Reasons not to have a Beach Wedding
Beach weddings are popular, and for good reason. They are casual, and provide great scenery for your wedding photos. However, there are several disadvantages to a beach wedding.
The most obvious disadvantage is the weather. Even if the day is perfectly warm and sunny, the sun will get in everyone's eyes and lead to squinty wedding photos. Worse, it could be raining, or even storming the day of your wedding. Even a light drizzle can ruin everything, but a downpour with high winds does not make for a good wedding. It is possible to plan for the possibility of poor weather conditions – for example, set up a large outdoor tent on the beach to keep rain off the guests. The downside of a tent is that it will obstruct the view of the water, which is the whole point of having a wedding on the beach.
The sand is also a major concern. At best, it is an annoyance, getting inside the guests’ shoes and all over their clothing. At worst, it can be painful. If your wedding day is particularly windy, the sand will be thrown forcefully into guests’ faces and get into their hair and clothes. Their souvenir from your wedding will be a house full of sand.
Taking wedding photos at the beach is also a concern. On a sunny day, people will be squinting to see, which does not look very attractive in photos. Wind is a problem as well. After the bride has had her hair professionally done, the wind will ruin it, and blow it into her face. For a very casual wedding or for people who don’t mind the bed-head look this may not be a concern, but for those who want to treasure their wedding photos keep the wind in mind.
Walking on sand can also be dangerous. Most guests will probably want to remove their shoes so as to avoid getting them full of sand, but there are hazards to walking barefoot. Sharp objects are easily concealed under the sand, such as broken shells or even needles. Older guests can also lose their footing more easily on the sand, and have a painful fall.
Another disadvantage to keep in mind is the tide. If you set up your wedding at low tide, you may find yourself rushing to move everything farther away from shore as the water gets your guests’ feet wet. Visit the beach where you plan to have your wedding at high tide so you know how far back everything needs to be set up to avoid any surprises later.
Finally, having food on the beach is a concern. Sand can be blown into the food which will ruin it, but also unexpected visitors may join the wedding party. Seagulls in particular are very determined once they have the scent of food and it will be impossible to drive them off once they have found your food.
If you are still set on having a beach wedding, keep these disadvantages in mind so that you can do your best to minimize them.
