Click here,
for information about selecting a beach for your wedding
along Brevard's coastline.
A
great number of the weddings I officiate take place along the ocean
shore. Beach weddings range from a simple three person elopement to elaborate
affairs complete with arches, tiki torches and garden chairs. All of these
ceremonies are quite lovely, but there are a few things you can do to optimize
everyone's enjoyment.
There are a number of things about Brevard County
beaches that are important to know, especially if you are coming in
from out of state. For example, noon in August is not really the
best time for a wedding right out on the beach. Unless you like pictures with harsh
lighting and burning eyes from the sweat, sunscreen and makeup pouring into them. See
those lovely shoes off to the left? Forget about taking them off at
the height of summer.
The sand will scorch those beautifully manicured tootsies of yours.
Weather
Sunrise and Sunset
Tides
Attire
Sound and Noise Concerns
Seating
Refreshments
Hair
Decorations
Unity Ceremonies (Sand
Ceremony)
Indigenous Creatures
Wedding Favors
Optimum:
October, November, March,
Good: April,
early May,
late September
Unpredictable: December, January, February
Predictably Hot and Wet: late May, June, July, August,
early September
The best weather for a beach wedding in Central Florida will be in October,
November, March and possibly into April.
As amazing as it sounds, December through February are actually the most
unpredictable months despite their appeal to those escaping from their parkas
and snow shovels back home. These months are notorious for being brutally cold
or appallingly hot and sometimes in the same week! Not to mention wind, wind and
more wind.
If you are going to have a beach wedding during our hottest summer months be
prepared for heat that can reach in excess of 90 degrees and feel hotter with
the heat index, even when the sun starts to go down. I have been tempted to charge a $500 hazard pay
fee for midday summer beach weddings that start more than 15 minutes late.
 You
would think it might go without saying, but the sun does not
dramatically disappear into the horizon at sunset here in Brevard
County. Yes, I really did have a couple fail to realize we face
east. That is not to say we don't have beautiful sunsets, indeed we
do.
I highly recommend scheduling your beach wedding within an hour
or so of either sunrise or sunset for several reasons. During the
hottest times of the year this may be a matter of survival. The
temperature doesn't necessarily decline much, but lack of direct
overhead sunlight provides a modicum of relief. Sunrise and sunset
weddings also tend to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms that appear
like clockwork when we aren't in drought conditions.
Perhaps more importantly, you dramatically improve the quality of
your photographs if you avoid the harsh shadows and squinting
resulting from a mid-day sun. Cloud cover may make you nervous, but
your photographer is delighted. Hear me now, believe me later. If
you want great photographs schedule an early morning or a late
afternoon/evening wedding.
If you are timing a wedding to coincide closely with sunrise or
sunset, make sure you know the exact time and schedule your ceremony
to begin approximately fifteen minutes after sunrise or half an hour
before sunset for optimal light. Be prepared to begin promptly. I
have had some people make assumptions that missed the mark by over
an hour. The results are unpredictable and can either be funny or
tragic.
The links below provide the exact times for Brevard County in 2012.
I highly recommend checking the tide tables for the date of your wedding before
deciding on the exact time to hold your ceremony. I have had beach weddings
forced to become grassy-hill-overlooking-beach weddings. I have seen brides
burst into tears as they watch the waves lap against the boardwalk stairs. I
have officiated a wedding where we were in it over our ankles before the
ceremony concluded. The degree to which the tides will obliterate any semblance
of a beach depends upon your exact location in Brevard County, but if you assume
no reasonable space for a wedding ceremony within forty-five minutes either side
of high tide you're likely to be right.
http://www.surfguru.com/
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/tideshow.cgi?site=Cape+Canaveral%2C+Florida
http://www.cocoabeachsurfcam.com/Tides/
I cannot emphasize enough how
important proper timing can be when
it comes to a wedding on the beach.
Successfully balancing light and
tides will make a huge difference!
Wear flip flops, encourage your guests to wear them and expect your officiant
to do the same. Nothing is ickier than walking in pantyhose with sand embedded
in the fibers. Except perhaps sweaty pantyhose with sand embedded in the fibers.
Better yet, have everyone kick off their shoes and curl their toes in the sand.
Ahhhhh, that's better! (Although there are times the sand can get quite hot and
scorch those toes. Better have flip flops as a back up.)
As for degrees of formality, you will see everything at a beach wedding. A
bride in a simple white cotton sundress beside her handsome groom sporting a
panama shirt and khaki shorts to a bride in a full-length bridal gown with a
cathedral train beside her dapper groom in white tie and tails. There are no
fashion rules when it comes to a wedding by the ocean shore.
 When you're on the beach, you are competing with the wind and the surf to be
heard - even with a portable PA system. Electronic equipment right on the beach
is not the best idea as sand
and wind can damage the equipment. I will bring my PA system and place it on a
small stool, but admit I am still a wee bit nervous about it getting knocked
over. Such systems can
be used on boardwalks or at pavilions safely, but on particularly windy days may
still pick up more wind than you would
like to hear through the speaker.
If your guests will be standing, remind
them to gather around in order to hear the service, but your officiant
should also include that instruction as he or she begins the service.
I always gesture and encourage people to come closer as we begin the
ceremony. I can project my voice
quite well, especially when the wind is helping me by coming off the sea, but
there are limits to the decibel level of crashing waves I can master.
For some odd reason, live
instrumental music and singing simply do not carry like a projected
speaking voice will. Short of a steel drum band, bag pipes or a
harp, you might want to save your
special music for a reception treat rather than have it be part of
your wedding ceremony. It is perfectly permissible to process in and
out of your ceremony accompanied by just the sound of the waves.
