palafox wharf
waterfront

ESTD 2008 | PENSACOLA, FL

wedding date:
SATURDAY, maRCH 8, 2025

the location is entirely magical.  and, it is entirely yours.  it can be reserved for you to enjoy for your glorious wedding day

Location, Location, Location
Waterfront Wedding Venue

SAM THOMAS + PETER SCHMITZ' pricing guide PROPOSAL

Sam + Peter, you’re getting married in Pensacola and you are considering Palafox Wharf Waterfront for your Wedding  Venue with your closest friends and family in March, 2025.  Peter, you grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, and Sam, I believe, you both grew up in the Pensacola area.  You are thinking you would enjoy a hybrid strolling Wedding Day as you desire a casual, fun, and not formal vibe.  I am thinking that it also might be important to you to be downtown.

Your Wedding Day is our priority. 

To summarize, you are looking for a great scenic waterfront location for your Wedding Venue.  You expect that there may be about 125-150 guests attending.  Perfect!  You are trying to figure out your venue location.  In addition to a lot that the Venue does for our couples, we can help you with vendor selections for any area needed for your event.  

With the setup and breakdown of the Venue's furniture inside the Venue and on the waterfront Deck being handled by the venue it automatically is less stressful than having to DIY that part of your Wedding Day. 

Your important Wedding Day calls for an breathtaking scenic waterfront setting that inspires, is enchanting, and exceeds every expectation. You want your friends and guests to enjoy your special Day, have fun, create memories together and have meaningful Wedding Day.  


This most extraordinary setting will suit your every need. Our Venue Manager will be delighted to assist you and make your Wedding Day singularly a forever memorable event and give you a venue on the waterfront with breathtaking and romantic views so you can celebrate with all the people that are the most important to you all while your photographer shoots amazing imagery.

Sam + Peter, there are so many moving parts to Wedding Day.  This is why it is so important to have a process in place from the very beginning to secure the necessary vendors and to know what and when to do tasks so they can be accomplished.  With 15 years experience, we have accomplished this over and over in the past with 100s of Weddings and Events.

You want your guests visiting, enjoying a tasty food cuisine, chatting with family enjoying each other and creating lifelong memories of your special weekend.  Having huge skylights inside the venue and a great enchanting and romantic scenic waterfront backdrop for your memorable photography helps as well!

After Ceremony on the waterfront green at Palafox Wharf, you might want to enjoy Cocktail Hour on the Waterfront Deck.  You would like to enjoy a fabulous strolling atmosphere for your Reception with a mix of guest seating and high boys.  You would love tons of Fun and Dancing for your day.  I would imagine that is it also important to you to be close to accommodations for you and your out of town guests.

It is important to you to have everything squared away before the event as you are the only ones in your family to have a venue Wedding.  You want a no stress Wedding Day, a smooth, nicely flowing timeline, so you can enjoy your Day.  You vision is to have classic black and white, wood tones, with lots of greenery.  You want it to be classy, timeless, and fun.

We also offer in-house full planning or month of wedding management.  If you do hire one of our in-house planners, they do a lot for you, your wedding party, and your family.  If selected, our in-house planning always work with you to create a nicely flowing timeline, works the front of the house and back of the house to make sure everything is running smoothly and on time, answering any questions the vendors may have, and more so you can enjoy your stress-free Day!


Palafox Wharf is Pensacola's premier event hosting site, perfect for any wedding ceremony, reception, or special event.



CEREMONY OPTIONS

  • Waterfront Deck - up to 20-50 Guests
  • Green - 200+ Guests facing the romantic scenic waterfront, facing the iconic black doors, facing the large green hedge, or circular fashion.





RECEPTION OPTIONS - Inside + Deck or Green

  • Strolling Reception - up to 200 Guests inside and on the waterfront deck

  • Seated/Plated Reception - up to 160 Guests inside and up to 65 Guests on the waterfront deck

  • Buffet - up to 144 Guests inside and up to 65 Guests on the waterfront deck 

  • Dine al fresco on the waterfront Green with romantic market cafe lights and stars overhead - up to 200 Guests
 






palafox wharf waterfront venue, deck, and green
click any photo for larger photos

More and more brides are wanting to spend the nights before and after their Wedding Day opting to have a unique boutique hotel with a lot of character by renting a nearby Airbnb, VRBO property for the weekend, or even just for getting ready specifically, as opposed to venues or hotels because of a little thing called character.

