Beach wedding
 

My fiance and I are thinking about having a beach wedding in March somewhere on the Atlantic side of the states, maybe Florida. Any suggestions? We really just want something that is secluded. It will be just our immediate family and maid of honor and best man. 14 total. Also, we would need a place to stay.

The only problem with March in Florida is that it is Spring Break month. Hard to find seclusion (or accomodations) anywhere at that time. Would you consider April?

We would consider April. But I wasn't sure if all of Florida beaches were more crowded with spring break people or if it was just the "hot" places like Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona Beach, etc...

Certainly, the "hot" areas would be more crowded than some places, but in my experience, even "off the beaten path" beaches in the Panhandle are packed spring break. Remember, thousands of kids who live in Florida spend spring break at the beach too and often just go to the nearest beach.

I live in Florida and made reservations in January for my teenage daughter to go to Destin spring break. Even then a number of places that I checked were already booked. I also noticed that rates went up for the month of March, and back down in April and up again Memorial Day.

This won't necessarily hold true in South Florida as their high season is winter whereas in North Florida it is summer.

I am not, by any means saying you won't find what you are looking for in March, just that it would be a lot easier in April. Good luck!

Thanks for the info! If we decided to go with March (or even if we went with April), do you know of any good beaches on the east coast?

I just had a thought. What about Cumberland Island, Georgia. Very secluded!!! It is a wildlife preserve. In fact the only way to get there is by boat. There is, what appears to be, a fabulous hotel, The Grayfield Inn, on the Island. (And not much else!) I think the ferry starts running in March from St Mary's, Georgia.

It is about 60 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida, so flying would not be difficult. As I recall, Cumberland Island is where John Kennedy, Jr. got married.

Google it and I am sure you will get all the information you need. Also, if you can't get reservations or it just doesn't fill the bill, look at the other barrier islands, such as St. Simons, Jekyll, etc. Hope this helps.

Clearwater and Sarasota beaches are packed during that Spring Break season, but otherwise they are lovely. Siesta Key is a dream beach when it's not packed. Sarasota is a great place to spend a honeymoon and Clearwater is quite close to all the great things in Tampa.

This is a great suggestion! The Greyfield Inn is more expensive than we were looking for, but I told my fiance about the suggestion for Jekyll Island and he was really excited because he was a finance major and on that island is where the Federal Reserve got started. So, I'm not sure how secluded and nice the island is. I really just wanted somewhere where we could hear the sound of the ocean, so bigger waves.

Thanks for the help!

I looked at the website for Siesta Key and it looks really pretty, but I would think it would always be crowded. When is it the off-season?

While I'm not sure of the state of Captiva Island, Chapel by the Sea is a nice setting ... or was. Perhaps someone can update.

Oh, yes. Chapel by the Sea is lovely...still. Captiva might not be up to others expectations, especially for a wedding. I think she should forego that wonderful spot for her 5th anniversary ;;) Hopefully the vegetation will have returned.

Goodness, Siesta is a hardly ever what I'd consider as crowded. March is the high season in Florida, what with spring break for college and families. And Canadians and other snowbirds. But the rowdy spring-break crowds will be in Clearwater or Daytona or Panama City Beach. I think Siesta would be nice, not at all crowded.

katybug, after planning weddings for a couple of years at a resort on the beach I would like to make a few suggestions.

Don't get married ON the beach. While this sounds very romantic in theory, it is a logistical nightmare. Your hair will frizz, your veil will stay in your face, sand gets everywhere, you can't really put chairs on the beach for your guests (they sink and get all out of whack), the wind is horrible, yadda, yadda.

I Chapel by the sea is an excellent idea. Most brides had to go back in and have their hair and makeup redone for pictures. Especially summer brides when the humidity is so bad all of your pores are open and your makeup just runs.

I'm not trying to spoil your wedding, I'm just letting you know I've had my share of unhappy brides.

On the flip side, I've also had many that didn't care.

Good luck and you've gotten some excellent suggestions.

You need to really hurry and book something. The good places go 18 months out.

Also, hire a wedding planner in the area in which you want to be married. If your first choice is booked, they may be able to come up with great alternate solutions. Since they work with the same suppliers wedding after wedding, they know how to get you the best deals and know who will do the best job.

PS. If you want guaranteed warm weather, stick with Florida. Georgia can still have chilly weather in March.

Also look into Seaside Florida on the gulf coast. This is where they filmed "
The Truman Show". I went to a very beautiful wedding there a few years ago. The town is very charming. Website is http://www.seasidefl.com/

I was also going to mention Seaside although it's on the Gulf not the Atlantic side. We go there every year and I've seen many weddings on the beach there that looked just lovely. They have several beach pavilions the overlook the beach that are also used for weddings. They also have a chapel. You could rent one or two of their houses for your guests and one of the honeymoon cottages for yourselves!

I didn't mention Seaside because Katybug asked about the Atlantic side, but no doubt Seaside is a beautiful place for a wedding and the beach and water are definitely prettier than the east coast of Florida. There is also a lovely chapel in Seaside. I went to a service there about a year ago.

But again, remember spring break. I spent last spring break in Seaside and it was pretty busy (nothing like the fourth of July but still rather crowded.) But on the positive side, the crowds were mostly families-nothing like the Panama City/Daytona crowds. Seaside, along with the rest of the Beaches of South Walton, simply has nothing to attract kids looking for a wild time. (And that is a VERY GOOD thing!)

