Weddings are a huge part of the fabric of Sarasota. From the romance of the beach to the glamor of a ballroom, our region has a venue to suit every taste. Plus, they’re big business. According to The Wedding Report, a website that analyzes wedding data across the U.S., the Sarasota-North Port-Bradenton metropolitan area saw more than $135 million in wedding spending in 2024, based on data from 3,649 weddings with an average cost of $37,074. But just as tastes in clothes, art and food change, so does what’s popular for weddings. We pored over industry trends and talked to local experts—from planners to florists to wedding-day content curators—to find out exactly what to know if you’re getting married in Sarasota in 2026.

Petal Power: What to Know About Picking a Florist

For 37 years, Tampa-based Botanica Design—which creates floral designs for weddings all over the region, including numerous events in Sarasota—has been making brides’ flower dreams come true. Zoë Gallina, Botanica’s creative director and the daughter of founder Ian Prosser, is celebrating her 20th year at the company in July. She’s seen quite a few trends come and go over the years, and right now, it’s all about tropical elements mixed with soft, romantic blooms and greenery to create texture.

“We’re not seeing just one variety of flower,” Gallina says. “We also see brides being drawn to designs that are location-appropriate.”

Botanica’s floral offerings include welcome displays, bouquets and boutonnieres, altar and aisle arrangements, centerpieces, floral chandeliers, arches and more. Like most floral design studios, the company suggests a minimum spend—in its case, $15,000. “If you don’t spend that, it’s not that we don’t want to work with you,” Gallina says. “We use that as a guide.” She also has clients who spend six figures on their florals, with the most expensive coming in at around $300,000 (including decor rentals, which Botanica also provides). 

“We always ask clients to bring in three images [for inspiration],” Gallina says. “We need those so we can have a sense of what their expectations are, and the design style they’re drawn to. Is there a non-negotiable flower that has to be included?”

“I love when clients have the courage to go bold,” she continues. “I love color and mixing patterns. We’ve got a wedding coming up in March that’s [French themed]—it’s even got French musicians. I say let’s go all in and carry the theme all the way through.”

Florida’s wedding season is generally October through June, and the unique growing season also means that most of the florals Botanica uses are imported. “The majority of our flowers are grown in other countries,” Gallina says. “People will say, ‘I don’t understand why flowers cost so much, and they die at the end, anyway.’ But there are so many factors—guest count, design style, amount of florals, whether [the couple] is open to using more greenery. And keep in mind that this year, tariffs are having an impact, too.”

Gallina’s advice for couples in the planning process? Trust your vendors. “The more trusting you are in your florist, the better experience you’re going to get,” she says. “Sometimes things happen, like weather [ruins a crop] or there are strikes at rose farms. People forget we’re working with a product of nature. We can’t guarantee that every single flower is going to look the exact same way, even if it’s the right variety and color.

“It’s great when clients can be a little more flexible and say, ‘This is my color palette. This is the look I want to achieve,’ then let us select things that are in season and still achieve your look,” she says.

Three Trending Flowers for 2026

• Gloriosa lilies
• Spider Gerbera daisies
• Nerines (also known as a spider lily)

The Takeaway: Let your vendors show you why they’re the experts. A clear vision and flexibility are your best friends.

Wedding Decor Is More Customizable Than Ever

Nicole Kaney, a Sarasota native and the owner of NK Productions Wedding Planning, has been planning weddings for nearly 20 years and now works with a team of 15. She says that wedding decor has become more detailed. “It’s similar to home design,” she explains. Post-Covid, our area has seen an influx of design resources for weddings, from furniture rental companies to linen vendors, tabletop decor and more. “We have so many more opportunities to have fun with design,” Kaney says. “Weddings feel so unique now, and our clients’ personalities come across so much more.”

Gone are the days of an exclusively black, white and champagne color palette. Although those classic colors are still popular, Kaney says she’s getting more requests for colorful decor now, including a 2025 wedding at The Ringling that had a hot pink and green theme.

“We’ve always seen a lot of details, but we’re seeing more,” she says. “I think it’s a product of being around so much social media. Most of our clients want to feel super unique.” That could mean anything from bespoke cocktails to live watercolor painting to custom welcome signs and seating charts.

