Looking for an inclusive wedding venue near Wilton Manors? The Center for Spiritual Living Fort Lauderdale is at 4849 N. Dixie Highway in Oakland Park, about 6 minutes (2.1 miles) north of the Island City. Its Main Auditorium seats 275 for a ceremony or 110 for a seated dinner, and on-site parking fits up to 150 vehicles.
At a glance
- Distance: about 6 minutes and 2.1 miles from central Wilton Manors via Northeast 6th Avenue and North Dixie Highway.
- Ceremony and dinner: Main Auditorium, 2,944 sq ft, 275 auditorium-style or 110 seated dinner.
- Cocktail hour: Welcome Lobby, 1,418 sq ft, up to 200 cocktail-style.
- Getting-ready or small gatherings: Multipurpose Room, up to 70 cocktail-style or 50 auditorium-style.
- Included with the auditorium: round tables, basic linens, 275 chairs, place settings for 200 and kitchen access.
- Parking: on site for up to 150 vehicles.
- To book: Jim Wood, Director of Operations, 954-566-2868.
Why Wilton Manors couples look just north to Oakland Park
Wilton Manors earned the nickname “Island City” because it’s surrounded by water, and it shares its northern border with Oakland Park. That means a venue on Dixie Highway is practically next door, close enough that your guests can have dinner on Wilton Drive the night before and still find the ceremony without a map.
Wilton Drive is the city’s arts and entertainment district, with many LGBT-owned businesses, and the city is home to a large Pride Center, the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, and a branch of the Stonewall National Museum and Archives. In the November 2018 elections, Wilton Manors became the first city in Florida to have an all-LGBT+ governing body.
Couples from a community like that want a venue where nobody has to explain themselves. The Center for Spiritual Living welcomes events of every kind and every background, and the rental page lists weddings, receptions and anniversaries right at the top. Its home city of Oakland Park also scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2025 Municipal Equality Index for LGBTQ+ inclusion.
How far is it from Wilton Manors?
From the middle of Wilton Manors, the drive is about 6 minutes and 2.1 miles. The typical route runs north on Northeast 6th Avenue for about 1.3 miles, then a short stretch on North Dixie Highway (SR 811) to the venue at 4849 N. Dixie Highway.
That estimate is a typical, free-flowing drive from the city’s center point, not a traffic-adjusted time. Weekend nights near Wilton Drive and weekday rush hour on Dixie can slow things down, so add a buffer to the time on your invitation.
The short hop matters on a wedding day. Out-of-town guests staying near the Drive, a florist making a last delivery, or a friend fetching the forgotten rings can all make the round trip quickly.
Weddings and commitment ceremonies: every part of the day under one roof
One of the easiest ways to simplify a wedding is to keep the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception in a single building. Here’s how the three main spaces can work together. Confirm the timeline and any room changeovers with Jim Wood when you book.
The ceremony
The Main Auditorium seats up to 275 in rows, which is generous for most wedding guest lists. Rows can be set with an aisle down the middle, and the professional sound booth helps your vows, readings and music carry to every seat. If a grandparent can’t travel, the booth’s streaming capability lets them watch live.
The cocktail hour
The Welcome Lobby holds up to 200 guests standing, with a Guest Services desk that doubles as a card or gift table, plus blue linen couches and club chairs. The six high-top cocktail tables, with black linens or spandex, give guests a place to set a drink.
The reception dinner
For the meal, the auditorium seats 110 at a seated dinner using its thirteen 60-inch rounds. Place settings for 200 are included, with salad and dinner plates, full dinnerware, napkins and water glasses, and your caterer can work out of the kitchen. A projector for a photo slideshow and a sound system for toasts are already in the room.
Planning a smaller celebration? A commitment ceremony with 40 close friends or an intimate vow exchange fits the Multipurpose Room, which can be set auditorium-style for 50.
Pride-season parties, galas and milestone celebrations
Weddings aren’t the only reason Island City residents gather. The city’s Leisure Services department cites 40 annual special events, including the Annual Canoe Race, Wilton Wonderland and the Halloween Spooktackular, and the Wilton Manors Stonewall Festival each June draws roughly 20,000 to 30,000 people with a parade and street festival.
That energy spills over into private events: Pride-week brunches and dinners, community organization award nights, and fundraising galas for the nonprofits based in town. A gala can open with a reception in the lobby and move into the auditorium for dinner and a program with projection and a teleprompter for speakers.
Wilton Manors is also a city of grown-ups. The median age was 53.9 in the 2020 census, and 23.5% of residents were 65 or older. That makes anniversary dinners, 60th and 70th birthdays, retirement parties and celebrations of life common reasons to book a room. The rental page lists concerts and banquets among the events the auditorium welcomes; see the arts at CSL for the kind of performances the stage supports.
Which room fits your guest count?
These numbers come from the venue’s rental page and they’re the ones to plan around.
| Room | Size | Capacity | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Auditorium | 2,944 sq ft | 275 auditorium-style; 110 seated dinner | Ceremonies, reception dinners, galas, performances |
| Multipurpose Room | 1,026 sq ft | 70 cocktail-style; 50 auditorium-style; 40 conference-style | Intimate ceremonies, rehearsal gatherings, getting-ready space |
| Welcome Lobby | 1,418 sq ft | 200 cocktail-style | Cocktail hour, receptions, photo backdrop, mingling |
A quick way to read the table: if your guest list is under 110, you can seat everyone for dinner in the auditorium. Between 110 and 275, the auditorium works for the ceremony, and you’ll want to talk through reception options with Jim.
