City venue guide

The 10 best wedding venues in Key West

Key West weddings cluster in Old Town, where the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum clears its visitors at closing and hands over a private acre, and Audubon House rents a restored 1840s garden acre two blocks from Mallory Square. Casa Marina, Henry Flagler's 1920 resort on the Atlantic side, pairs a 320-seat historic ballroom with the beach it bills as Key West's largest private stretch, while Ocean Key Resort puts the reception on a 200-foot pier at the harbor end of Duval Street. The rest of the market is water-first: permitted beach sites inside Fort Zachary Taylor state park, an eight-minute launch out to Sunset Key, and the marina lawns at Stock Island for guest lists Old Town cannot seat.

Researched and last reviewed 2026-08-17. We have no commercial relationship with any venue listed.

Key West, Florida — where couples marry — Key West · Photo: Radomianin · CC BY-SA 4.0

No. ICasa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton

No. I

Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton

Historic beach resortCasa Marina district, Atlantic shoreFlagler Ballroom up to 320

Flagler conceived this as the terminus hotel for his Overseas Railroad and died seven years before it opened, on New Year's Eve 1920, at the Atlantic end of Reynolds Street. The Flagler Ballroom is the original room — 3,080 square feet, seating 320, still on the floorboards and under the window arches it opened with. Outside are a newer oceanfront event lawn cut for sunset ceremonies and a beach the resort bills as the largest private one in Key West. Getting ready happens in the Orchid Room, which has make-up stations and lounge seating for the full party. The argument for booking here is that rooms, ballroom and sand sit on one property, so nobody gets bussed anywhere.

1920 ballroom, largest hotel beach

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The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum — wedding venue in Key West, Florida

Photo: unattributed · Public domain

No. II

The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum

Historic house museum907 Whitehead Street, Old TownUp to 100

Built in 1851 by a marine architect and bought by Hemingway in 1931, the limestone house closes to visitors and becomes a private acre for the evening — brick paths, the pool dug in the late 1930s, deep wraparound verandas, and the descendants of the six-toed cats asleep wherever they like. Evening events run roughly 6pm to 10pm and cap at 100 guests, coordinated in-house against a preferred vendor list. Rental sits near $5,500 Sunday through Thursday and $6,500 on Friday and Saturday. Because the building is a National Historic Landmark, the celebration lives outdoors across the lawns and gardens.

Private acre after the museum closes

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Harry S. Truman Little White House — wedding venue in Key West, Florida

Photo: Bubba73 · CC BY-SA 3.0

No. III

Harry S. Truman Little White House

Historic landmarkTruman Annex, Old Town

Put up in 1890 as quarters for the naval station command, the house became Truman's winter White House from 1946 and drew him back eleven times; Eisenhower and Kennedy used it after him. Three lawns rent separately — the North Lawn under a canopy of gumbo limbo and mahogany for ceremonies, the shaded East Lawn for smaller seated dinners, and the open West Lawn, which is the one that takes a tent and a dance floor. The presidential dining table indoors can be booked for a rehearsal dinner. Museum tours run daily until 5pm, so weddings take the evening.

Three lawns at a presidential retreat

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No. IVAudubon House & Tropical Gardens

No. IV

Audubon House & Tropical Gardens

Botanical garden205 Whitehead Street, Old TownUp to 130 seated; 250 for a cocktail reception

The house was built in the 1840s for harbor pilot and wrecker John Geiger, and its 1960s restoration was the first of the Old Town rescues that produced the district as it stands. The grounds run to about an acre of mature tropical planting, walked on brick and lit by lanterns, and dancing goes on the rear porch. Seated garden dinners take 130, a standing format 250. What you rent is the ground and nothing else — no catering, no tables, no chairs — so a caterer and planner of your own are a requirement here rather than an upgrade. Mallory Square is two blocks off, which keeps the sunset portraits on foot.

Historic garden acre, bring your own caterer

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Key West Garden Club at West Martello Tower — wedding venue in Key West, Florida

Photo: Averette · CC BY-SA 3.0

No. V

Key West Garden Club at West Martello Tower

Garden in a Civil War fortHiggs Beach, Atlantic shoreUp to 120; around 75 seated

The tower went up in 1862 as an outwork covering Fort Zachary Taylor, never saw action, and was later shot at for gunnery practice — which is why the Key West Garden Club gardens through half-collapsed brick arches rather than an intact fort. The ceremony spots are named for what is actually there: the Top of the Hill Gazebo over the Atlantic, the Main Courtyard, the Butterfly Garden. Seated dinners reach about 75 and standing receptions 120, at roughly $450 an hour plus setup and breakdown, with the caterer drawn from an approved list, a coordinator required and music off by 10pm. Volunteers keep the planting alive on donated stock, which is why it costs a fraction of the resorts and looks nothing like them.