Plus, we’re in Florida. It makes sense to go crazy for color in a tropical destination.

The Takeaway: These days, the sky’s the limit when it comes to how you want your wedding to look, and Sarasota’s flush with vendors who can bring that vision to life.

Local Venues to Love

Kaney’s NK Productions plans about 100 events a year, with the majority of clients coming in from out of town. “They live in New York, Chicago, Louisiana and typically have some tie to Sarasota,” she says. “They grew up here [and moved], or they have parents or grandparents here, but they don’t live here, so they need a lot of guidance,” she says.

Camila Chamorro, director of catering sales at The St. Regis Longboat Key, which averages about 30 weddings a year, agrees. “It’s rare that we have someone who just comes on the day to get married,” she says. “I get a lot of requests for a pool party, and 90 percent of our weddings have an after-party.”

Kaney says her weddings typically have between 100 and 250 guests. “Our venues don’t really lend themselves to 500-person weddings,” she says, “but I don’t see a lot of small weddings anymore.”

As for the cost? Kaney says her couples should plan to spend at least $1,000 per head—so for a 100-person wedding, that’s $100,000 right off the bat. At the St. Regis, that number is $400 per person (not inclusive of service charges and tax); it will vary from venue to venue.

Dream Spaces for a Ceremony and Reception

• The Ringling Museum of Art Courtyard
• Ca’ d’Zan (John and Mable Ringling’s Italianate mansion)
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
• The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota
• The Powel Crosley Estate (Seagate)
• Gasparilla Inn, Boca Grande
• The Ora
• The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort
• Mote SEA
• And, as always, the beach

The Takeaway: Sarasota has plenty of venues to choose from, but keep the size of your guest list in mind. Most of our most popular venues are equipped to handle up to 250 guests.

Do You Need a Social Media Content Creator?

Sure, you’ve got a photographer and a videographer lined up, but what if you just can’t wait to share images from your wedding to your social media accounts? That’s where Dariela Hernandez of Wedding Tales Co. comes in. She grew up in the industry (her father runs Palacios Events, a luxury event rental company) and cut her teeth taking photos and videos for Palacios’ social media. After reading about the popularity of wedding content curators, she launched her own business as a side hustle. (By day, she works full time in Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s pharmacy department.)

“I think of myself as a fly on the wall,” Hernandez says. “I capture behind-the-scenes, candid moments. If you’re getting married, you don’t have time to be on your phone.” She snaps everything on her iPhone and sends over a package of raw footage within 24 hours. Edited videos for Instagram Reels and TikTok are sent within 72 hours. “This way, you can look back on everything and not have to worry about waiting for people to send you pictures or finding them on social media while you’re waiting for your professional photos and videos,” Hernandez explains.

She’ll come to your wedding for six-, eight- or 10-hour time blocks; her packages start between $900 and $1,000 and increase depending on specific requests from the bride or groom, like recreating a viral TikTok trend or capturing a specific shot with the bridal party. Most inquiries come from local couples or those having destination weddings here, but she's even worked with influencers (including one who has 4.4 million followers on TikTok) whose job it is to share their lives but who need someone else to take control for the day.

“I love when brides post one of my videos to help launch their [wedding posts on social media],” Hernandez says. “It’s so special.”

The Takeaway: Pics, or it didn’t happen.

The Look of “I Do”: 2026 Wedding Fashion Trends

What 2026 wedding dress trends did experts see at last fall’s bridal fashion shows?  Romantic opulence dominated the runway, with lace, bejeweled embellishments like rhinestones, pearls and sequins, bows, coats and capes, and drama in the form of big skirts, unexpected fabrics like feathers and liquid-look organza—all with an unabashedly feminine twist. Expect costs to vary depending on your gown choice. For example, if you’re wearing your grandmother’s heirloom dress, you’ll spend a couple of hundred dollars on tailoring, but if you’re having a high-end designer make a haute couture gown, your spending could skyrocket into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

For men, a classic suit is always on trend. But men’s fashion has become more experimental and theatrical in recent years, with wide-leg, high-waisted pants and colorful, patterned suits showing up on the red carpet and at formal events. Really want to get dramatic? Philadelphia Eagles tight end Kylen Granson wore a dramatic white cape to his wedding in August 2025.

