Getting married on the beach is a dream for many, but it can also feel like a nightmare when you don’t even know where to start organizing it. That’s why, after having documented several beach weddings, we wanted to leave you with this post of tips for beach weddings.
Contents of this article
How to choose a venue for a beach wedding?
The first and most important step is to secure the ideal venue that allows you to host the wedding you’ve imagined, for the number of guests you’re expecting. Organizing a beach wedding for 50 people is very different from doing so for 250.
It may also be that you only want the ceremony on the beach and then to “move” to a nearby venue, tent, or beach club. Everything is possible, and as with any wedding planning, you have to prioritize what matters most and sacrifice what doesn’t. From our experience, the most practical choice is always a beach club that already has the necessary infrastructure (kitchen, bathrooms, space to set up the dance floor, and a covered area in case it gets chilly or rains).
If your ideal location is a deserted beach without any facilities, that is obviously also possible (we have covered several parties like that!), but it naturally directly impacts the setup time, logistics, and—above all—the budget.
Another option could be a beach hotel where comfort is higher, but again: the budget is usually a fundamental factor.
When to get married on the beach?
Choosing your wedding date for these types of beach weddings is super important. In Argentina and Uruguay, the best time is early December or March, when the temperature is pleasant and we are outside the peak summer vacation season. This assumes you are planning a ceremony at sunset when temperatures start to become more comfortable. If you were thinking of a date closer to November or April, perhaps you could consider a daytime wedding starting at noon and ending with a beautiful bonfire at sunset.
On this topic, you might be interested in reading our article about the best time of day to get married.
Beach wedding decor
WIND. You have to keep in mind that these places usually have A LOT OF WIND. Therefore, it is ideal to avoid decor pieces that can catch the wind and blow away easily. We suggest decorating the ceremony and the venue with elements that are in harmony with nature, such as flowers and branches, as well as nautical motifs like seashells, nets, anchors, etc. The styles that best suit this environment are bohemian or hippie chic.
The idea of planning a beach wedding is very much in line with having a sustainable wedding.
It can also be a lovely touch to offer blankets or ponchos in case the ceremony extends past sunset and the temperature drops a bit. If the ceremony is at noon, you can offer Chinese-style parasols to protect guests from the sun (they look gorgeous in photos and videos!).
Destination Beach Weddings
It is very common for beach weddings to be Destination Weddings themselves. If you don’t know what a destination wedding is, we’ll summarize it simply: they are weddings held outside of the place where the couple and most of the guests live (for example, this wedding in Miami, or this wedding at Playa Vik, in Uruguay).
In these cases, logistical planning is added to the wedding organization itself to figure out how to get your guests to the destination. We say “can” because you could also leave it up to each guest to figure out how to arrive and where to stay; although it is a kind gesture to facilitate the process by providing them with information on flight options, accommodations, places to visit, excursions, etc.
While there are all-inclusive hotels that offer special services for beach weddings (this is a very convenient option for those who choose a destination wedding far from their home), our general recommendation is to try to find a venue that you truly identify with. That extra little effort in organization and logistics will ensure you have a truly personalized and unique event. Hotels that offer this type of service tend to organize everything with a “canned” concept, which greatly simplifies organization and logistics at the expense of personalization.
A great idea in these cases is to build a wedding website to house all the info related to the event, centralizing everything in one place where guests can access it via a digital invitation. And speaking of digital invitations, you can also think about incorporating the beach theme into these pieces to unify the concept.
How to dress for a beach wedding?
Just like the other items we have touched on in this post, it is important to think about the environment where you, the groom, and the guests will be when choosing the outfit for a beach wedding. A classic dress code for the beach is having everyone wear white. This looks great in photos and videos because it visually unifies everything.
It is essential to think about footwear, since if you are going to be walking (and dancing!) on the sand, you will have to rule out all types of heels. Regarding the bridal outfit, there are some brides who go barefoot for the ceremony or wear flip-flops. As for the bridal gown, think about something practical without too much of a train, fresh, and made of light fabrics, following the boho or hippie chic style we mentioned for the decor. The same applies to the groom’s outfit, who could even choose to wear sunglasses and Bermuda shorts for an extra touch of the beach look.
Final considerations on getting married on the beach
In conclusion, organizing a beach wedding is a beautiful dream, but it is necessary to take into account all these details so that it doesn’t turn into a nightmare later. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to contact wedding planners specialized in beach weddings to give you a hand in organizing a wedding of this style. They will provide perspectives that we might not have considered in this post.
We hope we have been helpful in making that dream wedding a reality. Here are some beach weddings we were lucky enough to document, to serve as inspiration:
