Brinley and Cody’s wedding ceremony had everything: the sweetest couple in the world, super supportive friends & family, beautiful beaches with no crowds (thank you, Port St Joe!), gorgeous decor, & a dachshund in a tutu! I was pumped when Brinley reached out to me to film her Cape San Blas ceremony. I had never filmed a wedding there before, but I visited it for the first time last year. That area is such a hidden gem; I knew a beach ceremony there would be absolutely beautiful. Congrats Brinley & Cody!
The only thing better than one beautiful bride is two of them! Katherine and Catherine had a chic and glamorous wedding day at The Retreat in Santa Rosa Beach. Their ceremony in front of the pool at the beach club was so stunning. The whole day was absolute perfection.
Logan and Austin’s wedding day was EVERYTHING! Austin’s mom reached out to me about filming her son’s wedding day and I’m so glad she gifted this to them. We were able to capture so many wonderful moments from their ceremony and reception, and they’ll always have this keepsake from their wedding day. #momsknowbest So a Happy Belated Mother’s day to all the mamas out there who know a wedding video makes the perfect wedding gift that your family will cherish forever!
If you’re looking for a Destin wedding venue for your ceremony and reception, I highly recommend you check out the Emerald Grande. Their Captain’s Deck is the perfect location for elegant wedding ceremonies and I adore the HarborView Room for receptions. Their coordinators are always friendly and meticulous and you’ll be grateful you chose such good people to help you with your wedding day.
So pumped for my first 2023 wedding! Lacy and Eric had a happy little ceremony coordinated by Forever I Do Weddings on Okaloosa Island. Lacy has one of those smiles that’s just contagious, and it’s always fun working with couples who bring those good vibes. Admittedly, blue is my color so I am loving these suits on Eric and their boys. Congrats Lacy and Eric!
Zeina and Adel had a beautiful engagement ceremony followed by an epic engagement party in Pensacola. I love when tradition meets modern and that’s definitely what this whole day reminded me of.
Writing your own wedding vows adds such a personalized touch to your wedding ceremony. Brittany and Lacey shared their sweet words to each other in front of their friends and family at their Henderson Beach State Park ceremony. This is one of my favorite local beach ceremony locations because it tends to be less crowded than our other beaches, plus the staff there is always so friendly and helpful. Their round arch was absolutely perfect and I’m pretty sure this was the first time I saw brown guest seating on the beach, and I was really diggin it. The sand here is so white that classic, white chairs can just disappear into them. These chairs really made a statement and made it feel like a more formal ceremony. Congrats Brittany and Lacey!
It was raining in the hours before Hannah and Ethan’s Panama City Beach wedding ceremony, and then the fates aligned, the clouds parted, and they had a beautiful and dry beach ceremony. Hannah and Ethan’s friends and family were so warm and welcoming from the moment we arrived at their beach house to film their first looks. They held their ceremony on the beach behind the house and had their reception on the first floor and around the pool of the beach house. It was the perfect setup for their perfect wedding day.
Hannah and Ethan’s wedding day is a perfect example of why having your ceremony and reception locations in the same place can streamline your wedding day.
Perks of a Combined Ceremony & Reception Location
No Travel Expenses Between Locations – you won’t have to arrange travel (limo, shuttle, etc) for you and your bridal party between the ceremony and location sites
Get the Party Started – no travel between the ceremony and reception locations means you can get the reception fun started even sooner
Bang for Your Buck – your photographer and videographer are most likely charging you hourly rates for continuous coverage. No travel time means you’re getting more coverage of the wedding day events from your vendors.
Budget Friendly – Renting one space is always cheaper than renting 2! Plus, if your ceremony and reception are in the same location, you can use the same decorations for both the ceremony setup and the reception decor.
Less Stress – You won’t have to worry about traffic between the ceremony and reception locations delaying your wedding day timeline. Everything you need for your ceremony and reception will all be in the same location.
Elyse and Brett had one of my favorite wedding days in Miramar Beach. Everyone was so relaxed and happy. There’s really nothing better than filming a stress free wedding. They got ready for their wedding ceremony at Edgewater Resort. The terraces and gorgeously landscaped open grounds were the perfect backdrops for first looks and family and bridal party photos. Their ceremony was right down the road at The Venue at Royal Palm Grill private beach. Before the ceremony, the bridal party guests hung out at Royal Palm Grill Beach Bar. They were able to cool down, relax and have a drink before the ceremony started. Elyse and Brett’s whole wedding day ran so smoothly – it inspired me to share some tips from their wedding day for a stress free wedding.
Stress Free Wedding Day Tips
Do a first look. Seeing your partner before the ceremony allows your photographer to get the bridal party photos and most of the family photos done before the ceremony. This means you won’t have to rush to get them done after the ceremony and you’ll get to your reception sooner.
Location. Location. Location. Make sure there isn’t a lot of distance/travel time between where you’re getting ready, the ceremony, and the reception. If you can have them in the same location, that’s really the best scenario.
Schedule downtime. Having chill time scheduled into your wedding day timeline gives you the flexibility to deal with last minute changes and hiccups. Those candid moments are also great footage for your videographer to capture and include in your wedding video.
Hire a local coordinator. This is especially vital for beach weddings. Ceremony setup in the sand is physically HARD. It’s best to leave it to the professionals. There are also lots of rules/permits that need to be followed and a local planner will make sure that everything is handled properly.
Thoughtful planning enabled Elyse and Brett to have an absolutely wonderful wedding day and I think it really all came together in their wedding highlights film.
Planning an elopement in Northwest Florida but don’t want to get married on the beach? Barefoot Weddings has an indoor ceremony site in Fort Walton Beach that is ideal for small ceremonies for couples who aren’t into the beach scene, and this ended up being the perfect space for Liliana and Lucian’s intimate wedding ceremony. Congrats Liliana and Lucian!
It’s been an awesome first week of 2023. I started off the new year completely caught up on wedding edits! #heckyeah Alison & Todd were my last big wedding of 2022. They had an elegant sunset ceremony in Santa Rosa Beach, and Alison absolutely rocked her pink wedding dress.
2023 wedding dates are booking up quickly! Contact me via email at info@emeraldcoastfilms.com or text/call 850-888-2507 to reserve my videography services for your wedding day.
