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couple dancing after their ceremony for their sarasota elopement

This Sarasota Elopement Had Everything (Even a Tattoo Shop)

August 13, 2026

This Sarasota elopement had Treacie and Eric comin’ all the way down from Ohio with family, their daughterDesi, flowers Treacie put together herself from Trader Joe’s, and a vibe that was relaxed, sentimental, and completely in their style. They have been coming to Florida for years it’s their favorite vacation spot, the place they keep coming back to, so when it was time to get married there was no question where it was going to be. Florida!

I helped them plan a dope four hour adventure that somehow had everything. A real ceremony inside one of the most stunning courthouses in Florida, epic portraits with nobody rushing them out the door, tattoos in downtown Sarasota, a family dinner on Anna Maria Island, a hazy sunset at Bean Point with their daughter right there, and champagne pop to close the night. I drove home feeling like I had just made two lifelong friends. We already have plans to share margs the next time they are back in town.

Ceremony Time

We met at the Sarasota Historic Courthouse on a slower weekday and that detail mattered more than Treacie and Eric probably realized when they were choosing their day. If you are dreaming up a Sarasota elopement, timing the courthouse for a quieter day is one of the little things that makes the whole day flow better. A slow day at the courthouse means breathing room, nobody pushing you through the schedule, no line of couples behind you, actual space to be present together. The Historic Courtroom at the Sarasota courthouse has cool blue tile, high ceilings, and the kind of architectural character that makes every single photo look like it was pulled from a film. As far as Sarasota courthouse elopements go, this room is in a category of its own.

The ceremony was brief and put everyone in their feels. Treacie had put together her own flowers from Trader Joe’s which were beautiful and pulling together your own bouquet the morning of your wedding is a takes confidence and she rocked the simple bouquet and a gorg veil. Their family watched them say their vows with tears in their eyes and joy and having them there truly made the room feel full of love + joy.

After the ceremony we had the space to ourselves for a stretch of time that felt like a gift because sometimes they rush you out. We took portraits inside the courthouse, moving through the room and then later in the lobby. Then we went outside for family photos before the heat made that a bad idea. June in Sarasota is no joke. We moved fast and made the most of itn and the portraits around the courthouse exterior are some of my favs.

couple and their family walking into the sarasota courthouse for their elopement

couple in the historic courtroom getting married in sarasota florida

couple officially married and doing a happy dance with brides flowers in the air

fun elopement photos inside the sarasota courthouse

portrait of the bride near the window after getting married

Celebrating Their Sarasota Elopement With Ink

Here is the part of the day that started as a question and became the thing everyone will talk about.

When Treacie filled out her questionnaire, she told me their perfect date night is a bike ride on the Harley to a good restaurant, maybe some shopping, and stopping by a tattoo shop. That detail stuck with me. And when I was building their timeline options, I kept coming back to it. So I just asked: would you want to get tattoos after the courthouse? And they were immediately, enthusiastically, absolutely about it. The only thing missing was the Harley.

We went to Oddity Tattoo in downtown Sarasota, a great shop right in the heart of the city, and Treacie and Eric got each other’s initials tattooed behind their ears. Small, intentional, and romantic af. The kind of detail that ten years from now they will show people and explain that they got them on their wedding day in Sarasota, and everyone will think that is the coolest thing. Because, well, it is. Such baddies.

That is the thing about building a day around who a couple actually is instead of what a wedding is supposed to look like… you end up with moments that feel like date nights + adventures. The tattoos were not on any original version of the plan. They came from a questionnaire answer about Harleys and tattoo shops.

That is how this process works… I pay attention to the details of your questionnaire, learning who you are, and then I ask the question that turns it into a moment.

tattoo artist at oddity tattoo in downtown sarasota prepping his gear to give the newlyweds tattoos

the groom gets a celebratory tattoo post eloping in sarasota

sarasota elopement couple celebrates at oddity tattoo shop on main street

Anna Maria Island To Keep The Celebration Goin’

After Oddity Tattoo, the family took their mini break one of the best things you can build into a longer elopement day and something most couples don’t realize is even an option. Treacie and Eric headed to Anna Maria Island for an early dinner with the family at The Porch, a local favorite I pointed them toward, that’s exactly the kind of place you want to eat on your wedding day… a yummy scratch kitchen, delicious, cool ambiance, + the kind of seafood that tastes like it came out of the Gulf that morning.

