Planning a Beach Wedding

If you have chosen to have your wedding ceremony on the beach, it need not necessarily be a casual affair - unless you are going to have a “beach boys” cover band playing of course! Incorporating a few stylish ideas into your ceremony is all that is needed to set a gorgeous scene.

Before you begin planning, there are a few things you should take into consideration:

Laws and Regulations of Beach Use

There are many laws and regulations regarding the use of beaches and each vary according to the location.

If it is just you, your partner, a marriage official and two witnesses, then there shouldn't be any problems, for the most part. But, you can't just trek out onto the beach with a large party of people and have a wedding. You will first need to get permission to use the beach (even if it is public) and then determine what is and is not allowed.

You’ll need the following questions answered before you can make any decisions or plans for your beach ceremony:

• Is the beach public or private? If it's private, who do you need to contact for permission to use it?
• Can this particular beach be used for functions such as wedding ceremonies?
• Do you require a special permit to use the beach for a ceremony? If so, where do you obtain one and how much does it cost?
• Are there any restrooms nearby? Keep in mind that most of the restrooms found on beaches are often outhouses. Will your guests be happy to use such a facility?
• Could you make use of any recreational buildings nearby for restrooms, electricity or shelter, in case of bad weather?
• Are you permitted to erect a canopy or tent that can be used for shade?
• What are the regulations regarding smoking on the beach and the serving of alcohol (should you wish to have cocktails served whilst you get photos taken)? Many public beaches won't permit either. Private beaches tend to be more lenient, provided you keep all cigarette butts in a container and make sure the beach is carefully cleaned after the festivities.
• Are you allowed to have a bonfire? What are other regulations regarding the use of tiki torches, candles, lanterns, etc? This is particularly relevant should you wish to serve sundowners to your guests while you have your photos taken.
• Can you have a specific area of the beach designated for your wedding to keep other beach goers from interrupting your ceremony?
• Are you allowed to serve food? (such as canapés together with your cocktails) Are there any rubbish bins available or must you supply your own?

Be sure to take the time to gather as much information as possible in order to confirm what regulations are in force when having a wedding ceremony and/or reception on the beach.

Beach Wedding Logistics

There are numerous logistics involved in a beach wedding. Special considerations to take into account when getting married on the beach:

• How will you supply music for the wedding ceremony?
• What time of day do you wish to have your ceremony- sunrise, sunset, or early morning? It’s not suggested that you have a beach wedding during the heat of the afternoon. Not only would it be uncomfortably hot for many people, but beaches tend to be crowded during this period of the day. Remember, it also cools down a lot in the evenings due to the breeze coming off of the sea. Your best time of the day would be about 1 hour before the sun starts setting - or two hours if you don’t want to cut it fine.
• What is the tide schedule? How high does the tide get at that particular beach? You will need to plan your event time around the tides. The last thing you need is to suddenly have to pack up and move up the beach due to the tide coming in.
• As you'll be doing your beach wedding planning several months in advance, you'll need to determine the type of weather that normally occurs around your wedding date. Make sure you have a backup plan (venue) in case the weather does turn bad, and remember to include this information in your wedding invitation so the guests know where they need to go in case of bad weather.
• Make sure you take a trip to the beach at the time of day you wish to have your ceremony. Check on the noise at the location. How loud is the traffic from the road? Are there a lot of sea gulls around? What about the sound from the crashing waves? All of these can drown out the ceremony and speeches maid at your wedding.
• Are there mosquitoes at that time of year and how bad are they on the beach? How can you control them and other bugs?
• Some beaches smell bad during certain periods of the day or certain times of the year. Check to be sure that this is not the case during the time period that you've chosen.
• How windy is it on that particular beach?
• Will there be chairs set up at the ceremony for the guests? Who will you hire to do this? Who will you get to take everything down and clean up the beach after the wedding?

• By answering these important questions you will develop a good plan of action and avoid many nasty surprises at your event. Too many couples don't realize all the work involved in planning this type of celebration and end up frustrated and disappointed when unexpected things go wrong.