Key West
The southernmost wedding destination in the continental U.S., sunset processions on Mallory Square, historic Old Town courtyards, and Casa Marina beach receptions that run until the last guest swears off rum. We've been the resident DJ for Key West weddings for over a decade.
Wedding DJs and entertainment in Key West, Florida
Modern Era Weddings produces Key West weddings at Casa Marina, The Reach Resort, Sunset Key Cottages, Audubon House, and historic Old Town venues across the 2-mile island. Our team holds a 5.0 rating from 768 reviews on The Knot and WeddingWire and produces more Key West Signature Wedding Weekends than any other entertainment company in South Florida.
Couples planning a Key West wedding hire us for one reason: a packed dance floor from the first song to the last. Our local crews handle DJs, lighting, photo and video, photo booths, and full multi-day Signature Wedding Weekend production end-to-end.
Key West wedding entertainment pricing
All packages use day-rate billing covering unlimited hours. Prices are starting points; your final quote is customized to your date, venue, and add-ons. Contact us and we respond within 24 hours.
| Package | Starting price |
|---|---|
| DJ and emcee Ceremony and reception, unlimited hours, travel included to the island, full sound and wireless microphones | from $3,500 |
| DJ with live musician Adds an acoustic guitarist, violinist, or saxophone soloist for ceremony or cocktail hour at Old Town or resort venues | from $5,000 |
| Signature Wedding Weekend 2 to 4-day destination format at Casa Marina, The Reach Resort, or Sunset Key: welcome party, ceremony, reception, farewell brunch | from $12,000 |
| Full weekend production DJ, live musicians, lighting design, and photo booth across all Key West weekend events with one coordinated team | from $20,000 |
About Key West weddings
Key West is mile marker 0, the southernmost city in the continental United States, the southern terminus of the Florida Keys archipelago, and the most architecturally distinctive wedding destination in the entire Keys. We've been the resident Modern Era Weddings DJ and entertainment team for Key West weddings for over a decade. Sunset processions on Mallory Square. Historic Old Town courtyards. Casa Marina beach receptions that run until the last guest swears off rum. We know the city.
The Key West wedding venue ecosystem
- Casa Marina Key West (Waldorf Astoria Collection), Henry Flagler's 1920s grand resort; the largest beachfront wedding capacity on the island.
- The Reach Key West (Waldorf Astoria Collection), Casa Marina's sister property; private beach, more intimate scale.
- Sunset Key Cottages (Westin), private 27-acre island a 5-minute boat shuttle from Mallory Square; near-impossible to beat for the ceremony-island fantasy.
- Audubon House & Tropical Gardens, historic Old Town garden ceremony site; 19th-century house museum, walkable to everything.
- Hemingway Home & Museum, yes, you can get married there; the polydactyl-cat backdrop is real.
- Truman Little White House, historic 1890 building, the Truman summer White House; ceremonies on the grounds.
- Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina, full-resort Old Town footprint with marina-side ceremony sites.
- Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, sunset-facing beach ceremonies at a national-park-grade historic fort.
When to get married in Key West
December through April is the reliability window, temperatures in the 70s, low humidity, minimal rain. Sunset times shift from around 5:45 PM in December to nearly 8:00 PM in April, which directly affects ceremony timing, especially for Mallory Square sunset processions or beach ceremonies at Casa Marina and The Reach. May through October is hurricane-aware territory; we work it but always with a contingency plan in writing.
Getting your guests to Key West
Three options: drive (3.5-4 hours from Miami International on the Overseas Highway, US-1, the only road in), fly direct into Key West International (EYW) with non-stops from Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, and several Northeast hubs, or a combo, many of our couples fly the wedding party in early and the wider guest list drives. Key West is small (4 miles by 1.5 miles); once your guests are on the island, getting between the venue, lodging, and after-party is walking or a 5-minute golf-cart ride.
Production realities specific to Key West
- Sound ordinances are strict; outdoor amplified music has firm cutoff times. After-parties move to Duval-area bars or private courtyards.
- Wedding-license logistics, Florida marriage licenses are issued same-day by the Monroe County Clerk in Key West (no waiting period for out-of-state couples).