Anna Maria Island is a laid back, old Florida barrier island about 45 minutes north of Sarasota, the kind of place that feels a little slower and a little sweeter than everything around it. Local shops, calm Gulf water, the specific charm of a small island town that hasn’t been overbuilt. It’s truly a gem of an island and I pray stays that way for years to come! The family got to celebrate, eat, be together before meeting back up with me for sunset at Bean Point.

That pause between the courthouse and Bean Point gave the whole day a shape… a beginning, a middle, and final adventure. More couples should build the break in. It changes the energy and allows for a quick reset during multi hour elopements. Plus why not?

couple at bean point on anna maria island after their elopement in sarasota

Bean Point… Champagne + A Hazy Moody Sunset

Okay.. now this beach is outta this world. Bean Point is the northernmost tip of Anna Maria Island… a tucked away, quiet stretch of beach where the Gulf meets the bay and the sunsets do something you genuinely cannot manufacture. It is one of my favorite spots to end their Sarasota elopement. On a clear night the light goes warm and golden. On an overcast night, which is what we got, it goes something completely different: cooler, richer, hazier, the kind of light that photographs in tones you don’t see on a standard Florida beach evening. The sky was layered and moody and genuinely beautiful af.

Desi joined us at Bean Point for the sunset and there is something about having a daughter present for the portraits at the end of a wedding day that just hits differently. You feel the love and joy of a child who loves her parents and the ocean waves. The portraits from this stretch of the evening are truly special to my mama heart.

When we were done, we popped champagne right there on the beach as the blue hour hit and popping champagne is truly m y fav way to end or start an elopement. And don’t worry majority of my couples have never popped champagne like this so I coach them through these epic champagne pops. Poppinnnn bottles my friends, it’s so fun!

Treacie had told me she wanted the photos to remind them of how in love, happy, and full of life they were. How much they loved each other right now, in this specific moment, on this specific day. Looking at the Bean Point portraits, I think they will 🙂

Quick tip, parking is insaneeee here, all street parking so it’s limited, GET HERE EARLLLLY! If logistics give you anxiety, I promise I gotchu, I’d love to help you plan + document your day, see what’s included when working with me by clicking here 🙂

couple walking bean point at sunset to celebrate their elopement

couple ends their sarasota elopement at the beach on bean point in anna maria island taking portraits at sunset

sarasota elopement portraits that ended up on the beach at bean point

What This Day Was Really About

Treacie and Eric came to this day wanting it to feel relaxed, fun, and sentimental. Low stress, great photos, and the chance to be present in what was actually happening around them. And that is exactly what it was.

She handled her own flowers and her own makeup and showed up completely herself. He showed up ready to get a tattoo on his wedding day without flinching. Their family drove down from Ohio and cheered for them inside a beautiful courthouse and then went to dinner on an island. Their daughter stood with them at Bean Point in the hazy late-evening light and the whole thing felt like exactly what a wedding should feel like people who love each other, choosing the day that fits them, not borrowing someone else’s template.

Treacie said their perfect date is a Harley ride to a good restaurant with a tattoo shop stop somewhere in the middle. Their wedding day had the tattoo shop, the good restaurant, the family, the beach, and the champagne. The only thing missing was the Harley. Next time, I said. That is what a Sarasota elopement can be when you build it around who a couple actually is instead of a template.

I drove home genuinely happy. Not just the professional version of happy where you know the photos turned out well. Actually happy, the way you feel after a good day with good people. We have marg plans. I am holding them to it.

Planning Your Own Sarasota Elopement?

I’m Kathryn, a Florida elopement photographer based in Sarasota, and this is exactly the kind of day I build. Whether you’re coming from out of state with family, just the two of you, or something in between, a Sarasota elopement can be as simple or as full as you want to make it. I help you figure out the timeline, the locations, the moments worth capturing aaaaand sometimes I ask the question that turns a questionnaire answer about Harleys into a tattoo shop stop on your wedding day. Reach out here and tell me what you’re thinking. We’ll figure out the rest together.