Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! May the journey be as joyful as the destination.

To get married in Florida, you must have a Florida marriage license. The process may seem daunting at first, but it's actually quite simple. Keep in mind that it can take a few days, depending on how much documentation you need to submit to get your marriage license. After receiving your marriage license, you will present it to the licensed officiant who will perform the ceremony for you.

There are requirements to obtain a marriage license in Florida. It may be helpful to contact a Florida Clerk of Court office to determine the requirements that apply to your particular situation. Once the requirements have been identified, the necessary steps must be taken to satisfy them.
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Here's a step-by-step guide to getting a marriage license in Florida.

1. ID: When applying for a Florida marriage license, you will need to provide proof of age and identification. If either person is under the age of 18, a parent or legal guardian with a valid ID must be present to sign the consent form. Proof of identity includes a valid driver's license, passport, valid state ID, or military ID.
2. Where to Apply for a Florida Marriage License: A Florida marriage license is issued through a county clerk of court office. You do not have to apply for your license in the county where you live or where the ceremony will be held. A license obtained anywhere in Florida is valid anywhere in Florida.
3. Residency: If you are not a Florida resident but plan to get married in Florida, you must obtain a Florida marriage license. You can complete the application online. After you arrive in Florida for your wedding, you must pick up the license from the office where you applied for the license.
4. Waiting Period- There is usually a three-day waiting period between the date you receive your Florida marriage license and the first day you can get married in Florida. However, there are exceptions to this rule. A Florida marriage license expires 60 days from the date of issue. Both the first date the license is valid and the expiration date are printed on your license.
5. Florida Marriage Preparation Course: Although it is not required by the state, you should consider taking a marriage preparation course. The three-day waiting period to get the marriage license will be waived if you complete a state-approved marriage preparation course no more than one year before receiving your license. Contact a Florida Clerk of Court office to learn about Florida premarital course requirements. Upon completion of the premarital preparation course, you should provide the court with a valid marriage preparation course Certificate of Completion. Taking the course also reduces the marriage license fee.
6. Blood tests- Blood tests are not required to obtain a marriage license in Florida.
7. License Fee – At the time of writing, the cost to obtain a marriage license in Florida is $93. The fee is reduced to $61 if both parties are Florida residents and can show they have completed a Florida-approved premarital preparation course.
8. Filing of a marriage license: After the ceremony has taken place within the valid date range indicated on the license, the completed license must be returned to the issuing clerk of the court office where the license was issued within ten days of the date the ceremony occurred. Most Florida wedding officiants will take care of returning the license to the clerk’s office for the couple.
9. Marriage Certificate: Once the license is returned to the Clerk of Court, it is filed and recorded with the Bureau of Vital Statistics. You will then receive your final marriage certificate as proof of your legal marriage. This process takes between 30-60 days.

Getting married is one of the most important life decisions you can make. As long as you know what to expect and prepare appropriately, you should have no problem acquiring your Florida marriage license!

In pre-COVID days, Florida was a hot spot for destination weddings. Couples from all over the world come to Central Florida to be married. Now that the vaccine for COVID is being distributed, people will soon be returning to our amazing state for their marriage ceremony  

What’s the best time of the year to get married in Florida? Our weather can be uncertain some months. While Florida is the Sunshine State, couples planning Florida nuptials should consider how the weather might impact their day.

The best months of the year to get married in Florida are the winter months. December promises great temperatures. A lot of people come to Florida for the holidays so it’s a busy month in the wedding industry here. Vendors you hope to secure may already be booked. Hotels and airfare will be more expensive than at other times of the year. Some venues have higher rates in premium months.  

January and February are also great months to be married in Florida. Just keep in mind that the temperatures, especially in Central and North Florida can get downright cold (relatively speaking of course). The chilly temperatures come into play if you are planning a beach wedding during these months. The wind off the ocean and the cooler temperatures can make beach weddings a bit uncomfortable, especially if the ceremony takes place in the later afternoon.
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March and April are my favorite months in Florida. The weather is amazing with comfortable temperatures and little rain. Like December, they are busy months in the wedding industry here so once again you have to think about costs and availability of the best vendors.

What can we say about May? The weather is still pretty terrific but unless you are a Floridian you may not be aware of what happens every May in Florida, especially along the coast. LOVE BUGS!!!. Now, love is what a wedding is all about, but LOVE BUGS are anything but lovely. They are nasty bugs that dominate the state almost every May and stick to everything, particularly things that are white. Yes, I’ve seen swarms of LOVE BUGS attach themselves to beautiful wedding dresses, white linens and chairs, and white and lighter-colored buildings. If you choose to get married in Florida in May, have indoor backup plans in the event that your year is a particularly festive one for our little friends.

