Many soon-to-be wedded couples love the idea of exchanging their vows by a beautiful beach, with the glorious sunrise or a breathtaking dusk as the back draft. Are you planning to tie-the-knot on a bright, summer day? If yes, perhaps you might be considering an outdoor wedding or a beach wedding. On this post, let’s talk about fabulous beach wedding ideas and tips that are sure to make you swoon.
Beach Wedding Theme Ideas
What better way to hint that the wedding would take place in a spectacular beach than starting with your invitation? It can be a simple save-the-date card that bears a beach-inspired design such as sea shells, sand, corals, or the sea. You might include a small amount of white beach sand inside each guest’s wedding invitation to give them the feel of the shore.
You can also choose to have your invitations in unique shapes such as beach sandals, a fan, sea shells, or a fish. Think outside the box! Here’s your chance to put your creativity into work. After all, it’s your wedding and nobody can go against your wishes. In your invitation, don’t forget to include the kind of attire guests should wear on your wedding to make sure that no one would feel out of place.
The wedding favors should no doubt match the theme. There are many beach-inspired favors or tokens that you can choose from. The most popular designs are raffia fans, sea shells, jewelry boxes made out of shells, paperweight, beach sand in mini bottles, and others. Of course, all these items should bear the monograms of the couple, a short message for their guests, and the wedding date.
How about the wedding cake? For a beach wedding, some couples opt to have non-traditional wedding cakes. Instead of the usual wedding cake, they chose to have small cakes or cupcakes, carefully arranged on a tiered cake server. You can choose cake flavors that go with the summer-theme or tropical-theme such as pineapple, coconut, mango, peach, or lemon cupcakes.
Who will do the catering service for your big day? Since it’s going to be a wedding by the beach, most of the guests might be expecting to see a lot of sea foods from the buffet table. However, see to it that there will also be dishes for your guests who are not so fond or might have allergies from seafood.
Last but not least, a traditional Hawaiian wedding can be a wonderful inspiration for beach weddings. Offer leis or flower necklaces for your guests as they arrive on the venue. Line the aisle with garlands of tropical flowers or lanterns especially if the wedding will take place in the afternoon until after the sun sets. In the evening, there can be a bonfire by the sea to light up the celebrations.
The type of music you choose also helps set the theme of an occasion. Aside from pop love songs, you may also consider reggae music to set the mood for fun and dance. Be sure to designate the person in charge or a dee-jay who will play the songs during the program.
Beach Wedding Decoration Ideas
Decorating an outdoor wedding like a beach wedding is always fun to do. Consider these suggestions below on how you can spruce up a beach-themed wedding.
Go natural- First of all, you can take advantage of the beauty of nature to enliven the whole set-up. Things that you can easily get by the shore such as shells of different shapes and colors, star fish, palm leaves, raffia, rattan, and the like, are of course essential adornments in a beach wedding.
Decorating need not be so complicated. Shells, starfish, and flower petals can be neatly scattered on the tables, in-between simple, yet colorful flower arrangements. Fruits that are in season can be both used as decorations and mouth-watering treats. Tropical fruits such as bananas, mangoes, pineapples, papayas, and coconut would surely make the buffet tables look happy and enticing.
Don’t forget the shade- Setting up a tent or a canopy is a must for outdoor weddings. It’s important to make sure that everyone can stay under a shade in case the sun gets too hot or just in case it rains. After all, the weather can be unpredictable even in the summers so it’s best to be prepared.
Make it dazzling– There are other ways to make a beach wedding look more romantic. You may set up poles on each corner of a square. For drapery, you can use white organza or any inexpensive sheer fabric, cut narrowly, lengthwise.
Don’t let guests be thirsty- The summer heat can be scorching by the beach so don’t forget to provide your guests with adequate supply for bottled waters and fresh fruit beverages such as lemonade or iced tea. Consider having separate tables which are exclusively dedicated for cool drinks or refreshments.
More Beach Weddings Tips
Image Source : krystal-hotels-timeshare
Consider your budget and set a definite amount to spend– Whether you are planning a beach wedding or a wedding of a different theme, setting a definite budget is the most important step. How much are you willing to spend on the decorations, favors, and on food? How much can you afford to pay for the venue? How about your budget for the video coverage and photography service? Do you plan to hire a band, singers or other performers for the program? Are you sure that you have enough money to have these additional services on your wedding?
Be realistic. Will you hire a wedding planner? If so, see to it that you speak honestly about your budget and carefully discuss the details of the event with him/her. Keep in mind that you will also need to prepare finances for starting your family. You don’t want to find yourself stuck in bad debt when the wedding celebrations are over. Set a definite budget that suits your finances and stick to it.
Choose a dress or gown that goes well with beach weddings- You may choose to wear a short bridal gown or a tea-length dress to make sure that you can move easily on the beach. Some brides are able to wear traditional floor-length gowns with long trains paired with flats or sandals. For the maid-of-honor and bridesmaids, tea-length dresses are usually best.
Do comparison shopping- There will surely be a lot of things that you need to purchase such as materials for decorations, flowers, the wedding gowns, dresses for the bridesmaids and flower girls, suits for the groomsmen, tokens, cake, etc. Before purchasing anything, be sure to check out your possible options first and compare the choices.
You can save a lot of money if you would be willing to spend time and effort doing comparison shopping. Of course, the bride and groom don’t need to do all these by themselves. They can ask for help from their family and friends, most especially from their best man and maid of honor.
Limit the number of guests- How many people are you planning to invite on your wedding day? The beach might be a big place to gather for a wedding, but you still want to make sure that all of your guests would be accommodated. If some of your guests would be coming from towns or cities that are far from the venue, where can they stay before or after the wedding? See to it that you have made proper arrangements for these things.
So, which of these beach wedding ideas would you like to incorporate in your own wedding? If you have other ideas to share, you are welcome to talk about them by leaving a comment.
