Wedding Venue Guide · Ybor City, Tampa
Hotel Haya wedding flowers.
Whitewashed brick, stained glass and a century of Ybor City history. Here is how to plan flowers for each of the hotel's wedding spaces.
Ybor City
A hotel built into history.
Hotel Haya sits at 1412 E 7th Ave in Ybor City, the historic district founded in the 1880s around Tampa's cigar factories by Cuban, Spanish and Italian immigrants. The hotel's event spaces carry that history openly. Las Novedades was Ybor's first Spanish restaurant, the Valencia Ballroom has whitewashed brick and a herringbone floor, and the walls and tile throughout borrow from the neighborhood's Spanish and Cuban past.
That character gives flowers a strong starting point. The rooms are warm, textured and full of pattern, so the best designs tend to be generous and confident, with colors that would look at home on a Havana balcony or in a Seville courtyard.
Independent guide
Flor + Palma is not affiliated with Hotel Haya. Venue details here come from the venue’s own published materials; confirm floral rules, load-in times and installation guidelines with its event team before you finalize a design.
Spaces
The rooms and what they hold
The hotel lists these spaces for weddings, with these figures:
The hotel also has the Floridian Suite and Flor Fina for smaller gatherings.
- Valencia Ballroom: about 4,000 square feet with 24-foot ceilings, blown-glass chandeliers and two-story windows. About 300 for a ceremony or cocktail reception, 250 for dinner, or 220 with dancing.
- Las Novedades: about 2,116 square feet with 26-foot ceilings and stained glass. About 200 for a ceremony or cocktail, 150 for dinner, or 120 with dancing.
- Valencia Foyer: about 120 for a ceremony, 200 for cocktails or 70 for dinner.
- The Courtyard by the pool: about 80 for a ceremony, 100 for cocktails or 50 for dinner.
- Quiquiriqui, Mariposa, La Galería and Roosevelt: smaller rooms for 40 to 120 guests, used for rehearsal dinners, cocktail hours and showers.
Valencia Ballroom
Brick, glass and height
With 24-foot ceilings and blown-glass chandeliers, the Valencia Ballroom can take height. Tall arrangements on stands fill the space above the tables and keep sightlines open. Low centerpieces work too, but in a room this tall they need to be wide and lush to hold their own.
The whitewashed brick is a neutral backdrop, which means color choices are open. Warm palettes suit the hotel's style: terracotta, coral, apricot, mustard and deep red, with olive and eucalyptus greenery. For a cleaner look, all white with lots of green looks fresh against the brick and the herringbone floor.
The two-story windows let in afternoon light. For an early evening ceremony in summer, the room may feel warm until the air conditioning catches up after setup, so place delicate flowers last.
Las Novedades
Designing under stained glass
Las Novedades has 26-foot ceilings and stained glass, and the glass casts colored light into the room during the day. Look at the room at the time of day your event happens before choosing a palette. Many couples pick up one tone from the glass in the centerpieces.
The room's history as a restaurant suits long tables and family-style dinners. A continuous garland of greenery down the table, with clusters of flowers and candles every few feet, works beautifully here. Keep table pieces under about 14 inches so guests can talk.
The Courtyard
Poolside and outdoors
The Courtyard holds smaller ceremonies and cocktail hours. Because it's outdoors by the pool, the design rules are about heat and stability:
- Weighted vessels that won't tip.
- Heat-tolerant stems: orchids, anthurium, protea, sturdy garden roses and tropical greenery.
- Placement as late as possible, especially from May to October.
- Nothing near the pool edge that could fall in, and petals kept away from the water.
Palettes
Taking cues from Ybor
Ybor City suggests palettes with real warmth:
Ybor's history also gives ideas for details: a cigar-leaf wrap on boutonnieres, a nod to the cigar factories; or Spanish moss and palm fronds for texture.
- Spanish tile: deep red, coral, saffron and white, with roses, ranunculus and dahlias.
- Cuban tropical: orange and pink with ginger, heliconia, anthurium and palm leaves.
