5 out of 5 stars and 15 reviews
5
(15)North Florida, South Georgia and Lower Alabama
About this vendor
White Sands Weddings is a Gulf Coast wedding photography and cinematography studio based in Destin, Florida. Founded in 2017 by Matt and Jaelyn Oakes, our team captures coastal love stories across Destin, 30A, Panama City Beach, Pensacola, Orange Beach, the Emerald Coast, and beyond — from intimate beachfront vows at Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach to full celebrations at Henderson Beach Resort, Hilton Sandestin, WaterColor, and venues throughout the region.
We specialize in timeless, editorial imagery and cinematic wedding films designed to feel like the day itself — calm, intentional, and deeply personal. Our approach blends documentary storytelling with thoughtful direction, so couples end up with a gallery and film that actually reflect how the day felt, not just how it looked.
With 100+ weddings photographed and filmed, and 60+ five-star reviews, we've had the honor of serving couples from across the country who choose the Gulf Coast for its light, its shoreline, and the kind of atmosphere you can't manufacture anywhere else.
Our team includes lead photographer Jana, cinematographer Hunter, film editor Ilona, and photo editor Josh — all working together under Matt and Jaelyn's creative direction to deliver a seamless, editorial experience from inquiry to final delivery.
Photography and film packages start at $2,800, with combined photo + film packages at $5,600. Highlight films are typically delivered within a week, with full feature films delivered within four weeks of the wedding day. Photography galleries are delivered within four to six weeks.
We'd love to hear about your wedding. Reach out through our website or send us a note — we respond to every inquiry personally, and we'd be honored to be part of your story.
whitesandsweddings.com
info@whitesandsweddings.com
(850) 625-9321
Details
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Drone
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
- Video
Photo & Video Styles
- Classic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
2026 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.015 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
We loved working with White Sands Weddings! Matt was super easy to work with and really understood what we wanted/needed. We had an initial consultation and then a quick call to go...
over the timeline the week prior to the wedding where we met our onsite shooter, Hunter. Hunter was wonderful, super knowledgeable, personable, and present/available when we needed him throughout the day! We are so excited to see our video but even before seeing the finished product we can't recommend White Sands Weddings enough!
UPDATE: Our wedding video is some of the best money we spent. Matt and his team are amazing to work with and the final product absolutely surpassed our expectations. The quality is truly amazing and the editing is top notch. Hunter was our videographer the day of our wedding and he was great! Super knowledgeable and easy to work with. I cannot recommend White Sands Weddings enough!
I would recommend White Sands Weddings over and over again!! Matthew is so awesome and such a fun presence to have on your special day!! He genuinely loves what he does ,and that m...
akes the video and the time all the more special!! He had such fun ideas and was always an encouragement!! I will say make sure to not have any cute moments without him🤣!! Again highly highly recommend!!
Working with Matt was amazing! He was so kind and professional, and he made the whole experience fun and stress-free. My pictures turned out beautifully — even better than I imagin...
ed — and he got them back to me so quickly! I’m so happy with how everything turned out and would absolutely recommend him to anyone.
I wish I could give more than 5 stars!! This is THE BEST videography/photography company out there! They perfectly captured our special day. I live in GA, so I had to really resear...
ch to find a company that was a perfect fit for our wedding. Embassy Suites in PCB recommended Matt, and I am so glad they did! Matt and his photographer blended in so well with everyone and were so open to new and creative ideas, which made they day even more fun.
The highlight video is the most beautiful video I have ever seen, it is truly like watching a movie. It is so beautiful that every person we have showed it too has cried! I have watched the video so many times I have lost track. Our pictures came out amazing too. We requested a "natural" look to the photos and they did just that. Everything they captured looks truly amazing. After the sendoff, we asked if we could take photos at the beach under the pier and they said "HECK YEAH!" (pics attached)
I'm so glad I went with the LUXE package, because now we have so much good footage to look back on :)
My husband and I got married on May 24th. On July 8th, my dad suffered a horrific work accident. I texted Matt a few days after this and requested to get a few photos of my dad and I, so I could have some good photos of us to look on for the time being. He was SO kind and had sent me photos ASAP that my family and I were able to look at with my dad. White Sands Weddings is an amazing company that is backed by a WONDERFUL team. Couldn't have asked for a better day. Thank you all so much for making our wedding day such a memorable day!
