Give the wedding party one private place to stay, get ready and gather. Bright rooms and a camera-ready backyard make a natural base for hair, makeup and first-look photos — minutes from Fort Lauderdale's beach and waterfront venues.
Most wedding parties who book the nest are getting married somewhere close by — a beach ceremony, a venue on the Intracoastal, a restaurant on Las Olas — and they want one calm place to land the night before and the morning of. The bride and her people take over the house. Bridesmaids, a mom or two, sometimes the photographer and the hair-and-makeup team all move through the same rooms instead of texting each other across a hotel to figure out where the dress is.
That is the real case for renting the whole house. Hotel rooms scatter your group down a hallway and price each one separately, and nobody has a shared space to spread out in. Here you get three bedrooms, an open living room, a full kitchen and a private backyard for one flat rate, and you keep the whole party under one roof. Coffee is made in one kitchen. The garment bags hang in one closet. The group photo happens in one yard.
The weekend itself tends to feel unhurried. People arrive Friday and drop bags, somebody runs to a restaurant on Las Olas, and the evening winds down around the pool and the fire pit. The wedding morning is bright rooms, a slow breakfast, and hair and makeup running while the light is good. Then everyone leaves together for the ceremony from one door.
Light-filled bedrooms and open living space give the party room for hair and makeup, with a full kitchen for a relaxed breakfast before the day begins.
A turquoise pool, palms, string lights and a hand-painted sea-turtle mural give photographers a versatile set for first-look and party portraits.
Three bedrooms and two sleeper sofas keep the party under one roof, with easy parking and self check-in around the day's schedule.
The house has three bedrooms and two baths and sleeps ten, with four of the ten on the two sleeper sofas. That usually means the bride and the closest people take the beds, and the sofa sleepers go to whoever is comfortable with them, so it helps to sort bed assignments before anyone arrives. Two bathrooms move a group faster in the morning than you would think, as long as showers are staggered.
For the getting-ready part of the day, the open living room tends to become the hair-and-makeup station because it has the best light and the most counter and floor space. The bedrooms hold the dresses and give people a quieter spot. Think about where the mirror and the chair go early, so the artists are set up near a window when the morning starts.
The backyard is the reason a lot of parties book this house for a wedding. It is private, with a turquoise pool and a shallow sun shelf, palms, a covered patio lounge, string lights, a fire pit and a hand-painted sea-turtle mural on the wall. For a photographer that is a real set: pool reflections, greenery, the mural as a backdrop, and warm light after sundown once the string lights come on.
It works two ways across the day. Before the ceremony it is where first-look and party portraits happen without leaving the property. After, it is where the group comes back to sit by the fire pit and let the day wind down. The roughly 3,000 square feet of private backyard gives everyone room to spread out.
There is a full kitchen, an outdoor griddle and outdoor dining, which covers most of what a wedding weekend needs food-wise. A relaxed breakfast the morning of is easy to pull off in the kitchen while people get ready. The griddle handles a casual Friday cookout by the pool.
If you would rather not cook, a couple of options fit this house well:
We can point you toward local options if you tell us what you are picturing.
The value of one house on a wedding morning is that nothing has to move very far. The dress is here. The people are here. The photographer is not driving between hotel rooms. Everyone gets ready in bright rooms, the first-look happens in the backyard, and the whole party leaves for the ceremony from one door on one schedule.
Because the beach is about a ten-minute drive and Las Olas and the Intracoastal venues are close, the house works whether your ceremony is on the sand or at a waterfront venue. Build a little buffer into the timeline for the drive and for parking on the other end, and the morning stays calm.
One way to shape it — bend it to your own plans.
Self check-in means the party can trickle in around flights and work, drop bags in the three bedrooms, and hang the dress. Free on-site parking keeps the driveway sorted.
Head to a restaurant on Las Olas for a rehearsal-style dinner, then come back to the fire pit and string lights in the backyard to wind down together.
Slow breakfast from the full kitchen, then hair and makeup in the bright living room, with the group all in one place instead of scattered rooms.
The photographer works the pool, palms and mural for first-look and party portraits, and the whole group heads to the ceremony together.
Coffee by the pool, a group recap of the night, and an easy pack-up. FLL is about fifteen minutes away for departing guests.
A wedding day runs smoother when the party gets ready in one private place instead of scattered rooms. The nest gives everyone space, good light and a backyard to gather in — before and after the ceremony.
Ask about your group →The nest sits central to Fort Lauderdale's beaches, waterfront venues and the airport.
Central Beach and the Intracoastal's event venues are a short drive from the house.
Restaurants for the rehearsal dinner or a welcome gathering, minutes away.
A quick ride for out-of-town guests arriving for the weekend.
A scenic way to move a group along the Intracoastal for a welcome cruise.
A green stretch between the Intracoastal and the beach that works for a quiet morning walk or an outdoor photo backdrop near the coast.
Open park space and courts close to the house for anyone who wants to stretch their legs or burn off nerves before the big day.
A casino and entertainment complex to the south if part of the group wants a night out during the weekend.
A stop near the house lets you move the party along the Intracoastal for a relaxed welcome outing before the wedding.
The main stretch of sand is a short drive for a beach ceremony, a morning swim, or after-wedding photos by the ocean.
The house sleeps ten across three bedrooms and two baths. Four of the ten sleep on the two sleeper sofas, so plan bed assignments with that in mind.
Yes. The private backyard has a turquoise pool with a sun shelf, palms, string lights, a covered patio and a hand-painted sea-turtle mural, which gives a photographer a versatile set for first-look and party portraits. The pool is not heated, so keep that in mind in cooler months.
The backyard and covered patio suit a rehearsal dinner or welcome gathering for the group. We do not publish a maximum event headcount or event rules here, so tell us what you are picturing through /contact.html and we will walk you through it.
Yes, a private chef or a drop-off caterer works well for a welcome dinner or a getting-ready breakfast, and there is a full kitchen and an outdoor griddle on-site. Ask us and we can point you in the right direction.
The bedrooms and open living space give the party room to spread out, with good natural light and counter space for a hair-and-makeup team to work. A full kitchen keeps breakfast and coffee going while everyone gets ready.
Parking is free and on-site. If hair-and-makeup artists, a photographer or other vendors are coming through, let us know roughly how many and when and we will help you sort the flow.
Check-in is self check-in, so the party can arrive around the day's schedule. For exact check-in and checkout times, quiet hours and being good neighbors in this residential area, ask us and we will walk you through the house rules.
Check dates and book the nest through our checkout, and for group or wedding-specific questions reach out first through /contact.html so we can make sure the dates and setup fit your plans.
This place was amazing! We had 9 girls for a trip and had an absolute blast by the pool and cooking in the griddle! Would absolutely recommend!
Thank you Kirsten for choosing Turtle Nest Bungalow for making such great memories! Congratulations to the bride and groom! We're so happy you enjoyed our home to it's fullest potential! Please come back again. You were fantastic guests.
I had a great time with the family! The place was spacious, just like Dominique said. Restaurants, pharmacy, and grocery stores were all within walking distance, and our venue was only 3 minutes away! We felt right at home. 🥰🏡 #FamilyTime #Vacation #Travel #HomeAwayFromHome #Convenience
We stayed at the turtle retreat for my 23rd birthday celebration! The pool and backyard were absolutely stunning and very well kept! The amenities inside and out were everything we needed and more for a great weekend :)
Reviews from the nest's Airbnb listing, where guests rate it 4.86 out of 5.
Tell us who's coming and when — we'll help you make it work.
Get in touch Check DatesTry “water taxi”, “check-in”, “pickleball” or “Miami day trip”. Press Esc to close.
