The Ultimate Florida Wedding Vendor Checklist

Most wedding vendor lists are shopping lists. This is a triage list.

Each vendor below has three things attached: when to book in a Florida market (where peak-season weekends are March, April, October, November), what to ask before signing, and whether you can plausibly skip them.

Browse our full directory at /vendors when you're ready to evaluate specific names.

Tier 1: book first (no skipping these)

1. Photographer

Book: 9–12 months out for peak weekends. Florida photographers who do real wedding work get expensive at the 9-month mark and disappear at the 6-month mark for peak Saturdays.

Ask before signing:

• Number of weddings shot annually (real number — under 8 means weekend warrior, over 30 means quality may slip)
• Backup-photographer policy if your shooter is sick
• Final-deliverable count and timeline (under 500 edited photos for a full day is concerning)
• Whether they own backup cameras + cards (Florida humidity kills equipment; serious shooters carry doubles)

Skip? No. The photos are the only physical thing you keep from the day.

Florida-specific: ask if they shoot Florida weddings regularly. Photographers who haven't worked in the Florida sun handle exposure differently than ones who have. Beach ceremonies in particular require photographer experience with backlighting against sand reflection.

2. Videographer

Book: 9 months out. Often booked in the same conversation as the photographer (many studios do both).

Ask:

• Highlight reel length (3–5 min is standard; ask to see two recent examples)
• Drone coverage and FAA Part 107 license number
• Audio capture method (lav mic on officiant + groom is the standard; ceremony audio without one sounds bad)
• Final delivery timeline

Skip? Optional, but a regret-rate question — couples who skip video almost always wish they hadn't a year later. If budget is tight, do a "ceremony-only" package ($1,500–$3,000) over no video.

3. Officiant

Book: 9–10 months out for personal officiants. If you're using your venue's resident officiant, less time-sensitive.

Ask:

• Florida-licensed (notary, judicial officer, or ordained minister — see our legal requirements guide)
• Who returns the signed marriage license to the clerk
• Whether they help with ceremony script writing or expect you to bring one
• Their travel fee structure (especially for destination weddings in the Keys)

Skip? No. You need someone to legally officiate.

4. Florist

Book: 6–8 months out. Earlier in peak season.

Ask:

• Florida-grown vs. shipped-in specialty (Florida-grown is fresher and seasonally appropriate)
• Backup-flower policy (what happens if a wholesale shipment is short)
• Setup window and breakdown responsibility
• Whether they handle ceremony arch rental separately

Skip? Strongly inadvisable to skip; can compress to a budget version. A bouquet, boutonnieres, and 6 centerpieces is a viable minimum at the $1,500–$2,500 tier.

5. Catering

Book: depends on venue. If your venue includes catering (most resorts, hotels, country clubs), this is handled. If you have a raw-space venue, book catering 8 months out.

Ask:

• Final-headcount lock date and per-head premium for late additions
• Service style (buffet vs. plated vs. family-style — affects timeline by 30+ minutes)
• Dietary accommodation policy (Florida has high vegan/vegetarian guest rates; ask about gluten-free)
• Bartender service or alcohol-only-by-licensed-vendor (see legal guide)

Skip? No, but the price varies wildly. Off-site catering for a 100-guest wedding ranges $5,500 (food trucks) to $35,000 (white-glove plated).

Tier 2: book in months 4–8

6. Wedding planner / coordinator

Three flavors:

• Full-service planner — start to finish, $5,000–$15,000+. Worth it for couples with no time.
• Month-of coordinator — runs the day, manages vendors, $1,500–$3,500. The most common middle ground.
• Day-of coordinator — least expensive ($800–$1,500); covers timeline + handoff only.

Ask:

• Whether your venue requires one (some do — confirm before assuming you can skip)
• Number of weddings they're running on your day (more than 2 = red flag)
• Vendor-relationship depth in your specific region

Skip? Almost always inadvisable. Even strong DIY couples hit 3+ vendor-coordination problems on the day. A coordinator for $1,500 turns those into nothing.

7. DJ or live band

Book: 8–10 months out for bands; 6 months for DJs.

Ask:

• Equipment redundancy (backup speaker, backup mixer)
• Sound-check time on the day
• Whether they MC + handle traditional dances or just play music
• Florida outdoor experience (humidity kills certain audio gear)

Skip? No. Music is the deal-breaker for whether the dance floor stays full.

