Over the course of 12+ years and over 9,000 Weddings performed on the beach – we have learned a few things.  We make these recommendations available here in the FAQ’s section, via phone/email support, or meeting in person.  More importantly, we have learned what ‘not to do’!  For example, Saturday mid-day or even early afternoon is not the best time for a wedding (beach goers, parking, traffic, etc.).  We instead recommend before 11am or after 5pm to avoid the busiest time of the day on Saturday/Holidays during High Season (March – November).  If you will be in town for the week, we highly recommend Monday – Thursday (non-holiday weeks)!  Further, the only way to have a completely private location would be on Private Property facing the Gulf of Mexico (this typically requires the homeowner/management company to obtain the permit). All set up materials and chairs are taken down following the ceremony as all municipalities require us to be off the beach and out of the park by ‘dusk.’

We recommend all guests seated during the ceremony.  There are several reasons for this:  Line of Sight for the Photographer and overall organization of the event/ceremony.  Therefore, if you are expecting 20 Guests = 20 Chairs.  Children would be personal preference and we recommend ‘Beach Wheelchairs’ which can be booked direct through an outside vendor for elderly guests or those not able to walk on the sand.

Certain locations are more private than others – we do our best to represent these here (Tampa Beach Ratings – Destin Beach Ratings).  The Permit obtained does not guarantee us a location, allow us to rope off the beach/reserve parking, block off the boardwalk, and/or guarantee any amount of privacy.  All of the locations we service are located in Public Beach & Neighborhood Access points, therefore not Private Beach.  If you have specific questions regarding this, please don’t hesitate to call/email us anytime.

Yes, of course! Feel free to add readings, prayers, poems to your liking. You may choose your own ceremony to include family and friends – this is often recommended during the ‘Unity Sand’ portion.

Please provide us with a printable word document of your ceremony via email 2-weeks prior (we will make sure everything flows and sounds right)!

This is a fun way to include family members, but also add personal vows to really make your Wedding Day unique!

Our Wedding Packages are designed to be All-Inclusive in Nature. However, as we move toward more Fully-Custom Offerings – there is simply no way to eliminate these additions/upgrades, etc. This is also what makes it more fun – you can completely Customize Your Beach Wedding Ceremony specific to your style and taste! Please Check out our proprietary Beach WeddingStudio: Dream Beach WeddingStudio

Permits: These are not included with the Wedding Packages we offer, since each Municipality has a different set of Rules & Regulations, thus Permit Requirements.  The Beach Ratings’ Pages offer this in more detail and are automatically integrated to the Wedding Package as you make your selections:  Tampa Beach Ratings – Destin Beach Ratings

There is absolutely no additional charge for any of these! Unity Sand and/or Blessing Stones are a fun addition and included with all of our Wedding Packages.

All locations are subject to Public Parking.  Certain locations include the Entrance Fee (Henderson Beach State Park for example) however, we are not allowed to reserve parking spots.  For this reason, we have recommended time frames for everyone to arrive:  Ceremony Timeline.  Further, we recommend avoiding the middle of the day on Saturday/Holiday weekends (+$150 Premium).  Most locations have metered parking and can range from $2.50-4/hour or a flat fee ($5-25) for the day.  Please Contact Us if you have specific questions in this regard.

Technically No (as a rule of thumb). However, Yes at some locations.  Please Contact Us or the Beach Municipality to confirm.

Yes – the PA System is included with all of our Wedding Packages. Please confirm ahead of time so we set out the appropriate Microphone and extension chord!  We do offer several instruments for Live Music if this is of interest: Wedding Music

We do offer rehearsal services conducted by an Officiant and takes place the afternoon prior to the ceremony. The cost for a rehearsal is $250 for all beach locations (+$50 for Travel outside Okaloosa & Pinellas Counties).  This pays for the Officiant’s time and travel. We will conduct a full rehearsal and ‘run through’ of the ceremony only (music and decor will not be provided). Typically, this is not necessary unless you have a very large wedding party (more than 8-10) as we are able to go over everything the day of the ceremony when you arrive at the beach. The main benefit for electing to have a rehearsal is to determine the approximate wedding location, flow from the parking lot, staging area, and other site specific requirements. Keep in mind the Wedding Dreams Package and above includes the dedicated ‘Wedding Coordinator’ at the ceremony who will direct and coordinate your guests. Beach weddings are typically more casual and the ceremony is very straight forward in terms of its coordination. Please note the beach may be more or less crowded the day of the actual event (For Example: A rehearsal conducted on Friday afternoon will have far less beach goers than the following Saturday time frame).

