Most stationary and card stores in your local mall will be able to show you samples. They are likely to be only a limited number, however, but they will be run of the mill and relatively cheaply made and not necessarily inexpensive.

Then there are specialty shops that do little or nothing except craft invitations. Their staff is likely to be more knowledgeable about current trends and the pro’s and con’s of various alternatives. They can give you lots of good ideas, but  take care not to overspend.

Midway between the mall stationary stores and the specialty shops are the splendid offerings that you can find in our bargain boutique. Worth checking out if you know what you want and you also want to save a lot.

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You will want to pick out colors, designs, and elements that go along with your exact theme. Beach weddings generally have color palettes that reflect the beach (light neutral colors), the ocean (aquas, blues, greens), or the tropics (vivid colors bringing to mind intensely colored flowers and birds.
For a beach theme, consider muted colors such as sand, tan, cream, peach, and pink. Think about adding sand to the designs; affix it with Elmer’s glue. Brown or gold-embossed characters go with the theme include shells, pearls, clams, and other beach items to make a lovely invitation. Alternatively blues, greens, purples, and aquas will mimic the colors of ocean waves. Great touches include using embossing or pearls to represent white caps and the addition of painted or plastic
fish or sea life.
Gluing a tiny seashell or dried palm leaves to an edge of the invitation will make it truly memorable

Whoever is hosting the wedding should be acknowledged on the invitation (as in “Mary and John Smith invite you….” unless the bride and groom are self-hosting.

Family friends and far-flung relatives who wish to send congratulatory cards or gifts may not know the names of the bride or the groom, so it’s best to include their full names on the invitations. This also should be done when the last names of the host differs from the bride or groom’s.

And if the reception, meal, or other celebration will occur at a later date/time or a different place than the ceremony, but sure to include this information.
Your beach wedding invitation materials (but not necessarily the invitation itself) should inform your guests about every logistical detail of the event that could affect their travel and attendance. For example, if you have arranged for local accommodations, do advise guests of suggested travel dates, any discounts that you have negotiated at their place of lodging (unless you or the host will be paying their bill), and arrangements for transportation to their lodging, the wedding ceremony, and the celebration afterwards.

Many brides who have destination weddings have a separate reception when they return home so that they can spend celebrate with friends and family who were unable to attend the beach ceremony. These brides should include an extra invitation so that all of their guests are informed about an alternative or additional event that they can attend.

Finally, brides should think about sending  wedding invitations up to three or four months ahead of the ceremony to allow their guests to be able to secure that time off from jobs, plan air travel, and save money for the cost of staying at the wedding destination. The earlier the guests
get their heads-up, the more likely they can attend the ceremony.