The Opal Seaside Florida Weddings Guide

White-sand beach weddings are a part of every Opal hotel experience. They also, however, offer some experiences brides won’t find anywhere else in Florida.

Stress-Free Zone

Along the Gulf of Mexico in Naples, Edgewater Beach Hotel helps you find some inner-Zen before the ceremony in its Serenity Suite. Overlooking the water, this bridal suite comes stocked with plush robes, an aromatherapy set, and in-room massage table for body work before a beachfront ceremony and dinner with sand between your toes. You can also have your own yogi for private meditation or a stretch session, and a personal juice bar is stocked daily with organic fruits and vegetables.

Highlights: Private beach dinners / Host up to 80 guests / Fire pit events / All-suite hotel

Italian Courtyard Receptions

Only at The Resort at Longboat Key Club can you match the coastal Sarasota, Florida, weather with the elegance of an Italian wedding for the ultimate in Florida weddings. Brides can take a page from George Clooney’s Venice wedding by arriving via boat at Longboat Key Club Moorings, then recite vows among the ivy-covered pillars, bubbling stone fountain, and terra-cotta-tiled alcoves of the resort’s Marina Courtyard. Whether your guest list is an intimate group of 10 or a family affair of 125, this Florida venue makes your wedding feel like a destination getaway without packing a passport.

Highlights: Beachfront, outdoor reception space / Buffets to formal dinners / Host 20 to 350 guests / 223 rooms

A Tropical Paradise

Imagine a dreamy Key West wedding held in an island paradise, where swaying palms frame picturesque views of a white sand beach and azure waters of the Atlantic Ocean just beyond. At Sunset Key Cottages, we offer an unmatched setting to bring your dream wedding to life, offering exclusivity and privacy while just 500 yards off Key West. Couples can choose from several enchanting options including our most popular option of a ceremony on our secluded beach, followed by a glorious sunset view reception in a luxurious cottage or at our award-winning oceanfront restaurant.

Highlights: Private Island ceremony / Host up to 10 guests / Award-winning oceanfront restaurant / Spa on-site

Wild Weddings

North Palm Beach is a hotbed for preserves of alligators, deer, and loggerhead sea turtles (more than 13,000 nest here each year). So for a wild child of another sort, hosting her ceremony and reception at the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa puts her outdoor party on The Terrace directly next to a tropical wildlife preserve of lush mangroves. The resort is also less than five minutes away from the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, which makes for a great afternoon adventure for guests to visit rehabilitating bald eagles, panthers, and endangered crested caracaras.

Highlights: 4,500-square-foot ballroom / Host up to 250 guests / Four reception spaces / 177 rooms

Asian Influence

Brides looking to tie the knot near waterfalls under a Japanese gazebo and pond need not look any further than Lido Beach Resort in Sarasota. In sight of the resort’s 300 feet of private white sand beaches, the garden area makes for an intimate ceremony and perfect vantage point for photos. After, you and 160 guests are whisked away to the 1,742-square-foot Sunset Terrace with floor-to-ceiling windows and breathtaking views of North Lido Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.

Highlights: 6,000 square feet of event space / Late-night snack stations / Custom catering / 222 rooms

Dinner on the Beach

Sandpearl Resort is the only venue in Clearwater Beach to host ceremonies directly on the sugar white sands of the Gulf. It makes it easy to go from saying vows on the beach (the resort has 700 feet of shoreline) to an outdoor reception along the 6,700 square feet of lawn that overlooks the waters. Think, bistro lights illuminating rounds of tables, a dance floor under the open skies, and the sounds of the waves crashing on the sands.

Highlights: Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List 2015 / Ceremonies directly on the beach / Facing the Gulf / 248 rooms

Intimate Beach Weddings

Barefoot beach brides might prefer a secluded oceanfront ceremony at Delray Sands Resort on Highland Beach, where the azure waters of the Atlantic offer the best backdrop. Keep the party intimate for 60 close family members and friends with a poolside cocktail hour with private bar, or serve a plated dinner in the 100-guest Ocean Terrace, overlooking the ocean and with a private outdoor patio.

Highlights: Complimentary oceanfront room for couple / Oceanfront patio ceremony / Host up to 100 guests / 115 rooms

Request a wedding proposal from one or more OPAL hotels here.

Get some OPAL bridal inspiration in the latest OPAL Weddings magazine.