Villa Festa in DeLand, FL – Central FL Wedding Venue Spotlight
Villa Festa in DeLand, FL | Historic Home Wedding Venue Review | Best Central Florida Wedding Venues
What’s better than exchanging vows on the grounds of a 100-year-old historic home in the heart of Florida? Staying there all weekend for the best wedding party imaginable!
Villa Festa bills itself as “Central Florida’s most unique wedding venue”, and it’s hard to argue with that. Not only is the Italian Renaissance Revival-style home a stunning wedding venue, it’s also overnight accommodations for you and your closest loved ones on your wedding weekend. Offering a full experience that lasts beyond your reception, a wedding at Villa Festa is truly a weekend to remember.
In this unsponsored, unbiased wedding venue spotlight, we’re sharing what it’s like to get married at Villa Festa in DeLand: what you need to know about this wedding venue, what’s included with your rental, and our personal thoughts as wedding photographers who have shot a few celebrations (and counting) at this venue.
View Karyn & Ismael’s romantic outdoor wedding at Villa Festa
View Nicole & Jeff’s rainy, heartfelt wedding at Villa Festa
What It’s Like to Get Married at Villa Festa in DeLand, FL — Wedding Venue Review
Venue at a glance
The historic Villa Festa was constructed in 1925 in the Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style that was well-loved throughout Central Florida during this era. Sitting on a private 1-acre property, the villa has in recent years been lovingly restored to intricate detail, maintaining many of home’s historic hallmarks: the Mediterranean-inspired red tile roof, wrought-iron railings, and original staircase. The property is made up of the main villa, covered pavilion, and carriage house, all connected by a red brick patio that feels timeless to the home. With a maximum guest count of 150, Villa Festa is a must-see for micro weddings and medium-sized wedding parties alike.
Outside the villa, the grounds feel exotic and private with the green lawn, lush cypress trees, and towering oak tree. A home away from home for your wedding weekend, Villa Festa offers a private oasis for you and your guests without leaving Central Florida.
Getting-ready suites at Villa Festa
Getting ready to walk down the aisle is a breeze with the comfortable and elegant accommodations at Villa Festa. Both parties can enjoy separate getting-ready spaces including indoor bathrooms, plenty of lighting, and gaming/music tech. The venue includes a getting-ready salon with two seats placed in front of mirrors perfect for hair & makeup application. Our brides have opted to finish their getting-ready details in the villa’s upstairs bedrooms, where a full-length mirror placed by a bright window offers stunning lighting especially mid-day (photographer pro tip!). As for the guys, most grooms and their party relax in the adjoining carriage house, which includes a TV with Xbox, full kitchen, and Bluetooth speakers perfect for a laid-back lead-up to walking down the aisle.
Separate bride & groom suites
Wedding salon with two mirrored seats (main villa)
Indoor bathrooms
Full-length mirrors (both suites)
Carriage house: Flatscreen TV, Xbox, Bluetooth speakers, full kitchen
Outdoor wedding ceremonies at Villa Festa
Wedding ceremonies are held outdoors on the villa’s plush lawn, underneath the towering historic oak tree as a perfect backdrop for exchanging vows. Your rental of the villa thoughtfully covers all seating rentals, including ceremony seats.
Should weather threaten your ceremony, seating can be moved in a pinch to the covered pavilion; though torrential rain or blowing winds might make this weather backup a less than ideal option. If you’re concerned about bad weather, be sure to discuss backup plans with the property staff.
Outdoor wedding ceremony
Ceremony seating included
Maximum guest count: 80
Weather backup option: covered pavilion
Outdoor wedding receptions at Villa Festa
Your wedding reception at Villa Festa takes place under the covered pavilion between the main villa and carriage house, just off the lawn from your ceremony site. The covered pavilion comfortably seats up to 80 guests with room for a dance floor. For weddings above 80 guests, the venue requires an additional tent rental that’s set up on the brick driveway adjacent to the pavilion.
We’ve seen this pavilion seating arrangement set up in a U-shape with dancing in the center, though the dance floor admittedly felt a bit tight. We absolutely loved the tent set-up and would actually recommend spending the extra money for this, even if your guest count is below 80 guests, to allow for more free movement during the reception and on the dance floor. However, micro weddings under 50 guests would likely feel perfectly comfortable with the default arrangement.
Outdoor wedding reception
Guest count: 80 seated in pavilion with dance floor; 81-150 guests require additional tent rental
Cocktail tables, rectangle & round reception tables, and reception seating included
Photographer’s pro tip: We love taking romantic bridal session photos around the villa’s property. Some favorite spots include the cypress trees along the side of the house and edge of property; the iconic front steps; and the second-floor balcony. We’ve found that the best evening light happens about 30 minutes to 1 hour before golden hour, due to the lush foliage around the property. Karyn & Ismael’s dreamy bridal session was captured around 4pm for their late November wedding, although golden hour began at 5pm, which resulted in a beautiful afternoon glow before the trees blocked the best light.
Overnight accommodations for your wedding weekend at Villa Festa
Should you opt to spend your entire wedding weekend at Villa Festa (see details on their Weekender Package below), the venue offers comfortable, modern, and well-thought-out amenities for you and your closest guests. Up to 15 visitors can enjoy two nights at Villa Festa, with the option to include a post-wedding brunch the final morning.
