There is something really freaking special about stripping a wedding day down to what actually matters.

No giant guest list. No months of stressing over seating charts. No timeline packed with things you’re doing because somebody somewhere decided that’s what weddings are supposed to look like.

For Karlee and Caleb, getting married meant coming to Sarasota, walking into the Historic Sarasota County Courthouse together, and leaving as husband and wife.

Just the two of them.

And honestly? It was perfect.

Karlee first reached out to me back in February after finding my Sarasota courthouse wedding work through my blog. She and Caleb knew they wanted something intimate. A big traditional wedding, and all of the stress that can come along with planning one, just wasn’t what they wanted.

So they decided to elope in Sarasota instead. And on July 7, 2026, that’s exactly what they did.

A Two-Person Wedding at the Historic Sarasota County Courthouse

One of my favorite things about photographing courthouse weddings is how completely different every single one feels. The ceremony itself might be simple. The guest list might literally be zero. But the story never is.

Karlee and Caleb came into Sarasota before their wedding day and even scoped out the courthouse and parking the day before. There was something about that detail that I loved: arriving in a new place, figuring out where you’re going, knowing that when you come back tomorrow you’re going to freaking marry each other.

Then wedding day came. And instead of spending the morning worrying about 100 guests or whether centerpieces were in the right place, these two got to focus on each other and a quick stop at Whole Foods.

Karlee picked up her own flowers there that morning and put together her bouquet herself. No florist, no delivery window to plan around, just Karlee choosing stems she loved and building something that was entirely hers to carry down the aisle. It’s one of my favorite kinds of detail because it’s so unbothered. No pressure for it to be perfect. It just had to be theirs.

We photographed some of the little details that made the day theirs before heading inside for their ceremony. And then, in a courtroom in downtown Sarasota, Karlee and Caleb became husband and wife. No enormous production necessary. Just a really big moment.

Sarasota Courthouse Wedding Photos That Actually Feel Like You

This is probably my favorite misconception to destroy about courthouse weddings: small wedding does not mean small story. And courthouse wedding photography definitely doesn’t have to mean standing outside the building for five minutes taking a handful of stiff portraits before going home.

The Historic Sarasota County Courthouse is one of my favorite places to photograph elopements because there is so much freaking character packed into one location. The arches. The stairs. The ironwork. The landscaping. The tower. The warm Florida architecture.

We wandered around the courthouse afterward and let Karlee and Caleb actually enjoy the fact that THEY WERE MARRIED. There were beautiful portraits, obviously. But there was also a whole lot of laughing.

Which brings us to the cake.

Champagne, a Whole Foods Cake + Heart Sunglasses

At some point before their wedding, Karlee mentioned bringing a little cake to celebrate afterward. Just like the flowers, it came straight from Whole Foods. Grab and go, no fuss, no six-week ordering window.

YES. Always yes. Because if you’re going to skip the giant reception, that absolutely does not mean you have to skip the fun shit.

So outside the courthouse, these newlyweds popped champagne, pulled out their tiny wedding cake and celebrated right there in downtown Sarasota. And then came the heart-shaped sunglasses. And feeding each other cake. And laughing so hard that any idea of making the moment look polished pretty much went completely out the window.

Which is exactly how I like it. Those are some of my favorite photographs from the entire day because they’re not really about the cake or the champagne or even the ridiculously cute sunglasses. They’re about joy. That just-married, holy-shit-we-actually-did-it kind of joy. The kind you can’t pose. You just have to give it room to happen.

Hair + Makeup

Karlee’s hair and makeup were done by Dolled Up Brides, an on-location bridal hair and makeup team that made getting ready feel just as easy as the rest of the day. Soft, natural, and completely her, exactly what you want walking into a courthouse that already has plenty of drama built into the architecture.

Tips for Your Own Sarasota Courthouse Elopement

If Karlee and Caleb’s day has you thinking about your own courthouse wedding, here’s what I’d tell you.

Grab your flowers the morning of. You don’t need a florist and a delivery window. Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, even a local grocery run works. Pick what you love and put it together yourself, or ask them to wrap it for you at the counter.

Bring a tiny cake instead of skipping dessert altogether. A small grocery store cake gives you something to celebrate with outside the courthouse without any of the planning that comes with a full dessert table.

Scope out the courthouse and parking the day before. Karlee and Caleb did this and it took so much stress off the actual morning. You’ll know exactly where to go and how much time to leave.

Get your marriage license ahead of time. Check current requirements and fees with the Sarasota Clerk of Court before your date so there are no surprises at the counter.

Book hair and makeup that comes to you. Having someone like Dolled Up Brides show up on location means less morning stress and more time to actually soak in the day.

Plan a little something fun for after. Champagne, heart-shaped sunglasses, a walk downtown, whatever feels like you. The ceremony is five minutes. Give yourselves something to enjoy afterward.

Don’t feel like you need a guest list to make it feel like a wedding. Two people and a courthouse is more than enough.

Why I Love Photographing Sarasota Courthouse Elopements

I’ve photographed weddings for more than 14 years, and I still love a huge wedding day. Give me the packed dance floor. Give me the speeches and the chaos and Grandma getting down harder than everybody else at the reception.

But there is something completely different about photographing a two-person elopement. Everything gets quieter. And because there aren’t a hundred other things demanding your attention, the smallest moments suddenly become the big ones.

The look right before the ceremony. The first laugh afterward. Walking out of the courthouse knowing you’re married. Clinking champagne glasses on the sidewalk. Eating Whole Foods cake together in your wedding clothes.

Those moments get to breathe. And Karlee and Caleb’s Sarasota courthouse wedding was full of them.

If you love the look of this day and want to see more Sarasota courthouse wedding photography, check out my full Sarasota Courthouse Wedding Guide, or see another real Sarasota courthouse wedding on the blog.

Karlee and Caleb, thank you for letting me be part of your morning. Watching you two crack each other up outside that courthouse is exactly the kind of joy I chase as a Sarasota courthouse wedding photographer. Congratulations, you two.

Ready to plan your own Sarasota courthouse wedding? Let’s connect, I’d love to be there for yours.