Beach Wedding in South Florida

A beach wedding is a great way to get married in Florida!

One of the great things about getting married in South Florida is the ability to get married right on the beach.  It’s a beautiful setting, lends itself to amazing photos, and, when done well, is extremely memorable for the couple and their guests.

A few things to consider before planning a beach wedding:

1. How many people are invited? If you’re planning a small beach wedding, you could easily just plan to get together at the beach and have your officiant marry you right at the water’s edge (or in the water if you’re up for it!) without any special set-up.  As long as your guests can gather comfortably, they won’t be expecting a chair or a sound system for the beach wedding ceremony.  However, once you get past about 20 guests, you may want to think about providing chairs and making sure the wedding officiant is mic’d for sound so that everyone can hear him.
2. How close is your reception going to be? Once, I performed a beach wedding where the guests had to drive 40 minutes to the reception location.  Don’t get me wrong — this can happen with weddings that occur just about anywhere, but it seems very prevalent at a beach wedding.  Keep your guests in mind as you plan the transition from beach wedding ceremony to cocktails and beyond.  Look for hotels or resorts that will allow you to use their beach as part of a reception package — they might even set up chairs for you (see #1 above)!
3. Thinking about a candle ceremony at the beach?  Maybe it’s time to think of some other options…
4. Do you need a permit? If you’re using a public beach for your beach wedding, small affairs can (usually) get away without one, but you don’t want your ceremony interrupted by the beach patrol.  Check with the local municipality and see what they require.  If it’s a private beach, you just need the blessings of whoever owns the land.
5. And finally, Have a back-up plan. Weather at the beach is notoriously fickle, especially in the summer.  A covered option may prove to be what saves your ceremony and your sanity!

I’ve performed hundreds of ceremonies, most of which have taken place on one of Florida’s beautiful sandy beaches.  If you need a wedding officiant who knows how to connect you to your ceremony (and the ceremony to the sand and surf), feel free to contact me at Dominic@SouthFloridaGetsMarried.com or (954)667-SFGM.  I’d love to make your beach wedding a perfect part of your special day!