Beach Weddings in Florida

By Julie Landry Laviolette

What’s more romantic than a beach wedding? Imagine gently swaying palm trees, the lull of the surf and cool sand beneath your toes as you exchange vows.

Let your love story unfold with a sun-kissed ceremony on a Florida beach. With 825 miles of beaches offering natural, timeless beauty, there’s lots to choose from.

Here are some popular Florida beach areas that can add a dreamy backdrop to your big day.

Amelia Island

A tranquil combination of Southern charm, historic roots and small-town friendliness, Amelia Island sits on Florida’s northeast coast. No permit is required for a beach wedding, and there are more than 40 public beach access points.

Just 30 miles from Jacksonville, Amelia Island has a charming downtown in Fernandina Beach (where you can take a horse-drawn carriage tour) and a smattering of picturesque bed-and-breakfasts, as well as luxury resorts.
Have a ceremony on the sands at Fort Clinch State Park or get white-glove service at a sophisticated venue like The Ritz Carlton or the Omni Amelia Island Resort, which offer private beaches. Take a romantic horseback ride on the sand or pose for pictures under massive oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.
The Amelia Island Tourist Development Council offers a handy wedding guide to help you get started.

The Florida Keys

When you think of a tropical beach wedding, what comes to mind more than the Florida Keys? From laid-back to lavish, the keys offer prime choices to make your special day one of a kind. Monroe County has these wedding guidelines.

Key Largo is closest to Miami International Airport, with a small beach at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, where you can marry before taking a cruise on a glass-bottom boat. Or try Dream Bay Resort, which has three beach areas and a concrete pier.
In the Middle Keys, find unspoiled beachfront at Long Key State Park and Curry Hammock State Park. You’ll find lavish accommodations and upscale wedding services at Hawk’s Cay Resort or Cheeca Lodge & Spa. The Lower Keys features Bahia Honda State Park, with three beaches and rental pavilions.
Key West offers an easy-going, island vibe that’s unmatched. For A-to-Z beachfront wedding services, check out Sunset Key Cottages, Weddings To Go Key West, Fort Zachary Taylor State Park (a popular place to catch the sunset) and Southernmost Beach Resort Key West.
If you want exclusive, Little Palm Island is America’s only private island resort, with thatched roof bungalows and over-the-top elegance. A personal wedding planner can design your day, big or small.

Destin/Fort Walton

Destin and Fort Walton Beach in the Florida panhandle boast emerald waters, white sand beaches and romantic sunsets as backdrops for your big day, with spectacular waterside locations. Permits are required in Okaloosa County for weddings on public grounds. Many Destin resorts and Fort Walton Beach resorts offer beach weddings.

Henderson Beach State Park can accommodate up to 250 guests on a private stretch of reserved beach, plus there are lighted pavilions that can be reserved.
John Beasley Park offers a natural setting with scenic sand dunes, wildflowers and wildlife. There are short boardwalks leading to the sand.
James Lee Park, on a picturesque, sugar-white sand beach, can accommodate 50 to 80 guests.

Fort Lauderdale

Craving an extravagant beach experience or a simple, classic ceremony? Greater Fort Lauderdale in Southeast Florida has a collection of small beach cities, each with its own personality, to make it easy to secure your perfect spot along the coastline. There are miles of oceanfront beach resorts, or coordinate with your city of choice directly:

There’s easygoing Dania Beach, which sits next to a state park and has a fishing pier. Permits are $100.
Deerfield Beach offers two rental sites on boardwalks on the beach, with a discount for residents. The Wyndham Deerfield Beach Resort offers wedding planning and is on the ocean.
Fort Lauderdale beach weddings do not require a permit, but allow weddings on a first-come, first-served basis on the beach between NE 19^th Street and SE 3^rd Street. Couples are welcome to bring chairs, a runner and a bridal arch for the ceremony. Upscale resorts with wedding services include B Ocean Resort Fort Lauderdale, the Pelican Grand Beach Resort and Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa.
Hollywood Beach has a popular wide, walkable and bikeable “Broadwalk” that stretches nearly two and a half miles along the ocean. It was named one of America’s Best Beach Boardwalks by Travel + Leisure magazine. Permits start at $260. Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort and the Hollywood Beach Marriott are two oceanfront resorts with indoor and outdoor event spaces.
Pompano Beach has four scenic locations for a beach wedding, including one that offers stunning views of the historic Hillsboro Lighthouse and one near its popular pier. Beach wedding permits are $150.

Fort Myers area

On the Gold Coast of southwest Florida, the greater Fort Myers area has warm, tranquil gulf waters and golden sand on Fort Myers Beach, plus plenty of accommodations for your guests. On the barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva, the pace is a little slower, and weddings can be cozy and intimate or luxe and large, whatever your dream day looks like. Lee County has these wedding guidelines.

