Beach Wedding Ideas

Beach weddings can be relaxed, casual or romantic...Have fun making it your own! (And the best part...your honeymoon resort can lay just a few sandprints away). Here's a wonderful article by About.com:Weddings. Enjoy and happy planning!!

Source: By Nina Callaway
http://weddings.about.com/od/traditionscolorsthemes/a/beachwedding.htm

You might think a beach wedding is only for hippy bride, barefoot in a long flowing cotton dress. And while certainly a sandy ceremony by the water has a naturally relaxed and carefree vibe, you can also have elegance, luxury, and style.

A Celebrity-Style Beach Wedding
The hot trend among Hollywood celebrities certainly seems to be destination, ocean-side ceremonies. Singer Jewel and her husband – the rodeo star and Dancing With the Stars sweetheart Ty Murray, actor Taye Diggs and his wife, the Broadway actress Idina Menzel, Tiger Woods and his Swedish model wife Elin Nordegren, and even Gossip Girl creator/producer Josh Schwartz, are just a few of the Hollywood elite who chose to tie the knot in a beach wedding. Heidi Klum and Seal not only got married on the beach, but they also renewed their vows recently in the sands of Malibu. All of these celebs chose to interpret a beach wedding slightly differently. Though some were in fact barefoot and casual, others had formal seated ceremonies with extravagant touches. Just like at any other location, you'll want to infuse your celebration with your style and make it uniquely yours. But your beach wedding should still incorporate and not ignore the natural environment around you.

Beach Wedding Style
A Casual Beach Wedding Let your hair down! Wear a long flowing dress, a loose linen shirt, or other comfortable beachy clothes. Carry simple flowers or wear a Hawaiian Lei. I love intimate ceremonies where the guests circle the couple for their vows – you can even ask everyone to hold hands and surround you with love. Bring out pitchers of lemonade and a picnic lunch, or, if local laws allow, have a bonfire and barbeque.

A Formal Beach Wedding
Time your ceremony for sunset over the ocean, then head for the reception at a nearby elegant resort, restaurant, or club. You'll want to set up a floor and chairs for your guests comfort, a formal aisle runner, and walkways so that you and your guests in high heels won't sink in the sand. All-inclusive resorts can frequently be the best way to make sure a formal beach wedding goes smoothly, but you'll certainly want to have a wedding planning team who can manage set-up, take-down and trouble-shoot.

A Semi-Formal Beach Wedding
Could this be the best of both worlds? You can have relaxed intimacy and still have traditional and elegant touches. For the reception, use white tablecloths with starfish as accents and paperweights, centerpieces of beach grass and rocks, or simple pitchers of beach-appropriate wildflowers. If this is your style, you'll want to make sure you use a non-public beach, such as at a resort or some rental houses. That will allow you to have the reception set up before the ceremony, and keep sunbathers out of your photos!