FAQs

Question

What time should I arrive at the ceremony?

Answer

While we understand that Miami traffic is a nightmare (especially around 5pm on a weekday) please account for this in your travel time by adding ~45 mins. With the ceremony at 5pm, try to arrive by 4:30pm to allow time for parking. We would hate to start the ceremony without all of our loved ones there!

Question

What about the weather?

Answer

For our English guests, Miami weather can be quite problematic. One minute, it's pouring rain, and the next the sun is shining. That's to say we won't know for certain what the weather will be like the night of October 23rd. If, God forbid, it does end up raining, the monastery has experience and will accommodate. Do expect a bit of humidity and brisk 80°F/26°C temperature. The ceremony will be held inside the air-conditioned chapel, so it will not be affected by any inclement weather.

Question

Are children welcome?

Answer

Yes! As the bride comes from a large family, we understand how difficult it can be to get a babysitter. Please let the bride and groom know if you are bringing your children. If yes, please include in your RSVP how many and their age so that the caterers can account for them.

Question

Is the venue wheelchair accessible?

Answer

For the most part, yes. However, it is a historical site which means the cloisters haven't been updated to account for wheelchairs. The middle of the monastery, where (weather withstanding) we will have our dance floor, has a short ~__ft wall with an opening of ~3ft. A wheelchair can be lifted over the short wall because it is ~__ft across. We will be incorporating some furniture in this area so that people can rest their tired legs and be near the action of the dance floor, if they wish.

Question

Is there parking for the ceremony or reception?

Answer

The ceremony and reception are held in the same building, so just park and relax! There should be plenty of space for all our guest's cars at the front of the monastery. However, if anyone requires special assistance, there is another lot right next to the building. This parking lot will probably be easier for those in wheelchairs to use in order to get into the chapel for the ceremony. Please notify the bride or groom for more details!

Question

What about those in the UK who are unable to attend?

Answer

We promise to celebrate with all the Brits. Please check our RSVP page to see the details of our UK reception. We hope to see you there!

Question

Do I get a plus one?

Answer

If you are allowed to bring a plus one it will be written on your invitation and we ask that you provide their name to us. Otherwise, only the people named on the invitation are invited to the wedding.

Question

An Ancient Spanish Monastery in the middle of Miami?

Answer

The Monastery (also called St. Bernard de Clairvaux) was originally built in Northern Spain in 1141AD! It was the home of Cistercian monks for about 700 years until the Ecclesiastical confiscations of Mendizábal in the 1830s. The monastery became privatized and wealthy nobles in Spain took ownership of the grounds. Much to the dismay of the Spanish government, in 1925-1926, American newspaper publisher and politician, William Randolph Hearst, bought the property. It was then dismantled, brick-by-brick, put into crates and shipped to the United States. Hearst's plan to rebuild the monastery in California was scrapped due to financial difficulties. The crates laid in a warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, for 26 years. A year after Hearst's death in 1951, two business men, Raymond Moss and William Edgemon, purchased and reassembled the monastery in Northern Miami as a tourist attraction. In 1964, an Episcopalian banker named Colonel Robert Pentland Jr., bought the property and gifted it to the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida. Today, it is an active church where services are held every Sunday (and a small cat colony calls it home). Thanks for reading my nerd history! -Melissa