The property hosts two homes for overnight stay: the main villa and the carriage house. The main villa holds 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and sleeps 11 guests; the carriage house hosts 1 bedroom, 1.5 bathrooms, and sleeps 4 guests. Most couples either stay separately the night before the wedding, splitting between the main house and the carriage house, or choose the full weekend in the carriage house as a private space away. All bedrooms—both in the main villa and the carriage house—are upstairs in their respective spaces, if mobility is a concern for any staying on property.
Both the main villa and the carriage house each contain a full, well-stocked kitchen including all the tableware necessary for your comfort, fridges and stoves. Plus, the property includes an onsite generator, a must-have for Florida’s inclement weather.
Separate accommodations: Main Villa and Carriage House
Up to 15 guests (11 in Main Villa, 4 in Carriage House)
5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
2 full kitchens
Onsite parking
Onsite generator
What’s included with a Villa Festa wedding package
Disclaimer: the following information is based on our research, pulling publicly-available information from the venue’s website. The information below is subject to change; please contact the venue directly for an accurate description of their wedding packages.
You can choose to simply tie the knot at Villa Festa, or opt for the Weekender Package to turn your wedding into a multi-day stay.
All weddings at Villa Festa enjoy:
Ceremony chairs
Reception tables (rectangular & round)
Reception seating
Cocktail tables
Complimentary valet
Onsite parking
Catering kitchen
One-Day Rental Package
For a standard, one-day wedding rental package, you receive all of the above with exclusive property access from 10am-midnight on your wedding day, with a 6hr event time from ceremony start to reception end. As of the writing of this article, packages start at an affordable $4,500 for a summer weekday wedding up to $7,950 for a peak season Saturday wedding (October–May). Saturday weddings can add on a 1-night only overnight stay for $1,200.
Weekender Package
For couples looking to spend their wedding weekend at Villa Festa, the venue’s Weekender Package offers all of the above plus overnight accommodations for up to 15 guests. Your reservation starts Friday at 1pm and lasts until Sunday at 1pm, for overnight stays Friday and Saturday nights. We love the option to add on furniture rental for a Sunday morning post-wedding brunch for up to 20 guests indoors / 40 guests outdoors. Weekends start at $6,850 in summer months and range up to $10,950 for peak month weddings.
What we most love about getting married at Villa Festa in DeLand, FL
Overnight stay: To no surprise, the feature to add on either a one-night stay (for your Saturday wedding) or a full weekend stay at Villa Festa (with the venue’s Weekender Package) is a huge plus. Not only does this save your guests time and money finding their own accommodations, but this allows you and your loved ones to celebrate your special day before and after the party ends. You really can dance until you drop with an overnight-stay wedding at Villa Festa! The bedrooms and bathrooms are all comfortably designed with all the modern amenities necessary for a perfect stay.
Photogenic property: There isn’t a corner of the Villa Festa property that won’t photograph well. The interior of the home is bright with plenty of natural lighting, white walls, and historic details from the intricate fireplace to the original staircase. Outside, we love taking tearful first looks or romantic bridal sessions along the line of cypress trees or the home’s upstairs balcony (pro tip: you’ll need a staff member to unlock access first due to safety). Whether you’re putting on final touches in the bridal salon, cutting a cake in the main villa’s downstairs, or stealing a kiss on the grounds, Villa Festa really is a wedding photographer’s dream.
Thoughtful, detailed amenities: The management at Villa Festa really has thought of everything you need for a seamless wedding experience. Some of our favorite details that typically go unnoticed: the downstairs half-bathroom in the carriage house (so groomsmen can access the facilities without heading upstairs into the private suite); the full-length mirrors for both parties to do a final check before walking down the aisle; and complimentary valet parking for your guests. These little add-ons really go a long way and are often features we don’t see in many other wedding venues.
Potential setbacks to consider for a wedding at Villa Festa
Large weddings may feel tight: We mentioned above that while the venue’s covered pavilion holds up to 80 reception guests including room for a dance floor, our personal experience with this arrangement was that the space ended up feeling a bit small (especially given how lit the dance floor got at the end of the night!). While the maximum guest count at Villa Fest is listed at 150, weddings above 60 guests—in our opinion—may want to consider adding on a tent rental to allow for ideal movement throughout the evening.
Weather backup: One of our Villa Festa weddings did need to utilize the venue’s weather contingency plan, where staff rushed to relocate ceremony seating from the lawn to the covered pavilion. Luckily, the rain that day wasn’t severe enough to throw the ceremony off schedule, but we think it’s worth pointing out that truly inclement weather may cause a significant disruption. The covered pavilion is supported by columns with no walls or siding, so blowing torrential rain would likely threaten guest comfort. However, given that rain is a daily occurrence in Florida, we’re confident that the Villa Festa staff has handled severe weather on wedding days and may include additional indoor options for relocating your wedding ceremony and/or reception for comfort and safety.
Final thoughts – Villa Festa Historic Home Wedding Venue
Villa Festa is a wedding venue we’ll happily return to again and again as wedding photographers. From the historic details throughout the home to the comfortable overnight amenities, every inch of this venue has been thought out for picture-perfect weddings. Your outdoor ceremony and outdoor covered wedding reception each make for a stunning, enjoyable guest experience or, if you add on an overnight or weekend stay, a memorable wedding weekend. As truly one of Central Florida’s most unique wedding venues, Villa Festa stands as a popular, sought-after space for weddings with good reason. If you’re looking for a beautiful, historic home wedding venue just a short distance from Orlando and Daytona Beach/New Smyrna Beach, and the option to turn your wedding day into a full festive weekend, we highly recommend considering tying the knot at Villa Festa!
