Wedding Series: Beach Wedding Venue Field Guide

If you’re having a beach wedding like me there’s many affordable options. At first I thought my only choice is paying a high price for a resort wedding or selecting a glitzy area with Homeowner Association rules I must follow. But once I started doing my research I found out I can have it all (wedding & reception) without pulling a loan from the bank!

First things first, deciding what beach. Living in the Fort Walton/Destin area it wasn’t a hard choice. But for anyone who’s not near the ocean I highly recommend doing some homework. A simple Google search isn’t going to cut it. 

Example: If you Google “Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Beach views” you’ll get beautiful beach pictures. But being a North Carolinian (I vacationed most of my childhood in the NC/SC beaches) I know Myrtle Beach has a bad reputation for being a dirty beach. Instead, go the extra step and check social media sites like Instagram and search the hashtag “Myrtle Beach” (or search with terms that concern you "Myrtle Beach dirty?" "Shells on Myrtle Beach" "Beach Trash" etc). Also go to websites of news stations that are local to the beach area you want. News websites always have current images of the beaches and you can see how the weather was in that area last year too. [Below I have pictures of Myrtle Beach]

Just searching "Myrtle Beach" on Google

Searching "Myrtle Beach In Real Life"

Next is seeing if the State your beach location is in allows public beach weddings. Most do! Just double check. Some require a permit if the event is attracting a large crowd. I know in Florida ANY public beach you ARE allowed to do weddings, parties, photo shoots, etc. But if it’s over 50 attendants you must get a permit from the county and fire department. Some states require a ‘request’ that has to be approved as well. Some request a detailed itinerary of what you plan to do.

After you look into a general location + requirements, your next step is deciding a more specific spot for your special day.

Options for beach front wedding views:

• Resorts. Resorts LOVE doing weddings. They can get a bit pricy but it’s always an option. Pros of a resort: they will make sure no one is on the beach when you’re having the wedding ceremony. The beaches is ALWAYS clean! Cons: some Resorts have strict contracts with vendors and require you have to follow their list of catering services, decorators, Dj’s, etc. Some resorts also require you to rent rooms there within your wedding package. Resorts sometimes have noise regulations (so at a certain time of day you can't have specific music or partying).

• Renting a large beach house for the wedding. This is a good choice for having the entire wedding party under one roof! Here in the Destin, the houses were a bit too expensive for my price point & many affordable houses stated in the contract “No weddings or reception celebrations”. This is because the owners don’t want any property damage. BUT there is houses you can rent for events! You just need to request a copy of the rental agreement before payment or request the rental agency to send you options that meets your specific needs. Pros of a large beach house: rooming the entire wedding party. You can host both ceremony and reception at the house. In case of bad weather you can quickly get to shelter. Cons: some houses have extremely strict rules on what you can have on the property. Some houses request no inside photos. Some houses only allow a certain number of people and cars on the premises. Some require Homeowner Association regulations. 

• State Park Pavilions or State Beach Pavilions. Park Pavilions are SUPER affordable and you can locate pavilions that have bathrooms, electricity, and well, ones that are literally on the beach! Some park agreements state you can not have glass bottles, no smoking, no fireworks, etc but this is stuff you can work out. Instead of glass wine bottles do plastic or boxed wine (simple right?). Pros of Pavilions: the cost to rent goes back to that community unit. Many pavilions are at great location/views. If rain, you will have a shelter to stay under. Cons: its a public place so there will be some people still using the adjacent pavilions, majority won't allow glass or heating trays (fire reasons), most request the event to be over by dusk. 

And there you have it! The first major steps on planning an affordable beach wedding location!
After you figure this out you can start the next step which is finding a florist/vendor that has beach wedding arches, rental chairs/tables, and floral arrangements. My next post will go into more depth about this topic.

What wedding venue route did I choose? I went with the state park pavilions. My wedding will be at the end of September at Navarre Beach Marine Park. I rented two beach pavilions for the entire day (sun rise - sunset) for $100.00. I rented two in case of rain. I could do the ceremony under one and reception under the other one. If sunny, I'll have two pavilions for reception space! The price being only $100.00 has given me extra money for decor and food! I’m excited for my pavilions because it’s near the Navarre Coral Reefs which I think is a beautiful touch to my wedding. I love marine life and protecting the oceans.

Navarre Beach Marine Park Pavilions. Mine are the two on the right!

This is what Navarre Beach looks like. Its a very peaceful beach with very few houses! If anyone ever wants to travel to a calm beach this one is nicknamed "most relaxing beach" because its super peaceful and quiet.

This is an image of Navarre Beach Coral Reef which is right next to my pavilions! Navarre Beach has a huge sea turtle conservation center that educates how to help protect turtles and their nests (they even have a sea turtle you can meet in person!). Each year thousands of baby turtles are born and make their way into the ocean from Navarre Beach!