DESTIN FL wedding plaaning HELP, on a budget?

Jessica&Levin

Hello! My fiance and I are wanting to pay for our wedding/reception ourselves because of the all that our parents have done for us.. I would like to be $3000 or under but in reality I definately wont be able to spend less than $5000. My parents dont have money like his do.. I dont want his mother to have to pay for it. Therefore, we are going to do our best. We are from IL we want to get married on the beach in FL, possibly Destin, FL. I am so lost in finding a coordinator or someone trustworthy enough to plan something in FL for us. Also, should we pay for the hotel rooms? We are only inviting immediate/close family and best friends... Maybe 50 ppl-a closer idea is 38 haha? Then a week after we were wanting to hold a small reception. Should we even waste our money on this?? Honestly. I cant decide?? Any ideas would be great help!
Additional ?'s -
Does it cost to get married on the beach? Permit?
What is the best beach in FL (prefer not a shell beach)?
Decent clean cheaper hotels in FL?
Any condo,large homes available to rent for FAMILY to stay together?

Thanks so much!

saraho328

I got married in April in Destin. It's a gorgeous beach, I highly recommend it! We were married on the beach at Miramar Beach and it was beautiful! Our wedding was small and a bit casual but still elegant.
We rented a house through Ocean Reef Resorts. It had 4 bedrooms so some of our friends stayed there and it was where we held the reception since it also had a large kitchen, deck, and pool. The only trouble I had with that was finding a house that would allow for a reception, even though we only had about 20 people. You aren't responsible for anyone's accomodations.
We had the reception catered from Cabana Cafe and they were great and affordable. Publix made our cake which turned out really well (just remember you have to pay them before they'll make it. I didn't know that and almost ended up without a cake.)
Patti Terjak at Surfside Brides pretty much took care of the ceremony for me. She has a web site, and Facebook too, you should check it out. She has added a few people to her business since my wedding, but she has packages that include an officiate, photography, video, and beach setup with the arch, chairs, etc. Her daughter, Nicole at Sandprints Photography took our photos and they turned out great.
I think you can definitely work with a budget of $5,000. Good luck!

Jessica&Levin

Thank you sooo much for your help this helps a bunch!