Botanical garden inside a Civil War fort

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Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park — wedding venue in Key West, Florida

Photo: Marc Averette · CC BY 3.0

No. VI

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park

State park beach and fortSouthwest tip, beyond Truman Annex

Four sites inside the 54-acre park can be permitted, and the park refers to two of them by their site numbers. R2, known locally as The Point, sits where the Gulf and the Atlantic meet, with shipping traffic passing close in; R4, the East Beach, sits back among sea grapes and Jamaican palms; the Cayo Hueso Cafe takes a beach reception with tree cover overhead; and the fortress gives you brick archways and a courtyard for dinner. This is a day-use state park that closes at sundown, so weddings run as after-hours events once visitors are out. Nothing here is priced on a rate card — the park quotes each date, day-use admission is separate at $2.50 on foot and $4.50 to $7.00 per car, and your planner and vendors must clear the park's licensing and insurance conditions before a permit issues.

State-park beach, fort courtyard reception

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No. VIIOcean Key Resort & Spa

No. VII

Ocean Key Resort & Spa

Waterfront resortZero Duval Street, Old TownUp to 200 outdoors

Where Duval Street runs out into the harbor, the resort's Sunset Pier reaches roughly 200 feet over the water and can be closed for a private reception with nothing behind the top table but open Gulf. Ceremonies usually take the Ocean Terrace, which delivers the sightlines of a beach without anyone's heels sinking. Outdoor event space totals around 5,400 square feet and handles up to 200. Mallory Square's nightly sunset crowd is immediately next door — the atmosphere couples come for, and the reason to check what time your ceremony starts.

Reception on a 200-foot pier

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Pier House Resort & Spa — wedding venue in Key West, Florida

Photo: CrispyCream27 · CC BY-SA 4.0

No. VIII

Pier House Resort & Spa

Beach resort1 Duval Street, Old TownBeach Terrace up to 80; ballroom up to 120

The address is 1 Duval Street, but the property turns away from the street toward a private white-sand beach, where the Beach Terrace seats up to 80. A separate Sunset Terrace takes 70 with the water in front of it, and the 2,000-square-foot Grand Cayman Ballroom holds 120 indoors and divides in two for smaller nights. Scale is the distinguishing thing here: this fits a wedding comfortably under a hundred that still wants resort staffing, a spa for the morning, and a rain plan with a roof on it.

Private beach at 1 Duval Street

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No. IXSunset Key Cottages

No. IX

Sunset Key Cottages

Private island resortSunset Key, 500 yards offshoreThe Point up to 125

Guests board a launch at Opal Key Resort's dock and step off eight minutes later on a 27-acre island 500 yards out, with no cars and no day visitors. The Point is the principal ceremony site — sand held between a rock sea wall and a gazebo, joined to Paradise Cottage by a footpath through the planting — and takes up to 125. Paradise Cottage itself tents a reception for anywhere from 15 to 80, and the Latitudes dining room seats 20 for a rehearsal dinner. Work the boat timetable before you sign anything: on an island with one way on and off, the crossing schedule dictates the run sheet rather than the other way round.

Eight-minute ferry to a private island

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No. XThe Perry Hotel & Marina Key West

No. X

The Perry Hotel & Marina Key West

Modern marina hotelStock Island Marina VillageEvent Lawn up to 300

Ten minutes out of Old Town on Stock Island, the Perry faces a working marina of shrimp boats and charter fleets rather than a tourist beach. Its 3,200-square-foot Event Lawn takes 300 with a raised stage, the Marina Village pool deck matches that number, and Matt's Stock Island — a waterfront restaurant with an open kitchen — seats up to 245 across its rooms. The finishes are clean and contemporary, nothing like the island's Victorian stock, and a scheduled shuttle runs guests into Old Town. Past roughly 150 the Old Town shortlist thins out fast, and this is where the numbers still work.

Marina lawns for 300 guests

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Marrying in Key West?

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Tell us where you’re marrying in Key West, Floridaand we’ll build the invitation around it — the venue’s own colours, an illustration of the building if you want one, your map and timings already in place. One link for every guest, with live RSVPs.

