Beach Wedding Dreams Come True

A beach wedding is a dream for many couple, a true dream come true. This venue can indeed make for an absolutely spectacular wedding, but also it has its very own challanges.

Out in the wild

Perhaps the most significant diffetence to pay attention to in planning a beach wedding is Mother Nature. There are many more factors that are outside of your controll when having your wedding on the beach instead of indoors, and these need to be taken into consideration. First and foremost we have the weather. Look at weather trends for the beach(es) you are interested in, and find out if there are times of the year that are particularly dry or rainy. On the US east coast avoiding hurricane season is of course a must, as is having a backup location (or a tent) in case it does rain.

Another consideration when you are on the beach is the tide. It may actually add a romantic touch to the scenery to conduct the ceremony as the tide is coming in, but you obviously don't want you guests to suddenly stand knee-deep in water. A much safer bet is to select a beach that is not affected by tides or to have the wedding as the tide is going out. The time of day is also important in another respect, some beaches for example can offer very beautiful sunsets but can be outright smelly at other times of the day.

Caring for your guests

While a beach wedding may indeed be very beautiful, it can be tricky for guests. For instance, few beaches are wheelchair accessible. if you have guests with some sort of disability, checking accessibility is a must. You will also want to consider amenities at the beach. While few amenities are really needed, be sure that the beach does have bathrooms available, and that they are available to your party during your wedding.

The type of bathroom available is worth checking out as well, as some beach bathrooms are simply outhouses (and no one wants to use an outhouse in a bridesmaid dress!). Finally, consider your stance on uninvited guests. If you are getting married on a public beach, your wedding will in a matter of speaking be open to the public. Some people don’t mind if sunbathers take in their vows; others may want to look at a private beach where their wedding will be, well, private.

completing the beach theme

As with other wedding themes, the beach offers the possibility to do the entire wedding in a particular style. Commonly beach weddings are slightly less formal, with the bride wearing a rather simple white dress and the groom a suit that isn't neccesarily black. If you are happy with a casual style, Hawaiian shirts and sundresses are of course typical things to wear to the beach. In order to complete the theme, it could be an idea to serve people things like seafood and fruit, and to hire a band that play instuments like ukulele and steel drums.

Closely related topic: Best destination weddings