Wedding at Sacred Heart & Epicurean Hotel in Tampa

Downtown Tampa has a way of pairing well with itself. This wedding started with a ceremony at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and moved to the Epicurean Hotel for the reception. Two venues just a few miles apart, but different enough in character that the day had a real sense of movement to it. If you’re considering this same pairing, here’s what’s worth knowing before you book.

Things to Know About Getting Married at Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart is one of the most requested ceremony venues in Tampa, and dates go quickly. If it’s on your list, I’d recommend inquiring with the church as early as possible in your planning. Popular Friday & Saturdays can book out a year or more in advance.

Most ceremonies here are scheduled for 2:00pm, which is earlier than a lot of couples initially plan around. It’s worth building your hair, makeup, and getting-ready timeline backward from that time rather than assuming a later start, since it affects how early the morning begins.

Parking near the church can be limited, especially on weekends with other downtown events happening nearby. Letting guests know where to park in advance goes a long way.

For photography, Sacred Heart has specific guidelines: photographers aren’t permitted in the center aisle in front of guests during the ceremony, and movement in the side aisles is limited as well. This isn’t unusual for a Catholic ceremony, but it does mean your photographer needs to know how to work within those boundaries ahead of time — I’d recommend working with someone who has photographed here before, or who is at least familiar with Catholic wedding traditions and pacing, so nothing catches them off guard mid-ceremony.

Weddings at the Epicurean Hotel

The Epicurean Hotel, part of the Bern’s Steak House family of properties in South Tampa, offers several different event spaces depending on your guest count and the feel you’re going for. The Grand Cru Ballroom is the indoor option, at just over 1,800 square feet, and comfortably holds a reception for around 100 guests. For something more open-air, the Garden Terrace is a tented second-floor space of roughly 2,000 square feet that can accommodate up to about 150 seated guests or 200 for a standing reception. There are also smaller spaces, like the Vineyard Terrace, better suited to more intimate celebrations. Because of that range, it’s a venue that works whether you’re planning a large reception or a smaller one.

The Realistic Part of Two Venues

Two venues means real travel time between them, and that’s worth planning for rather than glossing over. Sacred Heart and the Epicurean Hotel are roughly 10 to 15 minutes apart without traffic, but Tampa traffic, parking, and time for the wedding party to load up all add to that window. I’d build in more buffer than feels necessary. It’s much better to arrive at cocktail hour with room to spare than to have your reception start pushed back before it’s even begun. It also helps to decide in advance whether any photos will happen between the two locations or if all portraits will happen at one venue, since that changes how much time you need to budget.

How This Pairing Photographs

Part of what makes this combination work well is the contrast. Sacred Heart’s stone architecture, stained glass, and low, warm interior light give the ceremony photos a completely different feel from the bright, open Garden Terrace at the Epicurean. Shooting a ceremony like this well means working comfortably in low, mixed light without flash, and having that contrast between the two venues gives the full gallery a natural sense of progression from one part of the day to the next.