Beach wedding is trending these days, many couples are looking forward to a beach wedding to make their special day an extraordinary day for one and all. Today, one can get hitched on any beach of the world. But is that so easy??? As we all know a wedding is a task one need to do a lot of things to make his/her wedding a dream wedding, and if it is a destination wedding in some other country then the task becomes double.
Unarguably, beach weddings makes the most romantic weddings on earth. But, it takes a lot of effort, planning, time, and not to mention the money to host a beach wedding in some distant location. Here in this article, I am sharing with you all that you need to know for your beach inspired wedding. Here we go:
1. Your wedding budget
First thing first, before planning anything for your beach inspired wedding, your budget should be set. It is crucial, whether your wedding is a destination beach wedding or the regular wedding in your hometown deciding your wedding budget is crucial. It helps you have your wedding celebrations in your budget. So, before planning for your beach inspired wedding set-up your budget, accordingly you can do all the bookings and invite your guests as well.
2. The location
You need to know the location wherein you want to host your wedding. Whether it is in town you are planning to host it or it is a destination wedding in some far-flung land you want to go to host your wedding. If you are amongst those lucky people who are born and brought up in locations where there are beaches then of course you have a chance to host your wedding in your hometown. But for those who are not from a beachy location and want to host their wedding in some beach location, they need to go to some distant location for that. The best part is, there are so many beach locations in the world and almost every location provides you with the facilities to host your wedding. Decide your location first before starting your wedding planning.
3.Type of wedding
Another very important pointer before planning anything for your beach inspired wedding is the type of wedding. Yes, you need to know the type of wedding you are going to host. If you are not clear with the type of wedding then later it will be a chaos to arrange things accordingly. Or else you will be disappointed with everything later, there is no point in that. So, before starting any wedding planning know whether it is going to be an intimate wedding with just few near and dear ones or is it going to be a big fat wedding with 1500 people.
4. A proper beach side outdoor wedding or an indoor beach resort wedding
Once you know the location and type of wedding you are going to host, next you will have to finalize whether it is an outdoor wedding or an indoor celebration in some private resort. It is crucial to decide how your wedding should be, because you will have to make all the arrangements accordingly.
5. Public beach wedding or private beach wedding
Since beach weddings are trending, because of which even private beaches are open for people to host their wedding in almost all the countries now. If you are planning to host an intimate or smaller beach wedding you can easily find a private property on a secluded beach with their owners who are comfortable hosting weddings and events in their space and get pretty close to private. However, if you want such setup, you need to start researching early. As I said, beach weddings are trending there will be many like you who will be planning to host their wedding in the same destination. Don’t sit for the last minute, start researching early to get the best venue to host your wedding.
6. Know in advance which all functions you are planning to host
Before you start researching anything you need to figure out how many functions you are planning to host there. I mean every region has different tradition and culture, some may have one day wedding and some cultures have five day wedding events, starting from pre-wedding celebrations to their reception dinner. You need to know how many functions you want to host in that location, as, accordingly you will book your venue.
You may want to have your ceremony followed by reception at the beach side only, for that accordingly you will need the permits and permissions. However, if you are planning your main wedding on the beach side and then moving to some resort or wedding hall for the reception then your permits will vary. Or maybe you want to host only your wedding on the beach and reception in your hometown. So, there are so many possibilities which you need to look before you start your beach wedding planning.
7. Is your location easily accessible?
Once you know your location, the other parameters which you need to look into are: Is the location easily accessible, is everything available in and around there. Assuming, you are planning a destination beach wedding, you need to see whether the place is easily accessible or not, of course that may not be a problem for you but the oldies you have invited and you want them to be present in your wedding like your grandparents, how they will manage especially if they have some health issues. So, you need to check the accessibility well in advance whether there is some good sitting arrangement for your old guests or not. Needless to say your wedding event should be a comfortable event for your guests too. We understand that it is your special day, but people who will make for your special day should not struggle anyways.
8. Is your location easily reachable?
You need to know in advance whether your wedding venue is easily reachable or not. There are many beach destinations in the world who do not have direct flights. One has to manage either by ferries or by private taxis or local buses. If your destination is also such, you will have to research and book in advance all the transportation. Only booking air tickets will not do the needful, you will have to see how you and your guests will reach the destination. Make sure you check it with your hotel staff and book all your transportation in advance. Or else hire a travel agent who will look after all the travel arrangements.
9. Find out wedding venues
It is really wonderful that you have decided on the country and budget for your beach inspired wedding. Now is the time to search appropriate wedding venues. Start researching online, also you can take help of your wedding planner or the travel agency which you will hire for your travel and accommodation. As, these people have fair idea about the places and prices, and they can help you have a best place for your wedding. If you find a venue which you find good to go with, contact them, get all the details, and contracts in writing and send in an initial deposit if needed. If possible for you, you can also plan your pre-wedding shoot there. Otherwise, you can get inputs from your wedding planner, he may be a great help to you!
