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Thank goodness we still have the most pristine white sandy beaches in the world. It looks like Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties will see little impact, if any, from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. If you’d like to plan a beautiful Florida beach wedding, book your date and make reservations in Sarasota to insure a clean beach wedding. We have beautiful clear water, white sand & amazing sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico.Siesta Key has quartz crystal sand which makes Crescent Beach & Siesta Key Public Beach white powder-sand beaches. The Palm Bay Club is a great location for your beach wedding with condos only steps from the shore. If you want a tent for your beach reception I recommend Rental Depot of Sarasota. Ask them about chairs for your beach ceremony too. Mattison’s or Simply Gourmet Caterers can provide wedding guests with food and drink. (Paul Mattison catered my wedding when he was head chef at The Summerhouse Restaurant 15 years ago. Too bad it’s not open to the public any more. Thanks to our Wedding Video we’ll never forget our lovely Champagne Brunch Reception featuring crepe/omelet buffets & our Key Lime Cheese Cake, a triple layered wedding cake!) … enough about my wedding; let’s get busy planning yours! Simply Gourmet and Milan Catering are also excellent choices for your catering needs.

Longboat Key and Lido Key have several resorts to host your wedding and reception at the same location (Very convenient & you can avoid traveling between ceremony and reception sights.) Your guests can stay at the Longboat Key Hilton Beachfront Resort, Longboat Key Club, Lido Beach Resort, Ritz-Carlton Members Beach Club or Holiday Inn Lido. These beach resorts are right on the Gulf of Mexico, with the exception of the Holiday Inn which is across the street from the beach but provide excellent views of the Gulf and Bay. They provide Special Event dining & Banquet Facilities, specializing in beach weddings and wedding receptions. These large hotel / resorts can handle your parties of several hundred people. Ask for a free Bridal Suite when you book your wedding or reception. For an intimate wedding on Longboat Key, inquire about getting married on the water & make reservations at White Sands of Longboat Key. White Sands has beachfront condos on the Gulf of Mexico & bay-front villas on Sarasota Bay.

Anna Maria Island has a more casual feel and the weddings are generally smaller/less than 160 guests. The Sandbar and Beachhouse Restaurants on Anna Maria Island will allow your wedding party the thrill having their toes in the sand for the ceremony and reception. Queens Gate Resort is right across the street from the Gulf of Mexico on AMI. It’s a quaint hotel offering incentives for you to have your guests and bridal party stay there. They’ll host your reception in the courtyard and you can walk to your rooms afterwards. This is very handy after toasting and dancing at your wedding reception under the stars. Sun House Restaurant can host up to 60 guests for your dinner reception, right across the street from the beach. They have special accomodations for special occasions in the BridgeWalk Resort, where you can reserve up to 10 rooms.

Englewood Beach in Charlotte County has condos where you can rent rooms and host your beach wedding on the shore. I highly recommend the Boca Royale Golf and County Club for your reception. It’s about 10 minutes away, with exceptional service and cold a/c!

For more information on the health of our beaches in Florida you may visit:

www.healthybeaches.org and www.sarasotafl.org/oil-spill-news

~ Call Leslie Harris-Senac, Filmmaker/ Owner

VISIONS UNLIMITED

Video Productions, Inc. of Sarasota, FL

941/315-3456

Rental chairs with covers at Anna Maria Island beach wedding ceremony

Instructions for Hiring a Great Wedding Photographer for your wedding:

1. Ask your videographer, family, friends and recent newlyweds for a recommendation. Then, interview in-person or over the phone. You can also consult other wedding vendors who have likely worked with wedding photographers.

2. Request to see a complete coverage of each photographer’s work – that is, ask for a picture portfolio of an entire wedding for which he or she was hired. Meeting in person will allow you to choose an album, go over wedding photography packages and express your wants easily.

3. Choose an overall photographic style that suits you, whether photojournalistic, candid, formal posed portraits, artsy with added dramatic flourishes, color or black-and-white for a romantic classy look – or select a blend of a number of styles. Which can the prospective photographer deliver?

4. Consider the photographer’s personality. Decide if you share a vision and will get along well. Remember, the photographer will be with you on the most important day of your life.

5. Check prices, including those of packages offered and numbers of prints included. Remember, it’s always worth it to invest in a good photographer. Your wedding day memories will be captured perfectly or near-perfectly on film by a true profesional.

6. Schedule a follow-up discussion to hammer out specifics specific shots you want and don’t want, the shooting schedule on the day of the wedding, the number of proofs available and the negatives policy (how long they’re available and whether they’re for sale).

Posing for your photographer should be fun! — Posing for your wedding photos should be fun!

~ article by Leslie Harris-Senac, Videographer/Film maker in Sarasota, Florida

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