Wedding receptions at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake take place in the wide gallery directly upstairs of the main wedding ceremony hall. This space can also seat up to 190 guests, although you lose space for a dance floor above 142 guests. As a side note, Lily & Ryan’s wedding was approximately 100 guests and while there was certainly space for quite the dance party, it didn’t feel that all guests would be able to join in if desired (though what wedding has every single guest out on the dance floor at the same time?).
You and your bridal party can make your special entrance up the stairs into the wedding reception hall before taking your place at the sweetheart table, backed by the continued window views of Lake Dora (sweetheart table included for layouts up to 182 guests). This setting makes for picturesque photos of you and your new spouse!
Dancing takes place in the center of the wedding reception hall, depending on guest count, before you lovebirds sneak off to your happily-ever-after. You can either have guests line up for a send-off upstairs (as Lily & Ryan did) or outside along the lakefront pier.
What we most love about getting married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL
Jaw-dropping setting for indoor wedding ceremonies
The most obvious perk to getting married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake is, of course, the absolutely breathtaking main hall with its grand staircase and sweeping landscape views. This truly is a wedding venue that you have to see for yourself in person, though of course we think that your wedding photos will still capture the beauty of this indoor wedding space. Not only does this indoor wedding venue provide ample opportunity for stunning bridal photos, but your guests will also love the views during your wedding ceremony and wedding reception!
Convenience of both a wedding ceremony and reception
We love how simple and convenient the layout of the Tavares Pavilion is for indoor weddings. It’s incredibly easy to transition from your wedding ceremony to your wedding reception: just send your guests upstairs! This allows your wedding reception space to still feel separate from your wedding ceremony and prevents that awkward conversion time (as often happens with one-room indoor wedding venues) of switching layouts from ceremony to reception. If you’re looking for an inclusive wedding venue to accommodate both your wedding ceremony and wedding reception in the same space, we found Tavares Pavilion on the Lake a wonderful experience.
Beautiful location for outdoor golden hour bridal photos
We also loved that, unlike many other indoor-only wedding venues, Tavares Pavilion on the Lake has lakefront property perfect for taking stunning golden hour bridal photos. We were able to sneak Lily & Ryan away from their guests long enough to take intimate photos in the sunset (or rather, what would’ve been the sunset had it not been cloudy that afternoon!) along the shores of Lake Dora and on the scenic pier. Not every indoor wedding venue we’ve reviewed has a good space for outdoor bridal portraits, so this was definitely a bonus in our book.
Potential setbacks to getting married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL
Potential tight fit for weddings of 140+ guests
Lily & Ryan’s wedding of approximately 100 guests fit very comfortably in Tavares Pavilion on the Lake’s main wedding ceremony hall and upstairs wedding reception gallery, but as noted a few places above in this review, guest counts of 140+ might find it a tight squeeze. While the downstairs ceremony space better accommodates larger guest counts, the upstairs reception space loses room for a dance floor above 142 guests—and even then it’s a narrow fit. We found 100 guests a good size to allow for a roomy wedding reception with the dance floor in the middle, but as previously mentioned it did feel a bit crowded at times should many more guests have joined in on the fun.
Mosquitos
We don’t know how else to say it: there were a lot of mosquitos once the sun went down on Lake Dora. Since this wedding venue is directly situated on the lake, pest control is not an option (or is at least not provided by the venue) so summer weddings will want to stay indoors after sunset. For wedding guests leaving the party, it was still a very fast run to our cars to avoid the bugs! This may not be a concern in winter months when the mosquito population naturally decreases, and we certainly wouldn’t let it rain on our parade to getting married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake during the summer months either. Just plan to stay inside after dark and make a hasty exit!
Offsite parking
City-owned Tavares Pavilion on the Lake does not have a dedicated parking lot, so your bridal party and guests will need to find public parking nearby. Cars are not allowed on the pier, which means that for loading and unloading decor or other necessities, you’ll need to cart or carry everything from your car to the wedding venue. Older guests or those with disabilities might need special accommodation to transport from their cars to the main entrance, but speak with the team at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake to see if they have workarounds for these instances.
How much does it cost to get married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL?
It’s surprisingly affordable to get married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL. You can choose to either reserve the space by the hour, as a daytime block, or as an evening block. Hourly daytime rates start at $150/hr for the lower level or $350/hr for both levels (you’ll want to reserve both the upstairs and downstair spaces, which are priced separately); daytime block rates start at $1,400 for the full building; evening block rates Mondays through Wednesdays start at $1,400; and preferred evening block rates (weekends and select holidays) range from $1,800-$7,000 (the latter being New Year’s Eve, hence the significantly higher cost). It’s quite a challenge to find a wedding venue as stunning as this—and including the modern convenience of both wedding ceremony and wedding reception spaces—for under $2,000 in the Central Florida area, so we truly think a wedding at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake is quite the bargain.
Prices taken from Tavares Pavilion on the Lake website and reflect the venue’s pricing as of Summer 2024.
Final thoughts – Tavares Pavilion on the Lake Indoor Modern Classic Elegant Wedding Venue
Our most recent wedding at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake was truly dreamy. From the magnificent sweeping staircase to the stunning lakefront views; from the ease of hosting both an indoor wedding ceremony as well as an indoor wedding reception under the same roof; there was so much to love about our wedding day experience at this modern, classic and elegant wedding venue in Central Florida. Plus, the affordability makes this a must-add to your list if you’re looking to get married affordably in the Orlando area! Not only did we as the wedding photographer enjoy the ease of capturing beautiful wedding photos in this space, but we know the guests all had a fantastic time as well. You won’t regret choosing to get married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in scenic Tavares, FL!
Hi, we’re Author Made, a husband & wife wedding photographer / videographer studio based in Orlando, FL specializing in wedding photography and videography packages for small, intimate, micro weddings and elopements throughout Central Florida. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer or wedding videographer near you who understands and values the unique needs of smaller-scale weddings (we had a small wedding, too), we’d love to have the honor of capturing your wedding day.
If you’re interested in capturing your wedding photography or videography with us, please contact us - we would love to help your special day be all it can be!
