Imagine saying ‘I do’ to the love of your life overlooking a beautiful blue mass of water, the cool ocean breeze sweeping through your hair and your guests dressed in elegant summer wear… nothing creates a better scene for capturing your special day. But, all this could turn into a total nightmare if not done right. You want to make sure you leave nothing to chance when planning your beach wedding.
Here are some of the thing I would advise you to consider when considering this kind of a wedding:
Hire a coordinator/ planner
I know getting married at the beach especially when you have to travel quite a distance is already expensive. But, do you want to spend all that money planning and probably paying transport and accommodation fees for your guests only for you to find your venue a disaster? I believe you don’t want such nightmares. Hiring a coordinator or planner means you can rest easy knowing someone is taking care of things at your venue to ensure everything runs smoothly. Make sure you talk to your planner about your requirements, note them down if you have to. While you’ll be busy getting married and having a good time, your planner will be ensuring your guests are comfortable and having fun too by taking care of the small details, remember, this is what we do, trust us.
Mention the dress code on the invites
If you have a specific dress-code in mind that will help bring out the ‘beachy’ theme, be sure to mention it clearly to your guests. If you wish to see your guests in white outfits, let them know early to allow them time to shop. I’m sure not all of us have cute white beach wedding outfits lying in our closets waiting for a friend to invite us to their beach wedding. Whenever you have a themed wedding, whether at the beach or not, it is important to always inform your guests of your expectations in terms of dress code early enough. Above all make sure to dress the part yourselves.
Use beach friendly flowers
Beautiful blooms add bursts of color to any space, including the beach. Consult with a local florist to choose the right flowers for your fete — direct sunlight and heat are murder to many blossoms. You’ll want flowers that last. Flowers such as orchids & chrysanthemums are surprisingly hardy and hold up well in almost any kind of weather. For beach-theme centerpieces, fill large conch shells or colorful beach pails with your chosen flowers.
Use food to set the mood
Be careful when designing menus for beach weddings, you may be tempted to go all sea food on your guests, but, most people tend to shy away from them, especially here in Africa and Kenya in particular. To ensure that people enjoy your meals, incorporate both local meals from your communities and those from your wedding destination. This will allow for variety for those guests who don’t like experimenting with cuisines. Remember, well fed guests make the most fun guests.
Get your location and timing right
Location is key if you want to have a small intimate wedding. You don’t want to have your ceremony on a publicly accessible beach that would bring a few crushers to your party. Also, the beach tends to get hot and overly humid as the hours progress, so to ensure you have your guests enjoying your wedding and not fanning themselves the entire day, try have the ceremony either early in the morning or late in the evening. To add a nice touch to the wedding you could provide each guest with a branded umbrella or flip-flops in your wedding colors that they can take home as a wedding favor.
Above all, remember that going to the beach is all about having loads of fun so take lots of pictures with your guests, play in the sand, get your feet wet and above all have fun with your new husband.
