Create a Fun Beach Theme Wedding

If you both love the beach and even if the closest seashore is many miles away, it is still possible to have a beach theme wedding. Check to see if there is a lakeside location or swimming pool that’s available in your area. You can even transform a church reception room into a “beach,” if necessary. You’ll know if a beach theme wedding is right for you, if your “perfect” honeymoon destination is fishing along the Mexican Riviera or snorkeling off the warm sand beaches of Tahiti.

Why a Beach Theme Wedding?

A beach theme wedding is one of the most popular and most fun choices you can make. Because it is usually informal, you and your guests dress casually and comfortably. Those who attend a beach theme wedding are likely to remember it for years to come.

Choosing a Specific Beach Wedding Theme

A “beach” theme wedding is a general description. In order to focus on a specific beach theme, you must narrow your choice to something more specific. For example, do you want your wedding to feel like a Hawaiian luau or would you prefer a California surfing party?

Once you’ve narrowed it down, then everything related to your wedding should reflect your choice. For instance, let’s say you’ve chosen a Hawaiian beach theme. What comes to mind when you think about this tropical state? The Hula, leis, pineapples and tiki torches, to name a few items. All or some of these things can be incorporated into decorations for a Hawaiian or beach theme wedding.

While Hawaii and other tropical locations are the most popular choices for beach theme weddings, there are also many other waterfront locations that are special for a number of reasons. Maybe there’s a lakefront park where you’ve spent many relaxing evenings, or a water theme park where you had your first date. Consider the riverside cabin where you go regularly for family vacations and celebrations.

Do you want a formal or informal wedding? A beach theme certainly lends itself to informality, especially if it’s held during the late spring or summer months. Dress, including that of the bride and groom, can reflect warm temperatures and guests can be invited to wear Hawaiian-style shirts, sundresses, shorts or other casual clothing.

Choosing Beach Theme Wedding Decorations

When you think about it, there are thousands of decorations related to a beach wedding theme. For example, depending on what type of a “beach” you choose, the possibilities may include shells, inner tubes, fish, boats, anchors and sand (pretty messy unless it’s contained in a sandbox).

Sites including ocean, lake or river sides may allow incorporation of the natural setting as part of the decorations. Even swimming pools can be unique.

You may wish to enhance the location you’ve chosen by bringing in a variety of decorations such as surfboards, flowers and plants, shells, a small boat, an anchor or even a sand sculpture.

Food Reflects the Beach Theme

Again, the location of the beach you choose (ocean, lake, river, swimming pool) greatly affects the food you’ll choose and how you’ll serve it. The ocean front allows for on-beach grilling or pre-packaged meals that can be eaten on blankets spread over the sand. Lakeside settings frequently have picnic tables and designated cooking areas that allow for grilling and other informal food service. If you choose a river, it may be more difficult to organize things, as space for setting out food and eating may be limited – thus requiring you to be “creative.”

One of the best locations for a beach theme wedding is your own or a friend’s swimming pool. This venue offers privacy, along with easily accessible cooking and preparation areas. Depending on whether you choose the festivities to be formal or informal, a poolside wedding allows for catering or for potluck.

About the Author

Valeria Vegas has a Masters degree in Writing and regularly writes for a local newspaper. She also teaches writing workshops in San Francisco and has taught high school English. As a freelance job, she corrects essays for the SAT and ACT through Pearson scoring as well as write copy for websites. She is the Associate Editor of a literary magazine, edit manuscripts for Behler publications, and works for authors independently. One of her stories was named Notable Story of 2004 by Million Writers.