With an abundance of options in every style, you have more freedom to choose a unique space that not only fits the mood of your wedding
(hello, cohesive gallery!) as opposed to those infamous hotel carpets and draping, but you also have more options for large, open concept spaces that eliminates the clutter. You don’t think about the negative effects of bags piled up in the corner where you’re supposed to be getting dressed until that’s exactly what happens to you. So cleanliness doesn’t just refer to the dust-free surfaces and Airwick scents of a space, but rather, the lack of business in the background.










While your wedding weekend is very much “your time”—celebrating the commitment that you and your partner are making to one another—it’s also about two families becoming one. Many couples take this opportunity to recognize their families for everything they have done. After all, these are the people who have loved you, supported you, and made you the people that you are today.

as featured in
the knot for one of florida's best scenic venues

"Sandy and the in-house planner worked collaboratively to ensure my daughter had the event of her dreams.  They found the perfect vendors and facilitated a stress-free event day.  I am forever grateful for their professionalism and expertise." - Sherri

Ceremony, then Social/Cocktail Hour followed by an amazing Dinner and celebrating with your friends and family.  Tons and tons of Dancing and Fun!  Creating memories that will last a lifetime all while gorgeous photos are being taken to capture these precious moments!

your event style

We help you through the process and give you all the tools you need to help plan your event including vetted vendors, when to book, a detailed checklist, and more.

smooth process

We respond as quickly as possible to you and with you every step of the way.  We custom create for you a event planning portal which helps you plan your perfect Event!

Personal Attention

The amazing things you receive:

"I Love You!" Package 

9 Hours which are flexible as to the start time of your Ceremony however consecutive, divided into 1 Hour Rehearsal*, 3 Hours set-up, vendor load-in, 4 Hours Event, 1 Hour breakdown, vendor load-out.

More Hours can be purchased for 400 for event Hour and/or 150 for Extra Set-Up time. (Set-Up Hours can not become Event Hours)

Set-up, Event, and Breakdown anytime consecutive between 1:00 pm for Set-up to 10 pm for end time of Reception with event breakdown ending by 11:00 pm.





Features:
𐤟 Customized Event Design Layout
 𐤟Done for You Venue Furniture Set-Up in
     Venue/Deck
𐤟 Inventory of Venue Tables, Built-in
     Dance Floor, Cafe String Lights over
    Dance Floor and Extra Large Waterfront
    Deck
𐤟 Up to 120 Chiavari Chairs Inside/Deck
𐤟 Customized Planning Portal
𐤟 Help with Linen Rentals
𐤟 Help with Add-On Rentals (Arbors,
     Lounge Furniture)
𐤟 Complimentary Access for Engagement
      Photos
𐤟 Complimentary Access for Bridal Photos
𐤟 Complimentary Access for Anniversary
     Photos

6000 (as explained above) plus sales tax in full or payment schedule

*If Church, Beach, or Off-Site Ceremony, this one hour can become an event hour.

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7500

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packages tailored to fit your needs

Custom Collections

Venue Package - Take a Look at Venue Pricing with 20% Local Discount for full payment here -  Venue Pricing* with Discount (Click to View). 

In the alternative, a payment schedule can be arranged.

Add on Possibilities after Booking Venue - 

7 per Lawn Chair (white garden
         chair) for Lawn for cocktail hour or
         games

400 Extra Reception Hour if needed
   150 Extra Set Up Hour if needed

   150 Game Package

 
 Add on Planning -

5000 In-House Full Planning for
          Reception
  500 In-House Ceremony add-on
  200  Assistant to Planner

2500 In-house Wedding Management
         for Reception (service begins 30 days
         prior to Wedding Day
 500 In-house Wedding Management add
         on for Ceremony
  200  Assistant to Wedding Manager


*Venue Discount Applies Only to Full Venue Rental Payment of Venue, Deck, Pier, and Lawn (not add on possibilities).