What’s included: tables, linens, place settings and the kitchen
Couples often underestimate how much a venue’s included inventory saves them in rentals and coordination. With the Main Auditorium you get:
- Thirteen 60-inch round tables seating 8 each, with basic linens
- Two 18×72-inch, six 30×96-inch and six 18×96-inch rectangular buffet tables, with basic linens
- Six 34×34-inch square card tables, handy for a guest book or gifts
- Six 24-inch round high-top cocktail tables with black linens or spandex
- Two blue linen couches, two blue linen club chairs and 275 tan banquet chairs
- Place settings for 200 and access to the kitchen
- Password-protected complimentary Wi-Fi
The kitchen has two microwave ovens, a commercial coffee maker, a double-door refrigerator and a commercial reach-in refrigerator with 26 tray holders, which is useful for keeping a cake and passed appetizers cold. Kitchen use carries no additional charge when you rent the Main Auditorium or Multipurpose Room.
Check wedding dates and room details
Planning tip: Ask your photographer to scout the Welcome Lobby during your walk-through. Its open floor makes a natural spot for a step-and-repeat or a draped backdrop, so guests get their photos as they arrive instead of crowding the dance floor later.
Planning checklist for a Wilton Manors wedding or celebration
- Settle your guest count range and whether dinner will be seated or a standing reception, then compare layouts on the venue rental page.
- Choose two or three possible dates, keeping Stonewall Festival weekend in mind.
- Call Jim Wood at 954-566-2868 to check availability and request a quote.
- Ask Jim to walk you through policies on décor, food and beverage, timing and vendors.
- Map your day: ceremony in the auditorium, cocktail hour in the lobby, dinner in the auditorium, and confirm the changeover plan.
- If you want music, a slideshow or a livestream, share the details so the Center’s AV team can plan staffing and quote any fees.
- Share the kitchen equipment list with your caterer.
- Send guests the address and let them know parking is on site.
- Book a walk-through for you, your planner and your photographer.
Picking your date around June and the rest of the calendar
June is Pride month, and Stonewall Festival weekend fills Wilton Drive with tens of thousands of visitors. That’s a wonderful reason to celebrate, and also a reason to plan carefully: the streets around Wilton Drive fill up, and guests may arrive later than you expect. If you want a Pride-weekend party, call early and tell guests to leave extra travel time.
For a calmer wedding day, consider dates away from the big festival weekends. Weekday or Sunday evening events can also be a good fit for smaller groups. Either way, the first call is the same: give Jim a date range and see what’s open.
Many couples also like to know who runs the building before they commit. Read about the community behind the venue on our beliefs page. Your ceremony doesn’t need to be religious; the rental page lists weddings alongside concerts, conferences and parties.
Parking and arrival for guests coming from Wilton Manors
On-site parking holds up to 150 vehicles. For a 110-guest dinner that’s comfortable, and for a 275-guest ceremony, encourage couples and households to ride together or use rideshare.
Put the full address on your invitation: 4849 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park, FL 33334. Guests coming from the Island City simply head north. If some of your family lives in Oakland Park itself, see our guide to an Oakland Park event space. Couples planning a beach-adjacent weekend can read about celebrations near Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and downtown planners can see our Fort Lauderdale event venue guide. For drive times from all of Broward, use our countywide venue guide.
Frequently asked questions
How far is the venue from Wilton Manors?
The Center for Spiritual Living is about 6 minutes and 2.1 miles from central Wilton Manors, via Northeast 6th Avenue and North Dixie Highway. That’s a typical drive time, not adjusted for traffic, so allow extra time on busy weekend nights.
Do you host same-sex weddings and commitment ceremonies?
The Center welcomes events of every kind and every background, and weddings, receptions and anniversaries are among the events listed on its rental page. Call Jim Wood at 954-566-2868 to talk through your ceremony and check dates.
How many guests can the Center for Spiritual Living hold?
The Main Auditorium seats up to 275 auditorium-style or 110 for a seated dinner. The Welcome Lobby holds up to 200 cocktail-style, and the Multipurpose Room holds 70 cocktail-style, 50 auditorium-style or 40 conference-style.
Can we hold the ceremony and reception in the same building?
Yes, the building has separate spaces that suit each part of the day: the auditorium for the ceremony and dinner and the Welcome Lobby for a cocktail hour. Jim Wood will help you plan the timeline and any room changeovers.
Are tables, chairs and linens included?
With the Main Auditorium, the rental includes thirteen 60-inch round tables with basic linens, buffet and card tables, high-top cocktail tables, 275 banquet chairs and place settings for 200. The Multipurpose Room includes its own set of tables, 50 chairs and a whiteboard.
Can we stream our wedding for family who can’t attend?
The Main Auditorium has a professional sound and video booth with projection and streaming capabilities, staffed by the Center’s team. Ask Jim Wood about equipment and operator fees when you request a quote.
How do I get a rental quote and check dates?
Pricing is by inquiry. Call Jim Wood, Director of Operations, at 954-566-2868 for availability and a quote, or reach out through the contact page.
The best way to picture your day is to walk the rooms. Call Jim Wood, Director of Operations, at 954-566-2868 to set up a tour, or contact us online with your date and guest count. It’s a six-minute drive from the Island City.
