Destination Weddings on the Emerald Coast
(Continued)
Perhaps Destin is a little more upscale... but, the beaches here are identical! Destin boasts a variety of very fine resorts and restaurants, and several great wine bars, ideal for a wedding reception where "wine" is the featured player. Destin wasn't always such a beach wedding capitol... more of a small fishing village for destination fishing... but, now all the United States travels to Destin for that special beach wedding. Destin sits in the middle of the Emerald Coast with Panama City and Pensacola about a 30-minute drive in either direction... so, count on plenty of fun to the east and west if you say "I Do" in Destin. Beach Weddings, Etc. will take all the stress out of planning your wedding in Destin, including professional photographs. They'll take care of everything while you're hundreds of miles away. All you have to do is arrive and enjoy your special moment... it really can be that easy. In fact, that's the whole idea of a "destination wedding!"
Many couples enjoy getting married on the water, rather than on the shore. It's fun to take a cruise anytime... and, why not for your wedding? SunQuest Cruises will handle all the details of your wedding aboard their dinner dance yacht, Solaris. You and your guests will enjoy the 5,300 square feet of passenger space, including two climate controlled dining rooms and a full service bar. Live entertainment completes the picture and your wedding or rehearsal dinner will be unforgettable. Why not leave all your worries in their wake and say "I Do" at sunset while cruising on Solaris?
The Emerald Coast has many personalities
and one of them is bound to be just right for you.
If you're a serious "landlubber," the Sandestin Beach Hilton is only minutes away... in the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort. This is one of Northwest Florida's premier resorts where dreams really do come true. Guests of the resort enjoy convenient beachside service and complimentary boogie boards and kayaks. Sandestin's 1,800 accommodations are grouped into five resort areas: Beachfront, Beachside, Village, Bayside and Dockside. Each offers a unique locale over three and a half miles between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. Intimate or large wedding parties will enjoy the resort's one-of-a-kind dining, shopping and entertainment choices. From the Village of Baytowne Wharf and the Market Shops at Sandestin, to the Silver Sands Factory Stores and Destin Commons, the possibilities are endless!
Our last wedding destinations lie along Scenic Route 30-A, an 18-mile stretch of road that hugs the coastline. The natural beauty of this area is second-to-none with sugar white sand and sparkling emerald green water all along the way. You'll also discover some of the largest dune lakes in the country and a number of beach communities that are known for their relaxed, upscale lifestyle... one of them may be just right for you?
It wasn't that long ago when families came to the beach and stayed in simple cottages... in beach towns where porch-sitting and strolling were as important as swimming and sunbathing. The idea of Seaside, Florida started with the notion of reviving tradition and producing wood-frame cottages that enhanced the many pleasures of life by the sea. Sunlight pouring through windows open wide to an ocean breeze... hammocks hung in the shade of a screened porch... and white picket fences - that's the Seaside style today. Weddings here run the gamut from casual to upscale, but Seaside style is guaranteed one way or another!
After the success of Seaside, other communities have sprung up in its wake... and most would say for the better; regardless, where weddings are concerned, it's good to have options. Rosemary Beach is only a few miles east of Seaside but its appeal is different in many ways, mostly its architecture and the town's pedestrian scale... everything is within a five-minute walk. The shapes and silhouettes at Rosemary Beach call to mind St. Augustine, the West Indies, New Orleans and Charleston where deep eaves provide shade from the afternoon sun and fountain-filled courtyards and porches become outdoor rooms. Guests enjoy wandering through town-square and the many common "green" areas ideal for reading, games, picnics... and weddings. You should also have a glass of wine in the courtyard of Courtyard Wine and Cheese before dining at Onano Neighborhood Café. By the end of dinner you'll be sure this is the only wedding destination for you!
If the name David Rockwell means anything to you, it's worth checking out the Watercolor Resort and its premier restaurant, Fish Out of Water. This is a glorious place even if you don't know that David Rockwell is a Tony Award winning designer, responsible for many of the trendiest restaurants in New York! It's clear that Rockwell is very much taken with the Emerald Coast as he manages to bring the outside into Fish Out of Water. The setting is spectacular and the food never disappoints... very much a part of the good life on the Emerald Coast. Also designed by Rockwell, the inn combines the warmth and hospitality associated with traditional Southern grand hotels, the intimacy of bed-and-breakfast inns and the charm of classic beach houses. The only problem with a wedding here is deciding which location is more beautiful than the other... and choosing from the Fish Out of Water menu is next to impossible - but, someone's got to do it!
And, if you're planning a wedding somewhere along the Emerald Coast, but wish you could share your special day with friends and family back home, check this out: Live Vows Wedding Webcasts, based in Panama City Beach and serving all the Emerald Coast, can webcast your wedding LIVE over the Internet! Wedding webcasts have quickly become one of the biggest trends in the wedding world, and are a great way to include loved ones that can't attend the ceremony in person. It's the perfect solution for brides and grooms getting married away from home... and another reason why the Emerald Coast is the perfect destination for your wedding!
It's no wonder the Emerald Coast and all it
has to offer has become a favorite wedding destination by so many. Is it
the balmy weather or the turquoise water of the Gulf... the sugar-white sand
or the many fine resorts and restaurants? The Emerald Coast has many personalities
and one of them is bound to be just right for you. It sure wouldn't be
very painful to spend a week (or two) on the Coast... and call it research-just
to be sure you make the right decision. After all, saying "I Do," are two
of the most important words you'll ever say. So, leave the planning to
someone else and make sure that day is filled with nothing but fun and
of course, lots of love... Emerald Coast style! 
ADDITIONAL WEDDING SERVICES:
Wedding Planners:
RSVP Wedding Production
Sugar Beach Weddings
Coastal Beach Weddings
Wedding Caterers:
Criolla's Catering
Beach Walk Cafe
Rutherford's 465
Boatyard Restaurant
Wedding Venues:
Boardwalk Beach Resort
Carillon Beach
By The Sea Resorts
Photographers & Videographers:
Sarah Powers Wedding Videography
Byrds Eye Wedding Videography
Tim Allen Wedding Photography
Lloyds Wedding Photography