Here is the link to our Online Templates: Ceremony/Vows

Yes, you may use your own officiant. An Officiant Waiver Form is required.

Keep in mind our Officiates are familiar with The Order of Ceremony for our specific Company. This may differ should you decide to have a friend/family perform the same. If you use your own officiant we are not responsible for any aspect of the ceremony, guest control, signs or marriage license information.

We have a number of professionals who have been doing Wedding Ceremonies for decades. Many are former Pastors, Non-Denominational Ministers, Notary’s, and Rabbi’s. Please inquire should you have any further questions!

Rabbi’s and Priests have a different fee structure than what is included with our packages.  Based on availability, the fee for the Rabbi and Priest is to be discussed and paid direct. Often, many Priests do charge significantly more than your Pastor/Non-Denominational minister ($350-1,500 just to give you an idea on pricing).

We do have 1 priest on-staff who is a retired reverend that can be requested – please Contact Us for availability.

We have a number of Outside Vendors (Photographers, Videographers, Live Musician, etc.) that are all Professional and wonderful to work with.  These can be added to the base wedding package.

You are more than welcome to use your own Vendors as you see fit – keep in mind we are not responsible for any service provided for outside vendors, booked or paid for direct.

Due to the cost of just about everything going up (Gas, Materials, Insurance, Hiring & Training, Travel associated) we have seen our costs rise dramatically since the beginning of 2021 and into 2024.  Across the board, everything we do has increased 10-50% in some instances.  Further, many of the setup crew, coordinators, and vendors do not live directly on the beach (this is particularly True in the Destin area as many come from within a 25 mile radius). Therefore, to offer the same high-quality personnel/experience at a fraction of the hotel and competitor rates – many of our Team Members travel in.  We simply pass this savings on to the customer directly, only adding a small travel cost associated to your wedding.  This is automatically updated as you make selections during checkout (i.e. no hidden fees!).  Just another way Gulf Beach Weddings has found a way to offer the best to its clients!

The deposit plus any fees spent on your behalf for items and/or services associated with your wedding are non-refundable.  The deposit is paid to individuals, municipalities and companies to reserve the date, time, permits and services at the time of booking. This includes but is not limited to permits, flowers, cakes, supplies, outside deposits to specialty vendors (Officiate, Setup Crew, City / County Permit, Photographer, Videographer, Live Musician) Marketing, and Office Work, etc. to reserve the date, time, permit and venue on your behalf. The deposit is forfeited as part of holding the date, time and location.

We are able to postpone the wedding once, schedule permitting, moving the date/time/location out for up to 365 days (See Below). Please consult us in this regard as we will need to move all vendors/bookings to the new date all at once and this is handled on a case-by-base basis. Within 90 days of the original booked date, the total amount is non-refundable – this includes all outside vendors.  If cancellations are made within 90-days, the couple agree to hold harmless and release all further financial, legal, reviews associated, Chargebacks, PayPal Disputes, Gulf Beach Weddings LLC and its associates and ancillary vendors/employees from all further obligation.  All wedding deposits and payments are non-transferrable.  Vendor payments outside of 90-days forfeit a $150 deposit per vendor, inside of 90-days all payments sent to booked vendors are non-refundable.  We encourage couples to purchase Wedding Insurance via Travelers Link (Rates Chart – Brochure). Event Insurance is also available when reserving the Affordable Banquet Reception Hall (Link).

Here is the link: Cancellation Policy

When a postponement occurs, we are essentially planning two weddings in this regard. Any changes to the original registration date will incur a minimum of the following: $175 reschedule + the cost of a new applicable permit(s) associated.