What should I budget for a wedding in Carillon Beach with Carillon Weddings®?
This is a loaded question with many variables to consider such as your style, taste, décor and vendor choices. Please see our “Costs & Information” sheet for an estimated overall rundown of costs for your event. When it comes to the property, our venue rental prices vary by location and the size of the wedding. In general, pricing starts at $5,200 for our most popular venues. The additional costs of an event in Carillon Beach will require the help of your planner’s assistance when compiling all your other vendors’ products and services.
What do these costs include?
Costs for an event with Carillon Weddings® includes benefits related to the venues rented. A few examples are relocation of beach service chairs & umbrellas for your event set-up, golf cart transportation of the bride to the ceremony and sunset pictures, guard gate list management, and concierge services throughout your planning.
Can my elderly grandparents get to my beach ceremony?
For a $50/person fee. Contact Carillon Weddings® for logistics.
What are the requirements to have my wedding with Carillon Weddings®?
Brides who wish to get married on Carillon Beach are required to hire a professional and local wedding planner who is as invested in our local businesses as much as he/she is invested in you and your wedding day. A list of premier wedding planners may be provided for you.
You are also required to hire an off-duty Bay County deputy ($224, subject to change based on Bay County Sheriff’s office rate) for your event. The venue manager will handle this for you and will include the fee in your total venue fees. There is also a requirement to pay for an on-site day-of venue manager ($600) to help make sure everything runs smoothly the day of your event. This is someone well-versed in the power, sprinklers, the community/neighbors, guard gate and parking issues on property. Trust us – all of the things you don’t want to worry about! He/She is NOT your planner.
What makes Carillon Beach an ideal choice over, say, Rosemary Beach (3 miles west of us)?
Carillon Beach is a quaint community that offers privacy and security with 24-hour guarded gate access into the community. The community is situated on almost a mile of beachfront property with plenty of space for guests and homeowners to spread along the beach.
There are also no vendor-paid lists you must choose from for your event. We trust your planner to recommend competent professionals who will not pose a danger or a negative impact on your event. We pride ourselves in recommending wonderful vendors who aren’t just recommended because of their willingness to pay to be on a list. Our wedding program is comprised of pros who are also wedding planners, so we understand what goes into wedding planning.
Although it’s very convenient to stay in Carillon Beach, we do not require for you to have a certain amount of home rentals to host your event with us.
Located in Bay County, Carillon Beach also benefits from the Beach Re-Nourishment Program, which helps to rebuild the beautiful sugar-sand beaches after any storm surges or erosion. This keeps our wide stretch of beaches pristine! Our location also allows our brides to avoid the necessary event and vendor permitting required in Walton County.
I’ve seen another website for Carillon Beach and a wedding company called Carillon Beach Weddings. Is this the same company?
No. While the names are similar, we are not affiliated in any way. Carillon Weddings® is an independent company founded in 2004 by homeowner Victoria Volpone and currently owned by Avis Glenister. Carillon Beach Weddings is no longer open or booking events.
Will there be another wedding in the area on the same day as mine?
It is possible that another event at one of the other Carillon Beach venues may occur on the same day as yours. However, we plan for all our weddings to have maximum privacy as a courtesy for both brides and their families.
What happens if there is a wedding booked for the day before mine?
The biggest thing affected will be your rehearsal - if there's an evening event booked the night before yours, your rehearsal must take place in the morning (before 11 am). If your event is booked first, we will let you know immediately if/when this happens. Otherwise, we will alert you at the time of booking.
We will also need to coordinate (tenting, dance floor, etc.) with your planner. If you are planning a large, tented event, please expect coordination on the setup and breakdown schedules and logistics.
Do you have a preferred vendor list, and do I have to use your list?
While we don’t have an exclusive or required vendor list, we do have a list of vendors that recommend as tried, true, and consistent in their service. You are not required to use the vendors on this list, but it’s our goal to help you simplify your wedding planning by using vendors we’ve worked with in the past. We won’t recommend anyone who we don’t think is up to the task.
Because we’ve been doing this for so long, we’ve had the opportunity to work with most of the vendors in our area. From photography to catering to officiants, we have a list of vendors that we’re happy to share, but your event planner is the best resource for vendor recommendations! He/She will be able to make recommendations based on your priorities, budget, and style. For liability reasons, some services may not be performed by non-professionals or non-licensed/insured vendors. We will not permit vendors on the property without proper insurance and an additionally signed contract by the vendor and the bride. This also potentially applies to DIY projects for your event.
