Beach Themed Wedding Options With or Without the Beach!

Beach themed wedding options are not the domain of those few lucky enough to live within an easy commute of the beach. With a little thought, the abundance of possible theme variations, accessories, and all the beach themed wedding favors available there is no reason you can't build a beach wedding that fits your passion and style - even in St. Louis, Atlanta, Phoenix, or Las Vegas!

How you go about the process depends on what aspect of the beach you want to highlight in your wedding. Just like anything else, a beach wedding can take many different forms. Far too often, brides never think beyond the word beach and then afterwards wonder why their theme never really had the pizzazz they were hoping for.

So consider this partial list of beach themed wedding options:

• Consider a lighthouse themed wedding. Consider renting a slow rotating light and having it mounted high above the dance floor to simulate a lighthouse effect. Choose sailboat or other ocean going vessels, rocks, candles, and lighthouses as favors and decor.
• How about a marina themed wedding?  I've been to many beaches where you can sit in the sand and watch the sailboats cruise in and out of the harbor, so there's no reason you couldn't pull off that kind of theme for your wedding even if you didn't want to have your wedding at a restaurant either fronting a marina or simply decorated with a marina motif.
• Of course there's the classic sand, sun, and waves theme that most people think of when they think of a beach wedding. Use beach balls, lifeguard towers, sandcastle centerpieces, sun block, sea shells, and flip flops in your decor to get started.
• There's the Hawaiian paradise themed wedding: You can use palm tree themed decorations, Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, coconuts, and tropical music if you like, but why stop there? When I think of Hawaii I think of sea turtles, colorful fish, orchids, waves, volcanoes, and lush vegetation. That's where I'd start to create a fun and memorable nuptial event.
• How about creating a mermaid themed wedding? By combining the beach and fairytale theme you could have a wedding with style and elegance - and it would be easy to put together.
• Or keep the sand and the waves and put together a sunset beach wedding, complete with a bonfire reception afterwards. This would be a perfect opportunity to use the new flickering, battery operated, LED 'tea lights' to line the aisle after the sunset so you don't have to worry about a breeze blowing them out.

The list continues of beach themes you could pursue. Think. Dream. Each of the themes listed above are variations on the typical beach themed wedding. And it's those variations on a theme that make your wedding unique and really builds it in the first place.

Seaman's Theme Example

One beach themed wedding reception I remember used a weathered row boat filled with ice and bottled drinks as the no host bar. An old fisherman’s net covered the table under a stylized wedding cake depicting a couple standing on a bluff overlooking the shell strewn sea shore. Sand was sprinkled in the center of each of the rough hewn tables with shells the couple had collected in one of their many walks along the beach. An anchor rested against one wall. Deep sea tackle that had seen better days accented another. Much more could have been done, but those few touches emphasizing the rugged life of a seaman made for a simple, yet effectively themed reception. Note: The actual ceremony was held on the beach itself, though similar things could have been done to create a complimentary setting for the ceremony.

Whatever you do, don't settle on a beach themed wedding (or any other themed wedding) until you've thought through exactly how you want that theme to look then it will be easy to start shopping for the clothing (yes, your theme does impact your clothing choices), decor, and accessories that will actually advance your theme. If you don't, you run the risk of spending good money on good items that will actually detract from your theme - and you don't want that.

Mostly, notice that not one of the options we've covered are dependant on actually being at the beach! So have fun.  Let your imagination fly as you consider your beach themed wedding options.

Beach Themed Wedding Options