- Old-world white: white roses, orchids and gardenias with plenty of greenery, inspired by the old Spanish clubs.
Smaller rooms
Showers, rehearsals and the day after
The hotel's smaller rooms make it easy to host the whole weekend in one place. Quiquiriqui holds about 120 for cocktails, while Mariposa, La Galería and Roosevelt suit 40 to 75 guests. These are good sizes for a bridal shower, a rehearsal dinner or a farewell brunch. Flowers for these events can be simpler than for the wedding: low bud vase groupings, a single statement arrangement at the bar or the entrance, and a palette that matches the wedding without repeating it.
If the rehearsal dinner is the night before, some couples reuse a few of its arrangements at the wedding the next day, for example on the escort-card table or in the restrooms. Flowers kept in an air-conditioned room overnight usually look fresh the next day. Ask the florist to plan the reuse in advance so the right pieces are designed to travel.
Personal flowers
Bouquets for brick and tile
Ybor's streets are a favorite backdrop for portraits: brick facades, wrought-iron balconies, tiled entryways and the old cigar factory buildings. Bouquets with strong color, such as deep red, coral or saffron, stand out against the brick. Very pale bouquets can look washed out in bright sun. For boutonnieres, small sturdy flowers, such as spray roses, ranunculus or a single orchid bloom, last longer in the heat than delicate ones.
Season
When to plan a Haya wedding
The hotel's peak wedding seasons run from January to May and from October to December. Summer weddings often have more date availability, but heat, humidity and afternoon storms mean the plan should be mostly indoors. Ybor City is busy during the Gasparilla season in January and on weekend nights, so plan vendor arrival times and parking with the hotel.
Logistics
Arriving in a historic district
Ybor's streets are narrow, and 7th Avenue is a busy nightlife strip on weekends. Ask the hotel:
Building as much as possible in advance and delivering finished pieces keeps setup short.
- Where vendors load in and park.
- When your spaces are released for setup.
- Whether candles must be enclosed in glass.
- What can be attached to walls, beams or chandeliers.
Guests
Out-of-town guests in Ybor
Many guests at a Haya wedding stay downtown or in the Channel District and ride the free TECO Line Streetcar into Ybor, which stops a short walk from the hotel. Welcome flowers in guest rooms, or a small bunch on the welcome table, are a nice touch, but plan where they'll go: a stem in a bud vase is easier to manage in a hotel room than a full arrangement. For the after-party on Seventh Avenue, skip flowers altogether; the street does the decorating.
Planning
Getting started
Bring your spaces, guest count and a few photos of what you love. See our approach to wedding flowers, compare Tampa Bay wedding venues, or read our guide to wedding flowers in the Tampa heat. For deliveries across the city, see flower delivery in downtown Tampa.
FAQ
Hotel Haya wedding flower questions.
How many guests can Hotel Haya host for a wedding?
The hotel lists the Valencia Ballroom at about 300 for a ceremony, 250 for dinner or 220 with dancing, and Las Novedades at about 200 for a ceremony, 150 for dinner or 120 with dancing. Smaller rooms suit 40 to 120 guests.
What is Las Novedades at Hotel Haya?
It's a restored event space in the building that housed Ybor City's first Spanish restaurant. It has 26-foot ceilings and stained glass, and the hotel uses it for ceremonies and receptions of up to about 200.
What flower colors suit Hotel Haya?
Warm palettes inspired by Ybor's Spanish and Cuban history: deep red, coral, saffron and terracotta, or tropical orange and pink. All white with greenery is a fresh alternative against the whitewashed brick.
When is the busiest season at Hotel Haya?
The hotel lists January to May and October to December as its peak wedding seasons. Book early for those months, especially on Saturdays.
Can we have an outdoor ceremony at Hotel Haya?
The poolside Courtyard holds about 80 guests for a ceremony. Use weighted, heat-tolerant flowers and ask the hotel about its weather backup.
Plan your wedding florals
Planning a wedding at Hotel Haya?
Share your date, guest count and vision, and we'll suggest a design and budget.