Miami: The Best Gay Wedding Destination

Tying the Knot

If you’re looking for the best place to have a same-sex wedding, there’s no question the answer is Miami.

Nothing says wedding like a day filled with love and laughter, not to mention delicious dining, beautiful ambiance and a party that people will be talking about for years. Whether at the beach at sunrise or in a tropical courtyard at a luxury oceanfront hotel, Miami is the perfect choice for gay destination weddings.

Enjoying your big day at one of Miami's many iconic hotels will have your friends posting all night from the most epic wedding of the season. Many amazing hotels like The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, The Biltmore Hotel Miami-Coral Gables, Marriott Stanton South Beach, Kimpton EPIC Hotel, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Hotel Gaythering and The Standard offer specialized wedding packages. The Palms Hotel is certified by the Gay Wedding Institute and offers an incredible seaside wedding ceremony, as well as the bit less sandy Gazebo Lawn and Veranda Terrace offerings.

The Coral Gables United Church of Christ was the first Protestant church in the U.S. to ordain an openly gay clergy member. You don't even need to be a member of the congregation to have the day of your dreams in this church sanctuary that gives off a beautiful blend of old-world charm and formal elegance. You just need to bring your love for each other.

If you want to try something more unique, take a look at having your wedding at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, an opulent and sprawling estate and gardens built in the early 1900s and modeled after a centuries-old Italian country villa. You can have a lovely small daytime garden ceremony, or spare no expense and take over Vizcaya for a wedding of pure European elegance.

The Venetian Pool is another atypical venue that may just be the wedding splash you have in mind. Opened in 1924 as the Venetian Casino, this one-of-a-kind pool is included in the National Register of Historic Places. It’s the only swimming pool to have such a designation. In its early days, movie stars appeared there, and the pool would even be emptied for orchestras to perform on the pool floor. Although that won’t happen at your wedding, Venetian Pool still has that special something that will bring you and your guests back in time to that era of romance and magic.

Maybe you’d like to go beyond a beach wedding and actually get out on the water. What could be more Miami than a yacht wedding? Boat Miami and Miami Yacht Charters all offer yacht rentals and have experience in creating the perfect LGBTQ wedding.

In the U.S., LGBTQ couples have the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples. Steven Adkins, President & CEO of the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, applauds the Supreme Court for taking a huge step toward equality for all couples.

"For the community, this was a huge win for all Miamians who believe in justice and equality. Miami has moved quite emphatically in recent years to put in place policies that support a level playing field for all in our community,” says Adkins. “The recent ruling should go a long way in affirming that our leaders were correct in their vision when there were many voices who would have denied us our place."

If you're planning on getting married in Miami, you'll both need to apply for a marriage license in person for it to be legally recognized. You don't have to be a resident of Florida to apply, but Florida residents are either required to take a four-hour premarital course or wait three days for the license to be effective.

You can find more information about obtaining a marriage license in Miami or Miami Beach on the Miami-Dade County Clerk of the Courts website.