June is a great month to get married in a lot of locations but not so much here in Florida. It’s the beginning of the rainy season and one of our wetter months.  July and August is all about the heat and humidity. Trust me, it can be ridiculously hot and humid in Florida during the summer months. It also rains most afternoons so keep this in mind if you choose to plan a summer wedding here.

September is similar to June in that there’s a lot of rain. That combined with the still warm temperatures and high humidity, September days can be sultry and steamy in the Sunshine State.

October and November are good months to be married in Florida as long as a hurricane doesn’t interrupt your plans. August through October are the most active months for hurricanes but the entire hurricane season in Florida runs from June 1 through November 30th.
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With flexible plans and easy-going attitudes, amazing weddings happen every day in Florida. Understanding the climate here will help you plan a perfect and touching day. 

by Chris W from https://orlandophotobooths.com

​Planning a wedding is challenging, especially since every couple wants theirs to be extra special and unique. You want it to be “your day” while making sure that all your guests are having a wonderful time and celebrating with you. But with so many wedding ideas out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. 
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To help you out, here are some ways on how to make your big day more memorable not just for you but for your family and friends who are joining you in one of the most important days of your lives as a couple. 

Choose a special venue
If you want to make your wedding stand out and you’re ready to embrace being different, consider choosing a venue that’s out of the box. Choose a place that’s both unique and meaningful for you and your partner. 
You can have your wedding at an art gallery, park, campsite, ski lodge, waterfalls, and even the planetarium. See, you can incorporate your passion, interests, and hobbies in choosing the right venue for your wedding day. So go ahead and skip the ballroom hall and give you and your guests a unique and memorable experience.

Choose your wedding favors carefully
From figurines to candles, and plants, you have a variety of choices when it comes to your party favors. But most of the time, these items end up in a corner, collecting dust, and never be used again - which is a big waste.
Since you’re going to spend time and effort on these gifts and favors, it’ll be better to give them something they won’t be able to put aside. At the same time, something that can remind them of your special day. For instance, a wine glass, a travel tumbler, or anything they can use.
You can also give them something that reminds them of how much fun they had at your event. For example, their photos. Just imagine your guests posing and goofing around to have their pictures taken and going home with a copy of it. Not only is this a memorable experience but it will also provide them a party favor that they could add to their albums, walls, or wherever they keep their photos. 
If you want to take it up a notch, you can give them a more unusual wedding favor through flipbooks. The Flipbook People, for instance, take several photos of your guests and bound them into a single book that they can take home. This can be flipped over and over, creating a somewhat moving animation of their experience at your event. 

Maximize photos
Photos have this effect that brings more meaning into people’s lives. It can tell your journey as a couple as well as create a great decorative piece. So why not maximize its use and share your pictures at your wedding? 
You can put together all your old photos when you were just dating and add your engagement pictures as well. If you already have a family together, share that too. For more impact, consider taking new photos with Orlando Photo Booths. 
On the other hand, you can also consider using pictures for your seating chart and show how each person at the table is connected. Not only will your guests have something to talk about at their table but it will also make them feel more “included” in your wedding.  

Ditch the old guest book
A traditional guest book, while well-intentioned, can be pretty dull and uninspiring. Your guests have probably seen it a hundred times and it may not reflect who you are as a couple. So to make it more memorable, mix it up with your personalities. 
You can use something that represents your hobbies and interests. ‘if you are both music lovers, you can use a guitar. For travelers, a globe or a map is a nice touch. You can put these items in your venue and have your guests sign on them. You can also get creative and turn your photo into a jigsaw puzzle. Just give each guest a piece and let them sign it.  
After, you can put it up somewhere in your home and always be reminded of your special day.

Have a pre-ceremony get-together
You may not have enough time to mingle and enjoy conversations with some of your guests during your wedding day. So to make up for that, have a pre-ceremony get-together. During this time, you can share casual conversations, eat together, and just spend time with each other.
If you’re worried about the extra expenses, remember that it doesn’t have to be big. You can invite everyone and set up outside your home. Have them bring at least one chair, drink, and an ingredient for your taco bar. Don’t like tacos? How about burgers or barbecues instead? If you’re worried about the additional work this will give, you can ask your close friends or family to take care of it. 
By encouraging everyone to mingle with each other before the big day, they’d feel more at ease and welcome at your party. This also creates a better atmosphere where they could just let loose, have fun, and enjoy themselves - and this experience is what truly makes a wedding unforgettable.

