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Beach Elopement & Micro-Wedding Venues
A beach is the perfect place to keep it small. No barn to fill, no ballroom to justify — just the two of you (or your closest ten or twenty) with your feet in the sand and the horizon doing all the decorating. Beach elopements and micro-weddings have quietly become one of the fastest-growing ways to marry, and they suit the setting perfectly: a sunrise ceremony on an empty beach, a sunset vow exchange with a bottle of champagne, or an intimate dinner on a private stretch of sand afterward. The 548 venues below welcome elopements and micro-weddings — they carry the Elopements badge because there's real evidence, from the venue's own site or couples' reviews, of small-wedding and elopement packages.
Why the beach is the elopement's natural home: the setting is the wedding, so you spend on the experience instead of on filling a room. Many beach venues offer dedicated small-wedding or "elopement" packages — an officiant, a simple arch, a photographer, and a permit handled for you, often for a fraction of a full reception. And if you'd rather skip the venue entirely, a public beach with a permit is the ultimate pared-down ceremony. Two questions still matter even at the smallest scale: which way the beach faces for your light, and whether you need a permit.
Standout elopement & micro-wedding venues
Ranked by local reputation — rating weighted by review count.
Margaritaville Beach Resort Hollywood Beach
4.5 ★★★★★ 20,765 reviews
Bright, oceanfront resort with multiple pools, 8 bars & restaurants, plus a gym, spa & kids' club.
Shoreline Amphitheatre
4.4 ★★★★☆ 10,332 reviews
Large-scale music venue with open-air seating hosts festivals & big-name acts.
Canalside
4.6 ★★★★★ 9,213 reviews
21-acre park offers concerts & kids' shows, water sports & simple lounging in Adirondack chairs.
Bahia Resort Hotel
4.3 ★★★★☆ 6,082 reviews
Simple resort with conservative rooms, plus Mediterranean dining, a Moroccan lounge & free cruises.
Sirata St. Pete Beach Resort, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
3.8 ★★★★☆ 6,125 reviews
Casual resort offering classic rooms, plus multiple pools, beachfront bars/eateries & event space.
Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows
4.2 ★★★★☆ 5,520 reviews
Airy rooms & suites in a refined hotel featuring a restaurant, a beach bar & 2 pools.
Find elopement venues near your city
Every city below has at least two elopement-friendly beach venues nearby, so you can compare settings and small-wedding packages before committing.
Alaska
California
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Illinois
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Nevada
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Planning a beach elopement: what couples ask
- What's the difference between an elopement and a micro-wedding?
- Mostly headcount and intent. A true elopement is just the couple (and maybe a witness or two); a micro-wedding is a scaled-down real wedding, usually under about 20–30 guests, with a ceremony and a small celebration. On the beach the line blurs happily — both trade a big room for a great setting. Many venues package them the same way.
- Do we still need a permit to elope on the beach?
- On a public beach, almost always yes — even for two people, most cities and state parks require a permit for a ceremony. It's usually inexpensive and quick, but the setup rules still apply (Hawaii, for instance, restricts chairs and arches on state beaches). At a private-beach venue, the permit is handled for you. See the public-beach permit guide.
- What does a beach elopement package usually include?
- The common bundle: an officiant, a simple arch or floral setup, a photographer for an hour or two, and the permit. Some add a bouquet, a bottle of champagne, or a small cake. Prices range widely — a bare-bones public-beach package can be a few hundred dollars; a private-resort elopement with dinner can run several thousand. Always confirm what's included and whether guests are allowed.
- Can we still make it feel special with so few people?
- That's the whole appeal — the intimacy is the luxury. Splurge on a golden-hour photographer, pick a west-facing beach for the sunset, add a nice dinner afterward, and you've spent a fraction of a full wedding on a day that's entirely about the two of you. Read the best-time guide to nail the light.