FAQ

The most popular times of the year for a east coast Florida beach wedding are March- November. Friday and Saturday evening sunset ceremonies are the first to fill up. To avoid the crowds and hottest temperatures, consider evenings during the week and the cooler months of the year. Read this blog post about this. While it may be cold in other states December-February, Florida is typically boasting warmer weather. Call or email for date and time availability, and we’ll provide the sunset time for the date of your inquiry, as well as make a recommendation to the start time of your ceremony to fully capitalize on the lighting at sunset. You can certainly get married anytime of the day, morning, noon or evening but coordinate with us so we can optimize the lighting for your photography. No extra fees for Saturday weddings, though we retain the right to charge a holiday fee for certain holidays like Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, New Years Eve, New Year’s Day, etc.

We are located in Edgewater, Florida. We perform Beach Weddings & Receptions in New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, and Ponce Inlet Florida, which is on the the east coast of Central Florida . We also support Ormond Beach, Wilbur by the Sea, Port Orange and Edgewater Florida. Click here for our address and contact information.

We are very happy to consider other venues of your choice-such as in a park or garden or even your own private estate. For Officiant only, we will travel up to 50 miles.

Yes. All beaches in Florida are public beaches so we cannot reserve any part of the beach. If you are concerned about crowds, the winter months of November-February would provide you with not only less people but also incredible weather. Even during our busiest tourist seasons, most people leave the beaches by 4pm, so the evening weddings typically only have some onlookers from a distance who are out for the sunset stroll. We can recommend the more secluded areas.

It is the responsibility of the couple to discuss with us and have a back-up location in case of inclement weather. Rarely does it rain at sunrise or sunset, and usually not long enough to force a change in plans. If your ceremony is the last of the day, we could wait for the weather to clear, or move to the back-up location. Many times if you have reception location, that can be your backup plan for the wedding. We will be in touch with you the day before and the day of your ceremony, so should this become an issue we can coordinate.

We will still marry or commit to you on the newly chosen date! Postponement of your ceremony will be considered, with written notice at least 60 days prior to originally scheduled ceremony date (unless Act of God). At the time of request for postponement, your account will be reviewed, and if the contracted package price has increased since your reservation, you will be required to pay the increase in fees to secure a new date.  The new ceremony date must be agreed upon between client and Paradise Beach Weddings to avoid scheduling conflicts with other weddings on our calendar. Postponements are permitted for up to twelve months from originally scheduled ceremony date, in which the Save the Date fee may be applied to the rescheduled date. Save the Date fee is not transferable to other parties. Beyond this twelve month extension period, a new service agreement and Save the Date fee payment will be required, as the previous agreement will be cancelled and original Save the Date fee is non-refundable. We will make every attempt to accommodate requests. Please review your contract with us for reschedule and other refund terms.

If you need to cancel your booking with PBW, we will refund 46 days or greater from your booked wedding date, all payments EXCEPT Your $100 Save the Date fee, Wedding Planning hourly services and any special order items as noted in invoicing as mentioned above in SERVICES. No refunds for cancellations 45 days or less from booked wedding date.

You can reserve your date a three years in advance (click here to Book-a-Date), and your Save the Date fee will secure the date/time. For popular months & weekends, you may need to plan 3-9 months in advance. We can also marry or commit you quickly if your plan is to Elope to Florida, so call us and we can squeeze you into our calendar, even if only one week away!

The location is your choice, though we can certainly recommend our favorites, based on your interests, accessibility and privacy concerns. if you are unfamiliar with the three areas that we service, click the following link to learn more. See map and description of locations by clicking here.

Once you’ve decided the date and time (click here to Book-a-Date) and have been approved, the next step is to Save the Date by paying your $100 Save the Date fee locking in your date. This must be done within 10 days of Booking your Date or you may lose that date/time. We accept credit cards through secure payments using SSL and Stripe, via PayPal and personal checks.  A Save the Date (click here to Save the Date) is required, as once we have your payment, we reserve the date for you and turn away other clients, so therefore this fee is non-refundable. See Payment Schedule below for other payments.

We will send our Paradise Beach Wedding Service Agreement as an email link. This agreement can be signed online by typing your name.  Once you have signed this agreement, we will consulting with you vis phone or Skype and set the details for your event.

Payment Schedule

PBW requires the following payment schedule for all engagements/invoices.

From 91 or more days in advance: 25% of estimates/initial invoice amounts or $250 if amount is not known.

From 31-90 days in advance: 50% of estimates/initial invoice amounts.

30 Days in advance: Payment in Full
Final payments plus applicable taxes, “Payment in Full” to Paradise Beach Weddings may be via a check received and cleared or credit card through secure payments using SSL and our website, invoicing system or via PayPal at least 30 days prior to your ceremony. Paradise Beach Weddings will supply a balance due Invoice for all services with payment link.

