The Miami playbook
Plan it like a local.
A Miami wedding runs on different rules: sunset math, hurricane clauses, and venues that book out a year and a half early. Here's the timeline we'd give our own friends.
Get a personalized timeline →12+ months out
Lock the date and the venue
November through April is dry season and books first; December through March is peak. Landmark venues hold one wedding per night, so this decision sets everything else.
12–9 months
Book the one-per-date vendors
Photographer, planner or coordinator, DJ and entertainment, production. These vendors take one wedding per date, and the good ones go fast in season. Venue first, this crew immediately after.
9–6 months
Food, flowers, film, hotel blocks
Catering tastings, florals, videography, and room blocks for out-of-town guests. Miami hotel pricing swings hard around Art Basel, F1 weekend, and Ultra, so reserve blocks early.
6–3 months
Invitations, attire, the rain plan
Send invitations, schedule fittings and hair/makeup trials, and build a real plan B. Summer afternoon storms are a scheduling fact here, not bad luck, covered options aren't optional.
3–1 months
Timeline, counts, and permits
Build the day-of timeline around sunset: ceremony 90 minutes to 2 hours before it for a cooler ceremony and golden-hour portraits. Finalize guest counts and any beach or park permits.
Wedding week
Walkthroughs and the music call
Final venue walkthrough, vendor confirmations, and the call with your DJ to lock must-plays, do-not-plays, and the moments that need a cue. Then hand it off and enjoy your own party.
Date intelligence
Check your date before you book it.
Sunset time, the ceremony start we’d recommend, the weather reality, and whether your weekend collides with Basel, F1, or Ultra hotel pricing. Pick a date.
Sunset on your date
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