Congratulations! You are engaged. Now the planning begins for your special day. A significant part of your wedding day is the ceremony itself. As you plan your wedding and all the details of this special day, keep in mind that it all begins with your ceremony.

There are several important questions to answer in the early stages of planning the entire day.
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1. Will your ceremony occur at a house of worship or the reception venue?
Over the past twenty years, there has been a significant shift from ceremonies held at places of worship toward ceremonies held at the reception location. Most wedding venues now feature a beautiful and dedicated area to have a wedding ceremony, which is more convenient for guests, the bridal party, and the couple. Yet, many couples prefer to have the ceremony take place at their own house of worship. If you are actively involved in a church, synagogue, or mosque, look at both options as you plan your day. Does your house of worship allow wedding ceremonies to take place in their facility? If so, what are their requirements for having the ceremony at their location, and is your date open and available on their calendar? You should also look at the available ceremony area at your reception venue. While many venues have created dedicated areas for wedding ceremonies, other venues have yet to do so. They may have an area to offer for the ceremony but it may not be visibly adequate. Choose the ceremony location carefully and well in advance of your wedding day.

​​2. Who will officiate your ceremony?
Options range from inviting a professional wedding officiant to perform your ceremony to having a qualified government official perform the ceremony to even having a friend or family member conduct your ceremony. With a professional wedding officiant, you have someone who has years of experience in the wedding industry. You will work with your officiant to create a personalized and unique ceremony that you can be confident will be delivered in a timely and enthusiastic manner.  Most professional officiants have plenty of on-line reviews for you to examine. They can conduct both religious and non-religious ceremonies.
Another option is to invite a government official to conduct the ceremony, such as a Justice of the Peace, a Judge, or a Notary Public. Generally, this option will be less expensive than hiring a professional wedding officiant but you will not have much input regarding the ceremony. They tend to be cookie-cutter, one size fits all ceremony. 

Your other option is to invite a friend or family member to officiate your ceremony. If you go this route, the person must be ordained as a minister. There are several online options to accomplish this but not all jurisdictions recognize ceremonies conducted by people who've been ordained online by a “church” that exists solely to ordain people to be ministers for a fee. You should also consider how the person’s lack of experience will affect the ceremony. How will the ceremony be created and will the delivery flow well? This option may seem like a good idea early on but it comes with significant risks. If you wouldn’t invite a friend to buy a camera and be your photographer, or purchase a sound speaker and be your DJ, why would you invite a person who has no experience officiating wedding ceremonies to conduct your ceremony?

Plan to book your officiant at least six months in advance.

3. Will your ceremony be more traditional in style or more laid back and contemporary? 
A professional wedding officiant can guide you through the process of setting the style and tone of your ceremony. They will ask questions to get a feel for the mood you hope to achieve. Most professional officiants will provide you a ceremony planning booklet from which you will select various items to include in your ceremony. I recommend ceremonies last somewhere between 12 and 22 minutes. The length of the ceremony will always depend on what the couple wants to include or exclude from their ceremony.

4. Who will coordinate your bridal party during the ceremony?
Most couples invite friends or family to serve as bridesmaids, groomsmen, Maid of Honor, or Best Man. Depending on the size of your bridal party, you may need someone to coordinate the processional (entry) and recessional (exit) of the party.  If you hire a Wedding Coordinator to oversee the whole day, that person or their assistant will coordinate your bridal party. If you do not hire a Wedding Coordinator, then you want to make sure someone is designated to instruct and assist the bridal party regarding timing and where to stand during the ceremony. Some officiants will provide this service for an additional fee. Often, the venue can offer someone to provide this service. Some DJ’s will also provide coordinating services. Be sure to select someone qualified to provide this vital service.

5. Will you have a rehearsal before the day of the ceremony?
If you have a medium (3-4) or large (5+) bridal party per side, a rehearsal may be a good idea, especially if you have a ceremony that involves others besides the officiant and the couple. Generally, whoever will coordinate the bridal party on your wedding day will conduct and lead the rehearsal. You also want to inquire about additional fees for having a rehearsal. Your officiant, coordinator, or venue may charge you for the rehearsal time. Many couples do not have a rehearsal before the wedding day, especially if they have a small (2 or less per side) bridal party. Instead, the person coordinating the bridal party will meet with your bridal party about 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony to give them their instructions. This saves time and potentially money if it works for you.
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Your ceremony begins the public part of your wedding day. It's the moment you express your love for one another and vow your life to each other. A well-planned and conducted ceremony sets the tone for the rest of the event. Be sure to give the ceremony the priority it deserves.