Weddings On A Beach

Weddings on a beach can be fabulous. I wanted to have one when I was going to school in San Diego. I thought a ceremony at sunset on the beautiful Pacific Ocean would be the perfect venue. And how could anyone create a more wonderful Christian wedding than with the colorful pink and orange sun sinking into the incredible blue Pacific as a backdrop?

Unfortunately, while I was there, I never met the perfect man to marry! Several years later when I met my husband, he would not entertain the idea. He will not even travel to California on vacation because of his fear of earthquakes, yet he lived in a warzone in the Middle East for over six years. Go figure. Anyway, David and I had a church wedding.

Weddings on a beach are simple to do if you know someone who owns some beachfront property on a lake, a river, or an ocean. Most of us do not.

If you don't, you can either contact local authorities about using or renting a waterfront park or beach for the day. Fees will probably be involved.

There is another option. Most beachfront locations get a lot of tourists so there are usually large hotels around. Consider renting the hotel facilities and beach for the day. Work with the hotel to plan your whole wedding on the premises.

The hotel's employees will set up the spot for the ceremony and for the reception. Also hire them to do the catering and a great deal of the stress has just been lifted from your shoulders!

Yes, it can be quite costly but if you and your family can afford it and this is your dream wedding, go ahead and splurge. It is really the easiest way to go. You will be glad you did. This will be a day you will always remember.

Obviously, if you have attended any weddings on a beach, you know that you should not buy a dress with a long train.

Consider having the whole wedding party wear more casual wedding clothes. The bridal dress should be ankle length or shorter to avoid dragging it in the sand, whether it is wet or dry.

Have your entire wedding party, including the bride wear decorated flip-flops. These can easily be made by you and your friends or relatives.

If you are planning to use Unity Candles, you may want to think again. Understand that the candles may not stay lit outside. Depending on the breeze, you may not get them lit at all. How embarrassing would that be? Instead, consider using Unity Sand Vases.

These are perfect for weddings in the sand and they make a beautiful keepsake to display in your home. I know, I had never heard of them before but I attended a beach wedding at a lake and instead of unity candles, sand was poured into a vase. I was fascinated. This prompted me to do some research and it turns out, a lot of couples do this at their weddings! Who knew?

Beach wedding crafts are fun to make and they are easy to do. If you love to collect shells as much as I do when you go to the beach, you will enjoy making these crafts. Do you love candles? They can make your reception tables elegant. Have you ever made your own candles? I have. It is easy to do. How about using some of the larger shells you have found at the beach to make candles for your wedding reception?

Easy Shell Candles

Clean up some of the larger shells that are the shape of clam shells, the bigger the better. Buy some candle wicks that are about 3 inches long, the kind with the metal piece at the bottom of the wick. Place the metal piece in the bottom of the shell. Pour some candle gel into each shell close to the top of the shell and let it harden. Easy!

Or, melt some regular candle wax in a double boiler. Add some candle scent and candle wax color, if desired. Slowly and carefully pour some of the melted wax into the shell, making sure that the wick stays in the middle of the shell. Let the candles harden for several hours without moving them. These beach wedding crafts make great centerpieces.

Beach Wedding Candles

For the beach wedding crafts candles, you will need:

-Clear glass jars. Mason jars for canning work well. You will find those at the grocery store or you can actually buy glass jars for candles at craft stores or online.

-Tiny aquarium stones in green or blue for a fish aquarium. You can find these cheap in the fish aisle at Wal-Mart.

-Small seashells, beach glass, rocks, and/or marbles. These can be found at Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree, as well as at craft stores.

-Candlewicks with the metal on the bottom end. I buy mine at Michael's craft store.

-Clear candle gel. I buy it at Michael's or Hobby Lobby.

-A good pair of scissors to cut the wick.
First, make sure all of the jars are clean and dry.

Pour a small amount of aquarium stones into the glass jars until they are about one inch high at the bottom of each jar. This makes a great base for your candle.

Now bury the metal portion of the wick under the gravel, right in the center of the jar. Leave the rest of the wick standing up in the center.

Next, choose some tiny seashells, sea glass, and/or marbles in any combination and place those in your jar, making sure the wick stays in the center. About an inch to maybe 1 1/2 inches will do.

Now pour the candle gel into each jar, filling them up until your reach 1/2 inch to 1 inch from the top of the jar. Make sure your candle wick stands straight up in the center.

Place the candles where they will be undisturbed for at least 12 hours. Do not move them during this time so that the gel will harden somewhat and so that air bubbles will rise and escape.

