A Complete Guide To Beach Wedding Supplies
Beach weddings are increasing in popularity due to their informal and unrivalled romantic setting. Being surrounded by family and friends against the backdrop of the ocean really creates a fairly tale wedding. The atmosphere is dreamy for you to exchange vows with the soft sand beneath your feet and the gentle sea breeze cooling you down. The waves and sand twinkling in the late afternoon sunlight softens the ceremony ready for the “I do’s”.
The cost of a beach wedding is also a lot lower than a traditional ceremony as you have the beautiful free scenery as a backdrop. You will also probably have fewer guests to worry about but you can still enjoy shopping for the beach wedding supplies that will make your day special. You will be amazed at just how many themed accessories there actually are and with the scaled down costs you can let loose a bit more and buy more varied items.
Beach weddings may be less formal but they still need planning and many of the usual wedding supplies need to be slightly different. This complete guide to beach wedding supplies should give you pointers on everything you need to think about to achieve that special beachy feel.
Beach Wedding Stationery
First of all you need to tell your guests that you are planning a wedding by the sea. They may have to travel a fair distance to attend so they will need to know well ahead of time. Use a beach theme wedding invitation to get the mood going early on – something with a gold shimmer effect will do the trick nicely.
Beach Wedding Attire
Wedding gowns to wear at beach weddings need to be a lot simpler and more informal than the huge, meringue style affair with long train you could get away with indoors. You need a light weight material, preferably very floaty that will look elegant and stunning when combined with a few flowers in your hair. Do not over accessorize or you will end up mixing your messages by combining a more formal dress with an informal theme.
Photo by johnunrue007.
Once you have the dress picked out you need to consider whether you will want to stay in this for the after party or whether you will want to slip into something a bit more comfortable. A set of matching spaghetti strap tank tops printed with Bride, Bridesmaid and Flower Girl would be perfect for these members of the wedding party.
Beach Wedding Shoes
Consider your wedding shoes carefully as you do not want ones that will sink into the sand when you walk. Special beach wedding flip flops are ideal or for something dressier consider barefoot bridal sandals. These bottom-less, beaded foot jewels are in fact a strap of beads that run from toe to ankle and make your feet twinkle with elegance. They are comfortable for your walk down the aisle and for dancing the night away and will complete your beach wedding look.
Beach Wedding Podium
Some beach wedding venues have specially designated areas with pergolas or the like where their weddings take place. If you are marrying on a beach that is not set up with such a facility you will probably want to create a temporary area to define the wedding party boundaries. A simple wooden frame can be used and decorated with shimmering fabrics and boards can be placed on the sand to provide temporary seating. Just make sure these temporary structures are sturdy enough should strong sea winds decide to join your party. And do not forget to find out about the tide so that you can position your setting out of its way.
Photo by livingonimpulse.
Beach Wedding Decorations
By choosing a beach wedding you are choosing to use nature as a main decoration. The array of beautiful scenery means that you can cut back on other decorations as otherwise you will overdo the whole effect. For a captivating beach theme stick with ocean type colors of blues, greens and yellows for the flower and fabric accessories that you do use.
You could adorn the podium with a few simple flower arrangements and consider using Hawaiian leis or flower chains. These could be worn by the bridal party as well as given to guests as they arrive to make everyone feel included in this intimate affair.
Other decorations with the beach theme include shells which are very versatile; parasols which can be practical for shading guests, food or drinks; starfish which can be used to adorn almost everything; and table lanterns which will add soft, whimsical lighting as the sun drops from the horizon.
Beach Wedding Accessories
There are many opportunities to accessorize your wedding with beach themed items. Flower girls could throw their flower petals walking down the aisle with baskets made in the style of a bucket and spade type pail or half coconuts on strings.
You can also find beach wedding sets of the standard wedding supplies all decorated with starfish, or seashells, pearls and diamond dust. These include the unity candle, ring bearer pillow, guest book and pen, toasting flutes and cake serving sets. This is an easy way to show your guests the attention to detail you have put in.
Beach Wedding Breakfast
What food to offer at a beach wedding reception can be the biggest headache of the whole affair? Try and find a caterer that specializes in these sorts of venues but you are unlikely to be able to have a five course sit down meal. Moderate your expectations early on – finger food or a barbeque will probably be your best option. And when you are planning your beach wedding venue, make sure there are toilets and washrooms close by.
Beach Wedding Centerpieces
Whether you have a simple sit down meal or casual finger food dining, your wedding reception tables will need some beach themed centerpieces. There are an infinite number of wedding centerpieces to choose from that use flowers and candles or fruit, coffee beans and peacock feathers for the more adventurous, and beach themed centerpieces are not much more restricted. As with everything in a beach themed wedding, keeping it simple will work best. Consider tea light holders in the shape of white lighthouses or wooden trays painted in pastel colors, filled with sand, shells and candles. Hurricane vases are another good idea being both practical for a possibly windy beach but also very in theme with their sand and candle. You could even put some starfish accessories inside to add to the interest.
Photo by downing.amanda.
Beach Wedding Cake Toppers
The wedding cake is such an integral part of the wedding day that you should not forget a beach themed wedding topper to complete the celebrations. Consider a design that uses real shells, chocolate seashells, palm trees or starfish.
Photo by clevercupcakes.
Beach Wedding Favors
The usual way to thank your friends and family for coming possibly a very long way to celebrate your special day is with the perfect wedding favor. As your day is all about the beach, the perfect way to remind your guests of the day is with a beach wedding favor. Why not consider beach pails, cocktail drink mixes, palm tree cookie cutters, edible marbled chocolate starfish or any number of other themed favors?
As you can see, choosing a beach wedding should not cause you any problems when it comes to finding and choosing your wedding supplies. In fact, on the contrary it should make things easier and cheaper. Keep everything simple and enjoy the most romantic day you will ever spend at the beach.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Planning a beach wedding requires no less work than a traditional wedding would, I would say that a beach wedding is actually a bit more complex due to the fact that is out in the open but its a great post by you and I think its beneficial for those who are planning beach wedding…