Getting married in September 2011, on a Monday or Tuesday. We want to have a Florida Beach Wedding... Where?!?

Question

My FH and I have been engaged since January 2009. I've been thinking about what kind of wedding we want for the past year and we've come to the conclusion that we want a beach wedding. We live in South Florida near West Palm. We've been living here for the past year and half. We do want a simple wedding and let the beach scenery and palm trees be the main decor of our wedding. (No tacky arches and other opulent decor). We've decided to marry in September after a very lengthy discussion with my FH. He wanted July, but I warned him of the hurricane season and rain and very very very hot days. September is good enough for me, but I won't go for October or November because I'm superstitious enough that most of my relatives have married and divorced in those months! I would love a December wedding, but again, it'd be too hectic for our relatives to fly in between Thanksgiving and Christmas events. 

As for the # of people we're having, we're actually having a very intimate wedding, our mothers will definitely be there, and probably 15 of our closest friends. We would send invites out to 50+ people, but we know that at least 10 would be able to make it (we have friends and relatives from NY, Chicago, California, Georgia, NJ, etc etc!)

What I am trying to find out is which beach- in your opinion from living/visiting in Florida- is the best in September? We would like to go on the West coast of FL, but would not mind having it on the East coast. Remember, we would love to have a very nice scenery of the beach, rocks, and palm trees- that would be a PLUS!

Islands like the Peanut Island could be a great example....

Tiffany · Accepted Answer

Honeymoon Island
Honeymoon Island
Located in Dunedin, Florida, Honeymoon Island is home to Honeymoon Island State Park. It attracts more than 700,000 visitors each year and is a welcome respite from the congestion of Pinellas County. Honeymoon Island features a long undeveloped shoreline, half of which is a sandy beach, and the other half is virgin pine forest marsh, mangrove, and grass flats off-limits to motor boats. Honeymoon Island is a perfect place to enjoy a kayak trip, especially since it is so close to Caladesi Island. Birding, shelling, fishing, hiking, biking, beaching, strolling: it's all here on Honeymoon Island. There is an excellent nature center with an observation deck overlooking the tidal flats where birdwatching is excellent. Honeymoon Cafe offers food and drink overlooking the Gulf of Mexico and the wedding and reception facilities are excellent. The south facing beaches are excellent for shelling.
Here's a picture of Honeymon Island:
http://www.floridalisting.com/images/aerials16.jpg
Sanibel or Captiva
Sanibel makes a powerful statement about itself by setting aside nearly one-third of the island as a wildlife preserve. Sanibel is a large island--twelve miles long and, in some places, three miles wide. Captiva is a separate island, just north of Sanibel, and is about five miles long and much narrower than Sanibel. North Captiva is another, separate island north of Captiva that can be reached only by boat or airplane.

Here's a link to a picture of Sanibel (and it does have palm trees):
http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/florida/images/s/florida-sanibel-island.jpg

Here's a link to a pic of Captiva:
http://www.resortpropertiesinternationale.com/images/north_captiva.jpg
and another one:
http://www.alwaysonvacation.com/LSS/images/14873/CaptivaIsland3BedroomsSleeps6_3.jpg
Congrats and Good Luck

Anonymous · Answer

Since you know Florida better than most of us (I live in Michigan), you will need to start researching. Use Google and just start researching venues, hotels, etc. A few points though.... 1. Florida is a HUGE state (I have been there many, many times), so if the majority of your guests live in south Florida, I doubt that they would all want to drive all the way to Jacksonville for your wedding. That is a long drive. 2. I don't know of anywhere in Florida where the "seasons change" so to speak. I live in very northern Michigan where the seasons DO change, but the best colors do not appear until early October. Yes, it will get cooler in Florida during that time of year (as opposed to right now), but that would be basically it I would think. No really a "season change." 3. If you and the majority of your guests are from south Florida, then I would simply keep your wedding in that location and possibly go to more northern Florida for your honeymoon. 4. If you have limited funds (your words), then I would definitely cut the guest list. 200 guests is a LOT of guests with limited funds.

dudleydo · Answer

Why don't you change your plans and have an inside wedding?  The changes in weather in Florida would make any outdoor wedding scary.  Have a happy wedding and a wonderful life together. Your plans do sound beautiful.  By the way, look for cooler weather in September if you are going to have it outside. We lived in Florida for 4 years and it was always a slight bit cooler in September.   Sarasota always has had beautiful beaches.  Anywhere you pick will be lovely.

sooz · Answer

Key West

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Getting married in September 2011, on a Monday or Tuesday. We want to have a Florida Beach Wedding... Where?!?

4 Answers