Gulf Beach Weddings

nds, he took charge and captured our special day beautifully. The Bad: The weather sucked. It was "freezing to FL" cold and windy. Was this anyone's fault, absolutely not! Our tenacious spirit to move forward with our ceremony didn't seem to sit well with the staff at Gulf Beach Weddings, as they attempted to get us to change the date several times. We had plans to be in the area, along with several out-of-town guests, for only the weekend and our pastor's flight left the next morning. Taylor informed us that due to the winds, we would not be able to have the arch and we were okay with that. We showed up to our site on-time, to find 10 chairs, a few green sprigs and starfish and a raked aisle. We were supposed to have a sand table and upgraded lanterns, none which were at the site. I asked the GBW guy where everything was and he informed me that they had not even brought them to the site. At the ceremony, we asked the GBW guy when the music would begin, as we were at the start time of our ceremony. He asked "you had music?" I told him that we had chosen a couple of specific songs. He told us he had only received our info a couple of hours prior to our ceremony and the song list was not given to him. I told him that we needed something, to which he handed me his cell phone and told me to pick a song. He then rushed to set up the speaker, as our ceremony time had already been breached and our poor guests were waiting, in the cold winds off the beach. We had zero direction from him after that. Bless Damian's heart, I think he realized this and stepped in to direct us on what to do. From there, no other communication from the GBW guy, just a quick clean-up of about 10 minutes and gone. The UGLY: After we returned home, we had several emails requesting we review GBW. We don't like to write anything in haste, and there were some things that needed to be addressed. Taylor wasn't onsite, so he wasn't privy to everything that went awry. Taylor responded back that he would get to the bottom of it. He did call back, with no clear explanation as to why everything went down the way it did. We tried to clear the air and come to some resolution. At minimum we were hoping to get the $75 for the lanterns reimbursed back to us because they didn't bring them. We told Taylor right from the beginning that the arch not being there was not their fault and we were OKAY not having it. Everything else was 100% GBW's staff dropping the ball. When Taylor emailed back he said, "This is unacceptable, I know the weather (wind) played a factor in this however, your dissatisfaction is our greatest concern." HERE IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST PART: Gulf Beach Weddings did agree to a small refund. A few days later, we received an email which contained a CONTRACT that we had to adhere by. In exchange for a small refund we were not to post any reviews about GBW (good or bad) from us OR OUR GUESTS or we would be SUED FOR $10,000! They blackmailed us and all of our guests in lieu of customer service. Sad reality, we were at peace with them attempting to make it right, when in the end they pushed themselves off the cliff. We decided that the small refund wasn't worth not being able to share our story and the truth about this company.

ptions for everything was perfect for our needs. Even the weather that day was perfect. However, it was not a completely flawless experience. On the day of the ceremony, I found there to be a lack of attention to detail. For example, we had selected red rose petals for the aisle (an upgrade of $200). The rose petals used on the day of the ceremony were yellow and orange and we were not informed about the change prior to seeing them in the aisle during the ceremony. The sashes were attached to the posts with zip ties alone rather than with additional sashes tied into bows (like you see in their promotional photographs). The sashes were placed on the post unevenly. This was not entirely their fault as this was intentionally done for a particular flower arrangement we had purchased. When the flowers didn't turn out like we wanted, we changed the arrangement to be more symetrical. The sash was not adjusted accordingly given that change. Also, I thought there was supposed to be a tent over the watering station (another upgrade) as well, but there was none. The staff onsite never mentioned anything to us about these issues. The officiate was dressed much more casually than I would have expected. Granted, its a beach wedding, so something more casual is to be expected. And we weren't specific about the attire for the officiate either, but I certainly wasn't expecting cargo pants and a loose fitting, short sleeve, collared t-shirt. Everybody looked overdressed compared to the officiate, which was a little odd. We assumed it would be business casual at the very least. The fee for using the location we wanted to use (Honeymoon Island) was confusing in the way it was explained and invoiced. Also, there was no follow up after the ceremony to see if all went well. We are just now seeing the photos from our photographer and noticing all the things that are not quite how we expected they would be. Me and my wife were too busy at the time of the ceremony to even notice some of these things or say anything about the problems we did see. Besides it is their job to make sure it looks just as good as the photos they promote. Even the guests noticed the sashes and the rose petals were different than what we had said they would be. The person we initially consulted with disappeared from the company after our initial consultation (for whatever reason) and any continuity with what we had originally envisioned quickly fell through the cracks. We had to do an additional planning session just to try to get plans back on track. Perhaps this is the reason for the lack of attention to details overall, but that is irrelevant to us. We paid for a spectacular experience and were somewhat disappointed. But we didn't let it ruin our day. We still had a great time. Just be aware of what you are getting into with these folks and stay on top of things if you want your special day to be as perfect as it can be. They may not be paying close attention to the details for you.

