How to Choose Your Miami Wedding Venue

You’ve decided you want to tie the knot in South Florida. And why not? It’s a beautiful place, perfect for a celebration with your family and friends. But do a quick search for “Miami Wedding Venues” and you’ll see right away that there’s limitless options. How do you know the right one to choose? As one of Miami’s top wedding florists I’ve seen many of them, and I’m here to help! Here’s how to choose a venue that’s perfect for your style and budget in South Florida.

Large or small?

The number one factor in choosing a wedding venue is to make sure that your guests fit comfortably. There’s hundreds of venues in South Florida, but only some can accommodate weddings of more than 150 guests. If you’re having a very large wedding it’s always best to hire a wedding planner, they will know the perfect venue for you. Or if you’d prefer to search on your own, good places to start are large outdoor venues such as Vizcaya, The Ancient Spanish Monastery, or Curtiss Mansion. 

You’ll have many more options with a smaller wedding, so your choice will likely come down to other factors than capacity. But don’t wait too long! Remember that there’s a backlog of couples looking to get married after the freeze of 2020, so if you find a favorite venue you should jump on booking it right away!

Are you a beach bride?

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of getting married with your toes in the sand, with the sun and the sea as your backdrop. That’s definitely possible in South Florida! We have many beach venues to choose from, most of which are hotels. That’s not a bad thing: beach weddings are logistically difficult and hotels will manage much of it for you. Some of our favorites are National Hotel, The Palms Hotel and Spa, The Confidante, and The Edition Miami Beach. 

One thing to remember is that Miami Beach is a public beach. So there’s no way of making sure your ceremony on the sand is 100% private. If you’re looking for fully private beach ceremony options there are a few resorts in the Upper Florida Keys that you might consider such as Baker’s Cay, Playa Largo, and Pierre's Restaurant at Morada Bay.

Worried about blowing your budget?

You’re not alone. The number one question I get from my couples is how they can stretch their budget a little further. Making the right venue choice is important here: many venues provide just the event space. If budget is a concern, look at venues that come with other services like day-of-coordination, basic furniture rentals, and included food and beverage. Or if you prefer to source those services on your own, it’s usually best to look at venues a little further from the city center to save some dough. Consider looking at venues around Homestead, FL or the Redlands, about a 45 minute drive from South Beach. 

What about the weather?

We may be in the Sunshine State but anyone who has spent time in Miami will tell you that it rains A LOT. Mid-May to mid-October is our rainy season, and you can count on frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms. That makes outdoor summer weddings difficult here (but not impossible). If you’re considering a summer wedding, look for a venue that has a rain plan or that allows you to bring in a large tent. And if you do decide to tent your wedding, you’ll need a tent with sidewalls. There’s nothing worse than rain blowing into a tent in the middle of a reception. Or just avoid an outdoor wedding entirely to take the stress out of planning around weather.

When your wedding is a destination

Let’s face it, Miami is a popular destination for just about everybody. If most (or all) of your wedding guests are flying into town, it makes sense to look at venues that are easy to get to. Make sure to choose one that’s close to the city center so your guests don’t have far to travel (Miami Beach, City of Miami, Coconut Grove, and Coral Gables are central). Or go for one stop shopping by choosing a hotel for your destination wedding, it’s so much easier to have all your festivities in one spot. Some of our favorites for destination weddings include:

• W Hotel Brickell

• W Hotel South Beach

• National Hotel

• The Palms Resort and Spa

• Marriott Stanton South Beach

• The Edition Miami Beach

• Mondrian South Beach

• 1 Hotel South Beach

• The Confidante

Making it count

It’s a big choice to make, but choosing the right venue will make sure that the rest of your Miami wedding planning goes smoothly. And of course it’s important to choose a vendor team that has worked in your venues before and knows how to make it shine. We’ve made hundreds of couples' wedding dreams come true. Get in touch today to learn how we can help you tell your love story with flowers.

Destination Bride

Photography by BowtiePhotography

Florals by The Bride Candy

Venue Holiday Inn Miami Beach

Miami is a hub for destination weddings. So it’s common for  people in the wedding industry to work with brides and grooms from all over the globe. Sometimes we don’t get to meet our clients until the day of the wedding. Recently, I created a beautiful tropical themed wedding for a sweetheart named Kaytie. Let’s get to know a little about Kaytie’s story and why she chose to be a destination bride.

