2010 January

Flip Flops

Many decades back, the idea of holding a wedding at the beach seemed like crazy but today, beach weddings are some of the most popular wedding themes adored by a wide variety of couples for a number of good reasons. Whether you choose to hold this at a nearby beach or you plan to fly out to an exotic tropical paradise, one of the things you have to take care of for this wedding is the attire that you and your future spouse would be wearing for this day.

For the Bride

The casual but elegant look is very in. Full formal skirt, fluffy ruffles, complicated patterns and designs, and overly long trains are not a good idea for a relaxed setting like that of the beach. Instead, you will be delighted to wear a sleek slightly casual wedding dress made with flowing and soft fabric such as Carmeuse, light satin, chiffon, silk, cotton, and crepe. Strapless, halter, and spaghetti straps are ideal. Summer knee length dresses are also a good option. As for the colors, you can go for the traditional white, ivory, off-white or beige. If you are on the experimental side, lime, light green, light blue, yellow, and pink are some of the best choices.

For the Groom

The groom is probably ecstatic about the fact that he can skip the bow and tuxedo, since beach weddings usually call for something more laid back in terms of groom attire. Linen trousers, linen suits, cool white shirts, beige or khaki pants are just few of the many attire ideas that the groom can choose to wear for this big day. Some even wear knee-length shorts, which is okay just as long as the groom is comfortable wearing this. Those go as far as wearing a floral polo shirt, which is ideal if you are having a Hawaiian or tropical beach theme.

Bridal Hat - Fun Wedding Wear

More Fabulous Ideas

• Flip-flops – The bride and groom do not have to wear formal shoes to this event. They can don fashionable and comfortable bridal flip-flops instead.
• Foot jewelry – They also have the option to go barefoot. The bride can walk down the aisle barefoot but her feet can be accentuated with a wonderful piece of foot jewelry.
• Fresh flowers for the hair ornaments – Skipping the veil is common for beach weddings. Brides wear fresh flowers on their hair instead. Another idea would be to don a wide brimmed hat that is just as fashionable and can protect the bride’s face from the sun’s scorching heat.

Some Tips Before you Go

• Shop online to save time and money.
• Make your own beach wedding jewelry from seashells and other beach treasures.
• Always consider the weather when buying your attire.
• Do not forget to pin down the bridal hat if you are going to wear one.

A beach wedding is a wedding that is like no other. It is the same thing with the attire. Having a beach wedding means you can be more playful, laid-back, and exciting with the pieces of attire that you and your spouse-to-be choose to wear for this momentous occasion.

Wedding On The Beach - Couple

Are you having a beach wedding this year? While the beach already contains the basic elements that can turn the event into a romantic and unique event, these hot beach wedding ideas for 2012 would make it even better than you have originally planned.

• Laid Back Reception

Your guests have attended a hundred of weddings before and if there were something they would want for a change, they would probably want to do away with the stiff formalities and all. You and your spouse-to-be probably want the same thing; after all, you did choose a beach wedding. Make the reception short and sweet, keep speeches spontaneous, laugh and dance more, and be flexible with the program. Let yourselves and guests enjoy the event.

• Flowing and Soft Fabrics, Extravagant Embellishments

This 2010, simple and plain wedding gowns are out. The popular thing for this year is extravagant dress embellishments such as pearls, rhinestones, and crystals. As for the fabric, the perfect beach wedding attire would be something made of flowing and soft fabrics such as chiffon, tulle, lace, and so on.

• Intimate Destination Weddings

Times have been hard these past years so many couples are flying off to far-away places to get hitched and save some budget at the same time. You can save even further by having an intimate occasion consisting only of close family and friends. This 2010 would be a year of less extravagant wedding parties and more intimate gatherings.

• Fabulous Hairstyles and Hair Accessories

Wearing your hair down has always been big for beach weddings. This year, you would also see brides pulling their hair back or wearing hair ornaments such as hairpins, brooches, hair vines made of crystals, flowers, or pearls. Tiaras and combs are still popular but more brides would probably opt for fresh flower hair ornaments.

