Planning a Destination wedding in Florida

I'm doing a DW, one state over. Is it possible for you to visit the area once you are ready to book venues? We took a day, drove 5 hours down, spent 5 hours at venues and then drove back. It was key to making our decision because some stuff you have to see in person to really appreciate. I have emailed all vendors to inquire about pricing and to get quotes. I like it because everything is documented. We had a Skype meeting with our officiant and it went so well we booked her. It can be done OP. The vendor tab is your friend! ETA this website helped tons when we were trying to decide where to have the wedding. http://www.wedding-spot.com/wedding-venues/Florida/

I am hoping to be able to fly down to Florida in early spring to be able to check a few places out. One concern that I do have, is applying for a marriage license and what the process is behind it.

Florida is big. What part?

You will have to Google the marriage license offices of the county you choose. We are getting married in San Diego and theirs are good for 90 days, so we will go down ahead of time and get it. How far from Florida are you?

We live in Minnesota, so quite the distance.

As far as the location in Florida, I am thinking in the Port Charlottet area.

I'm getting married in FL and I would say double check the county you're getting married in but people getting married in FL who are from out of state, you can apply & get a marriage license and immediately get married. If you're a FL resident you have to wait 3 days after you apply for marriage license.

Florida is not county specific. You can get the license at any county courthouse and use it anywhere in the state. Cost is approx. $95. You'll need to show photo ID, give them your SSN, and date any previous marriage ended. Florida residents have a 3-day waiting period, but non-residents do not. The license is good for 60 days and must be returned to the courthouse within 10 days after the wedding. The courthouses are closed for MLKing Day.

Book your accommodations; book your officiant & photographer. If you have a small group, you can have your reception/dinner at a restaurant.

I have a tip sheet for planning a beach wedding. E-mail me (******@****************.***) for a copy.

First decide where in Florida. I live in Florida; its huge. Pricing can change drastically depending on where you decide so look into that. FaceTime is awesome to meet vendors that you can't meet in person. I would suggest taking a trip to book your venue, pictures can be deceiving. Your venue will guide all of your future plans. Happy planning!!

We are having a destination wedding in Florida as well! I will say if you can do the mini trip down to either book vendors or meet with them after you book them it is very helpful. We did that in May and it took a huge weight off my chest. Good luck and congrats!!

I'm having a DW in Destin, FL. My FH and I went down in February and met with planner, caterer, venue, photographer, etc. The biggest advice I can give you is..HIRE A PLANNER. Ours is literally doing everything from the beach set up for ceremony, to everything for the reception set up. He's a godsend and I would have lost my mind by now without him. Good luck

I live in Florida as well. It is more expensive the further south you go. I live in the Northeast and pricing is not bad at all and we have little touristy towns as well as beaches if that's what you're looking for. You can get a marriage license with no wait from any county courthouse. I love Florida and will never live anywhere else so I understand why you want to get married here. Happy planning!

I'm getting married in St. Pete on the beach (it's North of Port Charlotte). I live 2 hours away from where we are getting married and we decided to use a wedding company! It has been completely stress free and in our budget. We are using Suncoast Weddings and I would recommend them over and over!!

Florida attorney here: licenses are valid for 60 days and there is a 3 day waiting period for in-state residents but a waiver of the waiting period for out-of-state residents.

We are also planning our wedding in Florida. We are looking at resorts in the St. Pete Beach area. I'll be emailing venues in the next few weeks and we'll be going down in January to check them out in person. I would recommend doing the same if you have the means to visit in person. Happy planning!!

Thank you all for your help!

I booked mine using Tide the Knot. They are based out of Tampa and can go to many surrounding areas like Clearwater, st. Pete Beach, ect. We are having ours on Pass-a-grille beach and they have been AMAZING to work with. Tidetheknotbeachweddings.com

I'm doing this too. We're getting married near St. Pete, on the beach. There are tons of companies that can put together a basic ceremony package for you, and some can do mini cake and punch receptions too. We're just having our ceremony co-ordinated and are planning a full evening reception ourselves.

We are doing our DW at Disney World in Orlando (well, Lake Buena Vista). We plan on taking advantage of the premarital counseling discount on the marriage license and getting it by mail ahead of time, so it's one less thing we have to do once we get down there for the wedding itself.

We also will have a planning session 6 months prior where we will go over things, but that's Disney-specific.

We are doing a DW in Treasure Island (near St.Pete) . We made two 1-day trips to FL to check venues and that helped a lot. We both work for an airline so just flying in for the day to do this wasn't a big deal to us. After the venue was booked, I started calling and emailing the vendors that my venue recommended and slowly things started coming together. A lot of venues give recommendations for vendors so that helps plus the vendor tab on WW helps too. Breathe! U got this!

We had a destination wedding in Sarasota on Lido Beach in July. The reception was at the Holiday Inn, Lido Beach Sand Dollar Dining Room across the street from the beach with a view of the water,. AMAZING! Megan is the event coordinator there... She is FANTASTIC.. Hair and Makeup team I had.. Loved! Photographer I had LOVED! The food was great!!! It is a short walking distance from a lovely area called St. Armand circle with tons of shops and amazing restaurants. Our guests lovedddddd the place. Highly recommend.