Florida, United States
Palm BeachWedding photography
A social season with its own calendar, photographed between the ocean and the Intracoastal.
We photograph weddings in Palm Beach and along the coast — Mediterranean-revival estates and private clubs, oceanfront hotels with terraces on both the sea and the lawn, and waterfront houses facing the sunset across the Intracoastal. Two photographers, full-day coverage, from $14,000.
The island is three-quarters of a mile wide with the Atlantic on one side and calm water on the other, which means a single evening schedule can use a sunrise over open ocean and a sunset across the Intracoastal. No other destination on this list offers both.
Palm Beach is an island three-quarters of a mile wide with the Atlantic on one side and the Intracoastal on the other, which means that within a five-minute drive you have both a sunrise over open ocean and a sunset over calm water. No other destination on this list offers both on the same evening schedule.
The look is specific and worth leaning into rather than resisting: Mediterranean Revival architecture, coral stucco, banyan and coconut palm, white awnings, and a colour palette that is fundamentally warm. Photographed neutrally it is pleasant. Photographed with its own palette it is unmistakable.
The season runs against the rest of the country’s. The calendar here is at its fullest from December to April, when everywhere north is closed for winter, and the summer is hot, wet and largely empty. That is an opportunity if your date is flexible, and a fact to plan around if it is not.
The light
When to marry in Palm Beach.
The part a visitor cannot look up, and the reason this page exists rather than a list of packages.
December to February
The season proper. Dry, warm, clear, low sun, and the fullest social calendar of the year.
March to April
Warm and bright with the humidity beginning. Still the best of both.
June to October
Hot, humid and the hurricane season. Daily afternoon storms, and a real reason the local calendar empties.
The venues
Where to be married in Palm Beach.
The rooms this market is built on, and what each one does to a photograph. Listed as places rather than as partnerships — we have no preferred-supplier arrangement with any of them.
The Breakers
Oceanfront grand hotel
Painted ceilings and an ocean lawn, so the interiors and the exteriors are two different centuries. Both photograph well and they want different hours.
The Flagler Museum
Gilded-Age mansion, Whitehall
A marble entrance hall and a pavilion on the lake side. Operated as a museum, so access is timed and the route through it is defined.
The Colony Hotel
Historic hotel, Worth Avenue
Palm-print colour and a courtyard, which is the Palm Beach palette at full strength. Photographed neutrally it is pleasant; photographed for its own colour it is unmistakable.
Worth Avenue vias
Courtyard passages off the main street
Stucco vias with bougainvillea and wrought iron, which give hard-edged shade at the hottest hour of the day.
Private clubs, Ocean Boulevard
Members’ clubs on the island
Most have firm rules about photography on the property and about what may leave it. Agreed in advance and abided by; nothing from a club wedding is published in any case.
The kind of place
- Mediterranean Revival estates and private clubs, coral stucco and courtyards
- Oceanfront grand hotels with terraces on both the sea and the lawn
- Waterfront houses on the Intracoastal, facing the sunset across the water
- Banyan-shaded gardens, which give usable shade at the hottest hour
What a Palm Beach wedding plans around
- The island has an ocean side and a lake side and they light at opposite ends of the day. A schedule can use both if it is written to; most are not.
- Many of the clubs here have firm rules about photography on their property and about what may leave it. We agree those in advance and abide by them.
- June to October is hurricane season, and a date in it needs a contingency that is written down rather than assumed.
- Afternoon storms in summer arrive quickly and pass quickly. The half hour after one is often the best light of the day.
Frames
From Palm Beach.
The commission
Photographing a wedding in Palm Beach.
A Palm Beach wedding is a full day with two photographers, from $14,000, with a venue walk beforehand.
The schedule here can do something unusual and almost nobody uses it. The ocean side is best early — the sun comes up out of the water — and the Intracoastal is where the sunset is, fifteen minutes away in a car. A day written for both gives you two entirely different sets from one wedding, and a day written for neither gives you a hotel lawn at noon.
June to October is hurricane season and a date in it needs a contingency that is written down rather than assumed. Afternoon storms in summer arrive and pass quickly, and the half hour after one is often the best light of the day. Preview in seven days, full set in eight weeks, private archive, print release with no expiry.
- Wedding, from
- $14,000
- Photographers
- Two
- Preview
- 7 days
- Full delivery
- 8 weeks
Palm Beach wedding photography — questions
How much is a Palm Beach wedding photographer?
From $14,000 for a full day with two photographers and a venue walk beforehand. Travel is quoted at cost where the wedding is outside South Florida.
Ocean or Intracoastal for the portraits?
Both, if the schedule allows. The ocean side is best early and the Intracoastal is where the sunset is; fifteen minutes in a car separates them, and a schedule that uses both gives you two different sets from one evening.
When is the season?
December to April, which runs against the rest of the country — dry, warm, clear and low sun, with the fullest social calendar of the year. If your date is flexible that is an opportunity; if it is not, summer needs planning around.
What about hurricane season?
June to October, and a date in it needs a written contingency rather than an assumption. It is not a reason to avoid the months; it is a reason to have the conversation early.
Are the private clubs restrictive?
Several have firm rules about photography on the property and about what may leave it. We agree them in advance and abide by them, and nothing from any wedding is published without your written consent in any case.
How hot is it in summer?
Hot and humid, with daily afternoon storms. The banyan-shaded gardens and the stucco vias give genuinely usable shade at the worst hour, which is what makes a summer date workable here at all.
Nearby
Married in Palm Beach?
Tell us the date and what you are planning. We reply personally, usually within two business days.