e public beach would be too crowded, but it was actually a more private wedding than any of the ones that took place at our resort. We also had more decor in our wedding set up for much cheaper than our resort’s most basic package. Gulf Beach Weddings surpassed all of our expectations!

re of it all! They were very communicative prior to the wedding day, making sure we were all on the same page as far as timeline, colors, officiant, set up, etc. They even let me change the flower option I had originally selected just a week prior. Two days prior to the wedding, I was able to speak with the officiant they provided, Scott. Scott also came by the day before the wedding to do a rehearsal with us and made us feel at ease about the big day. When the wedding day arrived, the forecast called for rain (of course, haha!) They handled it great! I got a phone call in the morning from someone who informed me that they were watching the radar and would keep me updated if we needed to change anything. We discussed the possibility of an alternative plan and they offered to change the start time to accommodate having the ceremony during a time when the rain would be stopped. Luckily our whole wedding party and guests were all staying at the beach house where we would have the ceremony and we were able to start a few hours early to avoid getting poured on! The set up crew arrived earlier to get things going and they even had an extra set of chair sashes to change if/when they got rained on before we started the ceremony. Bottom line, they made me feel calm about the ceremony going smoothly and looking great, even though I knew we may get a little wet.

about what we TRULY wanted our wedding to be, we decided on a beach wedding in our favorite vacation location. So not only would we have a beautiful wedding by the ocean- but we would go on a vacation as well. We looked through different companies and found GBW to be the best priced for all that was included in the package. Along the way, I did bump into issues with them with a last minute mandatory change of location, but they threw in extra decor and refunded us money from the invites and programs we had ordered! Everything was taken care of for us- finding a officiant, decorations, music, photographer, videographer.. everything! All for under $3,000. We have already gotten our pictures back and they are gorgeous! I highly recommend ♡

have asked for a better day. Thank you so very much for making our wedding even more special.

I had spoken to one of the event planners for this company a month before our wedding date and provided an updated word document outlining what we would like for our ceremony. The day before the wedding, the officient called me and had not received any of the new info. This missing information also showed during the actual ceremony, as the unity sand was set up and we had communicated that we only wanted the blessing stone ceremony. 2. My wedding programs were not handed to our guests. It was communicated to the coordinator a month before the wedding that a family member would be dropping them off the day of the wedding. When I arrived to my ceremony, I saw them just sitting in a bag at the front of the aisle in front of the unity sand ceremony set up (that we did not want). I spent 2+ hours and money to make those things and was frustrated that they were not able to be handed out to my guests. 3. Wrong chair sash color. It was supposed to be coral, not baby pink. Very disappointing and did not match my wedding colors which was a HUGE oversight. Baby pink is also my least favorite color. :( Other than those issues, I will say that the vendors this company uses were AMAZING and make the package worth while. The officient was so wonderful and did such a great job. The photographer was so great and really made use of the limited time you had with him. In my opinion, they made the experience better. Without them, I would not have been as happy as I was.