Call 386-401-9698 or e-mail us here with questions and requests so we can assist you in completing your reservation.

Florida Notary Public or Ordained Reverend provided by the Paradise Beach Wedding team. Should you have a request for a specific faith/religious or en Español ceremony, we can provide that upon request.

Yes, we encourage couples to be creative. We do offer vows on this website as a starting point, plus special language for various add-on ceremonies. Click here to see vows.

Yes, as long as he/she is Ordained or a Notary for the State of FL. Be advised that if you opt to bring your own officiant, your chosen officiant is responsible for creating & delivering the ceremony, working with you to create your vows and personalized ceremonial rituals, and signing and filing your marriage license after the ceremony.  Be certain your officiant has the credentials to perform your ceremony. There will not be a price reduction for declined use of our provided officiant with any of our packages.

Of course! You may choose your own ceremony rituals. Feel free to include ring bearers, flower children, bridal and groom parties, special tributes, etc. We have “children added” text for wedding vows as well as “children in Sand Ceremony” text. Click here to see vows.

Should you need a consultation with our staff for a customized ceremony, we will work closely with you on that.

No.  Upon request at time of booking, we can schedule and accommodate. There is an additional $100 fee for a rehearsal. This additional fee must be collected with the deposit to ensure proper staffing is reserved in advance.  Rehearsals must be 24 hours or more in advance of the ceremony.

Most beach weddings are simple and require little instruction, so if you are unsure of your needs, we can help you make this decision.

We have a Tide & Sunset page (click here) and a downloadable PDF of the tide charts in New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach Shores (Use for Ponce Inlet also) for the entire year. This will help you decide on a date and time to hold your beach wedding!

Yes, for the most part. We welcome Do It Yourself decor (DYI) at wedding events with some limitations. We require that you tell is what you are bringing, who is setting it up, and who is taking it away/cleaning up. We may not approve all DYI. For instance.

OK for DYI: (Partial list)

Live musicians, flower petals (real only), small tables, welcome table items, custom signage, plants-flowers.

Not OK (Partial list)

Arches, chairs, artificial flower petals, rice, your own recorded music.

Yes you can. Please know that Paradise Beach Weddings has the right to take photos and of your ceremony as well, for our own use. Photographers and videographers can be very costly, so research the details before you commit to this route. We do offer professional, affordable photography services! And check out our Video offers as well.

Yes. Ceremony Music is an add on option and can be added to most packages. Customize your own play list and send to us 10 days in advance of your ceremony. We will play the wedding themed music of choice as the guests arrive on the beach, the processional and recessional songs, and then put the wedding themed music back on during the photo session following the ceremony. We can also help you with finding Live Musicians and DJs for your Wedding or Reception. Click here to learn about our music options and services.

Yes, we happily and humbly offer a 10% discount on the total price for an active or former military member, with proper identification at time of reservation.

You must obtain a Florida Marriage License for Paradise Beach Weddings to perform your marriage ceremony in Florida. You may obtain your license from any county in Florida. The fees paid to the Clerk of the Court for a Florida License is $93.50. This can be reduced can be reduced by up to $32.50 if you complete a licensed Florida pre-marital course. Click here for a list of all Clerks of Courts for all Florida Counties.

The license is valid for 60 days and the marriage may take place anywhere in the State of Florida. The marriage license form must be returned to the Clerk’s Office for recording within ten days after the marriage is performed. A certified copy will be provided by the county (by mail) after the license has been filed and recorded.

OUT OF STATE & INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTS

We recommend that you file for your marriage license in Volusia County, where we are located. You will need to pick your license up in person and it is the closest proximity to your wedding event. We are also a smaller county by population so the volume of applicants is not as high as more metropolitan areas. Online application links and addresses are below.

For all marriage license info, click here.

The following business day, provided all beach wedding fees have been paid in full, we sign and certified mail the license to the appropriate County Clerk of the Court. The Clerk’s office will then mail the couple the certified copy. (this is included in any base package) We can also sign the marriage certificate immediately after the ceremony and give to you, should you wish to file it yourself.

If you have a party of less than 50 people, you do not need a permit for the wedding event on Volusia County beaches. For 50 or more people (including our staff) and you will be required to have a permit and insurance policy. We will file your permit for you and provide the 24 hour insurance binder necessary as an option. Click here to read about permits and here to read about insurance.

Are are more than 30 tulle color fabric and chair sash colors to choose from. We also purchase new tulle if we can not get close enough to your colors. We have a large artificial flower inventory and we add more every month. We will create flower decor specifically to match your colors.