6000 for event for venue, deck, pier
  500 for lawn for games
1000 turning inside venue from ceremony to reception

500 in-house Wedding Management for Reception
  500 in-house Wedding Management for Ceremony
  175 assistant to Planner




"Forever & Forever!" Package Customized - best used if you desire to choose you food caterer from our exclusive food catering list 

Exactly the same as the "I Love You" Package but adding the Waterfront Lawn for Games.  Also adding in-house Wedding Management.

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5000

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6000 for event for venue, deck, pier
  500 for lawn for ceremony 

      40 per guest for in-house food   
            cuisine (click for menus)
            service and tableware are extra
            for 2024 pricing (2025 pricing TBD)

  1400 DJ for reception (100 for
            basic lighting package added)

   1000 if ceremony or similar inside -
            completely turning inside venue
            from ceremony to reception






"Love of My Life!" Package customized- best used if you desire Inclusive with more add on features (chose what you would like to add)

Exactly the same as the "I Love You" Package but adding the Waterfront Lawn for Ceremony, Cocktail hour, and/or Games.  This would also include in house Food Service (buffet or service at table) and DJ for Reception.

X close

5000

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Because you are locals, 
The Palafox Wharf offers
20% off your in full payment
(this would apply to venue, deck, pier rental and lawn rental)

05

Once you are booked with other venues, your family or hired help have to figure out your layout design and physically place the venue's furniture on Wedding Day, instead we do this: work with you to create a layout design for wedding day, draw it up on a special design program, and make edits along with way until it is complete. Then, on wedding day, the venue's team set's out its furniture according to that design so you don't have to and you can more enjoy your precious time together preparing for your wedding day.

Feature 4 | Venue Furniture Set-Up

Other venues may give you a list of their favorite vendors and send you on your way, instead we do this: give you the option of in house food service or from our list of outside food caterers, give you lists of vendors and point out 1-2 that would be wonderful to work with for your big day so you don't waste time, you know you have a trustworthy vendor, you know you have a vendor that has been to the venue many times, and you are assured you are going in the right direction.

Feature 3 | Vendor Selections

03

Other venues give you a tour, you book, and you never see or hear from them again, instead we do this: we are easy to reach via text or phone, give you a step-by-step process to help you get from this point to walking down the aisle to your forever so you don't waste time and you are assured you are going in the right direction and you have unparalleled post-booking support to couples.  

Feature 2 | Unparalleled Post-Booking Support

02

Other venues may be a good distance to your guests' accommodations, restaurants, entertainment places, art galleries, and coffee shops, instead we are: centrally located in downtown Pensacola on Palafox Street within walking distance to accommodations, restaurants, entertainment centers, and such so you have happy guests and they don't have to wait for a shuttle, Uber, or taxi to go to their hotel or accommodations.  

Feature 1 | Centrally Located Venue Downtown

01

Feature 5 | We Breakdown Venue Furniture

Once you are booked with other venues, your family or hired help have to figure out your layout design and physically place the venue's furniture on Wedding Day, instead we do this: work with you to create a layout design for wedding day, draw it up on a special design program, and make edits along with way until it is complete. Then, on wedding day, the venue's team set's out its furniture according to that design so you don't have to and you can more enjoy your precious time together preparing for your wedding day.

Feature 4 | Venue Furniture Set-Up

Once you are booked with other venues, your family or hired help (you probably are paying the food caterer more money if the venue tells you the caterer will tear down for you) has to breakdown the venue's furniture at the end of the night or you have to pay their food caterer extra to do this task, instead we do this: the venue's team breaks down it's furniture, so you don't have to and you can go to your after party or enjoy more precious time together after your reception. 

Once you are booked with other venues, your family or hired help have to figure out your layout design and physically place the venue's furniture on Wedding Day*, instead we do this: work with you to create a layout design for wedding day, draw it up on a special design program, and make edits along with way until it is complete. Then, on wedding day, the venue's team set's out its furniture according to that design so you don't have to and you can more enjoy your precious time together preparing for your wedding day.


*BTW, couples that have attended many Weddings, tell us this is their least favorite task of Wedding planning and they look for venues that have in-house venue furniture set-up.

