Archive for the ‘Avoiding beach wedding disaster’ Category

You don’t need to be rich. You don’t need to hire an expensive planner for the big day of your beach wedding. You probably have seen in movies and magazines where couples said “I do” in a beautiful tropical beach where sparkling water, sand, wind and glorious sun make the environment so relaxed, yet romantic. So why can’t you be the same?

With a little creativity and good planning, you can have a beautiful beach wedding that will envy of your friends and family. I mean, your friends and family will be weeping tears of joy. Believe me, you can actually experience the same emotions that you see the movies and magazines with a beach wedding and it is much less expensive than holding the ceremony in a hotel or church. Here are some tips for achieving your “picture perfect beach wedding.”

Take steps to make your wedding different: Religious wedding ceremonies in the United States are typically held in a house of worship. But there are many wonderful beaches in the US, along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts that offer much more unique and different wedding experience. You’ll be the envy of all your friends and family because you took the steps to make your wedding so different from one held in traditional churches and parks. The uniqueness of a beach wedding will surely make you the envy of all of your friends and relatives.

Choose comfortable beach attire: A beach wedding gives you a chance to play with water and sand. So, rather than dressing up in more expensive, elegant clothing you’ll probably wear only once, think about a lightweight wedding gown which dries up soon — you may get wet while paying around water. A dress for a beach wedding should fit the general theme of the wedding. There are many options to find a great casual beach wedding dress. Check the bridal magazines at the grocery store and don’t forget bridal shops.

Consult your hairstylist for a style suitable for beach: If you don’t want to be a laughing stock before your guests, consult your hairstylist to make a suitable hairdo so that you can look good after the wind and sea spray have been through it. This doesn’t mean that you should pin your hair as tightly as possible and use up an entire bottle of hairspray to keep it all in place. Beach weddings need more casual hairstyles.

But you should first get your hair in its best possible condition. If you’re at a loss, a stylist can help here.

After choosing your hairstyle, you should select the hair accessories you want to wear on that special day. You can choose between tiaras or headbands, veils, decorated combs, hair jewels, hair pins, bun wraps…. The list goes on and on. But remember that beaches can be very windy. You can adorn your head with flowers instead of a veil.

Don’t wear high heel sandals: It is very important to give attention to your feet. A wedge heel sandal is great for beach weddings because it’s easier to walk around. You don’t have to worry about your heels getting stuck in the sand. Some brides prefer to put on stylish satin and jeweled flip flops.

Don’t ignore the food: If you don’t want to feel embarrassed before your nearest and dearest, you have to pay attention to the menu being served at your wedding. The food should be delicious and fresh. If the wedding is scheduled for sunrise, you can offer a breakfast or brunch of omelets made to order, smoked bacon, smoked salmon, fresh squeezed orange juice, mimosas, Bloody Mary’s and champagne. If the beach wedding will occur closer to sundown, light appetizers and appropriate liquid refreshments can be substitute for a full meal. But if the budget allows, consider a casual buffet rather than a more formal meal where uniformed servers handle everything. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, opt for a cupcake tower with tropical fruit flavored cupcakes.

Take care of your guests: The couple should assign someone from their family to take care of all guests. It becomes more important if seniors and little legs are among the attendees. This is to be your day. So delegate, delegate, delegate so that you can try to relax.

At last, don’t forget to pick some good beach music for your beach wedding theme. You can play Jimmy Buffet or your favorite reggae artist. Music will work miracles to reduce your stress and nervousness.

The last beach wedding that I attended was a real nightmare. It didn’t start out that way.

It began in the early evening down in South Florida. The bride had timed things so that she and her husband-to-be were framed by the setting sun as they each said “I do.”

It was about then that my left calf started to itch. Then my right. I scratched discreetly, and noticed grandma doing the same thing. She looked at me and we both looked at the bride, who was standing barefoot in the sand. Holding her new husband’s hands, she balanced on one foot while ever so slowly and delicately, her right foot started to stroke her left ankle and calf.

We had all been attacked by something that we couldn’t see. Or hear. Or even feel, until it was too late.

We now know that the culprit was sand fleas (sometimes called no-see-ums or sand flies). Although none of us had thought to take precautions beforehand, my cousin Sue who considers herself something of a bug expert, sent somebody to the nearest drugstore to get some liquid Benadryl that quickly soothed everybody’s skin.

After that wedding was over, I decided that I wouldn’t want to face that nightmare ever again. The best way to prevent that, it seemed, was to educate myself on preventative measures.

I learned that sand fleas are found up and down the Atlantic Coast, from Greenland through the United States and to the southern tip of South America. You can find them on Caribbean beaches and even on many beaches on the west coast. One notable place that has – so far – been spared the presence of the critters is Hawaii.

These tiny insects have no wings but, they have powerful hind legs that enable them to jump 12 to 13 inches and then give their fierce bites. And because they are so small and quiet, we got bitten before we were even aware that sand fleas were in the area.

Covering up would have helped enormously, but who wants to wear knee-high sox to a beach wedding, no matter how informal it is? It would have been a no-brainer to spread a beach towel on the ground beneath the chair I sat in during the ceremony, but that would have protected me only during the time that I was sitting. The sand fleas are most active around sunset, but that time can stretch to maybe an hour.

The bride, if she had only known, could have placed the wedding site a little better. Because the sand fleas tend to breed and live in organic material (such as seaweed on the beach), everyone would have been safer if the festivities were held well above the high tide mark. Sand fleas don’t wander more than about 350 feet from their breeding area.

The advice we’ve received from insect experts is that our best sand flea protection would have been a good spray of DEET to our feet and legs. The product, which is available at garden supply shops and even many beach area drugstores and supermarkets, comes in various strengths. The very diluted forms are not going to give enough protection to last more than 30 minutes or so. So I’ll be looking for a strength recommended for deep forests, even though I won’t be near many trees the next time I attend a beach wedding. But as a free bonus, I’ll have protection against mosquitoes, too!