A beach wedding is the ultimate in romance as well as budget-conscious elegance. The white sands, the ocean breezes, fluttering white dresses on the bride and the bridesmaids, and a gathering of family and friends wearing floppy sun hats – what better way to declare your everlasting love? But beach weddings pose a few unique considerations. Here is a short guide to planning Florida Beach weddings and receptions.
The first thing you need to consider is the comfort of you and your guests. Beaches are lovely, but hot weather and direct sunlight will make sitting through a ceremony almost unbearable. Choose to have a sunset ceremony, angling the ceremony in such a way that the westering sun doesn’t shine directly into your guests’ eyes. Alternatively, provide some sort of cover overhead – a canopy, portable roof, etc. – to keep everyone from getting burnt to a crisp while you declare your love.
Decorating for a beach wedding can run the gamut from extremely simple to quite elaborate. The goal is to delineate a space, creating a small chapel, if you will, on the wide expanse of sand. This can mean setting up a few chairs for loved ones (or even towels and blankets, if you’re going extremely casual) or it can mean renting a tent, tiki torches, a wedding arch, potted palms, or any number of beach-y paraphernalia. A great way to plan decorations is to treat your part of the beach like a room or traditional chapel. Leave an aisle between blocks of chairs for the bride to enter, and create some sort of alter area or special place at the front for the bride and groom to stand and say their vows. You could go with a more theatrical layout and have chairs surrounding a central circle where the bride and groom are to stand. Whatever you decide, it’s often more comfortable for your guests if they know exactly where they are to sit and where you will stand for the ceremony.
As for your reception, your tastes and your budget will help you decide how elaborate or casual it will be. For a beach reception, food can be elegantly simple: fruit, water, alcoholic beverages, and cheese. You could also hire a caterer and servers, set out tables and chairs, and have a full meal while the waves gently wash up on the shore (be sure to check the tide timetable!). You will probably need a permit if you are hiring a DJ and playing loud music.
Fortunately, Florida Beach weddings and receptions can be very economical while providing a beautifully romantic setting unavailable in any church or government office. You and your sweetheart will create a lovely moment to be remembered for a lifetime.