Outdoor Weddings in Florida

By Julie Landry Laviolette

If a cascading waterfall, a tranquil wildlife preserve or a lush garden setting fits the vision of your fairytale wedding, welcome to Florida.

The Sunshine State has so much natural beauty – not even counting its fabulous beaches – that it’s a natural for an outdoor wedding.

Take your pick from 175 state parks, countless county and city greenspaces, gardens, waterfalls, forests, natural springs and preserves to star as the tropical backdrop for your big day.

Florida, with its warm, sunny climate, is an oasis of outdoor locales that will make a stunning scene for your ceremony. Wander through these ideas:

Miami

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, a botanic sanctuary on 83 acres, has been around since 1938. The enchanting grounds have rare and tropical plants, ponds and exotic butterflies.
Pinecrest Gardens, built in the 1930s, is a National Historic Landmark. It has rare and exotic plants, banyan trees, streams and caves, and 10 indoor and outdoor spaces.
Mon Petit Garden offers 10 acres of scenic avocado and mango trees with a coral-rock amphitheater, plazas and a pergola.
Redland Koi Gardens has 2.5 acres in a dreamy setting of exotic fruit trees, waterfalls and ponds of colorful koi fish.
Miami-Dade County Parks rents out facilities at several picturesque sites, including Amelia Earhart Park, Crandon Park and the Deering Estate at Cutler.
Florida State Parks in Miami include Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, where you can host your wedding at the base of a historical waterfront lighthouse.
National Parks in Miami include Everglades National Park, a vast, wild stretch of more than 1.5 million acres with four visitor centers. The park requires a permit and registration to hold events, including weddings.

Fort Lauderdale

Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is a historic 1920 property that sits on 35 acres just off Fort Lauderdale beach.
Flamingo Gardens Botanical Garden & Wildlife Sanctuary has a charming gazebo and wedding lawn on its 60 acres, plus free-roaming peacocks and serene walking paths.
Broward County Parks has four nature centers, and an extensive park system with outdoor amphitheaters, intimate gazebos and water features.
Florida State Parks in Fort Lauderdale include Hugh Taylor Birch, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway, which has a historic banyan tree that is often used as a backdrop for wedding ceremonies.

Palm Beach

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed in 1925 and features a collection of over 100 works. The luscious tropical gardens are ideal for an intimate, outdoor wedding under the stars.
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse was built in 1860 and is one of the oldest structures in Palm Beach County. At the base of the steps to the lighthouse is a beautiful deck and gazebo shaded by an almost 80-year-old Ficus tree that overlooks the water of Jupiter Inlet.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens transports you to Japan with cascading waterfalls, bamboo-lined pathways and Japanese-style bridges.
Mounts Botanical Garden is a 20-acre urban oasis in West Palm Beach filled with 25 carefully curated gardens of tropical and subtropical native and exotic species.
Palm Beach County Parks has more than 8,500 acres of parkland. There is no charge or permit required for small, intimate weddings on an open grass area. For larger weddings or receptions, a rental facility is required.

Fort Myers/Naples

Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is surrounded by the majesty of nature. It offers four beautiful locations, from a small and secluded amphitheater under a canopy of old cypress trees to a lovely stone patio.
The Edison and Ford Winter Estates, the historic grounds where Thomas Edison and Henry Ford wintered with their families, has several outdoor wedding venues along the river, in gardens, under a pergola or on the lawn.
Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium has outdoor venues like the Pine Pavilion and adjoining greenspace, a meadow or a pavilion under the museum.
Lee County operates several regional and community parks, including Caloosahatchee Regional Park, with an amphitheater and rental pavilions. Collier County Parks include Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park, with an event lawn, pavilions and a community center.
The city of Naples operates several parks, including Cambier Park, which sit on 12 acres and has a covered pavilion and bandshell.

