Destin
Ft. Walton Beach
Okalossa Island

 

Weddings performed as low as $225

Simple Pensacola Weddings
Now covering Pensacola - Navarre 

 
MENU
HOME
PRICING
RESERVATIONS
CONTACT US
WEDDING GUIDE
PAYMENT
CEREMONY PLANNER
LINKS
E-MAIL
COMMENTS
LICENSE INFO.
NEWLYWEDS

SDW BEACH WEDDING GUIDE 
In an effort to make your planning easier we have provided important information on Beach Weddings and what you might expect from SDW. ENJOY! 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The most-often asked question deals with locations so we'll begin there. Generally speaking there are two types of beaches in the area, public and private. 
PRIVATE BEACHES: Any portion of any beach that includes a house, condo, hotel, etc, is a private beach. You must have permission of the owner to have your Wedding on this section of beach. Most owners have no problem allowing this if you are renting a room, condo or home from them. However there are some that will charge you an additional fee so be sure to ask. Some hotels charge as much as $1000 to use their beach for a Wedding! 
PUBLIC BEACHES: These are beaches that are owned by the city, county or state and are, for the most part available at no charge for your Wedding. However, there are some rules. You will not need any permit provided you have less than 50 people total in your Wedding. Over 50 you must contact the County for a permit and be prepared to pay for this as well as liability insurance. We don't handle Weddings of this size so check with your Wedding company for more info. 
We have provided a list of public beaches below with location and amenities. SDW is an authorized Beach Vendor with Okaloosa County. Be sure you're using authorized Vendors only as this ensures they are licensed and insured. 
You may decorate and set up chairs as you wish but you MUST clean up. ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS are not allowed to be spread on the Beach. This is considered littering. 
We always suggest you have your Wedding on the beach that is owned by the person(s) you are renting from if possible. For this reason it's good to choose your lodging wisely so you can simply walk from your room onto the beach and get married! Otherwise, see the public Beach options below for the nearest location. 

We are often asked about a "private beach without people"...it doesn't exist. If your Wedding is during the tourist season ( May - Sept ) expect the beaches to be crowded. However, if you plan a sunset Wedding it will not be as congested as most people begin to leave by then and the Beach Services remove the umbrellas and chairs. 

WHAT TO EXPECT: We will normally meet you at the beach location or your lodging about 20 minutes early. You'll provide us with your Marriage License and any balance due at this time. Then we'll walk out onto the Beach, select a spot and perform the Ceremony! If you're planning something more formal we'll discuss the plan prior to the Wedding and follow through. After the Ceremony we'll present you with your Keepsake items and return your License if you wish to file it. We will be happy to file this for you but understand that you may not receive the recorded copy for 2-3 weeks during the busy season. So if you need it FAST we suggest you take it back to the Clerks office for immediate filing. 
If we're providing photography, we'll be taking pics throughout the Ceremony with more "portrait" type posed pics afterwards for 15-20 minutes. This can include pics with family and friends. 
Most of our Ceremonies take between 5 - 15 minutes depending on the Ceremony you choose, add-ons and size of your party. This is important as you won't want to be on the beach in July for long...fully clothed anyway! 

MUSIC: Most of our Couples forego any music as the Ceremony is short by design. Plus it can be difficult hearing above the wind and surf. But some either use an I-Pod plugged into something LOUD or a live musician ( guitar, violin, etc.) 

CHAIRS: Again, our Ceremonies are pretty short so people won't be standing long. Chair rentals can run $5 and up a piece. If you have a few guests that need seating, you can usually purchase plastic patio chairs at Walmart for about $5. 

WEATHER: The one thing we can't predict. We average 160 Weddings per year and about 5 of these are impacted by the weather. But it is good to have a back-up plan. Some ot the public beaches have pavilions that we can use. Otherwise we simply move to a covered location where you're staying or wait out the rain. Or we can re-schedule to the next day if possible. We do all we can to be sure you GET MARRIED! 

GENERAL: Traffic during the Summer season can be very heavy. Be sure to allow plenty of time to reach your location. Good idea to visit the location in advance so you're sure of where you're going. 
Don't apply heavy make-up in the summer. It can run!! 
For pictures it's always good to have some color. Flowers, clothing, etc. will enhance your pics. 
Be sure to bring your Marriage License, rings, final payment and any other materials you'll need. 

PUBLIC BEACH LOCATIONS

OKALOOSA ISLAND - SANTA ROSA BLVD. 
NAME FACILITIES NOTES
Emerald Promenade Beachwalk 
Access #7
Parking, Restrooms, Small Pavilion
Access #6 Parking
Access #5 Parking
Access #4 Parking
Seashore Beachwalk 
Access #3
Parking, Restrooms
Emerald View Beachwalk 
Access #2
Parking, Restrooms
Blue Dolphin Beachwalk 
Access #1
Parking, Restrooms
OKALOOSA ISLAND - HWY. 98 

Beasley Park Parking. Restrooms, Large Pavilions HUGE beach! One of our favorite locations.
Eglin Recreation Center Parking, Restrooms, Large Pavilions Owned by Eglin AFB. Must have permission from Eglin.
DESTIN 
June Decker Park Parking, Restrooms Downtown next to Back Porch Restaurant. Small beach area.
Henderson Beach State Park Parking, Restrooms, Large Pavilions Off Hwy. 98 across from WalMart. Reservations required. Fee charged
CRYSTAL BEACH - SCENIC HWY. 
Shirah Street Access Parking Very limited parking.
Shore At Crystal Beach Parking, Restrooms, Pavilion Very limited parking.
Crystal Beach Drive Access ONLY
Barracuda Street Access ONLY
Pompano Street Parking, Small Gazebo Very limited parking.
Tarpon Street Access ONLY
James Lee Park Parking, Restrooms, Pavilions Use restricted by Crab Trap Restaurant. Generally not available. We encourage avoidance of the park and restaurant.
MIRAMAR BEACH - SCENIC HWY. 
West of Captain Daves Restaurant Access ONLY
West of Popano Joe's Restaurant Parking, Restrooms
West of Whales Tail Restaurant Parking
S. Walton / CR. 30A - There are many Public Beach access points in this area. We'll list the major locations below. 
Dune Allen #1 - Sanata Rosa Beach Parking, Restrooms Next to Purple & Gold House
Dune Allen #2 - Santa Rosa Beach Parking
CR30A & CR 393 - Santa Rosa Beach Parking, Restrooms
Blue Mountain Rd. & CR 83 - Blue Mountain Beach Parking, Restrooms
Grayton Beach State Park Parking Restrooms, Pavilion Check with Park Official
Van Ness Beach - Watercolor / Seaside Parking, Restrooms
E-Mail
bysabinaphotography@gmail.com  
205-544-6929 (Call or Text)
Call or write today and reserve your date. Last minute requests based on availability.
 

©2017 Simple Destin Weddings