I couldn’t be more pleased with the experience I had working with White Sands Weddings. Their professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail truly exceeded my expectations. T...
he photos they took were absolutely stunning and perfectly captured the essence of every moment! I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking for high-quality photography and a seamless, enjoyable experience. Thank you again for your outstanding work!
When I originally thought of how I wanted my wedding video to look, I didn't have a clear vision in my head. One day I stumbled on the White Sands Wedding Instagram page. I was imm...
ediately in love with the video montage of a recent wedding that had been posted. I knew I wanted a video just like that...one that captured all the special memories, the faces of the people, the laughter, love and happiness that was not only visible but tangible in each and every moment. I got exactly what I wanted. I love the drone footage, and the tidbits of the ceremony sprinkled within the video. Those little touches made it so much more unique.
Matt was an absolutely amazing person to work with. He was responsive, communicative, flexible and just the nicest person you'll ever meet. He worked seemlessly alongside our photographer to capture all of the most important moments.
I can't recommend Matt Oakes with White Sands Weddings. You will not be disappointed. Matt... thank you from both Paul and I for capturing our special day!!! we have shown the video to so many family and friends...both those there and those who were unable to come and everyone is in love with it. We will be forever be grateful!!
Matt and his team did our wedding video this past May and we were so obsessed!! Matt and his team are amazing and so easy to work with! We had the best and easiest experience with ...
them! We cannot recommend them enough!!
Matt was absolutely incredible! From start to finish, he exceeded every expectation we had for a wedding videographer. He was the epitome of professionalism—always on time, highly ...
communicative, and even willing to travel from out of state to be part of our special day. He didn’t just film our wedding; he poured his heart into capturing every beautiful, candid, and emotional moment that made the day uniquely ours.
The final video was nothing short of magical. Matt’s creativity, attention to detail, and storytelling ability brought our love story to life in a way we never thought possible. Watching the video felt like reliving the best day of our lives, and it brought tears to our eyes all over again. It’s something we’ll treasure forever, and we can’t thank Matt enough for giving us this priceless gift.
If we had to do it all over again, we’d choose Matt without hesitation. His passion for his craft and dedication to his clients is unmatched. He didn’t just deliver a product; he gave us a piece of art that we will pass down for generations. If you’re searching for someone who truly cares about making your day unforgettable, look no further than Matt. He is simply the best!
We had the most amazing experience and absolutely LOVE our wedding video. We are so glad we went with White Sands and so happy to have an amazing video that captured the day so wel...
l. The emotions, the laughs, the fun, all perfectly put together! HIGHLY recommend!!
Amazing photography!! Matthew is such an awesome photographer! not only in skills but in providing a memorable experience :) He is kind, fun, and understanding. I am soooo happy wi...
th all of my photos. I definitely recommend him to anyone wanting to capture special moments with excellence!
Matt's photography is absolutely stunning. He gave us true artwork, the kind that makes you feel something when you look at it. It seemed effortless for him to help us be comfortab...
le so he could capture our day, our marriage, our commitment and devotion. I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to work with him. Thank you so very much, I will treasure these photos for a lifetime. ~Amanda Marie Doherty
If I had to sum up everything in one sentence: You will never find someone else who will treat your wedding as if it's their own, like Matt will do for you.
The day of the weddin...
g Matt had a giant smile on his face the entire time and worked flawlessly with our photographer to help make our day absolutely perfect. The video came out even better than anything would could have possibly imagined, but that's probably a side note to what my wife enjoyed the most. What impressed my wife and I the most was how comfortable Matt made everything. He was happy to serve in anyway possible, and to help make sure the day went as smoothly as possible.
The videos were absolutely incredible. Nobody tells you how much you will forget after the wedding in such a short time with how busy you are the day of. Matt truly made it impossible for us to forget now. I can't recommend White Sands Wedding and Films enough. We are truly grateful and glad for all that Matt did.
I am so glad we had the chance to get white sands to make our wedding film! Absolute beauty and treasure!! Would highly recommend
White Sands wedding Films was awesome, they are very professional, I communicated with Matt through the entire process. I was very Pleased and excited about the Wedding film, I wi...
ll definitely use them again. Thank you Matt and Patrick
Matt was the most incredible videographer!! Not only did he bring all the energy and excitement during our wedding day, he then created the perfect wedding film for us. I could not...
recommend White Sands Wedding Films enough!!
Contact
North Florida, South Georgia and Lower Alabama
White Sands Weddings