Beach Theme Ceremony Ideas

Destination weddings don’t have to cost a fortune. Many State Parks offer Pavilions and you could have your ceremony & reception at the same location. Saving even more money! You could opt to ask family & friends to help decorate & clean up, or even pay some teenagers to do it. Most teens are always looking to make a few extra dollars for spending, especially those too young to get a real job. Then you only have to pay the park and the clergy person.

                In Virginia the State parks are very reasonably priced. I believe they are under $100 ($73.50 @ Smith Mtn. Lake State park) for the entire day (we were going to have our ceremony @ Smith Mountain Lake State park, originally. The cost of parking is $4.00 a car, so you may want to carpool on this or rent a bus or van.

                Beach themes don’t have to take place at a beach, though. If you use your imagination, creativity and have a great array of beach themed decor (Shindigz has great background papers in giant rolls for wall decor) you can pull off a beautiful beach themed wedding anywhere! And I’ll help you!  Your bridal colors should coordinate with the colors of a beach. For example Fuchsia would probably be a wrong choice but a lighter pink or coral may look stunning. You won’t want sand colored gowns because they’ll melt into the color of the beach, unless you choose to opt out of standing on the beach. We’ve narrowed our choices to lavender, coral, and light blue. I love all shades of purple & he loves blue & coral would set them off great! Your choices should compliment your surroundings.

Green is very popular this year & there are many shades of green.  My sister had clover green and I was skeptical but it looked great!  If she agrees, later I’ll post photos of her bridal party.

                Another great touch & money saver is to opt for a seashell bouquet, instead of flowers (or a combination of both). Flowers are a big expense & if you make your own bouquet of seashells, you can add real or silks later. You can purchase a small bouquet or make a small silk arrangement to toss at your reception. They also, make a great keepsake for the bridesmaids!  You can make seashell boutonnieres, too.  And your guests will be wowed!

                You can buy a plain garter & spruce it up with a small seashell (nothing pointed because you will be wearing it) & some ribbon. If you are going for the traditional saying: “Something old, something new, something blue & a penny in your shoe”, here’s your opportunity to use blue that others won’t see. *quick note on the penny* tape it to the side or top of your shoe (inside). This will keep your feet from hurting.

                Potted Palm trees (fake or real) are a great idea for isle decor or placed near the altar and you can use them later or gift them out.  You could even use wild flowers in a vase. Definitely ask the florist which flowers are in season because in season flowers are much less expensive than out of season (they have to ship them in). Every state is different and you can Google this information.  

                If you want an original touch, add a Sand Ceremony (in place of the Unity Candle). I’ll put more about this later. You can purchase the sand through Oriental Trading (Rainbow craft sand 22 oz a bottle, each unit has 8 bottles, $14.99 a set) or a craft store. And you can buy the vases from many locations, even Walmart (depending on the type of glass container you want).  You can personalize these vases by investing in a Glass Etching kit (practice on other glass 1^st). This will save you money, too.

                These are just some ideas! There are so many available! If you would like help, please email us: diyweddinglori@gmail.com and I’ll do the best I can to help you.