• Cool Summer Colors

Trendy colors for 2012 beach weddings include turquoise, platinum, coral, pale yellow, champagne, and sky blue.

• Wow, an Ice Cream Bar

While candy buffets and confection bars are trendy for general weddings this year, for the beach wedding, it is the ice cream bar that is making some noise. This is designed to refresh and relieve your guests who are feeling hot due to the warm weather.

• Wedding Photojournalism

Adirondack Chair Place Card Holders

Photojournalism is making waves in the industry of wedding photography. Many couples now prefer photo-journalistic approach of taking candid pictures to traditional posed shots.

• Eco-friendly Weddings

Just like last year, eco-weddings are still big this year whether your wedding is at the beach or not. Brides love choosing organic items while grooms are looking to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions involved in the event planning.

• A Lot of Fresh and Natural in the Menu

The best way to celebrate this wondrous beach gathering is by feasting on delectable foods and drinks that come in the form of fresh fruits, vegetables, and grilled seafood delicacies.

• Summer Flowers

Making another comeback this year, as they do every year, are pretty summer blooms such as roses, sunflowers, calla lilies, gerber daisies, cosmos, zinnias, mums, dendrobium, and daisies.

Let all these tips turn your beach wedding into the event of the year! Enjoy and make sure you do not stress yourself too much with the planning and preparations!

Beach Bride Looking At The Ocean

Why do brides like beach weddings? Simple. The wonderful scent of the ocean breeze blowing nicely in your hair, the dramatic sunset and breathtaking beach coastline, and the distinct sound of waves crashing on the sand–all of these things create a romantic setting that every bride hopes for. Not to mention that this type of wedding is perfect for those looking beyond the traditional church ceremony. It is not a big surprise that beach weddings have increased in number significantly over the recent years. If you are getting married anytime soon and you are considering this fabulous theme for your big day, here are a couple of beautiful ideas to get you started.

Invites

The invitation is the start of everything, as this is what would inform the guests about the details of this special event. This is why, most couples pay great attention to how the invitation is designed and written. It is not any different for beach wedding invitations. One excellent idea would be to go for message-in-a-bottle invitations. However, to make yours distinct from others, choose a different bottle shape, and decorate it with sand, seashells, stones, corals, and any embellishment can fit into the bottle. Wordings can include something like, “fun and frolic on the sand while Rob and I tie the knot…”

Favors

As for wedding favors, pick something that contains any beach element such as shells, starfish, sailboats, and so on. To be more specific, some of your best choices include starfish design bottle stoppers, beach-themed cookie cutters, Adirondack place card frames, beach-themed mint tin, tin pails, and shell design candleholders. You can also have wine bottle stoppers in the shape of sailboats, flip flop refrigerator magnets, sand castle tea light set, starfish photo holders, seashell scented soaps with ocean breeze scent, and so many more. Your choices are endless! You just have to pick something that both you and your spouse-to-be would love.

Two Women Playing Music at Beach Wedding Ceremony

Décor and other Details

The beach itself is already a romantic setting but you can enhance it even more with decorative pieces such as tabletop bamboo torches, miniature nautical lanterns, miniature sandcastles and metal sailboats for the table centerpieces. You can lighten up the area by having tiki torches around the beach perimeter and hanging nautical lanterns in trees nearby. You can also decorate the cake with beach embellishments and top it off with a bikini-clad-bride and board-shorts-wearing groom cake topper. Of course, the real bride and groom do not have to be in those kinds of attire as they can choose to wear formal and less revealing beach attire. Music ideal for beach weddings include acoustic, reggae, blues, and slow rock.

Beaches are not only places for fun and relaxation. They can also provide a romantic backdrop for a special event like a wedding. To make your big day unique and wonderful, consider the tips mentioned above. Most importantly, let your hair down and have fun. Do not sweat the small stuff, this is your day, and do not forget, you are at the beach!