Planning a Beach Wedding In Tampa

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The Tampa Bay region, which includes Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota, offers a variety of beautiful locations for beach weddings. If you'd like to have your wedding in a beach setting, the first thing to decide is where? The primary choices would be behind a local hotel or resort, or on one of the many public beaches in the area.

If you'd prefer a hotel, check out locations such as Rocky Point in Tampa, Clearwater Beach, St. Petersburg Beach, Redington Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, or Pass-a-Grille. Most of the large hotels offer on-site wedding planning services, which can be quite helpful. In most cases, this is included in the cost of your hotel wedding package.

Public beach choices include Honeymoon Island in Dunedin, Sand Key Park in Clearwater, or Fort DeSoto in St. Petersburg. If you choose to hold your wedding on a public beach, consider using the services of a local beach wedding planner. They'll handle the setup, permits, etc and even put you in touch with local vendors. Check out www.gulfbeachweddings.com for ideas.

The public beaches of Tampa Bay can be crowded on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, so take some time to visit several locations before you lock in a choice. While people are generally respectful of wedding ceremonies and keep their distance, it's still best to find a location that won't be surrounded by jet skis, beach volleyball games, etc.

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For the best photographs of your beach wedding, it's best to hold the ceremony 60 to 90 minutes prior to sunset. Known as the "golden hour", this is when the sun's rays are at their longest, and most flattering. You'll want to be sure to have enough time for both the beach wedding ceremony, as well as couple and bridal party photography afterwards.

Also consider the time of the year when planning your beach wedding. Summers are hot in Tampa Bay, and lend themselves to more casual dress and attire. While rarely cold, the winter breezes on the beach can be chilly and strong... but the very clear, cool air often results in deep blue skies and beautiful sunsets.

Beach weddings in Tampa Bay lend themselves to bare feet, loose clothing, great receptions, and lasting memories. The most important advice we can offer for your upcoming beach wedding is to simply have fun!

Photographs on this page are courtesy of Cool Change Photography, Tampa Bay's beach and casual wedding photography experts.