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How to Plan a Seamless Seaside Wedding
By Lisa Klassen
Jun 21, 2004, 12:37
You’ve been planning, plotting and praying that your wedding day will turn out the way you’ve imagined it. When the big day arrives, you want everything to go off perfectly. The last thing you need is to have it marred by a small detail that suddenly grows into a major problem. So here are some dos and don’ts to help ensure that your wedding runs as smoothly as you’ve dreamed.
LIGHTING
DO - Think about where you are placing your lights. Positioning is very important, make sure you aren’t blinding your guests with lights that shine directly into their faces. After all, an interrogation room look is probably not the one you are trying to achieve!
DON’T - Use direct white light. It’s too strong, washing out faces and detracting from the atmosphere you are trying to create. Use pink or yellow hued lighting to create a warm feel, party lights for a fun touch or candles for a classic look. Floating candles in glass globes placed around the area are very romantic, and so are white twinkle lights strung through the trees or along the aisles.
DO - Plan out the power source you will use for lighting carefully. Think of where it will come from and make sure there are no loose wires floating around where guests can trip over them or in places that could be dangerous. Unless you know someone who’s a whiz with wires, it’s best to hire a pro to do the job.
WEATHER AND ENVIRONMENT
DON’T - Simply rely on nature to go your way. While every beach wedding should be in sunshine, unfortunately it doesn’t always work that way. So have a back up plan in case of bad weather, whether it’s an alternate spot or an extra tent or tiki hut to retreat to. It’s a good idea to outline your back up plan to your guests, so they know the drill if the weather turns sour. Many couples who have outdoor weddings will include a bad weather plan card with their wedding invitations.
DO - Have an area that’s out of the sun if your wedding is during the day, or a place where guests can warm up if your wedding is at night. This is especially important if some of your guests are elderly, frail or prone to sunstroke. Again, a tent or tiki hut works well. Make it a fun spot to spend time by stringing up hammocks, using adirondack or beach chairs to relax in, hanging fish net around and scattering sea glass and shell assortments about.
DON’T - Stage your wedding for midday if the beach is public and you don’t want a lot of uninvited guests running through your wedding photos! Early morning and late afternoon are less busy times to stage the event. Also, at public beaches make sure you have a cleanup crew to clear the area of garbage and other unsightly objects before the ceremony starts.
DO - Check the tide tables or your wedding may end up wet instead of white!
TABLE AND FOOD ARRANGEMENTS
DON’T - Forget to keep the temperature in mind while planning your menu if your wedding is in the summer. If you won’t have adequate cooling facilities then center your menu around foods that don’t spoil easily. Nothing ruins a wonderful engagement party like a bout of food poisoning!
DO - Extend the beach theme to your menu and table arrangements. Serving your dishes inside scallop shells or abalone shells is a nice marine touch and so is using sand dollar place cards at the table or seashell napkin rings. Use sand or water in your centerpieces, like flowers floating in water or candles buried in sand. Sand castles make great centerpieces as well and you can strategically place goodies and sweets on them for your guests to nibble on. Miniature beach chairs piled with candies are also an innovative party favor. For the food itself, some cuisines that are complimentary to the beach theme are: Polynesian food, a Hawaiian style pig roast, a beach fire and barbeque, Thai, Cajun, or a clam bake.
DON’T - Forget to put flooring under the tables and chairs or your guests will sink into the sand as they sit down to supper!
SOUND
DO - Use music that works well with the natural sounds of the environment. The higher the pitch of the instrument, the better the sound carries without overriding the noises of the surf crashing into the beach and the cries of seagulls. Whether you are hiring a band, a soloist or using canned music, keep this in mind.
DON’T - Assume your voices will be heard by all your guests without the aid of microphones. Beaches aren’t always quiet places, especially public ones. As you read your wedding vows could you be competing with the sounds of surf, voices of playing children, passing planes and boats, seagulls, or the barking of a dog. If you are wired for sound, you don’t have to worry about any of these noises drowning out your wedding vows.
DECOR
DO - Keep in mind that the beach is often rather a windy spot. Don’t use any decorations that could be blown away. Use seashells to create an aisle and if you want to have an archway, the narrower you make it, the less likely it will get blown over. Put flowers inside display shells glass vases or pails filled with sand, pebbles, and sea glass. Glass floaters are another decoration you can use that are heavy enough to fight the wind factor.
DON’T - Leave the poles of your tent bare, the metallic gleam of the naked poles will probably mar the look you are trying to achieve. You can wreath them in flowers, drape them with fish net and party lights or cover them with a variety of fabrics.
DO - Incorporate plants wherever you can, the greens make a nice contrast against the tawny sand. Wheat grass is a popular method of instilling a little green into the décor.
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