Getting Married in the Sand on AMI

We love when couples tie the knot with sand between their toes at this charming, tropical wedding venue

If your dream wedding involves sand between your toes, a gorgeous sunset dipping below the horizon, and the sound of gentle waves breaking on the shore right behind you, then the Grand Pavilion at The Sandbar might be the ideal destination wedding venue.

Located on the quaint and beautiful Anna Maria Island, this is a super popular wedding venue (for good reason!). It faces the Gulf of Mexico, so the sun sets behind you as your guests watch you recite your vows and seal the deal.

And just a few steps away from the ceremony on the beach is the covered pavilion reception area, where shoes are optional ;) 


As wedding photographers here on AMI, and as preferred wedding vendors of The Sandbar wedding venue, we absolutely love photographing weddings here. It’s fun, beautiful, tropical, and so easy to capture stunning photos.

If you dream of a quintessential beach wedding, then check out the helpful info about the venue, some tips when considering if this is the venue for you, and some galleries from a few previous weddings we’ve done here.





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The Sandbar is one of two primary beach wedding venues on Anna Maria Island in Southwest Florida. It’s super popular, especially between November and April (which is wedding season in Florida). At the Sandbar, your ceremony will take place on the sand, just in front of the water. And the reception area is a large, open-air pavilion, with an excellent view of the beach.

Anna Maria Island is a small barrier island next to Bradenton (only 7 miles long). It’s 30 minutes from Sarasota (and the SRQ airport), and about 1 hour south of Tampa/St Pete. It's on the Gulf Coast, meaning it faces west and gets picturesque sunsets almost every night of the year. 

The sugary sand here is soft and white (not that rough, coarse sand from the Atlantic side). And the water is a dreamy light blue. 

Everything You Need to Know About an Anna Maria Island Sandbar Wedding


The Grand Pavilion at the Sandbar | At a glance:
  • Wedding capacity: 150
  • Dressing room onsite
  • Valet parking
  • All inclusive (they have a restaurant next door, so the food is GOOD - especially the hors d’oeuvres)
  • The entire venue is “outside” but the pavilion is covered and can be closed if cold/wet
  • Learn about the Sandbar Anna Maria wedding cost here.


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Sandbar Restaurant Anna Maria Wedding

Ready to lock in your wedding photographer for your dream Sandbar beach wedding on AMI? I would love to hear from you and to check if your desired date is available!

You can reach out to me by using my contact form here.

Otherwise, you can read more about my wedding photography on AMI for more information.


> GET TO KNOW US!

From the mountains

to the beaches, we love it all.

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MORE ABOUT US

Here’s a quick overview of what we personally love about this venue, and what some of our wedding clients have loved.

1. It’s Right on the Beach
This is obviously the most important thing, right? The ceremony takes place on the sand, just in front of the water. It’s a very short walk from the reception area (maybe 15 seconds).

I also love The Grand Pavilion (where the reception takes place). It’s an open air structure with a tile floor and full view of the beach and the sunset. It’s also surrounded by sand, so you can walk barefoot during the reception, and kids can run around and play. 

If it gets cold at night, they can close the walls of the pavilion, or turn on the outdoor heaters.

7 Reasons We Love Sandbar Weddings

The Sandbar Anna Maria Island Weddings

2. Gorgeous Sunsets
The venue faces west, towards the Gulf of Mexico. That just means you get stunning sunsets almost every single night, whether it’s sunny or cloudy. It’s rare that you don’t get a good sunset. 


3. The Weather Is [Almost] Always Perfect
Here in SW Florida, we have awesome weather most of the year. If you get married between October and May, there’s a 90+ percent chance it’s going to be warm and sunny.

Even in the winter months (Dec-Mar), it’s sunny and 75 most days. However, it occasionally gets cold, usually in December or January for a couple of days (low 70s or high 60s). 

It rarely rains during this time. But there’s a chance it could get a bit hazy/cloudy. So don’t get mad at me if the weather isn’t perfect. I’m just saying most of the time, it is perfect. 