Tampa

Hummingbird Gardens is a family-owned garden in the heart of Tampa. The oasis is a specialist in outdoor weddings.
Tampa Bay Watch is located in a serene estuary run by a conservation nonprofit. It has a veranda overlooking the bay and facilities to rent.
Knotted Roots on the Lake offers lakefront ceremonies and receptions, with a dock overlooking Lake Padgett.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens on Sarasota Bay has historical charm and natural elegance. It is lushly landscaped with live oaks, banyans and palms, and has indoor and outdoor spaces.
Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg, a botanical garden since 1935, has garden wedding ceremonies on lawns or under a canopy of shade trees in the Oak Pavilion.
oversees 194 parks and over 3,000 acres of parkland, with gazebos, covered pavilions and docks. Hillsborough County has its own park system, with green spaces and pavilions.
Florida State Parks include Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, an eclectic park with an iconic mermaid show, and Hillsborough River State Park.

Orlando

The Cypress Grove Estate House is a wedding venue with a mansion on 80 acres of land on the shores of Lake Jasmine.
Villa Tuscany at WinterClub has a Tuscan feel with dreamy gardens and a courtyard.
Azalea Lodge at Mead Botanical Garden has an outdoor amphitheater, legacy garden, butterfly garden and courtyard.
Paradise Cove is on the tranquil shores of Lake Bryan and features an outdoor patio, an open-air bar with a thatched roof and a scenic dock.
Orange County Parks operates 113 parks and facilities. The City of Orlando park system has open-air pavilions and open spaces that can be rented.
Florida State Parks include Lake Louisa State Park, which has serene lakes, cabin rentals, walking trails and moss-draped oak trees.

Daytona Beach

Riverfront Esplanade botanical garden in the heart of downtown Daytona Beach offers large greenspaces and beautiful waterfront views.
Harmony Gardens in DeLeon Springs is nestled in an oak hammock and has seven acres of woodland gardens, with a rose garden, mosaic granite dance floor and pergola.
The Estate on the Halifax on the Halifax River in Port Orange has century-old oaks on 10 acres, plus gardens, a chapel and a gazebo.
Volusia County has both inland and beach parks, including Central Park, which has four park areas and nearly 150 acres, with outdoor gazebos and covered pavilions.
Florida State Parks include Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, with elaborate formal gardens and landscaping, including a rose garden, pond and water features, and DeLeon Springs State Park, with a natural spring swimming pool, pavilions and mature trees.

Jacksonville

Tuscan Rose Vineyards is on an old-world estate with 25 acres, century-old oak trees, rose gardens and Italian cypress trees.
Ocean Breeze Catering and Conference Center has a waterfront location with palm tree lined pavilions, paths and fountains.
Garden Club of Jacksonville has a historic venue on the St. Johns River with a picturesque courtyard and a three-tier fountain.
Bowing Oaks is a rustic but elegant site with unique outdoor ceremony spaces surrounded by mature oak trees.
has the largest park system in North America, with more than 400 public and recreational spaces.
Florida State Parks include Anastasia State Park, with unspoiled beaches and covered pavilions near the marsh and ocean, and Fort Clinch State Park, with a historic fort on 1,400 acres with wedding sites along the St. Mary’s Inlet and inside the fort.

Tallahassee

Goodwood Museum and Gardens, nestled in a grove of oak trees, has 21 acres, heirloom gardens and historic architecture.
Tallahassee Garden Club has a historic Southern home, a landscaped garden and a gazebo.
Serenade Oaks has moss-draped oaks and landscaped grounds for outdoor weddings.
Tallahassee’s park system includes 97 parks and almost 4,000 acres. Gatherings of more than 50 people require a park permit or special event permit, often at no charge. Dorothy B. Oven Park and House is on historic land and includes more than six acres of azaleas, camellias and palms, plus a gazebo.
Florida State Parks include Maclay Gardens State Park, a botanical garden and historic site with eight venues within the formal gardens.

Destin/Fort Walton Beach

South Laurel Farm is a modern farmhouse wedding venue with rustic charm featuring expansive acreage and a serene pond.
Laurel Hill Farm is a luxury equestrian wedding venue. The family-owned land is a working horse and hay farm with upscale lodging, outdoor wedding sites and a saloon.
Coldwater Gardens has a terrace surrounded by flowers and evergreens and a garden ceremony space with a live jasmine wall and a wisteria tunnel.
The cities of Destin and Fort Walton Beach oversee multiple parks and open greenspaces, some with pavilion rentals.
Florida State Parks include Eden Gardens State Park, with its iconic Virginia live oak “wedding tree,” historic rose garden and multiple park areas with natural backdrops for a park wedding.