Lakeside Inn, Florida’s oldest continuously open and operating hotel, offers a variety of indoor and outdoor wedding venues that feature both picturesque views and historic settings. A beautiful white gazebo, a lovely white arbor and lushly landscaped grounds serve as the backdrop for a romantic experience rich in history and tradition.
We were really happy with our decision to have our intimate wedding at Lakeside Inn, October 15th 2023. Our plans changed many times along the course of planning, but the staff at Lakeside were always willing to work with us to make our event what we wanted it to be. There were some changes in venue staff within the year that we worked with the venue, but Kristen was the one who helped us manage our event in the last 3 months. Kristen was amazing, so attentive, laid back, and great energy. She was available in person, by phone, email, whatever we needed during planning. We used the florist recommended by Kristen, which was great too. On wedding day, Kristen was amazing with setup, keeping us on our timeline, and helping with every little detail, even helping to pin the boutonniere on my dad right before the ceremony :) Great experience.The food at the Inn's restaurant is AMAZING and one of the big reasons we chose Lakeside. The surrounding town has great restaurants and shops as well.My family and I did stay at the Inn and had a good experience. I will say it was a bit challenging for my elderly grandparents to use the stairs since there is not an elevator, so just something to keep in mind. Reviewed on 28-10-2023
sandra w(other)5 out of 5 Rating
Kristen was easy to communicate with. She was quick to respond to emails and satisfactorily answered all my questions. Reviewed on 25-10-2023
Rachel Kohn(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 10-11-2018 We chose The Lakeside Inn in Historic Mount Dora for our wedding in November 2018 and we couldn’t be happier with our choice.The Lakeside Inn handled our Ceremony, Reception, Rehearsal, Morning-After Brunch, and accommodations for ourselves and our guests. The facilities and grounds are beautiful and the staff is top notch. On top of all of this, the Lakeside Inn is blessed with an incredible Special Events coordinator in Jessica Crochet. I’ll discuss the tangible aspects in a moment but I wanted to start by recognizing Jessica.Jessica Crochet was there for us literally every step of the way from our initial visit to the Lakeside Inn while selecting venues, until cleanup from our Morning-After Brunch. She was willing to make herself available for meetings and to answer the myriad questions we had leading up to our event. She was capable, giving great recommendations for vendors within our price range, advising us of day of logistics, and setting/exceeding our expectations for what the venue could offer. She was understanding and flexible, keeping us informed of changes and working with us on adjustments that we felt were needed leading up to the big day. Jessica rocks!The FacilitiesThe Lakeside Inn is a very historic hotel. When it comes to accommodations, are the rooms huge? No, they are not but they are comfortable, clean and so so charming. We had a total of 12 rooms booked between both sides of our family and everyone enjoyed their stay.Our Ceremony was held at The Oaks, a grassy, tree shaded lawn with a gazebo next to Lake Dora. Your guests will face west so keep sunset in mind when timing out your events. The staff did a great job of setting up for our ceremony, and the walk down the “aisle” from the hotel building is a very unique way to enter.Our Reception was held in the Beauclaire Room, which is a flexible space with a beautiful bowed window wall overlooking a charming garden. It held our party very well, we had plenty of room to move around. Again the staff did an excellent job with their service. We had a fully plated dinner and champagne toast.The Food/CateringThe meal we served at our reception was truly incredible. Several of our guests told us that it was the best meal they had ever had at a wedding. A tasting is offered, which is a good idea because it allowed us to make an informed choice on our offered menu. We elected to serve Chicken with a Brandy Cream Sauce, Grilled Pacific Salmon with a Lobster and Crab Sauce, Slow Roasted 10 oz. Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus with Mild Horseradish Sauce, and Pasta Primavera, all of which were great.Things to ConsiderThe Lakeside Inn is the longest operating Inn in Florida, which is part of what gives it its charm, but it is also an operating Inn. What this means, is that there are very strict guidelines that must be followed for set up and clean up. Luckily, we have really amazing friends, family, and vendors that were willing to help with set up and break down. Essentially, some of the guidelines required a little more planning/coordination on our part, but overall well worth it. Everything worked out perfectly and again, Jessica was very reassuring. She has done this a hundred times. Trust her. Overall we highly recommend the Lakeside Inn as a wedding venue. We visited again a few weeks ago and were overcome by feelings of happiness knowing that we had chosen such a lovely, iconic location for our wedding. Reviewed on 14-12-2018
Anthea Rangel(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 14-04-2018 Our wedding was March 10, 2018 at Lakeside Inn. The 10am ceremony in The Garden was followed by a Champagne Brunch in The Beauclaire Room. The entire experience could not have been more perfect. My mother and I had looked at several venues, but just did not find the right fit. At a friends suggestion, we looked at Lakeside Inn and immediately knew it was \"THE\" place. The Southern charm and character were just what we were looking for. When I took my husband to see it and look around he loved it as well. It is the perfect location with plenty of nearby activities for all our out of town guests. Jessica Crochet, the Wedding Director and Stacey were just great to deal with through the whole planning process. The food was delicious and everyone had wonderful and memorable time. I highly recommend Lakeside Inn for your wedding. Reviewed on 19-04-2018