10. Book your wedding venue and accommodation in advance
Once you have finalized the wedding venue, book them early. I am sure you know that all the beach destinations in the world are the tourist destinations as well. So have no preconceived notion that this beach is less explored and getting venue anytime is easy here. Sometimes such mindset create big problems. Whether it’s an intimate wedding or a big fat wedding, make sure you book your venue and accommodation in advance so as to avoid any problem later. Check with your hotel or resort if they provide accommodation also, if not, then you will have to arrange for your and your guests’ accommodation in some nearby location.
11. Is it a peak season wedding or off season wedding
There is another pointer to consider while you plan a beach inspired wedding and that is the season – is it a peak season wedding or an off season wedding. There are pros and cons to every wedding. Remember, beach season varies geographically, like in Southern California, you will see people roaming all around the year. While in Maine, beach season is only for three months, however, some beach locations are prone to hurricanes and high tides.
So, you need to figure out the season for your wedding. Of course if you will go for a peak season wedding you will end up seeing more crowded beaches, expensive resorts and hotels, you may find it difficult to get accommodation in the peak season. On the contrary off season weddings will be relatively cheaper, as you will be able to get venue and accommodation in best prices or discounted prices, also, you will be able to host more private ceremony. Well, there are cons to it and that is you will have to deal with crappier weather and its after effects.
12. Theme of your wedding
After deciding the location and other aspects of your beach inspired wedding, you need to decide theme of your wedding. Whether you want to go for a jungle theme, or Caribbean style wedding, you need to decide the theme in advance. If you have hired a wedding planner then you can speak to the person and finalize your wedding theme or else work out with people close to you.
13. Check tides and weather
Wherever you have planned your wedding, do check the tides and weather conditions. It is crucial that you check weather situation in the location before making any decision, also don’t forget to check the seasonality of rain in that area. Most of beaches on the East coast are prone to hurricanes and high tides. Make sure you consider these things in advance, before booking.
14. Prepare your guest list
Your beach inspired destination wedding budget will be analogous to your guest list. Your budget will go high with every guest you increase in your wedding guest list. Deciding a guest list is the most harrowing job in any wedding. Although, if it’s a destination beach wedding then surely it is going to be an intimate ceremony, yet there are people in life who you cannot just ignore. So, make sure you prepare your wedding guest list with your family and your spouse to-be and his/her family.
15. Your passports and travel visas
Check your and your partner to-be and other family members’ passport and travel visas. It is very, really very important before you plan your beach wedding journey to see that your spouse to-be and other family member do have their passports. Because not every beach country let you in with permit. Make sure that you have your passports and travel visas ready, if not then start the application process ASAP, before your dream of beach wedding in an International location get shattered. Also, it is imperative that you check the validity of your passport because some countries require that your passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months prior to the ceremony. Additionally, it can take months to process!
16. Know about marriage license/permits and ordinances
Beach rules and requirements vary from country to country, and region to region. For that,better you find out what are the marriage license and permit requirements of the location, which you have chosen for your beach inspired wedding. Go through the countries’ website, as every country have their website which contains all the details. Also, you can know details from your wedding planner (if you hire one). Here are some things which you need to consider:
- Whether it is a big fat beach wedding or an intimate ceremony with few guests. As, some beaches have rules and regulations about gatherings in wedding. So if you will have more people in your guest list, the more you’ll require to check about the rules.
- See whether you are looking for a private beach wedding to maintain the privacy of the event or a public beach wedding.
- Check the rules for alcohol consumption as most of the beaches prohibit alcohol consumption, so you need to find this out with some local there or through your wedding planner. Or else you can choose the beach which doesn’t prohibit consumption of alcohol.
- Also, check other general beach rules before planning your wedding on the beach.
17. Hire a professional
This may look an additional expense to you, but believe you me hiring a professional will not only help you in managing your beach wedding impeccably but also the pain which you will go through otherwise will be reduced to minimum. So, it is advisable that you hire a wedding planner for your beach inspired wedding. He/she will not only help you in managing the processes, but also provide you with ease and comfort of getting hitched in a dreamy setup.
18. Do purchase your air tickets early
Just imagine you have booked everything and you just missed on your air tickets for your beachy wedding, an absolute nightmare right??? So, make sure you book yours and your families’ air ticket well in advance, you may even get those early bird discounts. There is no point to wait for the last moment, when you already know, airfare shoots.
19. Book your vendors
If you haven not hired a wedding planner for your beach inspired wedding than it becomes very important that you book all your vendors early. As told earlier, beach weddings are trending, like you other couples will also be planning for their wedding. So, it is essential that you start researching for vendors’ online, taking details from them, and setting up virtual meetings with them. Whosoever you find best amongst all, hire him immediately. Make sure you meet and interview them online maybe over Skype, it is a must before you book them.
20. Power outlets on the beach
If you are looking to host a beach wedding then you must also know that the waves are loud, even louder than you expect. And most importantly not all beaches come standard equipped with power outlets. So, how will you make sure that your guests are able to hear you? That’s different if your wedding is an intimate event, you may not need an amplification. But, how about having a big beach wedding and no amplification. Just think!! You need to figure out this before you plan your beach wedding.
Happy Beachy Wedding!