Everything But The Weed

Approved by:
Linda Maze, a Wedding photography Gainesville FL in Gainesville Florida

Just imagine the sand, the sea, the sun what a wonderful mix  to make your outdoor weddings unique,  and romantic beyond words . A hugh number  of couples choose  on a beach wedding  for those very  reasons,  some couples choose  to have the ceremony  on the beach and the reception inside  – safer but not nearly so romantic or such an exciting adventure .

If you choose to go for a beach wedding this  again breaks down into two wide   price categories – there are many  companies  who focus on  organising  your beach wedding , they will have a range of destinations and locations world-wide starting in the US, Mexico, the Caribbean and  across the globe with local information on hotels, wedding packages, wedding planners and local vendors. They will also offer you an entire package that offers such things as such as beach wedding invitations, favors and gifts and beach wedding attire for both the bride and groom. Going this route all you needs to do is  chose the destination, the guest list and they will everything for you , you just need arrive at the venue do not forget your credit card!

With these packages you will get all the romance with the sun, sea and sand in factprobably the perfect day, at a perfect  price tag

Bur   there are many ways to do your outdoor weddings that can have  all of that at a a small percentage of the cost , with a carefull planning and a sense of adventure. There are a few things you will have to take note of and make allowances for –conditions that are peculiar  to coastal regions .

Tide       There are some areas where the high tide  does not come all the way up the beach leaving sufficient of room for your wedding, just remember that in a lot of places the beach is under water twice a day. Make sure  you check the local tide charts.

Weather              I realise that anywhere you decide on for your outside wedding is  subject  to nasty  weather and there is nothing more aweful  than a wet beach. There is nothing you can do to guarantee  nice weather, so don’t worry about it but have a backup plan , just in case.

Public Places     Almost all  beaches are accessable  to the everybody so be prepared to have some curious bystanders , so when you are making your plans try to reserve (if posible)  a more outof the way place  for the ceremony.

Eating on the Beach        This can be add a whole dimension to your adventurous wedding , but you need to keep in mind things like refrigeration, keeping the sand away from the food, all the normal  things you have to arrange for a family outing . This is defiantly the alfresco choice for your wedding!

As to location you should consider some of the following alternatives  as a sort of fallback position

There may well be a hotel close to the beach with a swimming pool, were you could arrange  your small private  reception.

If you are nature enthusiasts  there are many parks or nature reserves that have special BBQ areas, some with facilities  such as tables and benches that you can  make use of  for your ‘reception’.

There  will also be either churches on or close to the beach where you could have  your wedding,with luck they will have a church hall or community hall that you can book for your reception.

Finally if you like  going out on the sea then perhaps  you could  try chartering a boat to take you and your guests for a short cruise, it will make a perfect  finale after  your beach ceremony. There will also probably  be the ever popular and more cost friendly  “sunshine cruise” ,some with a dinner  option, or possibly  a “booze cruise”.

As an afterthought these two  but vital considerations for your outside weddings are:-

Ease of access  wherever you chose  for your big day make sure that all your guests can get to the wedding, particularly  the older guests.

Photographs –   beach photography is a different technique , the sun shines back  off the sand so make sure that whoever is taking the pictures has a good quality camera. Because if the pictures do not turn  out well you might have to do them all again next month – I don’t know though that might be a great idea anyway.