And don’t forget your other wedding looks. Depending on your pre- and post-ceremony events, you’ll need a few costume changes, including a welcome-party look and an after-party dress. Now’s the time to change into that little white party dress you just couldn’t resist buying.

Where to Shop

Calvet Couture

1409 First St., Suite A, Sarasota, calvetcouture.com

Something Blue Bridal Boutique

3621 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, somethingbluebridalboutique.com

The Perfect Dress of Sarasota

3750 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota  theperfectweddingdress.net

Camilyn Beth

468 Quay Commons, Suite C, Sarasota, camilynbeth.com 

Tweeds Custom Suiting

1423 First St., Sarasota, tweedssuitshop.com 

Cravats’ Custom Clothiers

1530 Dolphin St., #5, Sarasota, cravatsclothiers.com

Breaking Down Wedding Dress Codes for Guests

Tropical/Beachy

A common dress code in our region. Women should embrace color and print (so long as they don’t distract focus from the bride). Men’s suits can be lighter in color and fabric (think linen or seersucker). And if the wedding is on the beach or at a botanical garden, be sure to take your shoes into account. Please refrain from aerating the grass or sand with your stilettos.

White Tie

The fanciest of the fancy. Women should wear floor-length dresses and heels; men should wear a full tuxedo with tails, formal shoes and appropriate accessories (think ascots).

Black Tie

Slightly more casual than white tie, but still extremely formal. Women should wear floor-length dresses or formal pantsuits with heels; men should wear tuxedos and formal shoes.

Black Tie Optional/Formal

Still dressy, although the tuxedo is optional for men—a tailored suit is just fine—and women can choose from floor-length dresses, cocktail dresses, formal jumpsuits or pantsuits. Avoid denim or casual shoes.

Cocktail

Women can wear short or midi-length dresses; men can wear traditional suits.

Themed

Nowadays, some couples are asking guests to stick to a pre-determined color palette or style of dress based on the theme of the wedding—the idea being that the photos will be extra special if everyone is matching.

The Takeaway: There will always be a place for a classic black tux and simple strapless frock, but this is the year to go all-out. In the immortal words of Taylor Swift, let's make the whole place shimmer.

The Little Extras That Actually Matter

In this increasingly digital world, good old-fashioned etiquette still shines at weddings, and nowhere is that better illustrated than with invitations. For most weddings, paper invitation suites are still mailed, invitees are still asked to send back a reply card, and you’ll find paper products ranging from programs to menus to bar signs and more throughout the ceremony and reception.

Stationers can also design personalized welcome bags for guests, like a tote bag with a map of the area, which are still popular. But take-home wedding favors are now considered passé. “It’s more about experiences—things like specialty cocktails and late-night snacks, not necessarily trinkets, unless [the trinket] is something super meaningful,” Kaney says. “At the end of the night, people are being transported on trolleys or in Ubers, and it’s just something else to grab.”

Stationers to Know

Trout Designs This Sarasota-based studio, run by former architect Olivia Craig, creates custom letterpress wedding invitations, as well as ancillary items like programs, matchbooks, napkins, menus, stickers, signage, table numbers and more. If you’re getting married at the Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, Trout Designs offers semi-custom suites based on the historic hotel. troutdesigns.com 

Shannon Kirsten Illustration Bradenton-based Shannon Kirsten Gettinger’s wedding invitations and paper products are based around her swirly modern calligraphy and colorful, whimsical watercolor designs.  shannonkirstenstudio.com 

Salt + Pine Press Here you’ll get modern, minimal designs by Kylee Himes, who creates hand-foil-pressed, debossed and embossed invitation suites in her Bradenton studio. The metallic accents make for memorable pieces.  saltandpinepress.com 

How Much Should You Spend on a Wedding Gift?

It’s up to you—and if the ambiguity makes you squirm, consider these factors: how close you are to the couple, what you think they’d like and your own budget. And, yes, it’s OK to give money. Slip cash or check into a card with a heartfelt congratulatory note.

