Destination Weddings and Honeymoons

Overview

With sugary white beaches, romantic bed-and-breakfasts, towering oak trees and manatee-filled waters, the Sunshine State’s southwestern Gulf coast is ideal for weddings with an Old Florida feel. You’ll have access to contemporary style here, from chic wedding cakes to hip entertainers. Yet the peaceful pace and scenic backdrops of the Bradenton area’s coastal communities are unrivaled for weddings, renewals, anniversaries and weddingmoons.

Marry on Anna Maria Island, only 7.5 miles long and utterly free of pretension. Or consider a resort on nearby Longboat Key, where designer goods and globally inspired meals add a dash of sophistication to your beach affair. Bradenton beckons with art galleries, museums and a former antebellum sugar plantation. And Lakewood Ranch is a planned community loaded with cultural events. Together, these sister destinations offer nine beautiful beaches, nearly unlimited water sports, convenient access to almost 20 golf courses, and a host of natural sites to explore.

Better yet, they’re home to an array of dedicated wedding vendors, from photographers and videographers to florists and entertainers. This destination is so committed to providing flawless weddings that it even holds a strolling island-wide wedding festival every year so couples can meet with potential vendors and explore their offerings.

GETTING THERE

10 miles from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport; 50 miles from Tampa International Airport

CEREMONY IDEAS

Sunset beach wedding on Anna Maria Island — the Wedding Capital of Florida — with a “seashell girl,” an arch draped in greens and red roses, and perhaps leaping dolphins in the background

Cruising Sarasota Bay or the Intracoastal Waterway on a floating wedding chapel

In a shaded grassy area atop a Herrmann Royal Lipizzaner Austrian stallion

Under the giant oak tree of a luxury inn or charming bed-and-breakfast

RECEPTION VENUES

Buffet continental dinner at the Mediterranean-style 1920s Powel Crosley Estate overlooking Sarasota Bay

Flip-flop friendly sunset soiree at the Sandbar Restaurant overlooking the Gulf on Anna Maria Island

TOURISM CONTACT 941-729-9177, ext. 232, annamariaisland-longboatkey.com

WEDDING CONTACT  941-778-1541, amichamber.org