4. The Staff is Awesome
We’ve photographed numerous weddings here and one thing I can say is they have an amazing staff! They are attentive, they work quickly, and they have always been super friendly.  It’s always been easy to find someone if you need something. Plus, there’s an onsite planner who keeps things organized and easy for your special day.

5. AMI is the Perfect Place for Pre-Wedding Fun 

Most couples that get married on the island will also stay on the island the entire week. It’s the perfect place for pre-wedding fun, especially with friends and family. 

  • Soak up the sun on the beach
  • Enjoy dinner and drinks at some of the seaside restaurants on AMI (or go to SALT for something really good and unique)
  • Take a sunset sailboat one night, or book a fishing charter
  • Shop for homewares and sip coffee at The Fox Mercantile
  • Do more shopping and dining at St Armands on nearby Lido Key
  • Get the whole gang together and rent kayaks/paddleboards at Robinson Preserve, paddling through the mangroves
  • Ride horses on the beach with CPonies or Florida Beach Horses
  • Sarasota is 20-30 minutes from AMI and there’s lots of stuff to do there
  • Get your heart rate up and go parasailing
  • & so much more

There’s plenty to do here during the week leading up to your wedding. You can always stay on the island after, as it’s a great honeymoon spot too. 

AMI is known for its many large vacation rentals that can house multiple families. Get one of these on the beach or one with a pool (or both), and you’ll be set for a week. We also love many of the boutique hotels like the Joie Inn, which has 4 units, a pool, and is right across the street from one of our favorite beaches. 

Pre-wedding pool sessions at the Joie Inn on AMI

6. Lots of Photo Options

The Sandbar wedding venue itself is quaint and on the smaller side. but it has a variety of spots where we can take wedding photos! You’ve got the beach of course! But there’s also some small dunes and native dune grass. You’ve got your Florida tropical trees like Cabbage Palms and Seagrapes that create a unique backdrop. 

So in a smaller space, we can capture a variety of portraits, especially during sunset on the gorgeous beach the venue sits on. 


7. A Beach Escape for Family and Friends

The majority of people who get married at the Sandbar are from out of state. So it’s a destination wedding venue.

And the busy wedding season in Florida is from November to April (AKA when it’s cold in most of the country). Guess what? Your family and friends are looking for any excuse to get out of the cold, the ice, the snow, and are looking to go somewhere warm, sunny, and ideally, on the beach! ;)


Destination weddings can be tough, as it can be a big ask for your guests. But if you live somewhere north, where it’s cold much of the year, people are ALREADY hoping to vacation to Florida. By planning a wedding at a venue like the Sandbar, you are simply justifying their vacation. It’s an easy sell ;)

Tip #1
If possible, VISIT Anna Maria Island ahead of time. One of our wedding couples came about 6 months before their wedding. We did an engagement photo shoot on one of the beaches nearby (which was included in their wedding photography package with us).

Then they went and scoped out the venue in person. They had dinner and drinks at The Sandbar Restaurant next to the venue. And they got really excited about their upcoming wedding.

Tip #2
One of the biggest tips is to simply choose a photographer that knows and loves the venue. As local wedding photographers, we live just a few miles from Anna Maria Island. We spend A LOT of time on the island, for photoshoots and for fun.

And we’ve done quite a few Sandbar Anna Maria weddings. We know it. We know how to get the best photos at the best time of day. And we’re always so excited when we get the opportunity to capture a couple on their most important day here!

If you have any questions about planning a Sandbar Florida wedding, about wedding photography here, or want to see if we have your desired dates available for your wedding photos, we’d love to hear from you! You can use this contact form to send us a message :)

Wedding Photography Tips at The Sandbar 

Sandbar Wedding Anna Maria

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I can't wait to hear from you and learn more about you!

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"I just saw the photos, and I am in tears! Every. Single. picture is so incredible and captures us so wonderfully! We will forever treasure these images, my heart could burst!
Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!" 

"we will forever treasure these images, my heart could burst!"

St Pete, Fl

Nosco Family