Fort Myers Beach weddings can be tailored to your taste, with many resorts and eateries specializing in beach ceremonies. Check out Pink Shell Beach Resort, Margaritaville Beach Resort, Lovers Key Resort, or Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille.
On lovely Sanibel Island and Captiva Island, you’ll be enchanted by the white sands and easygoing feel. Info on beach weddings can be found at the SanCap Chamber, Sanibel Captiva Weddings and Beach Weddings Made Simple of SW Florida. Resorts include the historic Casa Ybel Resort, which has hosted weddings for more than a century and Sundial Beach Resort & Spa, with a beach reception area, gulf-front terrace and ballroom with panoramic views.

St. Pete Beach

St. Petersburg has an artsy charm, with museums and art galleries, and St. Pete Beach has a variety of venues from historic to luxurious that specialize in weddings. Pinellas County wedding guidelines can be found here.

The legendary Don CeSar Hotel, also known as the iconic “Pink Palace,” features 38,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space right on the white sugar sand beach.
The Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club, near St. Pete Beach, is a secluded private club overlooking Boca Ciega Bay. A paved walkway to a gazebo allows for a beach wedding without having to walk in the sand.
Tradewinds Island Resorts can accommodate weddings up to 700, with 700 guest rooms, tropical courtyards and beachfront terraces.

Siesta Key

A favorite of Dr. Beach, who has rated Siesta Key Beach his No. 1 beach in America several times, this family-friendly spot on the Gulf is perfect for a ceremony on the sand. This beach is unique in that its white sand is made of quartz, giving it a cool feel under your toes. Located in Sarasota County, here is some info about beach wedding guidelines.

Siesta Key public beach has three wedding zones on the sand, and a Gulf Wave Pavilion for rent.
Tropical Breeze Resort, nestled in the heart of this tropical paradise, has two outdoor reception spaces and beach access for the ceremony.
Planners like Florida Beach Weddings, Florida Sun Weddings, Tide the Knot Beach Weddings and Gulf Beach Weddings can help coordinate details.

Cocoa Beach

With six miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches, Cocoa Beach on the Space Coast is the closest beach to Orlando and the perfect place for an intimate wedding with minimal fuss.

The city of Cocoa Beach has three oceanfront parks with restrooms and easy parking access. There is Alan Shepard Park, Lori Wilson Park and Sidney Fischer Park. The beach ceremony permit fee is $50.
Westgate Cocoa Beach Resort is about one and a half miles from the Cocoa Beach Pier, a popular wedding site, and can coordinate shuttles to and from the pier. Hilton Garden Inn Cocoa Beach Oceanfront and Ocean Landings Resort also offer full-service planning and reception space for beach weddings.

Palm Beach

Glamorous, chic Palm Beach, at the top of South Florida on the state’s southeast coast, offers gorgeous waterfronts and high-end accommodations. Its 47 miles of oceanfront coastline has plenty of wedding locales with breathtaking backdrops.

Palm Beach public beaches do not require permits for beach weddings.
For private access to beachfront and ultra elegance, check out Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, the only all-suite beachfront property in Palm Beach County.
Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, a Forbes five-star rated resort and spa, is known for its private beach, indulgent spa and luxe setting.
Founded in 1896, The Breakers, a favorite of the wealthy during The Gilded Age, offers private beachfront, sumptuous ballrooms and refined finishing touches to your day.

Longboat Key

This peaceful paradise, a sliver of a barrier island west of Sarasota and Bradenton in southwest Florida, Longboat Key has 12 miles of white sand beaches, luxury resorts and upscale dining. Wedding guidelines and permit information can be found here.

Longboat Key’s beaches are private, offering an intimate setting to celebrate your love. The key’s Chamber of Commerce has a referral network of wedding professionals.
The Resort at Longboat Key Club specializes in serene beach weddings with outdoor receptions. The resort also has an elegant ballroom with sweeping outdoor views.
Zota Beach Resort has a secluded island ambiance and flexible contemporary, artistic event space for 20 to 150 guests.

Miami

Miami’s cosmopolitan landscape includes a world-famous Art Deco district, classy nightclubs and an upscale foodie scene. But the sophisticated city is also fringed by wide, golden sand beaches with a carefree attitude. Miami-Dade wedding permit info can be found here.

Miami Beach, a slender, nine-mile long barrier island along the Atlantic Ocean, offers North Beach Oceanside Park Beach, with stunning coastal views as well as greenspaces. Miami Beach permit info is here.
Sophisticated resorts lining Miami Beach specialize in upscale weddings on the sand. Take W South Beach, which has a private beach for a toes-in-the-sand ceremony, plus event space in its baroque garden and poolside cabanas. Or try The Palms Hotel & Spa in Mid Beach for private beach access and a tropical garden.
Key Biscayne is a quiet little island just a 20-minute drive from Miami, with Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and Crandon Park offering a laid-back vibe to a beach wedding.