If you really want music at the beach, I highly recommend hiring
professionals, either a DJ or live musician with the necessary
amplification equipment. I promise you a CD player or iPod with
speakers is going to be lost to the sounds of nature.
Given the distance between beach access and where the wedding
ceremony will be held, you might want to arrange a "Signal Person" and
come up with appropriate
signals to let the wedding party know when they should begin walking
from the boardwalk to the wedding site on the beach if there is to
be a processional.
The average beach wedding lasts perhaps fifteen minutes, but that may still
be too much for great-grandma Jane. Brevard county has several party supply
rental companies that can help with seating for longer or more formal weddings,
but it typically takes longer
to bring the chairs down to the beach than the time people actually sit in them.
Alcoholic beverages are generally prohibited on Brevard county beaches. I do
believe you can get a license to have champagne, wine and beer if you reserve
one of the pavilions. You should check in advance with the
Brevard County Parks and Recreation
Department or the specific municipality if you will be at a municipal beach
access park.
Do bring a
cooler filled with ice and water bottles, even if it stays in someone's car in
the parking lot during the ceremony. This gesture is appreciated during balmier
months and a downright requirement during the summer.
If you are having your reception at one of the beach parks, be sure you check
to find out what the facilities include. Some
are more convenient for catering
concerns than others. Definitely make a reservation in a park that has bathrooms
if you plan to be there beyond just the ceremony and picture taking.
Brides, this one is mostly for you, but it may apply to some grooms as well.
Tie your hair back! Did I mention the wind? Unless you want to seal your
marriage with a kiss through a lock of hair, get an up-do. If not all of it goes
up, at least get it fastened away from your eyes. You really don't want to spend
your wedding struggling to brush your hair out of your eyes with your bouquet.
Then again, that might make for a hilarious wedding video and be good for some
amusing viewing on future anniversaries.
Wind Photography Tip: If your veil is blowing all over the place,
have someone smooth it down behind you and tuck a portion of it under your
armpits. Works like a charm!
 So
let's talk about the wind some more, shall we? The best plans can be laid waste
by that lovely ocean breeze. Professional beach wedding supply companies can
erect stable structures and are worth the price if they are within your budget.
For the do-it-yourselfers among us, be sure you aren't tempted to obtain the
cheapest products at the expense of a wee bit of durability. Some arches are
better than others. Make sure they have anchors and be ready to chop off the
gauze if the wind decides it is having none of the fluffy stuff that day. Bring
extra pipe cleaners to secure or reattach errant flowers, foliage and ribbons.
Remember to bring a small table if you have a sand ceremony or other ritual
requiring "props."
Keep in mind that during turtle nesting season you may not be
allowed to insert anything into the sand anyway. Small to medium
sized tropical plants and palms make decorations that can be reused
at a reception site and planted in your yard later. I have seen
people make a simple heart by digging in the sand and filling the
grooves with rose petals.
In all sincerity however, the best thing to do on the beach is think minimalist when it
comes to decorations. Use the bulk of your decoration budget for your
reception site, even if you are just heading back up the boardwalk
to one of the beachside pavilions. You'll be spending more time at
the reception anyway and nature is gorgeous as it is. Arches tend to
look crooked in pictures, cast shadows that can ruin photos or more
often than not....aren't even used for formal pictures making them
an even bigger waste of time and money.
Do not get your heart set on a unity candle. Even on days when the sailors
are cursing the dead calm, a puff of wind will find your candles and blow them
out. Better to choose a sand, wine, knot or flower ceremony. Pretty much
anything that doesn't require flame. The one caution I have with the sand
ceremony has to do with......wind! Make sure your vases are substantial. I have
seen beautiful, but extremely lightweight glass vases repeatedly tip over, or go
flying down the beach. Because they are empty through most of the wedding as the
sand ceremony typically comes after the ring exchange, think heavy.
While shark attacks are rare in the water and even rarer on the beaches around here, we
have been known to suffer swarms of gnats, mosquitoes, no-seeums and generally
all-around little buggy pests. If you plan on a sunrise or sunset wedding on the
beach do spray on some bug repellant. Sometimes you don't even feel it, but the
next morning you'll be clawing at your limbs and seeing red welts spring up all
over your legs and arms. Yes, I am speaking from experience. An investment you
will appreciate on your honeymoon.
Occasionally we will see a blob of something gelatinous on the
beach closer down to the water. Do not permit the flower girl and
ring bearer to poke around at it. That is indeed a jellyfish and
even dead they can hurt. After particularly windy weather, our
beaches have been known to be positively littered with portuguese
man of war. They look something like jellyfish, but are a
different organism. Regardless, like jellyfish they can still hurt
even when dead and washed ashore. Stay away from them.
Turtle nesting season is from May 1 - October 31. Please use
carpets during this time period if you wish to place chairs on the
beach. Decorations should rest on the sand and not be anchored in
the sand. For example, use plant pots to anchor an arch rather than
anchoring directly into the beach. This may actually be enforced by
some, if not all, municipalities.
Never had much of a problem with seagulls, terns, crabs, or surfers.
 Beach
weddings can enable you to have a great deal of fun with wedding favors. I
married a couple who provided everyone at the wedding with a water spray bottle
with fan. Brilliant! Thank you Randi and Gregory.
I have seen parasols in the wedding colors to shield guests from
the sun, custom-printed labels on bottled water, shells with the
bride and groom's name and wedding date on them, flip flops,
sunscreen, etc. Anything you would take to the beach to enjoy the
surf and the sand can be turned into a wedding favor with the right
amount of creativity. If you can't guess, I'm very much in favor of
favors that help hydrate.
Life is Learning in Progress....
If you stumbled upon this page and have your own tips for beach weddings, I
would love to hear them and will most assuredly credit you for the suggestion.
Please email me
and I'll add your contribution.
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