Feature 4 | Venue Furniture Set-Up

04

Feature 7 | We Have In-House Wedding Management and Full Wedding Planning

Once you are booked with other venues, you have to hire outside wedding managers or planners, instead we do this: we have in-house wedding managers and planners that have worked with the venue for years, and know the venue and property better than outside managers or planners, so you can be assured you will have a good flow for your wedding day, not have to answer a lot of vendor questions, not work on wedding day, and can enjoy your special moments making memories together with your family and loved ones!

07
06

Once you are booked with other venues, you or hired help has to figure out your table linens and rentals, instead we do this: give you the information and tools you need to decide on linens and rentals, then we work with the vendor to service these so you don't have to and you can focus on time with your loved ones.  That means following the vendor, making edits, placing linens on tables before vendor load in, taking linens off tables after your event, so you don't have to do this task.

Feature 6 | Help with Linens and Rentals

Feature 8 | Does my Dance Floor have to be outside and do I have to rent a Dance Floor?

Palafox Wharf's built in Dance Floor with romantic string lights is inside the Venue providing  perfect ambiance and illumination for dancing. With some other venues, most times with the client's layout, the rented dance floor would have to be moved outside.  The Venue's dance floor is large, being 33' x 15'.  Plus couples feel that Palafox Wharf has a great flow to it making it easier to transition from ceremony to cocktail hour, cocktail hour to dinner, dinner to dancing, dancing to your grand exit.

08

Feature 9 | Can we have our Rehearsal Here?

09

You always need to ask a venue if you can your can run through Rehearsal at the Venue the day before your Wedding Day.  Palafox Wharf always has your Rehearsal the day before your Wedding Day so as to have a better natural flow to the Wedding Weekend.  

Feature 10 | How much decoration does this Venue require to make it look great for my Wedding Day?

10

Centerpieces and Table Linens - that is it.  Palafox Wharf has a New Orleans allure and presents so nicely without anything more than your centerpieces and linens for your tables.  So you save a lot of money on not having to drape everything to create the vision you are dreaming about for your Wedding Day.

Feature 5 | We Breakdown Venue Furniture

Feature 11 | It is Real and it is Timeless

11

The Palafox Wharf Venue is meticulously, lovely preserved from when it was built in 1880.  If you love history, this is for you.  The Dance Floor made of real heart pine in a light shade from before 1880, to the Cocktail Bar created out of real World War II American Liberty Ships hatch covers with embedded real historic nautical charts of Florida and the Caribbean, to the beautiful real stone in the Restrooms and hand-painted Ladies' Restroom sinks, to the Real interior Venue posts from the main mask and boom off the American Eagle 65' Schooner sailing ship owned by the original owner of the 1880 Wharf incorporated into the Venue, to the real Copper in the Copper walls, nothing is fake, plastic, tin, metal, or pretend.  Unique and Timeless for your romantic and unforgettable Wedding that goes with any design and decor.  You want a celebration that resonates with the deep connection you share as a couple, while also curating an experience that will be cherished for years.

At the heart of your timeless celebration lies the venue, a crucial element. Your historic location adds an important layer of elegance and meaning to your festivities, one that stands the test of time. The memories forged at your Palafox Wharf Waterfront venue are destined to be etched in your hearts for a lifetime.

“Pensacola was a destination wedding, and Sandy made it work for us!  She is so efficient and professional and helped us every step of the way even though we were 700 miles away.  We had 140 guests and everyone of them was very complimentary about The Wharf.  It was an amazing night!" 
- Mike Flavin 

We are in the business of fun and joy!

text me at 
850-748-5102


After you review this proposal, let's chat about it over the phone, text, or email if you have questions


For booking, if you are not making full payment at booking (to get the benefit of that great 20% discount), the amount for your initial payment can be as low as 2000 and with a payment schedule for your convenience.

Ready to secure you Wedding Date?  Just reach out to us and we will start your Reservation!

Next Steps

"Perfect venue for wedding for our event.  The venue was awesome and the caterer and bar service Sandy recommended was outstanding.  We are from Cincinnati so we had no idea who to contact and Sandy helped with all that.  Can't say enough good things about this venue." ~ Mary