What a great combination Sun, Sand and Sea will make a stunning backdrop that you can use to make your outdoor weddings unique, and romantic beyond words . A hugh number of couples choose to get married on the beach for those precise reasons, a number decide to have the ceremony on the beach and the reception indoors – safer but not so romantic or such an exciting adventure .
If you choose to go for a beach wedding this again breaks down into 2 broad price bands - there are many agencies who dedicated to arranging your beach wedding , they will be able to offer you destinations and locations world-wide starting in the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and across the globe with local details on hotels, wedding packages, wedding planners and local vendors. They will also offer you an entire package that offers such things as such as beach wedding invitations, favors and gifts and beach wedding attire for both the bride and groom. So all you have to do is chose the destination, the guest list and they will do the rest , you just need arrive at the venue do not forget your credit card!
With these packages you will get all the romance with the sun, sea and sand in factprobably the perfect day, at a big price tag
However there are many ways to do your outdoor weddings to include all of those things at afraction of the price , with a carefull planning and a sense of adventure. There are a few things you will need to take into account and make allowances for –conditions that are peculiar to coastal locations .
Tide Although on some coastlines the high tide does not come all the way up the beach leaving enough of room for your wedding, just remember that in a lot of places the beach is under water twice a day. Ensure that you check the local tide charts.
Weather I know that anywhere you sellect for your outside wedding is open to inclemment weather and there is nothing more dissapointing than a rainy beach. There is nothing you can do to get nice weather, so don’t worry about it but have a backup plan , just in case.
Public Places Almost all beaches are accessable to the public so be prepared to have some inquisitive onlookers , so when you are making your plans try to secure a more outof the way place for the ceremony.
Eating on the Beach This can be add a whole dimension to your adventurous wedding , but you need to keep in mind things like refrigeration, keeping the sand away from the food, all the usual things you have to arrange for a family outing . This is defiantly the alfresco style for your wedding!
As to location you might want to think about some of the following alternatives as a sort of half way help
There may well be a hotel on the beach with a swimming pool, were you could have your small intimate reception.
For nature lovers there are many parks or nature reserves that have special BBQ areas, some with facilities such as tables and benches that you can use for your ‘reception’.
In some coastal communities will also be either churches on or close to the beach where you could have your wedding, you may be fortunate and maybe they they will have a church hall or community hall that you can reserve for your reception.
Lastly for the seafarers among you possibly try chartering a boat to take you and your guests for a short cruise, it will make a great finale after your beach ceremony. There will also possibly be the ever popular and more cost friendly “sunshine cruise” ,some with a dining option, or maybe a “booze cruise”.
As an afterthought these two but very important considerations for your outside weddings are:-
Accessibility wherever you select for your big day ensure that all your guests can get to the wedding, especially the older guests.
Photographs - the lighting is different on the beach , the sun shines back off the sand so make sure that whoever is taking the pictures has a good quality camera. Because if the pictures do not turn out well you might have to do them all again next month – I don’t know though that might be a great idea anyway.