Taylor Pierce(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 08-12-2017 When planning our wedding, my husband and I looked for unique venues near the water. While we found some gorgeous places, none of them felt special. After visiting the Lakeside Inn, we knew we had found the perfect venue! Its charm was unbelievable, and it happened to be near the location where my husband proposed. Working with the staff was incredible, and our wedding day was perfect by the lake. The food was delicious, and the reception and ceremony were beautiful.My husband and I would definitely recommend choosing the Lakeside Inn for your wedding! Reviewed on 16-01-2018
taylor stanglein(bride)2 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 11-04-2017 My wedding was beautiful and ran smoothly the day of, but only because the Lakeside Inn had to hire Bob of Miss Daisy's Events to help coordinate. If you fall in love with Lakeside, I would only recommend moving forward IF you book Bob privately to coordinate your wedding. The people at lakeside are all very nice to your face and give good \"lip service\" but never followed through with anything that was discussed. They assigned me 3 different coordinators throughout the process and with 48 hours to go they had to hire Bob to help run my event. Bob is a saint and an absolute blessing so if you want to have your wedding there and don't want to be panicked and stressed by the lack of follow through with the lakeside staff, PLEASE book Bob. My wedding was beautiful, but had to be moved due to the Lakeside Inn presenting venue sites very misleadingly. The garden terrace is not acceptable for a reception or wedding, possibly a cocktail hour if you don't mind 3 bars in close proximity blasting music and the headlights of cars constantly passing (not lakesides fault, but check out the venue at the same time of day you will have your event because thats how I found out the garden would not be appropriate for a reception). The catering also requested name cards and entree counts weeks before which I provided them, yet they ran out of the most expensive entree and served my guests something they didn't want and refused to adjust my price (DOUBLE the price for filet and served chicken). I also had to speak to the caterer about wine that I paid for that wasn't served and at the last 25 minutes was brought out after they reviewed my order. Overall, it is a beautiful venue but the poeple are disorganized and you must have a private coordinator and expect to have to repeat and revisit the plans of all of the food and drinks multiple times with the wedding staff. The catering people were very sweet - I believe there is some disconnect with the event coordinating staff which is a shame because it reflects on the entire place as a whole. Everytime I called it took weeks to get a call back and one hand didn't know what the other hand was doing. They also asked my husband to write a \"nice and positive\" review about the experience because they felt a review we wrote on another popular wedding venue site was poorly reflecting on them. As someone who grew up in retail and business, it's not the errors that cause people frustration, its the lack of ability to accept responsibility. Lakeside consistently denied that there was any \"hiccups\" on their part and for that, if you do not book a private coordinator to deal with these people, I would strongly advise you to seek another location. There are other beautiful places in Mount Dora, Tavares, and Howie in the Hills that can provide similar event sites. Reviewed on 22-12-2016
Olivia Wilson(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 13-06-2015 My husband and I recently had our wedding at the Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora, FL. I cannot say enough about how beautiful of a setting this venue has! The views of the lake a breathtaking and the rooms are amazing! This is the oldest, continuously run hotel in Florida and the character and charm really show! The Lakeside Inn just received a new owner and he is staying true to the time period and making some much due upgrades! The new windows in the Beauclaire room and perfect for letting as much light in as possible and really make the room pop!\r\rAs for the service, Stacy Martin and her staff make sure that your day goes off without a hitch! Stacy is great at making sure the details work and that the decorations are just right. The catering manager ensures that everything is set up in the rooms properly and she really goes the extra mile to make sure things go smoothly. The front desk staff are warm and welcoming! I can't say enough about everyone who works there! \r\rTip: If you can, get ready in the bridal room, but reserve a room farther away from the pool for the wedding night. A room that's tucked away will help you get a good nights rest. Reviewed on 30-06-2015
Katrina Holgate(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 26-01-2014 I had such a beautiful wedding. We were married by the docks, had the cocktail hour on the verandah while we took our photos, then had our reception in the Beauclaire Room. Reviewed on 21-02-2014
Melissa Wilburn(bride)4 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 05-04-2013 The Lakeside Inn is charming and romantic, a perfect setting for a wedding. My husband and I were married outside under the regal old live oaks with the lake in the background. The Alexander room, where we had our reception, had just been renovated and was perfect for our intimate wedding. It had its own bathrooms, so the whole affair was very private. The food was very tasty, and my guests were very happy with their experience. Reviewed on 01-05-2013
Melanie Baldwin(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 23-12-2011 We had our wedding at sunset under the giant live oaks right next to the lake. The atmosphere and setting were beautiful! Lisa Morgan is the Sales Rep. and also offers her services as wedding planner/coordinator; she can work wonders! She can help any bride make her dream come true! There are so many options of where on the property you can have your ceremony & reception, and also so many choices & varieties of food for your meal. There is an option for every bride on any budget. There are packages available that covers any brides dream from a small & intimate wedding to a grand affair! Reviewed on 27-01-2012
