Sarasota Wedding - Photographer Tips - December 12, 2007
If your new to the Sarasota area and are still trying to find your perfect Sarasota Wedding location to capture some spectacular wedding portraits, or an engagement sessions theres quite a few locations that are under looked. Sarasota is located close to Bradenton, Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, and even Palmetto.
Each area has its own special and unique feeling. One of my favorite locations in this area has to be the beaches from Anna Maria Island down to Siesta Key. Siesta Key beach is known to have some of the most beautiful sand and is rated highly in many magazines and shows.
The Sarasota area is filled with life, however it does tend to die down by 11pm. St. Armands still has life until 1am, but even then it is quite slow because of the nature of this city. Its geared towards a modern family life-style and residential feel. There are also quite a bit of retirees and "snow-birds" as they call them come down for the winter from November till about February or March so traffic can get heavier during the beach at those months.
A few things to watch out when having a Sarasota beach wedding is to make sure you book early ! People from all over the world are booking weddings in the Florida area for a destination wedding especially during those peak May, June, and July months.
Also be prepared to have a backup plan in case of inclement weather. This is why its a good idea to piggy-back with a restaurant such as the Beach House, Sandbar, a Country Club, or a place that has a piece of property on the beach and can also do the catering for you which would save you more headaches in the future.
A few other locations I like for engagement photography sessions and some are great for weddings (not in any order) include:
- Bradenton Country Club
- Longboat Key Beach
- Beach House Restaurant
- Bradenton Botanical Gardens
- Sarasota Selby Botanical Gardens
- Longboat Key Colony Beach Resort
- Anna Maria Island Sandbar
- Sarasota Ringling Museum
- Bird Key in Sarasota
- Crosley Mansion
- Chelsea Center
I will try to review each of these individually sometime in the near future.
