Pensacola Wedding Guide

Congratulations on your engagement! We're delighted you're considering Pensacola for your wedding and reception.

Whether you celebrate your vows from a sugar-white sandy beach overlooking the emerald-green Gulf waters during sunset or upon a historic site nestled beneath sprawling oak trees, you are assured a memorable wedding day in the Pensacola Bay Area.

In addition to the Pensacola Bay Area Visitors Guide we've sent you, we can provide to you, at no cost, relevant information on our city to help make your most important event a complete success. Our wedding planning services include assistance with the selection of a host hotel, caterers, banquet facilities, local attractions, charter companies, and other suppliers, saving you precious time and money.

To take advantage of our complimentary wedding planning services please contact Barbara Williams at (800) 874-1234 or bwilliams@visitpensacola.com.

1. Places to get married
2. To do's before your I do's
3. Legalities and fine print
4. Wedding Services Info

Pensacola Sites For Your Picture-Perfect Wedding

Since Pensacola’s settlement in 1559 by Spanish explorer Don Tristan de Luna, flags of five nations have flown over the city. The European influences have blended with those of the Confederacy and now the United States of America to romance the architecture, the culture, and the cuisine of Pensacola, the City of Five Flags.

The historic Old Christ Church, built in 1832 and completely renovated in 1999, sits alongside Olde Seville Square. As the oldest church building in Florida, Old Christ Church is one of many beautiful wedding sites available to you. Simply cross the narrow, canopied lane to the tree-shaded park where a fountain and gazebo offer picture-perfect moments and more than ample space for your reception…perhaps a lovely, white-tented affair.

However, if your dreams drift toward the non-traditional, Pensacola’s natural beauty and historic sites are unsurpassed. Pensacola offers miles of protected beaches and beautiful historical locations, such as the restored Barkley House, Florida’s oldest masonry home, built on a lush triangular lawn with oak trees, palms and a spectacular view of Pensacola Bay. The entire house and gardens, located in Historic Seville District, are available for rent through the West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc.
For the more adventuresome, consider the Zoo of Northwest Florida’s Botanical Gardens, a sunset sail on Santa Rosa Sound or cruise the Pensacola Bay as the ship’s Captain performs your ceremony. Whatever your heart desires, the fabulous port of Pensacola is able to accommodate you and your wedding party.
The ideas are endless and are only dependent upon your needs and desires.

Other sites to consider…
Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola Cultural Center, Seville Quarter/Heritage Hall, Naval Live Oaks Area, Perdido Key Beach, Big Lagoon State Park, Numerous City Parks and Naval Aviation Chapels(Protestant, All Faiths and Lady of Loreto Catholic) (You must have a valid military I.D.; such as active, dependent, or retired)

About that "I Do"

You deserve a wedding day filled with many happy and stress-free memories. Use this detailed checklist and information to guide you.

All the "To Dos" to make those "I Dos"
Six to 12 Months Prior

Decide
… the date, time and budget
… the style wedding: traditional, formal, outdoor, etc.
… the location for the ceremony and reception and RESERVE them
… the attendants and request their participation
__ Schedule engagement photography and call local newspaper for guidelines
__ Choose and order your gown, shoes, attendant gowns, tuxes, shoes and accessories. (Note: Keep in mind the body style, coloring and financial situation of your attendants)
__ Visit with officiate and arrange for wedding participation and pay deposit
__ Interview photographers and view their portfolios
__ Select wedding bands and order
__ Visit with and decide on caterer, florist and musical entertainment and finalize
__ Compile bride and groom lists and determine size
__ Enroll with favorite bridal registries
__ Plan your honeymoon. Confirm plans.

Three Months Prior
__ Finalize guest list
__ If your wedding is planned near or during a holiday such as, Memorial Day, July 4 or Labor Day or spring and summer seasons, it is best to call hotels well in advance to block your guest rooms and your honeymoon location. During these active times, hotels become booked and rates are higher than other months (typically Sept. through Feb.)
__ Design and print
… your invitations and thank you notes, in addition to blank stationery (Note: bigger and bulkier is more costly for postage)
… ceremony program
__ Final arrangements for honeymoon
__ Visit with sample wares and select cake baker
__ Verify time, date and arrangements with all parties
__ Arrange your rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
__ Schedule
… appointment with hair stylist and make-up artist
… fittings for yourself and attendants
… fittings for men’s attire
__ Visit doctor for complete physical examination
__ Rent needed items for reception and ceremony
__ Buy gifts for wedding party, parents and spouse
__ Arrange bridesmaid luncheon
__ Plan transportation to and from ceremony and reception

Two Months Prior
__ Prepare invitations and mail those that must go out of the U.S.
__ Schedule an appointment for marriage license application
__ Have final dress fitting
__ Discuss the ceremony seating with fiancé and ushers, and consider selecting special friends to read prayers or passages during the ceremony.
__ Have formal wedding portrait taken.
__ Devise record-keeping method for gifts received and thank-you notes. Write thank-you notes promptly (Note: Ms. Manners states you have up to five months after the wedding to send thank-you notes)
__ Purchase personal accessories: garter, cake knife/server, guest book, aisle runner, engraved toasting glasses, etc.
One Month Prior
__ Mail invitations
__ Have final consultations with caterer, florist, photographer and videographer. Make follow up calls to all ordered items or reserved spaces, leaving no detail unchecked.
__ Obtain your marriage license
__ Make arrangements for your gown and floral preservation.
__ Decide on seating assignments for rehearsal dinner and reception. Design or hire a professional calligrapher to make special nameplates.
__ Pick up wedding rings. Remember to include your wedding rings in your insurance policy.
__ Relax and enjoy all the excitement and fun. Don’t let the details become your focus; it’s more about you and your groom, your families and your friends. Share this special event with love and laughter. SMILE! Don’t worry if the flower girl’s hairpiece is a shade off. She’ll be so cute, no one will even notice!
One Week Prior
__Verify with your photographer the specific photo shots you wish to take.
__Remind men to pick up their formal wear and to double check the fit.
__Make schedule outlining details of the wedding day and give a copy to each wedding party member.
__Verify marriage license receipt.

Legalities... or the fine print

The following are requirements of the Escambia County Clerk of the Court prior to the issuance of a Marriage License.

• Read the family law handbook, available online at www.clerk.co.escambia.fl.us or at the Escambia County Clerk of Court, M.C. Blanchard Building, 190 W. Government St. Sign a statement signifying you have read and understood it.
• Three-day waiting period for Florida residents between the date you apply for the license and the date you take your vows. License is valid for 60 days. No waiting period for non-Florida residents.
• The fee for a marriage application is $93.50 and is payable to the Escambia County Clerk of the Court. Pre-marital counseling, available from several individuals in the Pensacola area, lessens the fee to $61, and the waiting period is waived.
• Bride and groom must present photo identification and provide social security numbers to the Clerk of the Court.
• If you have previously been divorced, you must provide the day, month and year the divorce was finalized to the Clerk of the Court.
• If you wish the Clerk of Court to marry you in the office, the fee is $30.
• Though the office hours are Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., you must be there prior to 4:30 p.m. To contact the Clerk’s Marriage Division, call 850-595-4182.



 

Wedding Services Information