Established 1928 · Central Florida

A quiet, private estate to begin a marriage.

Forty acres on the St. Johns. Cypress trees, slow water, and a moss-draped main house held by the same family for four generations.

Check a date Tour the estate
A Place to Begin
established
1928
DeBary, Florida
Weddings Welcome Dinners Vow Renewals Anniversaries Private Celebrations Weddings Welcome Dinners Vow Renewals Anniversaries Private Celebrations
The Estate

Three settings. One property. Yours for the weekend.

i.

The Live Oak Lawn

A 200-year-old live oak presiding over a slope of open lawn. South-facing, golden in the late afternoon. Seats 220 in ceremony chairs with room to breathe.

ii.

The Garden Pavilion

An open-air pavilion of reclaimed cypress and antique brick. Crystal chandeliers, ceiling fans, no walls. Dinner for up to 180. Rain plan included.

iii.

The Manor House

Eight bedrooms across two floors. The bridal party stays overnight Friday and Saturday. Whiskey on the porch. Coffee on the verandah.

Our Story

Four generations of keeping it quiet.

The Willoughby family bought the land in 1928 — a citrus grove and a fishing cabin on a deep bend of the St. Johns. The grove is gone. The cypress they planted in 1934 line the drive today.

We opened the estate to weddings in 2009, slowly, with one rule that hasn't changed: only one wedding per weekend. Friday to Sunday is yours. The gates close behind your guests. The house, the lawn, the dock, the porch — all of it, for one celebration at a time.

We don't advertise. We don't host expos. We don't list on aggregator sites. Couples find us through word of mouth, and we like it that way.

— Marlowe Willoughby Owner & Estate Keeper
By the Numbers

Details, in plain English.

40
Private Acres
Bounded by river, woodland, and a quarter mile of unpaved drive.
220
Maximum Guests
Ceremony and reception. Intimate weddings of 40 are welcomed too.
8
Bedrooms On-Site
Manor house sleeps 16 across Friday and Saturday nights.
35
Minutes from MCO
Orlando International Airport. Sanford-Orlando airport is 20 minutes.
A Note
We thought we had to choose between something beautiful and something that felt like ours. Willowmere was both. The morning after, we sat on the dock in the rain and didn't want to leave.
— Caroline & Henry · April 2025
Inquire

Tell us about your day.

We respond to every inquiry within two business days. If your dates are available, we'll invite you out for a private tour — usually a long, slow walk and a glass of something cold on the porch.

By Appointment

[email protected]

(386) 555-2014

Find Us

2200 River Bend Lane
DeBary, Florida 32713