The following are frequently asked questions regarding your beach wedding
ceremony.  We strongly recommend reading the following information
before reserving your beach wedding:

Do I need a Florida Marriage License to get married in Florida?  Yes!  You must obtain your own marriage
license.  You can obtain your Florida marriage license in any county in Florida.  It does not have to be from the county you are
getting married in.
Residents of Florida:  There is a three-day waiting period after you apply for your marriage license
Non-Florida Residents:  There is no waiting period.
At this time, a Florida marriage license is $93.50,  and is not included in any package price.
You must obtain AND bring your marriage license to your wedding ceremony.

Do you perform vow renewals and commitment ceremonies?  Yes!  No licenses are needed.  For a vow
renewal, you already have your official marriage certificate.  A commitment ceremony is exactly what it sounds like:  making a
commitment in front of family and friends.  However, it is not legally binding.

Who performs the ceremony? A Florida Notary performs the legal marriage ceremony, vow renewal, or commitment
ceremony.

Can you provide a minister perform the ceremony?  Yes, there is an additional charge for their service.

Can we bring our own officiant or minister?  Yes you can bring your own minister or officiant.  Just remember,
the officiant must be licensed in the State of Florida to perform ceremonies.  

How long does the actual wedding ceremony take?  The average beach wedding ceremony takes
approximately 15 minutes.

Do I have to find my own beach wedding location?  We have locations available for your beach wedding.

Can we have the wedding ceremony take place other than the beach?  Yes, most of our decorations are
adaptable for other areas, such as outdoor decks, country clubs.  We will still have to have reasonable access, plus permission
from the alternate venue.

Do you set-up and take down the ceremony decorations?  We set-up and take down our own ceremony
decorations.  We only use our own decorations.  This is for the safety and enjoyment of you and your guests.   We have taken the
up most care, creativity and work to produce our own decorations that can be secured properly at the beach.

For the packages that have a guest limit number:   If you purchase one of our smaller wedding packages that
have a guest limit number, and you will have more guests that expected, you will need to upgrade to the next package that can
accommodate the additional guests.  The  Beach Beginnings, Perfect Beginnings, and the Aloha Packages are set-up specifically
for smaller weddings.  They are not meant for larger weddings,  so please don't choose one of these packages if you are having
a large wedding.


Can I have petals or bird seed  to throw at our wedding?  You can only use real petals, and in some areas (St.
Augustine, for example), petals are not allowed.  We do not recommend bird seed as it attracts too many birds.  Bubbles and tiny
seashells may be used.

Beach Wedding Attire (including hair & veil):  Any type of wedding attire is great for a beach wedding.  A bride's
dress can never be too formal, even if the groom is opting to wear khakis and a dress shirt.  Brides keep in mind for your hair and
veil:  Even on the best of beach days, there usually is a breeze, so remember to have extra pins to pin up unruly bangs or fly-away
curls.  A veil is beautiful at a beach wedding, but a long veil can easily be twisted in the wind.


Who is responsible for obtaining permission in front of private residences/condos or hotels?  
You are responsible for obtaining permission from private residences, condos, or hotels where you may want to have your
ceremony.

Do I need a permit to get married on the beach?  In some areas, a permit is needed.   You will be responsible for
any permit or parking fees.

Are there private beach wedding locations?  All beaches are public beaches.  We make the most effort choosing
our sites that are less congested.  There will probably be people visiting our beautiful beaches.  However, they are usually most
respectful of your wedding celebration.

What happens if it rains? Unfortunately, we cannot control the weather.  We will make every effort to have the ceremony
on the beach.  If we can wait out a storm for a short period of time, we will.  But if we can't, we will try and move the wedding to
your reception venue (decorations may not be able to be used at the alternate ceremony site).  We are not responsible for finding
you an alternative site.   Some parts, or all of our set-ups might not be able to be installed during inclement weather.  If there is a
Hurricane Warning, we would be happy to reschedule the ceremony for another day (based on availability).  

Who is responsible for finding an alternate indoor site?  It is your responsibility to have a back-up plan.  We
will set-up our decorations only once.

Deposit questions and information.  A deposit is required to reserve the date.  Your deposit is non-refundable, NO
EXCEPTIONS.   Your deposit will be applied to your package price, so it will be deducted from the total price of the package.

Cancellation Policy:  If you need to cancel within 30 days of ceremony date, you will have the option to reschedule one
time, up to six months from the original ceremony date, based upon availability.   If you cancel within 29 days or less from the
scheduled ceremony date, your deposit, plus any monies paid to outside vendors, will not be refunded.   If you cancel within 7
days of the wedding ceremony, all monies paid will be forfeited.

When is my final payment due?:  Final payment is due 30 days before the ceremony date.  If you are scheduling your
wedding 30 days or less from the ceremony date, payment in full is expected at that time.