Sorry, I didn’t see that the request for the Atlantic side. I also could suggest Savannah as a lovely place for a wedding.

Whatever you do, bear in mind that it could be quite cool in March in Florida and Georgia, esp on the beach. Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com for historical average temps. If you want guaranteed warm weather you need to go to the Caribbean.

I mentioned Seaside because it would not be overly bositerous with Spring Break students.

... when the OP mentioned Atlantic side of ``the states,'' it appears she was referring to the Atlantic side of the U.S., so gulf or atlantic beaches would work.

Oh wow, these are great suggestions. This is the first time I've actually ever been in a forum. I love to travel. Actually, I work in the student travel industry and in college, I wrote my senior seminar paper on adventure travel. You guys are great! Thanks for all the help.

When we were looking at GA, the temps seemed to be a little cool. And the type of wedding we're looking for will be very simple and short. 14 people total. No chairs, they're just going to stand around us as we exchange our vows/rings. Then in June, our extended family will visit and we'll have a big reception.

Actually, I was talking with my friend and she suggested St. Augustine. It might be warmer than GA, less crowded? But I have no idea. Does anyone have suggestions for specific beaches that would be secluded? What about good hotels/b&b/etc...? Fun activities? I would appreciate any advice.

I don't think St Augstine would be much warmer than Georgia, as St Augustine is pretty far north in Florida.

You might post another question with St Augustine in the title to get specific reccos on hotels. There should also be a website for the city, run a search.

katybug, the city of St. Augustine is not on the Gulf. It is on the St. Johns River. And the beach in St. Augustine does not have much charm, like what you're looking for, although the beach is very pretty there.

I think you should seriously consider Captiva and the Chapel by the Sea. It will be decidedly warmer there. But you are REALLY running out of time. I'd call Tween Waters Inn immediately and see what's available there. You could do it there as well. They do lots of weddings. Tween-waters.com.

I posted without editing and re-reading. I meant to say that St. Augustine was not on the Atlantic, but rather it is inland on the St. John's River.

And I meant to say that the beach in St. Augustine Beach was not a place that had the charm you are wanting for your wedding. Whereas Captiva Island has some charm and an island atmosphere.

I hope you get on the stick. I'm rooting for that wedding to take place.

I am rooting for that wedding to take place too! And we want a full report afterwards!!!

When we were looking at a map, I didn't realize that St. Augustine wasn't on the beach. There's St. Augustine Beach, but we want something seculuded. What if we stayed in that area, but for the wedding, drove somewhere north or south along the coast to a place on the water that would be nice for exchanging vows? My fiance's father is a pastor, so he will be performing the ceremony and there will be 14 people total. We're not even going to set up chairs. They're just going to stand around us and watch us exchange vows/rings. Then, we'll go out to dinner afterwards.

I will definitely give you a trip report though! I really appreciate all of the advice! It helps out a ton.

Okay, we're closer to a decision. We like the history of St. Augustine. This is what we're thinking now. Exchange vows on Friday, April 22nd on the beach. Family would stand around us. It will only take about 10/15 min. Then, have a cookout on the beach right there on the beach.

We're looking for a place that would allow us to have a bbque on the beach. And, we decided to open it up to family/friends, so there might be more than 14. Maybe 30? Really, have no idea. I will try the chamber of commerce in St. Augustine abou the bbque, but wasn't sure if anyone knew of any other options. Thanks!

Where are these 30 people going to go to the bathroom - if you find a beach that allows fires for a bbq?

I think your idea of going to a restaurant after the 10/15 minute ceremony is a better idea.

Another option would be to rent a place so you would have a dry, sand-free area to serve cake or whatever. You might want to look at vrbo.com. That would give you and some of the members of the wedding party a place to stay.

Another idea would be to rent out a B&B - something small like the Lighthouse Inn at Tybee might work...but if you are talking March of this year (this month) you probably won't have much luck. I've rented out small B&B's for functions and made arrangements with the owner/operators to provide refreshments for small functions.

If you were to rent a condo or similar near St. Augustine or at Anastacia, you could pick up a cake and simple hor d'oerves at the Publix that's right there.

Just some ideas. If I were a friend, I'd love to celebrate your wedding for 15 minutes or so on the beach but would not be looking forward to hanging out on a public beach for a few hours for a BBQ - with no facilities (or only limited public facilities).

In March, try go get as far south on the Florida peninsula as possible to avoid chilly weather. On the southwest coast, Sanibel Island is quiet and charming, as is parts of Naples. On the southeast coast, try for Palm Beach south thru Miami. And the Florida Keys are even further south.

Katy has set the wedding date on April 22. She won't have to worry about cold weather anywhere in Florida by then.

Smart move, Katy, now not only is cold weather a non-issue but you don't have to contend with spring break. We will keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain! Best wishes to you and your fiance!

These are good points. I like the idea of getting a rental house/bb and having even a bbque on the deck/porch with people able to play in the sand/ocean right outside the house. That way, there would be the facilities. Have you heard anything about problems with glass/sharks because of the hurricanes?

You do not want to try and grill on the beach. Sand will most certainly be in your food.

I would suggest hiring someone to cater your affair. They will set up, do the grilling, supply china (paper plates), and clean up afterwards.

BBQ is a food down here not an activity. Telling a caterer you want a BBQ and you will end up with a pig on a grill. No lie.