Planning a Beach Wedding? 5 tips to keep in mind when planning your dream wedding
Thinking of a romantic ceremony by the sea?
A dreamy beach wedding can be absolutely gorgeous, and totally worth it!
There are definitely a few things you will want to keep in mind when you are planning a beach wedding, and we are here to help (as much as an advice post can help….but feel free to email us any questions too!)
First, before anything else, figure out what is most important to you and your love beyond actually saying “I DO.”
Is it actually being on the sand as you say your vows, or just having a beach view from your ceremony? Do you both dream having an awesome beach week with your families leading up to the wedding (or after!), or making absolutely certain your grandmother is present like she has always been in your life? Is she mobile enough to get out on the beach? Is it vital to have those gorgeous photos of you both on the beach looking your absolute best on a canvas to admire forever, or do you prefer to be completely alone at sunrise take a selfie? These are the questions you need to ask each other first and foremost, and then your wedding planning will have a lot more clarity.
When my husband and I were engaged, my guy answered a LOT of those questions with “whatever you think” —and while that might seem a bit unhelpful, it really was his way of expressing that it was important to him for me to be happy (isn’t that sweet?). Truthfully though, I kept asking him all those questions because it turns out he really did have strong opinions on a lot of our wedding plans. He didn’t care so much which flowers my mom and I wanted to decorate with, but he cared a great deal about what dinner we served, and what entertainment we had.
So my first piece of advice is to communicate together to sort out what is the really important to you both. When you close your eyes and imagine how your wedding will look, what do you see? (and this is where my husband would say again, “I don’t know, whatever you think” Gahhh he still does that to me hahaaa). For instance, it was more important to us to have a destination wedding with several events and a vacation vibe, than to have traditional church ceremony with reception at a different venue. We wanted to have as much family present as possible, so we didn’t want our wedding too far away or too inaccessible for most family who would be traveling. Our little checklist helped shape how our wedding eventually looked.
If you’ve done all this groundwork and where you have landed is a beach wedding—Hooray!! Beach weddings are magical.
Now to make it happen!
2. Timing is everything.
Whether you are planning a ceremony in the sand or just epic beach portraits, you will absolutely want to keep time of day in mind as you plan. As a wedding photographer, and specifically as a beach wedding photographer, I cannot stress this enough: you do not want to pick a ceremony time at random. Unless you happen to have an overcast day, there is no shade at the beach and the light can be very harsh.
While we photographers do have tricks to work around harsh light, it is just never as flattering as the softer light at the end of the day or very early in the morning. See this post I wrote for Beach Photo (our family/lifestyle brand) about the difference light can make in a photo. In essence though, harsh light is very unflattering, and will make fine lines much more prominent, as well as skin texture. Any bump or scratch will be amplified, and you do not want that in your wedding album. You also do not want to ask your photographer for extensive skin edits, as most photographers will only do basic skin editing and substantial enhancements could get very expensive.
You will also want to mindful of the tides at the beach. Here in Topsail Island, there are parts of our beach that have very little “beach” at high tide. This is especially evident at the north end of the island, and if you are attempting to set up an arbor or benches outside, you may have ocean water chasing you if you aren’t careful.
Our advice is to find your ceremony location and then work with your planner and photographer to find the best ceremony time to fit your needs. If the only ceremony time that will work is at 2pm on the beach, then we strongly suggest you also consider couple portraits later in the day when the light is softer and more flattering. We always encourage our couples to sneak away from their reception for a few minutes for portraits at sunset anyway, and if you plan ahead of time for this it can easily be worked into your wedding day timeline.
3. Be Flexible, and expect the unexpected at the beach.
As a beach photographer, I am out photographing on the beach several days a week in every season of the year. I also work inland and in studio (and love them all), but it is safe to say I have a LOT of experience in the sand—and it is no exaggeration when I tell my clients that the beach is different every single time I am out there.