The Takeaway: Embrace your inner Emily Post and enjoy the old-fashioned, manners-based ritual of wedding invitations and paper products. Just avoid unnecessary party favors that will end up in someone’s junk drawer.

Wedding Eats: 2026 Food Trends

Food that enhances a wedding’s theme

Think classic Italian fare for an Italian-themed wedding, or classic French food for a French-inspired one.

Late-night snacks

Who doesn’t want a slider, French fries or another sweet or salty snack after an evening of dancing and drinking?

Custom cocktails

They’ve been around for a while and show no signs of waning in popularity.

Live food stations

Think oysters shucked to order, carving stations, etc.

Street food, another trend that’s sticking around

Some ideas: elote (Mexican street corn), bao buns, dumplings, even sushi.

Is Gen Z Really Drinking Less?

Gen Z makes headlines for a lot of things—including its drinking habits. In 2023, a Gallup survey found that adults under age 35 who drink in any capacity dropped 10 percentage points over the previous 20 years, from 72 percent between 2001 and 2003 to 62 percent between 2021 and 2023.

“I do not find that valid at [local] weddings,” NK Productions Wedding Planning owner Nicole Kaney says with a laugh. “I don't know if it's because it’s special occasion drinking, but people are ready to let loose and have fun.”

Pets and Kids? How to Make the Call

It’s a sensitive question: Should children come to a wedding? For a lot of couples, the answer is no, especially in Sarasota. The reasons range from cost (is a child really going to eat that expensive multi-course meal?) to logistics. Many local venues are outdoors, near beaches and pools, which means wrangling a kid all night becomes not just a distraction, but a potential safety issue.

And the good news? Your guests can still bring their kid, even if they don’t attend the wedding. Resorts like The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, and The St. Regis Longboat Key offer tons of kids’ programming, from crafts to aquatic activities to movie nights. Win-win.

Couples incorporating their beloved dogs or cats into their weddings is nothing new. But what about exotic animals? The St. Regis Longboat Key recently hosted a wedding that incorporated flamingos and one that incorporated llamas. “The video of the flamingos was very cute,” St. Regis director of catering sales Camila Chamorro says.

Still, that’s a lot of extra guests to corral, even if their pink plumage makes your photos pop.

The Takeaway: Even if you love kids, don’t feel obligated to include them on your big day. To make it clear that kids aren’t invited, just include the adults’ names on the invitation. (Invitations that include children should say “Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Family.”)

Love and the Legal: Do You Need a Prenup?

A prenup might not be the most romantic part of your wedding, but getting your finances in order can set up your marriage for success—and make untangling your assets simpler if you decide, heaven forbid, to take back those “I do”s somewhere down the line.

They’re also becoming more popular. According to a poll by the research firm Harris, 21 percent of Americans said they signed a prenup in 2023, compared to 3 percent in 2010. (Of that 21 percent, Harris found, 47 percent were Millennials and 41 percent were Gen Z.) In the U.K., the research firm YouGov found that more than half of people under age 45 wanted their future spouse to sign a prenup.

“There are different considerations for each party,” says longtime attorney Deborah J. Blue, a shareholder at Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A. “Ultimately, a prenuptial agreement typically benefits what we call the pecunious spouse—the person with the greater net worth.” (The other party is known as the “impecunious” spouse in the eyes of the law.)

“Once you get married, your income becomes commingled,” Blue explains, “and if you deposit funds into a nonmarital account after you get married, that money is fungible.”

For example, you may think an account you opened before your marriage wouldn’t be considered part of a divorce proceeding, but that’s not the case. “Post-marriage, any deposits into an account—income, tax refunds, any kind of earnings from labor—become commingled,” Blue explains.

Another helpful tip: Make sure your prenup is executed in the state where you live, and update it if you move. “Prenuptial agreements will typically [adhere to] the governing law of the state,” Blue says. “It’s much cleaner when you reside in Florida to have your prenuptial agreement that adopts Florida as the governing law and not have to consult with other attorneys out of state.”

The Takeaway: Conversations around finance can be uncomfortable, but they can save you a lot of heartache—and money—in the end.