The Ringling gives a wedding film the kind of architecture most Florida venues have to fake with drapery. Labif Filmhouse has filmed on the grounds in Sarasota, and the decision that shapes the entire film is which of its two settings you choose.
The Ringling offers two outdoor wedding settings: Ca' d'Zan, with its terrace directly on Sarasota Bay, and the Museum of Art Courtyard, ringed with Greek, Roman and Baroque replica statuary and large enough for 400 guests. Ceremonies also run in the Museum of Art Loggia, the Bolger Campiello, Marble's Rose Garden, and under the banyan trees.
How it actually films
Ca' d'Zan is a water venue. The terrace faces Sarasota Bay, so the light is open and the background is horizon — which flatters wide frames and vows, and gives you almost nothing to hide behind.
The Museum of Art Courtyard is the inverse. Colonnades and statuary mean every frame has structure in it already. Symmetry is available here in a way it simply is not at a beach or a barn, and a film shot in the courtyard can lean on the architecture instead of on movement.
Both are strictly outdoor. Neither has an indoor alternative on site.
What to protect in the timeline
- Choose one setting as the film's spine. The Best of The Ringling package spans both, but a film that moves between them without a reason reads as two films.
- Banyan trees for portraits. They are the most distinctive thing on the property and they are usually free while guests are at cocktail hour.
- A weather decision made in advance. With no indoor backup, the call has to be made early, not on the day.
Tiffany + Sam
Filmed at The Ringling in Sarasota in June 2022. Their film is below.
Filmed at John And Mable Ringling. See more of our wedding videography in Sarasota.