Beach Wedding Advice
by Frankee Love

If you are considering a beach wedding, then you've come to the right place. The following six tips on getting married on the beach are based on my own experience performing weddings on the beach since 2000.

I have performed beach weddings for almost 7 years (mostly in Virginia Beach, Virginia) and have therefore observed some practices that were successful and others that were not. Before you get too involved in your planning, you might want to take a look at the following information.

Privacy - One of the first things couples will ask me about is whether or not there will be other people at the beach. My answer is that the amount of "privacy" you will have at your beach wedding depends to a large extent on the time of year, day of the week and time of day you choose. For instance, if you want your wedding to be on a Saturday in June at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, you will not have privacy. But at the opposite extreme, if you choose to have your beach wedding on a Tuesday morning in October, then most likely you will have the beach all to yourself. These two are the extremes, but you can see that the closer you come to the latter scenario, the more privacy you will have.

Guests - If you are planning to invite a fair number of guests including some relatives that are not typical beach-goers, be double SURE that you advise them of the conditions to expect. Your guests will be much more comfortable if they are properly attired for a beach wedding - especially footwear. Stockings and heels that would be worn for an indoor wedding would be out of place and uncomfortable walking across the sand at a beach wedding.

Your Shoes - The smartest beach brides I've seen wore pretty white flip flops with their wedding dresses. And even more importantly, they had those same flip flops on when they got the wedding gown hemmed. This means the dress is shorter than it would be for the usual high heels but it also means that you won't be dragging your gown in the sand and stepping on the hem as you walk down the "aisle." Likewise, the smart groom and his attendants are wearing black flip flops and have their tux pants hemmed accordingly (or at least rolled up) This is much better than having shiny patent leather shoes filled with salty wet sand.

Beach Wedding Decorations - I have never, ever seen a decoration that comes close to being as beautiful as the natural surf, sand, dunes and ocean. This is only my opinion, but I think when it comes to decorating for a beach wedding - LESS IS MORE. You might want something to define the wedding site itself, but try to stay within the beach wedding theme. Some suggestions: bright-colored beach umbrellas turned on their sides to form a backdrop; two surf boards standing up on end to mark either side of the wedding site; or (if you have the preparation time) maybe two sand castles. All of these items could be used to define your wedding area and yet they are not out of place in the beach environment. You can be creative - and stay within the concept of a beach wedding because that is what is special and unique about your event - the beach.

Sunset Weddings on the Beach - Many, many couples ask me about getting married at sunset on the beach. Sunset is a beautiful time of day when everything turns a mellow bronze, the sand cools off and most of the crowds have left the beach. This is a great time to get married on the beach. But remember - on the east coast, the beach mostly faces the east so you have to choose your site carefully if you want to see the big orange ball sink into the ocean. There are only a few limited sites in the Virginia Beach / Norfolk area where this occurs. But a sunrise wedding at the beach is much, much more readily available. A sunrise wedding at the beach can be stunning. I am happy to perform a beach wedding at sunrise, sunset or any time in between.

Creative Imagination - With a beach wedding, you are free to use your imagination to create the scene and the experience that you and your guests will remember for a lifetime. Rather than trying to reproduce all the ordinary elements of an indoor wedding, I encourage you to take advantage of the unique surroundings you have chosen. You chose a beach wedding because you love the ocean, the surf, the sand and the seagulls - so make the most of that and enjoy it.

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Frankee Love is a full time wedding officiant and performs weddings at many locations in Virginia including Virginia Beach and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

If you are interested in a mountain wedding, you may want to visit her Blue Ridge Weddings website.

Call for a free consultation about your beach or mountain wedding
434-263-5350

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