How to Plan the Best Beach Wedding
When the love of my life and I started to plan the best beach wedding that we could imagine, we had very little information to guide us.
And the stress built every day. In the end, our beach wedding was more perfect than we ever dreamed. My girlfriends were green with envy. My folks were overjoyed that it ended up costing thousands less than they had planned for.
And every guest who had to travel so far was thrilled at the opportunity to combine the joy of our wedding with their own fantastic vacation.
After our honeymoon, I decided that it wouldn’t be necessary for other girls to go through all that I endured … if I could pull together tons of ideas, tips, secrets, and experiences for having the best beach weddings. So, this is my “new baby.” (Jenny, our other “new baby,” is on her way.) My site is all about giving lots of free information. I accept no advertising. If I make any money, it will be from purchases that brides make from my Bargain Boutique (see that little green tab at the top right?) that I put together with the help of my girlfriends.
But right now, it’s really all about you.
So, explore! Enjoy! And relax!
All the best,
Sarah Forrester
P.S. If you’d like lots of new tips and secrets and advice from newly married brides who have confided in me about how they pulled off the best beach weddings, get my amazing and free Secrets for the Most Affordable and Best Beach Wedding! .Getting it is so simple. Just send me your name and email address in the “Wedding Secrets” box to the right. I hate spam, too, and promise not to bug you with stuff that won’t be a great help.
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Selecting the Destination
What means more to you and your fiance, the location or the people who will be asked to attend? Some couples feel that all that matters is that THEY are together, while others wouldn’t dream of marrying without all of their loved ones surrounding them. Because the amount that people have to spend to get to your wedding is going to depend on how far they must travel, be sure to discuss this issue with those who matter most to you before you settle on a specific destination. |
Staying There
You and your guests are going to need to plan for comfortable and affordable accommo- dations to enjoy all of your wedding festivities. We point you in the right direction for finding just what you’ll need on the pages associated with the destinations in the right column. If the destination. is far from your current home, the services of your favorite travel agent or a wedding planner that you hire will relieve you of a lot of the pressure to make arrange- ments for accommodating guests. |
Legal Stuff
The legal requirements for obtaining and using a wedding license, the residency require- ments, and who is qualified to officiate differ from state to state. We show the requirements of the most popular states for weddings. Just click on a destination in the right column. In addition, be prepared for the possible need to obtain a permit to use a public beach. |
Who Needs a Wedding Planner?
Wedding planners are becoming an increasingly popular choice for all types of weddings, and it may make a lot of sense to hire one to coordinate your beach wedding. Here are some issues to consider:
Weddings are a lot of work, and chances are, you already have plenty of things to do! Wedding planners are professionals often with great connections to local vendors, and they might be more able to negotiate with the them than you would be. If you are planning a wedding out of your geographical area, it might make the most sense to hire someone at your destination to plan it. Often, hotels and resorts have their own wedding planners on staff and offer their services for “free” as part of the wedding package.
Planners at these establishments often have several “themes” they do routinely, so chances are you’ll be able to see photographs of other weddings and be better able to visualize how yours will look.
But …there is very little that a wedding planner can do for you that you can’t do for yourself – for free. Some planners charge a flat fee, while others ask for a percentage of the wedding costs. You also give up some control when you hire a planner. Make sure to interview more than one candidate for the job to make sure this is someone you can work easily with.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING
To help you through the sometimes mind-boggling decisions that you must make,
I discovered an inexpensive and highly readable book that spells everything out for you.
I mean everything! Click here and check it out for yourself!– Your host, Sarah Forrester
A Brief Checklist
6-12 months before the wedding date
- Firm up date for the wedding
- Select destination
- Interview and hire wedding planner
3-6 months before the wedding
- Choose attire (clothing, shoes, jewelry) for bridal party
- Hire musicians and DJ and select music to be played
- Interview and hire photographier and/or videographer
- Visit potential accommodations and block rooms for bridal party, family, and out of town guests
- Select location for rehearsal dinner and wedding reception
- Sample food for dinner and reception and choose caterer
1-3 months before the wedding
- Have invitations printed and addressed
- Arrange for guest “accommodations” at the wedding (chairs, tents, sound system, portable toilets)
1 month before the wedding
- Order decorations for wedding area
- Purchase and wrap gifts for bridal party and favors for guests
