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.
- Optimum: October, November, March, early April
- Good: late 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 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. Sunrise and sunset weddings work well this time of year because
they also avoid the afternoon thunderstorms that appear like clockwork when we
aren't in drought conditions. I have been tempted to charge a $500 hazard pay
fee for midday summer beach weddings that start more than 15 minutes late.
Remember that sunset in the middle of summer is between 8:00 - 8:30 p.m. here
in Central Florida and the sun doesn't set over the ocean. Yes, I really did
have a couple expect to see the sun dramatically disappear into the horizon.
Pssst....we're looking east!
I highly recommend checking the tide tables for the date of your
wedding before deciding on the exact time to hold your ceremony.
While it has never happened to any of my couples, I have heard of
weddings delayed thirty minutes to an hour because of a high tide
affecting space on the beach. If you are timing a wedding to
coincide with sunrise or sunset, make sure you know the anticipated
time of dawn and dusk. I have had some people make assumptions that
missed the mark by over an hour. Here are some sites to help with
the timing of your beach wedding.
http://www.surfguru.com/
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/tideshow.cgi?site=Cape+Canaveral%2C+Florida
http://www.cocoabeachsurfcam.com/Tides/
http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/melbourne-florida.html
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. Portable sound systems right on the sand are not the best idea as sand
and wind can damage the equipment. Such systems can
be used on boardwalks or at pavilions, but may pick up more wind than you would
like to hear through a speaker on particularly windy days. Most professional DJs
will simply not set up on the beach, even with battery powered equipment.
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
voice will. Short of a steel drum band, you might want to save your
special music for a reception treat rather than have it be part of
your wedding ceremony.
If you are putting the wedding together yourself and utilizing
friends and family for key tasks, it is entirely possible to have
someone designated the "CD Person" and have them carry a portable CD
player queued to the right songs. This allows the music to be among
the guests, but keep in mind the sound will not carry all that far.
The bride will not hear processional music until she is already
quite close to the groom. If you have someone videotaping the
ceremony, they should stand next to your CD person so at least your
video camera will pick up the music.
You will also need to arrange a "Signal Person" and 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.
I can supply up to 12 white chairs if necessary but usually find it 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. I have a small table and white table cloth
for the sand ceremony vases so you needn't worry about that little part of it.
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.
The best thing to do on the beach is think minimalist when it
comes to decorations. Use your decoration budget allotment 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.
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.
Sand Ceremony
The sand ceremony is probably the most popular unification ceremony used in
beach weddings. Bridal stores and websites have absolutely gorgeous sets for
sale. You can also put one together at a craft store for a fraction of the
price. Actually, you could probably find everything you need lying around the
house, but sometimes it is nice to get something new for the occasion.
You need:
- Two small vases
- One larger vase
- Sand
The
sand can either be from the beach where you were married or colored silica sand
from a craft store. Silica sand comes in all shades and can be coordinated with
the wedding colors. It can also be a lot of fun to play with on the beach after
the wedding because the bags typically hold more than the vases can.. I've seen
some really amazing artistic inspiration emerge from flower girls and ring
bearers. Truly cool pictures for the wedding album too.
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 at
brevardminister@cfl.rr.com
and I'll add your contribution.
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At The Beach