Our beaches are a living ecosystem, and they are constantly changing. Not only are there shifting tides from the ocean, but wind and weather will shift the shape of the sand all the time. One day the beach will be pristine and flat, and the very next day it may have a new shelf of sand that drops down 2 feet and is full of seashells. Some days you have a light breeze that feels perfectly refreshing and the next the wind is whipping everything that is not tied down right in your face (extreme wind is certainly less common but can definitely happen). There are king tides that eat up every inch of the beach areas at high tide, and there are extreme low tides that can expose long lost ruins swallowed by the ocean years ago. It’s just the nature of our beaches, and making peace with the elements that are out of our control will help keep you sane, but more importantly will make sure you enjoy every moment of your wedding day.
Admittedly, I tend to be a hyper-perfectionist who is very detail oriented and can get upset when everything doesn’t work out the way I planned it out. For anyone who happens to be wired like myself, you have to know that planning a beach wedding ceremony comes with a few more “what ifs” than the average outdoor venue location. Like any outdoor ceremony, you will need a backup plan if it rains, and for a beach wedding you may want to consider how you will adapt if the wind is crazy on your wedding day. The wind may be strong, or the humidity might be extra high but you can plan accordingly and know that your wedding will still be epic no matter what.
Our local stylists often recommend wearing hair up for the humidity of our climate but if your heart is set on long Hollywood waves—accept that the wind and moisture may affect your hair during your ceremony outside. Make sure to allow for enough time for portraits before your ceremony, and you may want to consider a first look with your love in a private location before ever going out on the beach. You can also plan to have a stylist quickly fix any issues after your ceremony and before your formal portraits and your reception. Any outdoor decor will also need to be wind proof—even normal gusts on the beach can knock over arbors and floral arrangements—-its a good idea to anchor and tie down most every decor piece you plan to have out on the beach.
Depending on what time of year you get married in, the sun may be very hot out on the beach, especially in the middle of the day—and that may be more challenging for older guests or for anyone with medical conditions. You might want to provide shade for them, or have cold bottled water available in an ice bucket for anyone who might need it.
These are just ideas for contingency plans to keep in mind, but the most important thing is not to stress about what you cannot control, and to focus on being present and happy when you marry your best friend. So be flexible, and have fun!
4. Consider Ceremony Sound
Beach Wedding ceremonies are usually short and sweet, but for that reason each part of the ceremony tends to have a bigger impact. A professional sound system with a microphone and speaker is recommended if your ceremony is any larger than a just a few people. If there are more people present besides the couple, officiant and a small wedding party then everyone else will struggle to hear what the officiant is saying. Remember why you love the beach so much—the ocean and the waves (and remember they can get pretty loud), plus the sound of your voices can get carried off by the wind. Many of our weddings include a live streaming device for family and friends who cannot be there the day of the wedding (especially since the pandemic), and they will really struggle to hear what is happening over the sound of the ocean without amplification. A microphone and speaker will help tremendously, and will also allow you to add music to your ceremony that everyone can comfortably hear. With a very intimate ceremony or elopement a sound system may not be necessary, but we advise any weddings over 10 people to think about providing sound for the ceremony.
Be sure to research any restrictions or ordinances for sound on the beach, or if you need a permit to have a wedding ceremony there. Where we are on Topsail Island, you shouldn’t have any issues as long as your ceremony is during daylight hours and you remove everything before nightfall.
5. Have a plan to clean up your ceremony decor
The beach a public space treasured by all of us, so keep in mind that you will need to leave no trace of your wedding on the beach after you are done. This may seem obvious, but the last thing you want is to be pulled away from your party because no one took the wedding arbor down and the tide is coming in!
Except for your footprints and any sandcastles you make, all of your chairs, benches, arbors and decorations will need to be removed before nightfall. If you are getting married at a resort or hotel, their event staff will usually be involved and take care of this for you. If you have rented a beach house and mostly planned everything without the help of a professional wedding planner, you will need to delegate this task to someone.
Topsail Island, like many other beaches, is a sea turtle sanctuary so canopies and other beach gear are not allowed to remain on the beach overnight. It’s also considerate of others enjoying beach to remove your ceremony set up in a timely manner.
And there you have it— now you’re ready to do this thing!
Hopefully these little nuggets of information help you plan your beach perfect day on the beach. If you have any questions or want to know more about beach wedding photography email us anytime at hello@beachphotonc.com — we’d love to hear from you!
Happy Planning for your happily ever after on the Beach!!!