Approved by the Best Wedding Photographer in Pensacola, Florida

Best and Favorite Pensacola Wedding Venues is a blog about the top 5 of the coolest spots to get married in downtown Pensacola. Written by the Best Pensacola Wedding Photographer, Adina Preston.

No. 1 • Pensacola Country Club, Pensacola, Florida

A wedding at the Pensacola Country Club is stunning and elegant. If you prefer a wedding away from the sand, then this venue is perfect. The clubhouse has a traditional style of brick and stone, and it’s 23,000 sq ft of beautiful architecture, decorative columns and high windows, that easily hosts large events with over 100 people. The view is breathtaking, with a gorgeous drop of Pensacola Bay and the 3-mile bridge. The ceremony site has an old stunning oak that offers shade for the hot summer days, that also makes the perfect photo op for your bridal portraits. There’s a ton of space to roam around for your guests during cocktail hour and also reception time. It’s our No. 1 recommended venue in Pensacola.

Check out this wedding gallery HERE.

No. 2 • 5-Eleven Palafox, downtown Pensacola

Our second venue recommendations is in downtown Pensacola – 5-Eleven Palafox Event Venue (or Five-Eleven Palaxox)

5eleven Palafox is Pensacola’s premier all-inclusive wedding event venue. Located in the heart of Downtown Pensacola in a historic building, 5eleven is your all-in-one venue, offering catering, bar services, a newly renovated bridal suite, personalized experiences and everlasting memories. This venue is another option if you want to keep the sand away for your destination wedding, and want to have a true North Florida experience. We have photographed there a couple times and love this venue so much. You can see a gallery HERE. And you can see more photos taken by the Best Pensacola wedding photographer below.

No. 3 • Dharma Blue, downtown Pensacola

Dharma Blue in downtown Pensacola is a secret jewel of the area. They started opening their space for events just last year and I was actually the FIRST person to ever photograph a wedding there. How cool is that? The restaurant is divided into 2 sections, so I guess it’s up to you on how and where you would want your ceremony to be angled towards, but for Michelle and Stephen, everything was set up on the right side near a brick fireplace wall. This place reminds me of New Orleans – the walls are adorned with framed pictures and colorful canvases probably painted by local artists. It’s definitely a unique spot to host your Pensacola wedding.

No. 4 • Bodacious Brew Cafe, downtown Pensacola on Palafox

Located on Palafox and Main St, Bodacious Brew Cafe is not only what it sounds like. It’s actually part of the Bodacious Shops – to quote from their website: “a collection of distinct shops, all under one roof – a café, a salad shop, an olive oil shop, a coffee roastery, and a kitchen wares store that is equipped with a chef’s kitchen for hosting all kinds of classes and events.” Until I photographed Rachel & Grey’s wedding there last year, I had no clue they had an event space upstairs where they did weddings and other type of events. The space floor plan with the wide open kitchen made me feel like home, it gave me a familiar feel of the location, so if you have a smaller wedding or elopement and you need an intimate space where you’re super close to your family and friends, this is it! Food was made on the spot and everything was absolutely delicious. As a Pensacola wedding photographer I can say that photographing weddings downtown, away from the sand, is definitely a great change from the beach, as the photo opportunities are endless. Looking forward to going back there soon!

No. 5 • Palafox Wharf Waterfront on Palafox St, downtown Pensacola

Photographing a wedding at Palafox Wharf Waterfront is always a fun time. You never know what to expect because this Pensacola event and wedding venue has something different as far as setup, every time. For Ashley and Gordon’s wedding, the ceremony was at the Baptist Church, close by, so they only had the reception booked here at the Wharf. This historic place was built in 1880 as a shipping company. It has an elegant feel with a touch of modern elements. I loved the strings of lights hanging from the ceiling, especially for higher angled photos of the dances. See some of the photos and add it to your list, if you’re looking for cool Pensacola wedding venues.

We are booking our 2023 wedding calendar, so if you are still looking for a wedding photographer in Pensacola, contact us! Meanwhile, take a look at our galleries.

-with Love, Adina