Brides and grooms from across the country are flocking to our beaches to say their vows.
As you know, TripAdvisor ranked Sarasota’s Siesta Key the best beach in the country for 2017, and St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach followed close behind at number 4 and 5. There are more top-ranked beaches in the Tampa region than in all of California and Hawaii combined.
But with so many beaches in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties, a couple planning a wedding in our region can easily be overwhelmed by the options.The question ‘What beaches are ideal for a wedding?’ is not an easy one to answer. It all depends on what is most important to the couple.
The Gulf Beach Wedding Beach Rating System simplifies the process. https://gulfbeachweddings.com/
We have compiled vital logistical information for more than 30 area beaches into one chart so couples can see ideal wedding size, permit fees, sand ratings, privacy, costs for parking, reception locations and numbers of boardwalks for each beach.
Each couple is different. To some, all they want is the legendary white sand squishing through their toes as they say ‘I do,’ and for them, we would recommend Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island. For a couple who wants privacy, Upham Beach at St. Pete Beach North is the ideal spot. And a couple who wants to work with a hotel in the planning, the Doubletree location at Redington Beach may be perfect.
But there is no way a bride-to-be could suss out all the information in just a few hours of online research and phone calls. That is why we have compiled all the vital statistics of area beaches into one chart.
Just because our region has some of the world’s best beaches does not mean each spot is perfect for a wedding. And just because a Tampa area beach is not on TripAdvisor’s top ten does not mean it is not a perfect spot to say ‘I do.’
The Gulf Beach Wedding Beach Rating system highlights the strengths of each site and can help beaches with less-prevalent web presences get their name out there as brides and grooms pick their spots.
Destination weddings are growing in popularity — more than 20 percent of couples who got married in 2015 chose to have a destination wedding, according to The Knot’s annual survey of over 18,000 brides. The Tampa tourism industry stands ready to host brides and grooms, their families, their friends, their pets – whoever wants to come, we’ll take them!
