by Zoe Mack

Created on: March 03, 2010

A beach wedding can be a beautiful and romantic choice, but there are some practical considerations which are important not to overlook when planning your perfect ocean-front wedding.

Picking a beach:

When trying to decide on a location, think first about how far you and your guests are really willing to travel. If you want to ensure that most of your friends and family can attend, a destination wedding to a beach in the Bahamas may not be the best choice. You also want to avoid crowded, tourist-filled beaches. State parks are often good choices; they are cleaner, more natural, and not overflowing with tourist shops and salt water taffy vendors.

Don't forget to find out if a beach has bathroom facilities available, or if you will have to bring in porta-potties. Also note how far parking is from your intended ceremony site; some of your guests may have difficulty walking any significant distance through sand.

Picking a date and time:

Tropical locations usually have a rainy season, which you will obviously want to avoid. It is also especially a good idea to avoid holiday weekends, when larger numbers of people often flock to the ocean.

It is wise to time your ceremony for the morning or early evening hours. The sun is strongest from a little after noon to 3:00, and can make both you and your guests miserable. If you have your heart set on a midday ceremony, make sure to provide some sort of shade for your guests.

Consider having your ceremony around sunset. The temperature is cooler, and the sunset can provide a great backdrop for photos, especially if you are on a west facing coast where you can watch the sun set over the ocean.

Clothing:

Formal wedding attire generally won't work well for a beach wedding. Heavy, floor-length bridal gowns can become extremely cumbersome in the sand, tuxedos can be stifling, and high-heeled shoes are nearly impossible to walk in. Make your beach wedding slightly less formal; you don't have to get married in a cotton sundress (though you certainly can!), but choose a lighter, more breathable fabric and a slightly higher hemline. Men can wear khakis with a button down shirt, or even shorts and a T-shirt if that's your style!

You also want to keep in mind that the wind can be pretty active at the beach. This is not the place for that long, flowing veil (unless you can find a way to pin it down securely.) It's also a good idea to keep the wind in mind when choosing a hairstyle.

Seating:

When deciding where to set up your seats, pay

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