Planning Your Beach Wedding to Avoid the Pitfalls!

You are recently engaged to be married and you and your fiance would like to marry at the beach, so you are picturing a romantic and beautiful wedding, but this won't happen if there isn't lots of planning first.
Location, location, location! I can't stress enough how important this is, choosing the right location will help you decide on theme of the wedding, dress style even color choices. There are so many places to choose from, both at home and abroad. Destination weddings take even more thought, so give yourself plenty of time just to choose the right beach for you. When you decide on your ideal location ask yourself these key questions: 1. Can I afford exotic holiday island, like Hawaii or Caribbean? 2. Consider the budget of your family and friends. Many may not be able to travel to a destination out of the country. If your family is important to you, why not decide on a destination that you like, that is accessible by car or a short flight away for most of your guests.

3. Once these two elements are decided, then you may want to consider the finer details, like whether you want a wedding at sunset on the beach. If the sunset is what you after, then you should choose western shores. 4. Time to think about wedding invitations. It is not only important to select the perfect wedding invitations, but you might want to think about sending out "save the dates" so that your guests will be forewarned about a destination wedding and they will be able to plan ahead for the costs to them to travel. Not only will they have travel expenses, but hotel rooms as well, especially if this wedding will take them too far away for them to travel home right after the wedding. Your "save the dates" should include that this will be a beach destination wedding so they can plan accordingly. You can count on only about half of those you've invited to attend. A local beach that is close to you and most of your friends and family will guarantee more attendance. After the save the dates, you may send out the wedding invitations closer to the actual wedding with all the particulars of the wedding.

5. When we girls start to think about our wedding dress, we sometimes forget to think about our man and what he'll wear, as we get so wrapped up in planning that beautiful dress. Some thought had better go into what your man is going to wear or there could be trouble! You will need to sit down with your fiance to talk about the look of the wedding you want. Though you fiance may want to leave it all up to you, you should ask what type of clothing he sees himself in for the occasion. You may want it be elegant or exotic and he may see himself in t-shirt and swim trunks! So together, decide whether he will wear a tux, casual slacks and shirt or swim trunks. Will he wear a tux, but with bare feet? How about casual slacks and Hawaiian shirt and bare feet? You might also want to consider the length of his slacks if you choose to have the ceremony on the shore. He should be able to roll up his pant legs easily to take pictures next to the water. Your beautiful white elegant wedding dress may not work well with his casual slacks and Hawaiian shirt or heaven forbid-swim trunks when you've been dreaming of that beautiful long white wedding dress. Do you get the picture? You definitely need to talk!
These are just some of the things you should consider as a couple to ensure that you do look like the match made in heaven on your beach wedding day.
6. Ask questions! There are many other things to consider when planning your beach wedding. When you find the beach of choice, you will need to ask questions regarding the rules and regulations for that particular beach. Ask lots of questions! Can you have candles on the beach? Can you play music until late at night? How can you late can you stay on the beach? Can you grill food? Be sure to check with local authorities regarding any permits needed to use the beach. This should only be necessary if you are having a big meeting and you want some of the beach exclusively for the block you and your guests. Be sure to ask! If you are having a destination wedding where all is planned for you because you purchased a packaged deal, then you will not need to worry about the rules, but I suggest that you ask as many questions before the event as possible, so there won't be any confusion. 7. Don't forget about the seagulls! They are notorious beggars and thieves and you can expect them to attend your beach wedding, uninvited! Don't forget the bugs and sunshine! Bring sunscreen and insect repellant for those who did not remember to bring their own. As long as you keep food covered you should be ok. How about the wedding cake? Time of day could be a factor in your cake becoming a puddle. Beach wedding cakes should be cut after the sun has set and it is cool so that wedding cakes that you plan to serve are in excellent condition.

8. Make sure there are washroom facilities close to the site. If the washroom amenities leave a little to be desired, you may want to bring extra supplies, and even add some fresh flowers to the bathroom.

9. If you get married on a public beach then your ceremony will be open to the public. If the idea of strangers looking at you and disrupting your ceremony bothers you, then you could rent a private beach for the ceremony.

There are so many things to consider that you might be overwhelmed, but take it one day at a time, one question at a time, and be sure to give yourself plenty of time and your wedding will be the one you have always dreamed of.