How to Get Married on Siesta Key Beach

Whether you're planning a destination wedding or live nearby, Siesta Key Beach, near Sarasota, Florida, is a beautiful location that can provide the perfect backdrop to your ceremony. There are several steps you'll need to take to plan your wedding on Siesta Key Beach. Plan to arrive in Florida a few days prior to your wedding to finalize any last-minute arrangements.

Things You'll Need

• Driver's license or other forms of identification, including Social Security card or passport
• Proof of divorce, if previously married
• Rings

Instructions

Six Months to a Year Before the Wedding

1. Scout the location for your ceremony. If you can, you should visit Siesta Key Beach in person and choose the location for the ceremony and reception. Siesta Key Beach is known as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, with white powder sand and shallow blue waters, making it a dream setting for a wedding. There are a number of public access points to the beach, some of which have gazebos, picnic tables and other facilities that are available to the public without a reservation. If you want to make a reservation, however, you can call [phone]. It's a good idea to visit around the time of year and time of day that you want to hold your wedding ceremony, to get an idea of what the light will be like for photographs, as well as to get a sense of what the weather will be like.

2. Choose your accommodations. If you are planning a destination wedding on Siesta Key Beach, you should choose the accommodations for yourself and your guests, or at least provide them with a list of nearby, recommended places to stay. Midnight Pass Road runs along the center of the island and there are dozens of resorts and vacation rentals to be found along this main drag. The choices range from beach cottages to large condominiums, so choose the one that best suits you and make your reservations early. Remember that winter is usually the busiest season for tourists here and that summer is the off-season, when beaches are more crowded with locals than out-of-towners. Your best bet for bargain rates is during the hot summer months.

3. Choose the location for your reception. Most large reception halls or hotels with large ballrooms are located across the bay in Sarasota. If you want to plan everything on Siesta Key, you have several options. Some beach rentals, especially condo units, have barbecue areas or poolside areas that may be available for receptions. If you want a low-key reception and don't want alcohol at the wedding, then you can plan a relaxed reception at the beach immediately following the ceremony. Call the parks service at [phone] to reserve picnic tables or gazebos if you want to be sure there is room for your guests and refreshments. Another option is to reserve space at a local restaurant following your beach ceremony. Many restaurants are willing to accommodate large parties for private events, but it helps to contact them ahead of time to be sure they have room for you.
   If you visit Siesta Key ahead of time, you should visit locations to be sure that the environment and food are to your liking and also to understand that space that will be available to you, so you can coordinate details like where to put the cake, if you can bring in a DJ and so on. If you decide to hold the reception in a location that does not provide food, see Resources for local catering contacts and be sure to meet with several and schedule tastings when you go on a scouting visit. Once you've finished your visits and tastings and made your choice, you may want to consider booking your second-choice location for the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding, if you decide to have one.

4. Make your guest list. If you are planning a destination wedding, keep in mind that this is, in essence, a vacation for your guests too. Your friends and relatives will have to spend money on travel, accommodations and food while they're in Siesta Key for your wedding, and for some, a beach vacation might not be their ideal way to spend their time off. Work together on an ideal guest list, see how the numbers work with the spaces that you have planned for your ceremony and reception, and keep in mind that in most cases only about 80 percent to 85 percent of those you invite will attend. Ask if the resort or vacation rental agency that you like will offer a discount for you if all of your party books through them.

5. Choose someone to officiate at your wedding. In Florida, it is legal for a notary to perform wedding ceremonies, or you can choose a local clergy. See Resources for a list of contacts. Be sure to settle on your officiant early enough to ensure that person has room in his schedule for you.

Three to Four Months Before the Wedding

1. Make your travel plans. Siesta Key Beach is close to several large airports, so you can choose which one has the cheapest flights or is the most convenient for you. The Sarasota/Bradenton airport is about 20 minutes away, Tampa International is about an hour's drive, as is Ft. Myers, and Orlando International is about a two-hour drive from the island. Most of the major carriers fly into one of these four airports, so if you want to earn or use air miles for your trip, you should be able to use your favorite carrier. Remember that there's a three-day waiting period when you apply for a marriage license in Florida, so plan ahead. Arriving a few days before the wedding will also give you time to go over all the details and meet with your officiant and any vendors for last-minute checks to make sure the day goes perfectly. You might also want to give yourself at least a day to say goodbye to your guests and just take it easy after the wedding, rather than jetting off to head back home or to another location for your honeymoon.

2. By this point, you should have your location for your ceremony and reception confirmed and be ready to send out invitations to your guests. Be sure to include information about where you've booked rooms for guests or reserved blocks of rooms if you've negotiated a discount. You can also include suggestions for nearby accommodations if you're leaving it completely up to your guests.

3. Order your cake. See Resources for a list of several bakeries and specialty chefs in the area who are recommended for wedding cakes. Contact the baker if you go on a scouting visit and try to set up a meeting or a tasting while you're there.

4. Order flowers. Decide on what colors and types of blooms you like, then discuss options with a local florist. Remember that certain flowers are difficult to come by depending on the season, so work with your florist to find fresh flowers that will work for you and be easily available at the time of your wedding. If you're getting married on the beach in Florida, why not go tropical? Many tropical blooms can be sourced locally and don't have to be shipped from far away, which means fresher, longer-lasting flowers.

5. Nail down any last details, such as a photographer, a DJ or other entertainment, transportation to and from the ceremony and reception, and rehearsal dinner details.

The Week of the Wedding

1. Get a marriage license. This can be done anywhere from three to 60 days before you get married. You have to get your marriage license in the state where the wedding ceremony is being performed, so regardless of where you live, if you're planning to get married on Siesta Key Beach in Florida, then you must apply for a Florida marriage license. You can apply for your license at the Marriage License Department in Sarasota at 2000 Main Street, Room 102. Their phone number is [phone]. To obtain a license in Florida, couples need to appear in person together at the County Court, be 18 or older and show proof of identification. The fee for the marriage license is $93.50 and couples must either complete a pre-marital course (which reduces the fee by $32.50) or wait three days after applying for the license to wed. Florida marriage licenses must be used within 60 days of the date of issuance.

2. Schedule meetings with your officiant, caterers, florist, reception location and photographer. If you have a rehearsal planned, be sure that everyone knows where to be when. The rehearsal can be informal, but it often helps to be sure that everything goes off according to plan on your wedding day.

3. If you're having your hair and makeup done for the wedding, meet with your hairdresser and makeup artist a day or two before the wedding to do a test run.

4. Once everything is in place, all that is left to do is enjoy your beautiful beach wedding! Being organized and planning ahead leaves little room for last-minute catastrophes to ruin your day. By the time the day of the wedding arrives, you'll be ready to stand up next to each other, with your loved ones all around, and declare your love for each other forever.

References

• Sarasota Clerks Office Info on Marriage Licenses
• Siesta Key Chamber Wedding Vendor Resource List
• Simply Siesta Key Wedding Vendor Resource List

Resources

• BeachHunter.net Lists of Beach Access Points and Photos