The best places to elope on the northern Gulf Coast are the quiet public beaches where a small ceremony needs little or no paperwork: Navarre Beach Marine Park, the Okaloosa Island beach accesses and Pensacola Beach’s public sand. For wilder scenery there are the National Seashore beaches (Fort Pickens, Opal Beach, Johnson Beach) and the 30A state parks, which need a permit. Pick the beach by the permit it needs and how empty it’ll be at sunset. Then sort the license: Florida takes a day or less for non-residents, and Alabama uses a form you file after the wedding. Below are the beaches, the paperwork and what an elopement here really costs.
I’m Korbin, the photographer and videographer behind KDH Weddings. I cover the coast from Mobile to 30A. Josh and Azucena eloped with us at The Pass in Orange Beach and ended the ceremony with a surprise gender reveal for their families. Pink smoke, a baby girl, and not a dry eye on the beach. Josh & Azucena’s Orange Beach elopement
Deciding between eloping and a small wedding? Micro-wedding vs elopement on the Gulf Coast
The best places to elope, and what each one needs
| Where | County | Paperwork for a small elopement | Why go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensacola Beach public beach | Escambia | Small, simple ceremonies are low-paperwork. See my Pensacola Beach permit guide | Easy access, the pier, sunset down the shoreline |
| Fort Pickens | Escambia (National Seashore) | NPS special use permit, at least 2 weeks ahead, plus $25 per car | Brick archways, the fort and an empty beach |
| Johnson Beach, Perdido Key | Escambia (National Seashore) | NPS special use permit | Long, undeveloped beach |
| Big Lagoon and Perdido Key state parks | Escambia | Contact the park | Boardwalks, lagoon views and dunes |
| Opal Beach | Santa Rosa (National Seashore) | NPS special use permit | Often nearly empty |
| Navarre Beach Marine Park | Santa Rosa | No ceremony permit for a small, simple wedding | Quiet, with pavilions to rent |
| Okaloosa Island beach accesses | Okaloosa | No permit under 50 people | Emerald water near Destin and Fort Walton |
| Destin city beach parks | City of Destin | Permits for groups of 20+; limited parks | Destin’s water color |
| Henderson Beach State Park, Destin | Okaloosa (state park) | Contact the park | Dunes with no condos behind them |
| 30A: Topsail Hill, Grayton Beach, Deer Lake | Walton | A Walton County permit for every public-beach wedding, or the state park’s permit | Tall dunes and dune lakes |
| Orange Beach: Alabama Point, Cotton Bayou | Baldwin, AL | Gulf State Park permit | Alabama’s clearest water |
| Gulf Shores | Baldwin, AL | Public beaches don’t allow weddings; Gulf State Park pavilion with a permit | Gulf State Park’s boardwalks |
Couples (or their planner) apply for permits. I’ll help you choose the spot and the time.
Pensacola Beach and the National Seashore
Pensacola Beach’s public sand is the simplest option in Escambia County, and you can walk to the pier for photos. If you want no one else in the frame, drive 15 minutes to Fort Pickens at the western tip of the island. There you get the fort’s brick archways, tunnels and a beach with no buildings in sight. It’s inside Gulf Islands National Seashore, so you’ll need a special use permit. The park asks for at least two weeks’ notice.
Navarre and Okaloosa Island
My pick for the easiest elopement on the coast. Navarre Beach Marine Park has no ceremony permit for a small, simple wedding, and pavilions rent from Santa Rosa County for a covered backup. Okaloosa Island’s county beach accesses need no permit under 50 people, and the water is the same emerald green as Destin’s. Navarre Beach wedding guide
Destin and 30A
Destin’s city beaches have limited permit options, so many Destin elopements happen on Okaloosa County sand or at Henderson Beach State Park. On 30A, every public-beach wedding in Walton County needs a permit, with fees by guest count. The state parks, Topsail Hill, Grayton Beach and Deer Lake, run their own. 30A wedding venues and permits
Orange Beach and Gulf Shores
Alabama’s beaches are a different system. Gulf Shores doesn’t allow weddings on its public beaches. Orange Beach’s public accesses, like Alabama Point and Cotton Bayou, go through a Gulf State Park permit. Private condo and resort beaches, like The Pass where Josh and Azucena married, need the property’s permission instead.
The paperwork: Florida vs Alabama
| Florida | Alabama | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | A marriage license from any Florida county clerk | A state marriage certificate form (no license since 2019) |
| Cost | $86, or about $61 with a premarital course | A filing fee to the county probate court |
| Waiting period | None for non-residents; 3 days for Florida residents unless they take the course | None |
| Officiant | A judge or clerk, an ordained minister, or a notary public | Not required. You both sign in front of an Alabama notary |
| After the wedding | The officiant returns the signed license to the clerk | File the form with the probate court within 30 days of signing |
Guides: Florida marriage license · Alabama marriage certificate
How to elope on the Gulf Coast (step by step)
- Pick the beach by its paperwork and crowds. A weekday at Navarre or Okaloosa Island is simple. Fort Pickens or 30A takes a permit and a little more lead time.
- Choose a time about 90 minutes before sunset. That leaves 15 minutes for the ceremony, time for a toast and golden-hour portraits in the best light. Sunset runs from about 4:50 pm in December to about 7:53 pm in late June. Golden hour by month
- Book the officiant and the photographer. In Florida, a notary can marry you on the beach.
- Apply for the permit, if your spot needs one. Allow two weeks for the National Seashore, and more in peak season.
- Get the license, or sign the Alabama form. Non-residents in Florida can marry the day they get the license.
- Plan a backup. A pavilion, a covered deck or a sunrise the next morning. My beach wedding rain plan
- Plan the after. A dinner reservation, a picnic, or a surprise for the people who came, like Josh and Azucena’s gender reveal.
What an elopement costs here
- License: $86 in Florida (about $61 with the course).
- Permit: $0 on the easiest beaches, up to a few hundred dollars depending on the county and park.
- Officiant: usually a few hundred dollars.
- Photography: my 3-hour package, $1,500, covers most elopements: getting ready, the ceremony and golden-hour portraits. Add a film for the same price, and save 10% when the photo and video hours match.
- Total: a typical Gulf Coast elopement comes in around $3,500 all-in. Micro-wedding vs elopement costs · Full beach wedding cost breakdown
No travel fees anywhere I work, from Mobile to 30A and Panama City Beach. See pricing
FAQ: eloping on Florida’s Gulf Coast
How much does it cost to elope in Florida?
On the Gulf Coast, a typical elopement runs around $3,500 all-in: the $86 license, a permit if needed, an officiant and a photographer. It can be much less without a photographer, or more with video and a dinner.
What are the requirements for eloping in Florida?
A Florida marriage license, valid ID for both of you, and an officiant: a judge or clerk, an ordained minister or a notary public. Florida doesn’t require witnesses. Check whether your beach needs a permit.
Can you get married the same day in Florida?
Yes, if neither of you is a Florida resident. Florida residents wait three days unless they complete a state-approved premarital course.
Is it possible to elope on a beach in Florida?
Yes. Some beaches need no permit for a small, simple ceremony, such as Navarre Beach Marine Park and Okaloosa County beaches under 50 people. Others need one, including Gulf Islands National Seashore, state parks and every public beach in Walton County.
How much does a beach elopement cost?
The ceremony itself can be under $1,000 (license, permit and officiant). Most couples add a photographer, which is $1,500 for 3 hours with me.
Where is the cheapest place to elope on the Gulf Coast?
Navarre Beach Marine Park or an Okaloosa Island beach access: no ceremony permit for a small group, free beach access, and the same white sand as anywhere else.
