Services:
Established:	2003
Employees:	1

Elegant Sarasota Weddings & Special Event members are a group of our area's most qualified and respected professionals serving the bridal industry and performing special events. Membership is by invitation only based on positive experiences and recommendations of the area's most reputable professionals. We consider our members to be the most highly qualified and most respected in the industry.

MAR 7 Bridal Show 1:00 PM-4:00 PM

Elegant Sarasota Weddings 2010 Bridal Show   Hosted By: Elegant Sarasota Weddings A Moment to Launch a Lifetime (more) The Chelsea Center 2506 Gulf Gate Drive Sarasota, FL 34231

Elaine's Bridal Boutique	You will not find a group of more professional Wedding Vendors than in the Elegant Sarasota Wedding Network.
Rev. Georgeann Butler	I am happy to be associated with this group of Professional Wedding Vendors. Every member is dedicated to making your Wedding Day as special as it can be. You can book these professionals with confidence.

How to Plan a Small Wedding

It can be a real challenge to plan a successful small wedding. With creative thinking and good planning, even a small wedding can be turned into the highlight of the social calendar.

How should we define a small wedding? Usually the size of wedding relates to the number of wedding guests. There's no universal agreement of how many people constitute a small number of guests. Some would clearly consider anything less than a couple of hundred small, others think less than a round hundred makes for a small wedding. Of course most of us would agree that a truly small wedding is when you choose to simply ask family and very close friends.

Whatever cut off you choose, a small wedding should be an intimate wedding, so here are some tips:

The Place:

Where is best to celebrate a small wedding? More often than not weddings take place in a synagogue, a church or similar place of religious worship. Later the wedding party might go to a reception in a banqueting hall. There are plenty of other options however. In fact, for a genuinely small wedding you might find any of the above settings overpoweringly grand. Your guests might rattle around and look lost. Some reception venues will only take booking for upwards of 120 people in any case so you might not be able to use such places even if you wanted to. This isn't a problem however - it's an opportunity!

Small weddings fit beautifully in gardens or restaurants, can be charming in historic inns, historic homes or in a nice bed and breakfasts. Wedding chapels and meditation chapels are often fitting locations for a small wedding. You can also be quite innovative using a museum or a boat or trains. Small, unusual places may not go out of their way to publicize themselves as wedding locations, so do some background work. What's the harm in asking? Given how many locations may hold a small wedding, why not search out one that reflects who you are as a couple?

What Kind of Ceremony?

It's easier to make a break from tradition with a small wedding.
Throw some ideas about and see what you come up with... here are some ideas to kick off with:

1. Instead of the formality of the wedding march, why not have a some drinks and snacks.
2. Make a toast to signal the beginning and everyone can go to their seats.
3. Give members of the family an aisle seat and have them hold a flower.
4. As the bride makes her way to the alter each flower goes to make up the bouquet. What a lovely metaphor for the way a family makes the wedding.
5. The wedding can feel special, and the guest close to the bridal couple, if everyone stands during the proceedings.
6. Have readings given by the family.
7. You could ask some of the guests to say something about the bride and groom. A precious memory or a funny tale to keep things nice and light.
8. Give some space to an old (or new) tradition in your family that perhaps doesn't always get included in family weddings. It's a way adding and extra dimension of
     history to the service.
9. Give all the guests a little booklet about the wedding that you have prepared yourself. Include in it an explication of what the wedding signifies for you and include nice,
    personal messages to the guests.
10. Be you own usher - After the ceremony take the ushers job so you can speak to everyone and give them your thanks in person.

Leave an entire page of the guest book for each guest - with a small wedding you don't need to worry about running out of space in the book!

Applying for a Marriage License in Florida

If you've just set a date for your wedding, this can be an exciting time for the two of you! Don't let the marriage license laws of Florida put a dent in your wedding plans.
Here's what you need to know and what documents to bring with you before you apply for a Florida marriage license. We recommend getting this legal aspect of your wedding out of the way about a month before your wedding date.

Congratulations and much happiness as you begin your lifetime journey together!

Requirements may vary as each county in Florida could have their own requirements:

Residency Requirement: You do not have to be a resident of Florida.
ID Requirement: Florida requires that you have a picture ID such as a driver's license and your Social Security card or a valid passport number, or I-94 card. You may be asked for a certified copy of your birth certificate.
Previous Marriages: If you have been previously married, the date of your divorce or date of your spouse's death must be supplied. If the divorce or spouse's death occurred within the past 30 days, a certified copy of the divorce decree or death certificate is required.  Couples who have completed a state-sanctioned marriage preparation course within the past 12 months are entitled to a discount.
Other Tests: None
Proxy Marriages: No
Cousin Marriages: Yes
Common Law Marriages: No
Same Sex Marriages: No
Under 18: If an individual is under 18 years of age, but older than 16 years of age, a marriage license can be obtained with parental consent. If a parent has sole custody or the other parent is dead, the permission of one parent is sufficient. If a person is under the age of 16, the marriage license has to be issued by a county judge, with or without parental permission. If a minor's parents are both deceased and there is not an appointed guardian, he/she may apply for a marriage license. A minor who has been previously married may also apply for a license. A minor who swears that they have a child or are expecting a baby, can apply for a license if the pregnancy has been verfied by a written statement from a licensed physician. A county court judge may at his/her discretion issue or not issue a license for them to marry.
Officiants: Any ordained or licensed clergy, notary publics, and justices of the peace.
Miscellaneous: License is valid for sixty (60) days.

Copy of Certificate of Marriage:

Department of Children and Families
Division of Vital Statistics
P. O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042
904-359-6955

PLEASE NOTE:
State and county marriage license requirements often change. The above information is for guidance only and should not be regarded as legal advice.
It is important that you verify all information with your local marriage license office or county clerk before making any wedding or travel plans.