Extra, Extra . . . More on Planning a Beach Wedding!

Boy, I got so carried away with the last post on beach weddings that after reading it, it sounded a bit disjointed – so let’s go back and fill in a few of the holes.

Unless you live on or near the beach you are planning on using for your wedding most people will need to travel to get there, so typically beach weddings are smaller with fewer people attending.  Many people opt to  have a reception at home once they are back from their honeymoon.

Because of the need to travel most people typically need a 9 – 12 month lead time; not only to schedule taking that time off from work but also to work those additional costs into their budget.  Therefore it is typical to send out save a date cards 9 – 12 months before your wedding.

Let me just say a word about travel:  please advise all of your traveling guests to stear clear of Orbitz.  After Orbitz stranded me in Southeast Asia last year and assumed no responsibility for it, it is worth the little bit of extra money you pay to book with a reputable agent or directly with the airlines.  There are plenty of deals to be had to almost any destination if booking that far out and then what happened to me will not happen to them (it cost me twice as much to use Orbitz).  The same goes for any hotel reservations – if anyone is planning on using Orbitz, please have them check some of the Orbitz complaint sites (there are quite a few).

Now back to beach weddings!  Beach weddings are usually much more casual.  Although many brides do wear the long trained gown they end up taking half of the beach with them.  This is the time to wear a more reasonable length dress – it can still be long but just not quite as full and trailing.  Many brides opt for a cocktail length dress for the beach.  Also, because it is outdoors, hairstyles should be more casual – the breeze will definitely play a role here.

Yes, having a beach wedding is a real treat and very different from having the traditional indoor wedding.  We have already discussed the weather which is a HUGE factor and I can’t stress enough to have backup plans.

If you are having your wedding on the beach of a hotel or other facility, they will provide a backup plan.  They will also provide restroom facilities for you and your guests, and electricity.  Most hotels have wedding coordinators on staff and offer fairly extensive packages to cover all of your needs including decorations, seating supplies, catering, etc.  Going this route will definitely cut down on some of your time and effort but be prepared to pay for this service.

If you are not using a hotel beach, then you or your planner will have to take care of all of these arrangements. 

There is one last thing I want to say about beach weddings:  that is about the legal requirements.  Please make sure that you check your local laws to determine what you will need to have – that is where you live and those are the laws you must obey.  Also, please check to make sure if your ceremony in another country will be honored.  Many times couples opt to have a civil ceremony once they get home.  In addition, check with the authorities of where you are getting married to make sure that you satisfy all of their laws.

For further information, please see Debbbie Reynold’s  “My Perfect Beach Wedding”, and the following articles are also worth reading.  These are from sites that specialize in beach weddings and have been around a bit longer than I have.

• www.beachweddingplanning.com has a fairly extensive library  of articles on all things beach wedding from invitations, dresses, favors, etc.  There is also a vendor search category with many beach areas in the U.S. and internationally.
• www.aboutbeachweddings.com has articles on some unique beach wedding ideas from accessories, supplies, planning, etc.
• www.yourbeachwedding.net has a couple of interesting articles on lingerie and apparel for both men and women.  It also looks at several beaches around the world for your consideration.
• www.beach-wedding-themes.com is a pretty full service site for beach weddings - everything from cakes, invitations, flowers, decorations, etc.  It has some pretty interesting examples photographed.
• www.beachbrideweddingguide.com is another full service site for beach weddings - more on planning and a fairly extensive marketplace to get some great ideas.