Kaytie admits to selling him lots of shoes and socks just so he would spend time with her (so cute).

Why Destination ?

Kaytie is from Minnesota and Nick is from Miami. They meet in North Dakota but now live in Minnesota. Nick was in the air-force and met Kaytie while she was working at a shoe store while in college. So why Miami? Most of Nick’s family lives in Miami and a few can’t travel. So they decided to bring the wedding to them. It was the perfect excuse to enjoy the warm tropical weather in February. Most brides choose a destination wedding because they like to travel and usually choose warm beautiful locations. A wedding is the perfect excuse to make it a vacation, which also makes the wedding experience more fun for the guests. It’s also quite common to choose to do a destination wedding because of family related things. 

Kaytie: “We were both obsessed with the arch for the ceremony. It was exactly what we wanted. I also loved the bouquets, they were beautiful and we got so many compliments on everything.”

Me: Blushes

Adventurous Wedding Style

Most of my destination brides choose a style to reflect the location of their wedding. They choose to make their wedding experience feel like they are in a different part of the world. Kaytie was one of those brides. She and Nick wanted the beach to be the focus of attention when it came to decoration . They chose tropical greenery to match the aesthetic of the tropical foliage in South Florida. It was sleek, timeless, and elegant, giving you the feeling of adventure and romance. She and her husband are modest in style and chose neutral colors and flowers. Kaytie’s dress flowed in the wind as she walked. It was really romantic and she looked beautiful as she walked down the aisle.

Traveling Love 

I asked Kaytie what her favorite part of the wedding was. She said she loved seeing both their families intertwined. They have family from all over the country. It meant the world to her that people came from all over to celebrate her and Nick’s love. I think she speaks for most destination brides. What could be more wonderful than to experience another part of the world with the people you love most? Weddings are magical and romantic and are the essence of celebrating love. This is the perfect way to get the perfect wedding setting. 

My favorite part 

The destination bride is a woman who seeks to celebrate love with adventure. What I love about my destination brides is the experience of meeting someone from far away and making their wedding dreams come true. I have met so many amazing women from all over. My favorite part of Kaytie’s wedding was when I was leaving - I felt someone hug me from behind and say “I loved everything, thank you”. It was her, and that’s a memory that I will always remember. I not only got to meet a sweet girl from Minnesota full of love and adventure but I also got to make her wedding day just a little bit more beautiful. Kaytie, thank you for choosing me as your florist! It was my honor to create your wedding day flowers and to get to know you and learn your love story .

I sometimes never meet my destination brides until the day of the wedding. Through emails and phone calls I get to learn about each one in the process and who they are as a person. I’ve met some pretty amazing, interesting people. It’s one of the things I love most about my job.

The Mermaid Bride

The Mermaid Bride

IG: @Mermaid_jules

Photography @thestory

Many of us have seen Little Mermaid. As a child I would flip my hair just the way she did in the movie in my bath tub splashing water all over my bathroom (poor mom). So you could only imagine what I felt when I discovered a bride of mine was a professional mermaid! I became one of her biggest fans and would stalk her instagram on the regular.

IG mermaid_jules

I remember the first time I spoke to mermaid Jules. She was everything you would expect a mermaid to be like. She was bubbly , sweet , and very pretty. She has a pink mermaid tail , her hair was long , and she wore crowns made out of seashells. Anthony her fiancé definitely resembles a prince. Anthony was a tall, dashing, dark haired gentleman. The both looked like they came straight out of a fairytale.

What does a mermaid Choose for her wedding? A seaside wedding of course! Starfish were placed on every table, pearls were added to her bouquet and a mini starfish in Anthony’s boutonniere . Her colors were blush pinks, pearly whites and light shades of greens.

On the day of the wedding I wore my Little Mermaid shirt. I must say it was a hit, especially for my bride who noticed it immediately. What does a mermaid wear on her wedding day? A dress with a seashell top, pearl necklace , and a smile that made the entire ocean sparkle with her. When she walked down the aisle her dress flowed as her bare feet hit the sand. Hair blowing in the wind she married her prince in front of all of their her loved ones. It was a happily ever after straight from a fairytale.

#MermaidSquad

Look closely at the petals in her bouquet!

Fun Fact : Mermaid Jules made her dress!