What if my final payment is late?:  If your final payment is not paid within 15 days of ceremony date, a cash payment
will need to be made.  It will be too late at this time for credit card or check payments.

CEREMONY TIME:  We will give you a scheduled wedding time.    When available, we will have you select your wedding
time.   Keep in mind, later in the day is better -- less visitors at the beach, etc...    If you are late for your own wedding, late fees will
be assessed, and, will have to be paid before the ceremony starts.   If you are more than 45 minutes late,  your wedding will be
cancelled, no rescheduling or refunds will be due.   Promptness is requested due to the changing tide conditions, other weddings
that may be scheduled, courtesy to your waiting guests, etc...

Can I have a Sunrise or Sunset Wedding?:  As good as these sound, keep the following in mind.  Sunrise:  The sun
rises very fast, and very early.  If you are not on the beach exactly on time, you will miss the sunrise.  Sunset:  A lot of the beach
parks close at Sunset.  Extra charges will apply for Sunset Weddings.  You can have your beach wedding close to sunset, but you
must be on time.  Remember, the sun will wait for no one!  Ceremonies scheduled for one hour before sunset are considered
sunset ceremonies.

Can the beach wedding packages be customized or changed?   You will be able to choose your
decorations, flowers, ceremony and vows from our selections pages.  However, we have put together packages for a reason, to
give our couples the best value for their money.  Therefore, the packages are sold just as they are:  All-inclusive beach wedding
packages.  If there are some items you may not want (for example, the sand ceremony),  we can eliminate them from your
ceremony, but there will not be any package discounts.

Are there extra charges for having a bridal party or wedding guests?  We do not charge to have a bridal
party or guests.  However, in some areas, if you have over 50 guests, a permit may have to be obtained.    Note:  Some of our
smaller packages do have guest and bridal party limitations.

Some Holidays will have extra charges added to the package -- which Holidays?:   Easter Weekend,  
Memorial Day Weekend,  July 4, Labor Day Weekend,  Thanksgiving Weekend, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve,
New Year's Day

What kind of music will I have at my ceremony?   For the Packages that include music:
We will play a song as the bridal party is walking (if you don't have a bridal party, this music will be played right before the
ceremony is set to start), the bridal march for the bride, and a song that will be played once you are pronounced man and wife.    
If your package includes your music choices, you will be able to choose the music from our selections pages.    If your package
includes just the traditional bridal music, you will still have the choice of traditional or island-style (steel drum).

Ceremony photography information. Photography that is included in our packages:   We use our own staff
photographers.   If you want to have your own  photographer, our photographer will not be present and no credit will be issued.  
Also, any of our "props" that our own photographers use,  will not be available.  We take photographs right before, during and
some posed photos immediately  after the ceremony.  You will have the option of purchasing additional photography time:  This
will include many more photos, use of our props, and a free photo CD.  We are not responsible for any equipment malfunctions.   
We are not responsible for editing of photographs.  Our main goal is to take the best photos possible, but some things, including
weather, natural lighting, timing, equipment malfunctions, disruptive guests, other people on beach, may have an effect on your
photography.    Our photographs are informal photographs of the ceremony and informal and posed pictures before and after the
ceremony.

When does the photography start, and how long does it take?  We start the photography when the
ceremony is about to begin.  We take photos during the ceremony.  We  take  some posed photos immediately after the
ceremony.   If you have purchased the additional photography time:  The after ceremony photos will take approximately 30 - 45
minutes, depending on the number of guests, guest and family cooperation, etc...   If you are late for your ceremony, you will also
forfeit some after ceremony photography time.

Can the photographer also take our reception photos?   No.  Our photographer is our own staff photographer.
 He is available for our beach wedding ceremonies and our own wedding packages that include the ceremony and reception.

Do you take care of the reception?:  We only take care of the wedding reception if you have purchased one of our
ceremony/reception packages.  Otherwise, once your wedding package is reserved, we can recommend reception venues
and/or restaurants in the area.

Do you help with hotel reservations?:  Once your package is reserved,  We can certainly recommend hotels in the
area you wish to stay.  

Most important, why should you choose us for your beach wedding celebration?:  Beach wedding
celebrations are our business.  We treat each and every wedding ceremony with the special dedication you deserve.  You will be
purchasing an all-inclusive, affordable beach wedding package, but you will have many choices.  So, your wedding celebration
will be uniquely yours!  

A Florida beach wedding is a beautiful and unique experience.  Our goal is
to make this day one of the best of your lives.  We want your Florida Beach
Wedding celebration to be the best for you, and for us!
GULFSIDE
BEACH WEDDINGS
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GULFSIDE BEACH WEDDING INFORMATION:
Answers to some of your most important questions!
Ready to reserve your Florida Beach Wedding?
CLICK HERE