|
You can have your beach theme wedding right on an actual beach, or
capture the atmosphere without being seaside. Either way, a beach
theme can be extremely romantic and lots of fun.
Location:
If you want to hold your wedding on a beach, look at lake and seaside
restaurants, clubs, hotels, resorts, parks and mansions.
If you can't or don't a wedding on the sand, there are great
locations that can still contribute to your theme:
On a boat
At a marina
Any venue with a view of the water – lake, river or sea
Any venue with prominent fish tanks, especially tropical
A hotel's swimming pool area
In a backyard by a pool
Or, if you're up for something completely different and
unforgettable, you can get married alongside real sharks, seals and
other marine creatures at a maritime aquarium, such as the Norwalk
Aquarium.
Invitations:
Establish your beach theme from the start by sending your wedding
invitations as messages in bottles. You can order bottles for less
than $1 and fill them with invitations you print yourself on
weathered-looking paper – think treasure map. Tear the edges, roll
them up and put them in the bottles with a sprinkling of sand, tiny
shells, or confetti. Specialty Bottle
sells them online, and can also
supply mailing boxes or tubes and bubble wrap.
If you'd prefer to have your invitation in a bottle printed and
assembled for you, Marketing in a Bottle
will take care of it all for around $2 each.
Décor:
Whether you're on a beach or not, you can use a rowboat filled with
ice to hold canned and bottled beverages.
Have an ice sculpture of a mermaid in a conch shell or dolphins.
Incorporate shells and sand into your centerpieces. Put them into
vases or bottles, and for centerpieces, plant shell studded candles
in bowls of sand with seashells scattered throughout.
Rent palm trees for an indoor location. If there's a fish tank, let
it show. Look for sculptures of sand castles, fishing boat
decorations, miniature boats in bottles, and fishing nets. Place sand
chairs around the location, and chaises covered with bold beach
towels. Outdoors, use tiki lights to light pathways.
Attire:
If your wedding is going to be on the sand, steer clear of
traditional wedding dresses and think about a sundress, sarong or tea
length gown in linen or gauze. You'll need to go on the casual side,
so have fun with it. Let your groom be your captain in a sharp blue
blazer, white pants and a captain's hat. Your groomsmen could dress
as sailors or pirates. Or go Hawaiian with print shirts, muumuus and
sarongs. And don't forget the sunglasses. (For more ideas on what to
wear for your beach wedding, see Beach Theme Wedding Dress Ideas.
For a beach theme wedding that doesn't require getting around on the
sand, also consider a sleek and sexy mermaid style wedding dress.
Food:
Of course, any seafood will do, but try to avoid the predictable
stuffed flounder and have some fun with your menu. Conch salad.
Shrimp on the Barbie. An oyster bar. California rolls (crabmeat,
avocado and cucumber sushi). Swordfish steaks for the "meat eaters."
Or opt for a New England clambake.
For beverages, serve tropical "umbrella" drinks (nonalcoholic too),
iced tea, homemade lemonade, marguritas.
Music:
If you plan to marry on the sand, it's critical that you inform your
prospective DJ's and musicians, since sand can have ill effects on
equipment and instruments.
Treat your guests to tunes by the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffet. Be
sure to put "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" and "Margaritaville "
on your song list.
Favors:
Present your favors in plastic children's beach pails. Some items you
might want to put in the pails include:
Beach ball (deflated)
Sun screen
Ocean print hand towel or washcloth
Sand dollars
Lifesavers candy
Cheap sunglasses
Seashell soaps
Natural sponge
Starfish
Shell encrusted candles
Beach Boys CD
"Beach Blanket Bingo" DVD
Plastic leis
Flowers:
Use strategically placed tropical blooms amidst bold foliage and palm
fronds. These will work for bouquets as well as decorations.
Anthurium, King Protea, Heliconia, calla lilies and orchids all make
stunning bouquets and arrangements. Although tropical flowers are
quite expensive, you don't need many to make a fantastic impact.
Joanna Cali is the publisher of the Westchester Wedding Guide,
an online bridal guide that
offers articles, advice and tips on planning a wedding. She also owns
a web development and search engine optimization firm in Westchester,
NY http://www.calicosystems.com.
Comment on this article or submit your tip to CreativeHomemaking.com.
Click here for a printer friendly version of this page.
Follow me on Pinterest.
Receive new article links via Twitter!
Follow Creative Homemaking on Facebook!
Recommend this article to a friend!
Search our article archives.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
|