8. Hair + makeup

Book: 6 months out; trial 2–3 months before.

Ask:

• Travel fee for venue arrival (especially for Keys properties)
• How many bridal-party members they can accommodate
• Touch-up service for after the ceremony / before reception
• Florida-specific products (humidity-resistant primers, setting sprays)

Skip? Brides should not skip. Bridesmaid hair/makeup is genuinely optional and often a personal choice.

9. Cake / dessert

Book: 6 months out.

Ask:

• Tasting included or separate fee
• Stable-in-Florida-humidity-and-heat (this is a real thing — buttercream behaves differently outdoors in Florida)
• Delivery + setup window
• Cutting-fee policy if your venue charges one

Skip? Not really, but the trend is toward smaller cakes + dessert tables. A 60-person cutting cake + a dessert spread is often $400–$800 less than a traditional 5-tier.

Tier 3: book in months 1–4

10. Transportation

Book: 3–4 months out (1 month for simple needs).

Options:

• Shuttle for guest hotel-to-venue (especially destination weddings)
• Couple's getaway car
• Vintage / classic car rental
• Golf carts for properties with distributed event spaces (Keys resorts)

Ask:

• Driver-on-call window
• Backup-vehicle policy
• Total time included vs. hourly overage

Skip? Often. If guests have their own cars and parking is available, transportation is optional.

11. Stationer (invitations + day-of paper goods)

Book: 6 months for save-the-dates; 4 months for invitations; 2 months for day-of paper.

What you need:

• Save-the-date (8–10 months before wedding)
• Invitation suite (mailed 8 weeks before)
• Wedding website (linked in save-the-date and invitation)
• Day-of: ceremony program, escort cards, table numbers, menu cards

Skip parts of this? Yes. Wedding websites have replaced most informational paper. A handful of couples are doing all-digital invitations now (Paperless Post, Zola).

12. Linens + decor rentals

Book: 3–4 months out.

Ask:

• Inventory available on your specific date
• Setup + breakdown window
• Damage-replacement clauses

Skip? Most venues include basic linens. Upgraded linens (textured, colored, runners) are extra. Skip if budget tight; the gain from upgraded linens is real but small.

13. Sparklers / send-off

Book: 2 weeks out (just buy them).

Florida-specific: sparklers are legal at most venues; check fire-code restrictions on the property. Some venues require a wet-rim bucket for disposal. Confetti is usually banned (cleanup).

Optional / situational

14. Calligrapher

Worth it if you're doing handwritten place cards or envelope addressing on heavy stationery. $2–$5/envelope. Skip with digital fonts.

15. Photo booth

Open-air photo booths are popular in Florida; $500–$1,200 for the night. Adds to the energy of a reception but easy to skip.

16. Live painter

Trendy in Florida the last 3 years; a painter creates a ceremony or first-dance painting live. $1,500–$3,000. Optional.

17. Bridal suite / getting-ready space rental

Almost always included with venue; only book separate if your venue lacks one and you're getting ready off-site.

18. Sound engineer

Only relevant for bands at large venues with complex audio needs. Usually included with the band's contract.

19. Seating chart designer

Often part of the wedding planner's scope. Standalone designers exist; rare to book separately.

20. Pet attendant

If pets are in the wedding (popular in Florida), $150–$400 for someone to handle them. Worth it for any pet-included wedding.

Quick budget sanity-check

For a 100-guest Florida wedding at the $40,000 budget tier (median for venue + everything), here's a rough vendor allocation:

| Vendor | Range | |---|---| | Venue + catering | $16,000–$22,000 | | Photographer | $3,500–$6,000 | | Videographer | $2,500–$4,500 | | Florist | $3,000–$5,000 | | Wedding planner / coord | $1,500–$3,500 | | Music (band/DJ) | $2,500–$4,500 | | Cake | $500–$900 | | Hair + makeup | $1,000–$2,000 | | Transportation | $500–$1,500 | | Stationer | $400–$1,200 | | Officiant | $400–$800 | | Rentals (linens etc.) | $500–$1,500 | | Buffer / misc | $500–$1,000 |

If you're under $40k, the first cuts are videographer (downsize), live band (use DJ), separate planner (use venue's coordinator), and rentals (use venue's defaults).

Browse Florida vendors

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