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Planning a wedding in Key West

The license comes from the Monroe County Clerk at 500 Whitehead Street, costs $86 and stays valid 60 days anywhere in Florida — out-of-state couples are exempt from the three-day waiting period that applies to Florida residents, so arriving a weekday ahead is enough. Everything a wedding needs comes down the Overseas Highway from Miami, a drive of roughly three and a half hours, or through Key West's small airport, which is why florists, rentals and cake all carry a delivery premium here. Lock the room block as early as the venue: the island has a finite number of beds, and the winter high season plus Fantasy Fest in late October absorb them months out.

When to marry — January through April is the dependable window, with daytime temperatures around 77°F, low rainfall and calm water, while November and early December deliver near-identical conditions at lower rates once hurricane season — June through November, peaking August to October — has passed.
What it costs — Venue cost spans a wide band — a few hundred dollars to about $6,000 for base rental at guesthouses and resorts, roughly $450 an hour at the Key West Garden Club, and $5,500 to $6,500 for a four-hour evening at the Hemingway Home — with catering typically starting near $50 a head on top, so guest count moves the total far more than the address does. State-park ceremonies at Fort Zachary Taylor are quoted per date rather than published, so budget those from a written quote, not an estimate.

Once the venue is settled, the next thing most couples deal with is telling everyone. A digital wedding invitation carries the address, a map, your timings and a live RSVP on one link — which matters more than usual when guests are travelling to Key West and need directions, and plenty of notice.

Questions

Marrying in Key West: your questions.

What does a Key West wedding actually cost?

Venue rental is the most variable line. Guesthouse and resort base rentals run from a few hundred dollars to about $6,000; the Key West Garden Club charges roughly $450 an hour plus setup and breakdown; a four-hour evening at the Hemingway Home is $5,500 Sunday to Thursday and $6,500 on Friday and Saturday, with a shorter two-hour slot at $1,500. Fort Zachary Taylor quotes its permitted sites per date rather than publishing a rate. Catering commonly opens around $50 a head, and because almost every supply arrives by road from Miami or by air, flowers, rentals and production price higher than they would on the mainland. Cutting the guest list saves far more than switching venues does.

Can a couple from outside the United States legally marry in Key West?

Yes. Florida imposes no residency or citizenship requirement. Both parties apply in person at the Monroe County Clerk's office at 500 Whitehead Street with government photo ID — a passport is accepted — and applicants with no US Social Security number may give an alien registration number or other acceptable identification instead. The license is $86, issued without a waiting period for non-Florida residents, and valid 60 days anywhere in the state. No separate civil ceremony back home is required: the ceremony held in Key West is the legal marriage. Afterwards, order a certified copy and, if your country is party to the Hague Convention, have it apostilled by the Florida Department of State so it is accepted at home.

When should we marry in Key West, and how far ahead do venues book?

January to April is the settled stretch — around 77°F, dry and calm — with November and early December giving similar weather at lower rates. Hurricane season runs June through November and peaks between August and October, so September and October dates are the cheapest and the most exposed; if you take one, buy wedding insurance and get the venue's weather plan in writing. Winter and spring Saturdays at the best-known properties typically go a year or more ahead, and the room block deserves booking at the same time as the venue, because the island runs out of beds before it runs out of dates.

How large a wedding can Key West realistically hold?

Larger than most couples expect, but only at a handful of addresses. Casa Marina's Flagler Ballroom seats up to 320, and the Perry's Event Lawn and pool deck each take 300 on Stock Island. Ocean Key handles about 200 outdoors, Audubon House 130 seated, and Sunset Key's beach ceremony site 125. Most of the historic Old Town properties sit well below that — the Hemingway Home caps at 100, the Garden Club at roughly 120 standing — so a guest list past 150 narrows the shortlist to the resorts very quickly.

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Marrying in Key West?

Want an invitation designed for your venue?

Make ours for Key West See the designs

The 10 best wedding venues in Key West

Researched and last reviewed 2026-08-17. We have no commercial relationship with any venue listed.

Planning a wedding in Key West

When to marry — January through April is the dependable window, with daytime temperatures around 77°F, low rainfall and calm water, while November and early December deliver near-identical conditions at lower rates once hurricane season — June through November, peaking August to October — has passed.

What it costs — Venue cost spans a wide band — a few hundred dollars to about $6,000 for base rental at guesthouses and resorts, roughly $450 an hour at the Key West Garden Club, and $5,500 to $6,500 for a four-hour evening at the Hemingway Home — with catering typically starting near $50 a head on top, so guest count moves the total far more than the address does. State-park ceremonies at Fort Zachary Taylor are quoted per date rather than published, so budget those from a written quote, not an estimate.