Michelle Beall(groom)4 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 23-11-2011 We had our wedding outside by the lake. It was beautiful, romantic and gave a quaint feeling to the whole event. We had less than 30 guests which I would recommend if having the reception inside, which we did. Larger groups may feel a bit cramped. The servers were excellent as was the food. The price for the wedding package and the reception was average for the area. I was dissappointed with the lack of professionalism from Lisa, one of the event coordinators for Lakeside, while mine was a small wedding she failed to make sure all the mens flowers were there (we were missing 2). I did not want a cash bar and there was one set up when I entered the reception room. She left before the end of the event; I had also hired her privately as a wedding planner. I ended up confirming the flowers, cake, music, and guest list myself with almost no communication initiated by Lisa. She is a sweet person but not as professional as I would have preferred, she may have been doing lots in the background but this was never communicated to me. Lakeside is a great location, and there are other event coordinators there so book early! Reviewed on 19-12-2011
Stephanie Riggs(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 12-11-2011 If you're looking for a venue that you can get married outside, have the reception inside, & stay the night, then the Lakeside Inn is perfect for you! This venue is very affordable compared to other places we looked into. They have their own on site catering, which makes it so much easier. We got married by the oak treesb& had our reception in the lobby because we feel in love with the fireplace & wooden floor. Our wedding was absolutely perfect!\r\r\rLisa is the best! She understood our tight budget & helped us to stay in budget. We hired her as our day of coordinator & it was worth every penny. We didn't have to worry about setting up or letting the other vendors know where to go. She was always there to help from the very beginning to the end! Reviewed on 03-12-2011
Sarah Long(bride)3 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 30-07-2011 It was beautiful for an outdoor wedding. NO music system available. Coordinator (works for Lakeside) was MIA at crucial time right before walking down the aisle. EXCELLENT servers at reception. Reviewed on 25-08-2011
Mary palermo(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 16-07-2011 I couldn't be more satisfied with my wedding at the Lakeside Inn. Service very personal, setting beautiful but not staged, the food-spectacular. My wedding was a smaller, intimate wedding-but this venue would be great for any size. Reviewed on 02-08-2011
Lori Sobkowski(bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 10-12-2005 We were married lakeside by the gazebo. Beautiful location with the sun setting behind you. They made everything perfect for our ceremony and made sure it was private to those invited to attend.;Book as soon as you decide on a wedding date. They get booked up very fast as it is ina quaint part f historical Mount Dora and is ver popular because of the excellent food adn different locations throughout the property for ceremonies. Reviewed on 10-05-2010
Stephanie Yates(bride)4 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 26-01-2008 We had a Victorian themed wedding so this Historic hotel was perfect. It is an old hotel built in 1893 but the rooms are modern with updated amenities. The restaurant The Beauclaire has the most amazing food and you can sit on the front porch of the main part of the hotel with a glass of wine and watch the sun go down. It really is a breathtaking view.;Some of the staff was not exactly pleasant nor were some of the management aware of their duties. THe front desk attendants were so rude to some of my guests and family. We had a Rehearsal Luncheon at a local restaurant and dinner in The Beauckaire the staff was AWFUL!! It was the worst time of my entire wedding. Thankfully Betty the Catering Manager is so AWESOME! She had it all together and when my husband had to call her a t 9:00 on Friday night she was right on as to what happened and who was going to fix it. They were very generous and apologetic the general manager came in and situated things himself. All in all we were pleased with the outcome I would just expect some staff can be a little nasty at times but I do know first hand that several of those that made our stay a little miserable have been let go so they won't be there to do it to you. Reviewed on 10-05-2010
Sarah (bride)5 out of 5 Rating Wedding Date 17-03-2007 We had our wedding outside the historic hotel in a tent. The setting was beautiful. We were surrounded by three parts of the hotel (in sort of a U-shape), and then Lake Dora was in front of us. It provided a wonderful historic feel and garden setting, as well. The hotel wedding coordinator, Lorretta Sharp, is also amazing. She takes care of a lot of details.;The only thing I would caution brides- and grooms-to-be is that if you want an inside wedding, think small. Know your wedding count before you sign up for a room. There's not too much room to grow. The tent was a little more pricey, but well worth it. Reviewed on 10-05-2010
Kristen is originally from Louisiana. She moved to Florida in 2015 and went to college in Orlando. Kristen started working for Lakeside Inn in 2022, originally as the assistant to the position she is currently in. Through lots of hard work and dedication, she was able to move up in her role here on the property and is now the Wedding Sales Manager. She loves love, and could not imagine a better-suited job for her. She also recently got married so she is aware of both sides of the planning process, having done it herself.