ation was evacuated. They did NOTHING to offer a different location. They did not attempt to reschedule a single vendor. I was left to put my wedding back together myself. find an alternate locate. New makeup artist. notify the guest that hotel arrangement had change. You name it they did NOT take care of it. The least they could do it refund me since they did no work what so ever. Nope they can not even furbish a decent reason for not refunding me. This company will charge you a premium price and have no follow through. I am very disappointed with this company. I hope this dentures others from falling victim to this company carelessness on your special day.

g! They provide you with lists of vendors nearby from florists, hair salons, bakeries, photography, transportation, good restaurants nearby to eat at & more! Highly recommend! 😊

ue: "Affordable Banquet" and it was the BEST! They had a million seashell/beach decorations that were free to use and made decorating the space a breeze. It's such a nice setting and I loved that it was a separate space (rather than being part of a hotel or some bigger conference center, it is its own building-complete with bathrooms, dance floor, speaker, tables and chairs, long counter space for catering set up and full size fridge). It was perfect, everything was perfect! I wouldn't change a thing if I had to do it again!!! :-)

out that we were pregnant. Immediately we knew this was going to put a damper into our wedding plans. We don't live in Florida, so we had planned to have to travel down. We went to our DR appointment and found out that our due date was going to be about 3 weeks after our wedding. After talking to the doctor about our plans she immediately let us know that we can not travel that close to the wedding. We are a high risk pregnancy due We waited a couple of weeks until we were further along to make the decision on the wedding plans. We assumed canceling 6 months out our deposits would be refunded and we could at least afford some kind of small wedding here in Michigan.. we were wrong. Not only has this been a difficult time because we had to cancel our dream wedding, we have a high risk pregnancy (my first pregnancy by the way), we couldn't travel if we wanted, and now we had to save money for a baby, but now Gulf Beach Weddings WILL NOT refund us our $500 deposit. This is a lot of money to us. My fiancé is a police officer and works extremely hard to help us make our way and now...we cant even do our dream wedding, let alone a small wedding here in Michigan. I understand there is a non refundable deposit, however in some rare situations one would think a company could make a ONE time exception under the situation and refund their deposit. We gave plenty of notice for them to rebook the date (6 months). It just shocks me that a company can not be reasonable and understanding in a rare case. Our dream has now turned into a nightmare of us losing a lot of money and not being able to have any wedding at all. Very disappointed with this vendor and their lack of making some kind of exception for a rare circumstance.

corated with sheen and starfish ... to the white flowers in the tiki torches ... to the sea oats and starfish lined aisle ... even doing a fantastic job softening the rake lines so the aisle sand looked very natural! Thank you for helping our wedding decor be just what we wanted for a very romantic beach wedding!

ry. They are extremely professional, friendly, and detail oriented. They go above and beyond to make sure everything goes smoothly for your wedding day, so you are able to focus on what is truly important. Their website is super easy to navigate and use, so you can be sure you get exactly what you want for your wedding. The Dream Wedding Builder option on the website is one of a kind. You are able to choose every detail, and see the changes as they are made, from location to colors to decorations to price. Best of all, they handle every detail including the options for photography, videography, and live music.

making your Wedding Day a special one. Choosing Gulf Beach Weddings for your special day is the smartest wedding decision that you can make other than saying yes to marrying the love of your life. They provide an amazing assortment of wedding choices for your beach wedding. Also, they have a state of the art website that cannot be beat! You can change every aspect of your beach wedding from the colors of the flowers, to how many seats you would like etc. I highly recommend calling Gulf Beach Weddings for your wedding day. You will not be sorry and they will exceed your expectations.

ates and changes (to the colors, took me 3 different switches to get the one she wanted). There was never a service charge or fee attached - just friendly customer service. At the actual ceremony - the setup was perfect, photography was amazing, and the girl who coordinated the ceremony was such a pleasure. We were all nervous prior, but completely at ease during the ceremony. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a destination wedding in Florida - these guys are good!