- Old Town venue load-ins are constrained, narrow streets, tight courtyards. Local-resident vendors know the workarounds; mainland vendors often don't.
- Hurricane-season contingencies, every June-through-November Key West contract we sign includes a documented backup-date / refund-credit policy.
Venues we love
- Casa Marina Key West
- The Reach Key West
- Audubon House & Tropical Gardens
- Hemingway Home & Museum
- Truman Little White House
- Sunset Key Cottages
- Margaritaville Key West Resort
Services in Key West
Key West FAQs
People also ask about Key West weddings
How much does a Modern Era Weddings DJ cost in Key West?
In Key West, modern Era Weddings uses day-rate pricing rather than hourly billing. Standard wedding DJ packages typically start around $2,500 and scale up with add-ons such as elevated lighting, photo booths, ceremony coverage, and live musicians. Multi-day Signature Wedding Weekend packages are quoted custom based on the number of events. Every package includes a professional emcee, premium sound, unlimited planning consultations, and our online planning portal.
Read full answer on FAQMulti-day weddings in Key West
Welcome parties, ceremonies, after-parties, farewell brunches — one creative team, one cohesive arc, hosted entertainment that keeps every guest in the moment.
Key West wedding weekends are the most walkable destination wedding format in the continental U.S., Old Town is roughly 4 miles by 1.5 miles, every major venue, hotel, and after-party bar is within a 10-minute walk or 5-minute golf-cart ride, and once your guests are on the island, the entire weekend logistics flatten dramatically.
The standard arc
- Thursday or Friday welcome night, at a historic Old Town courtyard restaurant (Louie's Backyard, Mangia Mangia, Latitudes on Sunset Key), at a Duval-adjacent rooftop, or at a private charter sunset sail out of the Key West Bight. Hosted trivia or music bingo is the most-booked welcome format.
- Saturday ceremony + reception, beach ceremony at Casa Marina or The Reach, garden ceremony at Audubon House or Hemingway Home, sunset ceremony at Mallory Square, ballroom or tented reception. Full DJ + lighting + optional live musicians. Outdoor amplified-music cutoffs apply (Key West has firm noise-ordinance enforcement); after-parties move to Duval-area bars or a private courtyard.
- Sunday farewell brunch, at Blue Heaven, Sarabeth's, or a private courtyard at the lodging block. Acoustic background music, optional hosted format.
Lodging logistics
Key West's lodging stack is built for wedding takeovers: Casa Marina and The Reach (Waldorf Astoria Collection sister properties) can absorb full-guest-list blocks; Sunset Key Cottages is a 27-acre private island a 5-minute boat shuttle from Mallory Square that's nearly impossible to beat for the ceremony-island fantasy; Margaritaville Key West runs a full-resort Old Town footprint; boutique guesthouses and private estate rentals through Old Town pick up the rest. Almost every Key West wedding we produce uses a 3-5 hotel block configuration because no single property holds everyone, but everyone is within walking distance.
Transportation
Three options for getting your guests to Key West: drive from Miami (3.5-4 hours on US-1, the only road in), direct flights into Key West International (EYW) from Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, and several Northeast hubs, or a combo (wedding party flies in early, wider guest list drives). On the island, Conch Train tours, golf cart rentals, and Old Town walking distance make in-weekend transportation almost a non-issue.
Production realities
Key West weddings have specific constraints worth planning around: strict outdoor amplified-music cutoffs (after-parties move indoors), historic Old Town venue load-ins (narrow streets, tight courtyards, local-resident vendors know the workarounds, mainland vendors often don't), same-day Florida marriage licenses issued by the Monroe County Clerk in Key West (no waiting period for out-of-state couples), and hurricane-aware contracts for June-through-November dates.
What we recommend
For a 3-day Key West wedding weekend with 80-160 guests, plan on Thursday or Friday welcome with hosted entertainment at a Duval-area rooftop or sunset charter, Saturday wedding day with full DJ + lighting + indoor after-party rig (Old Town venue or private courtyard), and Sunday farewell brunch with acoustic background or a short hosted format. Book 12-14 months out for December-through-April peak season.