Where should vendors park day-of?
Vendors are more than welcome to use the Meeting House parking lot to load in and load out; otherwise, they must park in the downtown parking lot.
Can I bring an outside wedding planner on board?
Absolutely! At Carillon Weddings®, we manage the location; we don’t serve as wedding planners. The Carillon Beach community requires that all weddings we book be organized by a wedding planner who works directly with us. We love to work with them, too! Your wedding planner can utilize us for any questions they might have, helping you feel more comfortable about the planning process. But even with a wedding planner involved, we will still be on-site the day of your wedding to make sure that everything runs flawlessly!
Are there any special guidelines that wedding parties need to follow while on the property?
Your planning team is responsible for upholding the rules and regulations set forth by Carillon Beach property. The venues will be clean, set up and ready for your use. All events end at 10 p.m. in compliance with Florida State outdoor event ordinance. A community noise ordinance restricts decibel levels over 87 decibels. This may restrict some larger bands on property. All vendors must be approved by the venue manager on behalf of Carillon Beach.
Event breakdown and vendor load-out must be finished by 11 p.m. It is incumbent upon couples and their planner, not Carillon, to ensure this deadline is met; you will lose your $500 impact deposit if breakdown goes past midnight. If you know prior to the end of your event that you will be hard pressed to finish by 11pm, please let us know — we can discuss pushing parts of the breakdown to the following morning, pending venue availability, and/or paying the Carillon team an hourly charge to act as extra hands beginning 10 p.m.
I’d love to have a beach bonfire as part of my wedding weekend. What are the requirements for this?
Bonfires are now allowed at Carillon for a $75 fee, pending availability and HOA approval! If you are not a gulf-front homeowner, the bonfire must be at the beach club pool. If you are a gulf-front homeowner, you can have the bonfire in front of your home, right on the beach.
How are payments handled?
We require a 50% retainer of the total venue fee at the booking time, which is non-refundable. The balance is due 60 days prior to the event. Full payment is required for venue bookings reserved within 60 days prior to your event. Check is our preferred form of payment because of payment fraud liability & unnecessary convenience fees, but we do also take payment through Maroo.
Can I have my ceremony at the beach or in the Meeting House, but hold my reception elsewhere?
Absolutely — depending on the booking season and window. For off-peak dates, you shouldn’t be subject to any timing, booking or pricing restrictions for just a ceremony or reception with us.
However, if interested in just a ceremony during peak season, the property reserves the right to book a wedding with reception to follow yours, after your party leaves the property. The event having both a ceremony and reception has priority for the 5 p.m. timeslot, regardless of which event is booked first. A beach ceremony during peak season may be performed at any time, on an available walkover. A Meeting House ceremony during peak season must take place before 11 a.m., and may have another reception set up on the Village Green. Additional pricing requirements may apply, particularly for a reception-only event during peak season.
I live out of town. Can you hold my wedding date until I am able to visit?
Unfortunately, the property requires a deposit of half the total venue rental fee to hold your date.
What is your cancellation policy?
The retainer to secure the venues is non-refundable. Upon initial receipt of the contract, the client has 14 days to make any changes to the date. By signing the contract, a wedding date, the use of the venues, and the services of onsite venue coordinators have been committed to the client. The client agrees to pay the full amount of the contract for the secured wedding date on the scheduled due date. If the wedding date is canceled or postponed/rescheduled for any reason within 60 days of the event, the client is held responsible for the entire venue fee. If the wedding date is canceled or postponed/rescheduled for any reason before 60 days of the event, they will be charged a $2500 cancellation fee, and the remaining venue balance will be waived. If you reschedule or postpone your event, you are required to notify Carillon Weddings® of your new event date within 14 days. The new date will be based on the availability of the venues and does not promise a specific date. The original written contract will be amended and remain in effect with a date postponed until the event takes place.
What happens in the event of inclement weather?
Carillon Weddings® and Carillon Beach are not responsible for inclement weather or acts of nature that may cause the event to be delayed or postponed. In the event this happens, we will discuss the alternate plans available with the bride for her approval. In the case of an approaching hurricane or similar storm, Carillon Weddings® will reschedule the event if mandatory evacuation by local officials is declared.