g so (I went back and forth on the colors 3 times!). The Coordinator the Day-of was such a pleasure to be around, photography amazing, and the beach setup perfect. We would highly recommend - who knows, we may use them again for our vow-renewal. Thank you Gulf Beach Weddings!

ing but when we aarrived nothing was on their calendar. They offer a service to arrange for the marriage license prior to the wedding but my husband and I decided to fly in early yo get it ourselves. A few weeks before the wedding I received an e-mail with another couple's marriage license application which contained their social security numbers and date of birth. I arranged for an empty chairfor my deceased father and we did not want a bridal party but had a few friends and family attend. I told them I wanted a picture showing all our guests seated but my dads chair empty. They had one of my friends stand up as maid of honor the whole time so that picture was never taken. On my way to the wedding I receive a call that no one had the music (which was pre arranged and confirmed several times including the day before the wedding) . My friend found the songs I wanted and ended up having the songs but played the wrong one. The wedding was beautiful no doubt but the two men who run this company don't talk to each other. One of them had the music the whole time but the wrong song and the other one had my friend call to say they had no music. All in all a nice set up for the price and a beautiful day to marry my best friend but if details are important to you this is not the place for you.

and our officiant, Brandon, made everything simple and easy! Couldn't have asked for better!!

g and friendly!

nd the responses were quick and concise. We were able to choose exactly what we wanted and they delivered as described. The unity sand was a really nice and different addition to the ceremony and the photographer captured some brilliant photographs. The Officiate on the day was clear and reassuring, again answering our questions of him and he delivered a lovely ceremony. We didn't use the marriage licence by mail service and weren't pressured to either, we just did this ourselves at the local court house which was straight forward. Thank you Gulf Beach Weddings you made our day perfect.

d delighted to help me get everything figured out. It was very affordable and I was grateful that he finished our paperwork for our marriage license so fast and mailed it in for us. By the time we got back from our honeymoon we had our marriage license! I would definitely recommend Gulf Beach Weddings!

e there early the day of and met with my husband set up everything, and even helped take photos! My day was perfect!

Brandon and Gulf Beach Weddings was courteous and professional. They made changes when I needed and quoted additional prices on my requests quickly. This made for a stress free wedding day and ceremony! Thanks Gulf Beach Weddings. You're top notch!

ros. Right down to the week before Brandon reassured me everything was on track and set to go, he gave me contact info to additional vendors. He even went so far to pick up my bridal bouquet, bouts and a special memorial bouquet from the florist and had them onsite waiting for me. Everything was running so perfect that we started a little bit early. Les was a terrific officiant so the ceremony ran very smoothly. Brandon and the other gentleman that was helping cleared everything out very timely leaving chairs for my guests to use while waiting to finish up pictures. I heard nothing but great compliments about how polite they were from family and friends attending our wedding. It was the everything I wanted out of my day with none of the stress. I would do it all over again and it turned out so well. It wasn't easy for me to have the trust at first...but Brandon and Les got it done right it was perfect, everything I was hoping for.

verything, the rehersal and the ceremony, without being too pricey. I was able to write the entire ceremony, pick my music, use mini beach balls instead of rose petals or bubbles, and have everything personalized, even the colors of the sand in the sand cermeony. What I didnt like, was in the tiki torch holders, there was not torches or flame. Looked kind of tacky. Also, the officiant had a hard time setting up thier table for the sand ceremony, and right before he pronounced us, he leaned and asked the groom how to pronounce his last name again. Didnt like that. Also, the two male employees that were there to set up everything, were in a rush to take down the arch and chairs that we almost didnt get pictures in front of them. Otherwise besides some minor details, they showed up, had everything the way I wanted, it went smoothly and the guests enjoyed everything.

aged to get it right with all my special orders and where I wanted it! It was a bit of a headache but they made it all turn out just as I wanted!

FL, it was very hard for me to be hands on in the initial planning for my ceremony. So I trusted some guy I picked off the net and totally lucked out. He put me in contact with the best hotel on Treasure Island (Sunset Vistas) and planned the best day of my life!