Once they have set, trim your candle wicks so 1/2 inch is sticking out of the candle. Do not trim the wicks shorter than this or you will have difficulty lighting them. Place one at the center of each table, or place several on longer tables. They also make nice favors if you can afford to make enough for all of the adults. These beach wedding crafts will be a hit at your wedding. Enjoy.

Shell Candle Holders

These beach wedding crafts candle holders make beautiful centerpieces as well as favors that your wedding guests will love. You may need to ask your friends and relatives to save their plastic peanut jar lids for you in advance.

You will need:


-1 plastic lid from a 2 lb.5oz. plastic peanut container (or a similar lid)

-Medium and tiny seashells of different shapes. You can buy baskets of these at Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, and craft stores. I have bought a lot of them.

-A hot glue gun.

-Glue sticks for glue gun.

-Tacky glue. I use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue. It comes in a gold plastic bottle with white writing on it. This can be found at Wal-mart in the crafts section. All of the craft stores carry it as well. I have purchased it from Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Garden Ridge.

-Beach sand or colored craft sand. I usually buy mine at Dollar Tree, but Wal-Mart carries it, too, in the crafts department. It is also available at craft stores.

-A cardboard box lid to hold hot glue gun while it is heating up so you do not get glue all over.

First, plug in your glue gun with a glue stick in place on a protected surface. A cardboard box lid or an old or disposable pie pan is great.

Choose four similar-sized medium shells. Glue them on the outside of the lid, evenly spacing them. The lid should be upside down so you are looking at the inside of it. Hold each shell until it is set after you apply the heated glue to it. Make sure to hold each shell in place until it is set before moving to the next shell.

Now choose some smaller shells and glue one or two in between the larger shells. Follow the same rules as above, holding each one firmly in place until the glue is set. This is usually no more than 10 to 20 seconds.

If there is still room in between shells, find some tiny shells and glue them in place. Allow all of the shells to dry completely.

Now dab some tacky glue to any place that is still peaking through the shells and sprinkle your colored sand onto the glued areas, like you would sprinkle glitter. This is best done on some newspaper so you do not have a big mess to clean up. Allow the glue to dry for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Once your candleholder is dry, place a three to four inch pillar candle in the middle and you have a beautiful centerpiece or favor for your guests.

Your guests will love your homemade beach wedding crafts and so will you. The beach wedding crafts on this page are inexpensive so you can make a lot of them in advance and put them away until the wedding day.

I will give you a few beach wedding reception ideas that I have seen done at weddings. First, beaches can be windy places, especially at the ocean, so don't expect tablecloths to magically stay in place. Either use heavy sand-filled centerpieces at both ends of the table and in the middle or use rope or nylon cording to tie the tablecloths down as part of your beach motif (think sailors or fishermen who always have some sort of rope on board).

The sand-filled centerpieces can be pails or vases with shells on top of the sand and maybe some flowers, branches, or a candle in the middle. Candles may look nice, but will have trouble staying lit outside. Battery-operated faux candles can be used for outdoor weddings.

If you choose to use a rope motif, consider putting anchors on each table. No, not real ones....those are heavy, nasty, and dangerous. You can find toy ones or make some. Driftwood is another good centerpiece for a nautical theme.

You can also forget the tablecloths and use thick woven place mats at each place setting. If you can find them, large shells will make awesome table decorations. Sometimes, you can find large shells in local beach shops, but you will pay a lot for them. Check online to see if you can find some cheaper. If you (or a friend or relative)live near the beach, maybe you already have a collection of large seashells that you can use.

If you want to be considerate of your guests and their food, and you have some extra money, rent a large air-conditioned tent to eat in. This will keep bugs and sand out of the food. It will also keep your wedding cake out of the heat and ensure that no sand gets on the frosting. If a sudden wind comes up, the food and your wedding cake are safe and sound. Guests who do not like a lot of sun will be protected. They can still dance out on the beach.

Nighttime beach wedding reception ideas would include having a Luau where all of the guests receive a lei as a favor. Their wedding attire should be a little more relaxed, such as Hawaiian printed shirts and street-length dresses, as opposed to full-length formal gowns. Use tall Tiki torches embedded in the sand.

Serve roasted pig or salmon and pineapple slices to your guests. Of course, there is nothing wrong with grilled chicken, shrimp, clams, oysters, or some baked flounder, either!

Have a band playing Hawaiian love songs with ukuleles or make a mixed CD for the occasion. A beach bonfire (if allowed) will complete the Luau atmosphere.

Don't forget to check with local authorities to obtain the proper permits to have your beach wedding reception, unless the beach is private property.