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DIY Beach Weddings

More and more couples are going off to exotic locales and getting married on the beach. Here are some ideas for the wedding and reception for your beach wedding.

Beach Wedding Invitations

• Put a small amount of sand in each guest’s wedding invitation.
• Have the invitations resemble a postcard with a photo of the bride and groom at the beach with the words, “Hope you’ll be here…” written in the sand. (Might have to use Photoshop for this unless you can plan a trip to a beach – any beach will do.)

Beach Wedding Decoration

• To decorate guests’ chairs on the beach, string garlands of shells or starfish (coral may snag their clothes) between seats to connect them.
• Have white galvanized buckets holding bottles of water for guests to take as they need and give each person a palm leaf fan to stay cool.
• Place four large rattan poles upright into the sand and drape white gauze over the top as a canopy for guests to sit under. Gauze is only about $5 a yard and comes in a variety of colors.
• At the reception, use decorative pieces of driftwood as place card holders and thread either a beautiful ribbon or natural raffia through a sand dollar to use as a napkin ring.
• On each table use candles that smell like tropical fruit such as mango, papaya, coconut and kiwi.
• Line the base of the gift table, head table or buffet table with real grass skirts – the raffia ones in natural, not the cheap green paper ones.
• Don’t forget to use colors of the beach – sea colors of blues and greens, sunset colors of yellow and gold

Beach Wedding Attire

• Most people would think to dress the wedding party entirely in white, but bridesmaids and groomsmen could wear beach wedding colors in shades of ocean green, sky blue, and sand beige.
• As for the bride’s gown, for ideas, styles and dress suggestions, search under Beach Wedding Dresses.

Wedding Cake, Favors, Music and Other Details

• Avoid having the wedding in the afternoon, instead choose early morning or dusk so guests do not have to sit in the hot sun, and there will be less people using the beach.
• Set the wedding march to a reggae beat and use Caribbean type instruments for the wedding music, such as a steel drum or a bamboo flute.
• Decorate a lobster trap with tropical flowers and use it as a money box or, for something more elegant, have envelopes left in a mother of pearl bowl. A captain’s log book would make an interesting guest book.
• Make sure you have a point of contact at your wedding location, even it you are doing it yourself, hopefully it’s someone you can trust and who will help provide advice or insight. It might cost you, but you’ll probably be glad of the expense by the time your wedding arrives.

If you know of any friends who have had beach weddings, please share any additional ideas.

Weddings at Sea

Cruise weddings can take place onboard in a public room on the ship, or on a romantic shore such as a beach or a glacier. The Grand Princess has its own wedding chapel, and the captain is authorized to marry you at sea. RCCI’s Voyager of the Seas has a wedding chapel, but you will need to tie the knot while in port. Many couples get married while in a Caribbean port or before the cruise begins. That way the guests can come aboard, enjoy the service, and disembark before sailing. Alternatively, you could invite all your guests on the honeymoon!

Because of the increase in the popularity of “different” weddings, some independent wedding planners have begun to offer cruise weddings.

The price range of a shipboard wedding is just like one ashore – from a few hundred dollars to thousands. You will need to consult with a cruise travel agent, an independent wedding planner, or the cruise line’s wedding department to select the best package for you. Although the options may seem to be endless, many packages are similar. Just be sure that your dreams and your budget are in sync. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Signature Travel Boutique

Including Family Heirlooms in Your Wedding

Weddings are very sentimental for most women, and they are full of tradition. A wonderful way to make your wedding even more meaningful is to include family heirlooms. These unique pieces handed down through your family provide a special connection to your family heritage.

Even the most modern bride can find a way to include a family heirloom in her wedding. The item can be almost anything, from pearl bridal jewelry, to a lace handkerchief, to a pair of toasting glasses. Often the item is something that your parents or grandparents used in their wedding, but it does not have to be.

Mixing the old and the new is a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding. For instance, perhaps you would like to wear your grandmother’s strand of pearls on your wedding day – update them by combining the classic style with modern crystal and pearl bridal jewelry, such as a fabulous pair of drop earrings. Often brides who wear their mother’s wedding gown will do something similar, such as having the vintage dress recut to a more modern silhouette.

A very special thing that the bride or groom can do is to present a family heirloom to their future spouse as a wedding gift. The bride could give her husband-to-be her father’s silver pocketwatch, or the groom could make a gift of a piece of family jewelry. It is a wonderful way to show loved one that you are happy to have him or her as part of your family.

Your ceremony is the perfect place to feature a special family momento. Some brides are fortunate enough to have an antique silver bouquet holder. Others will have a personal item, such as a grandparent’s rosary interwoven with the flowers of the bride’s bouquet. Cherished family candleholders would be a wonderful touch for the unity candle.

Use your imagination when seeking family heirlooms to use in your wedding. They do not even have to be objects; anything that reminds you of your family could work. What about using your grandmother’s favorite recipe or dancing to your parents’ wedding song? Be creative in your choices. Including special family traditions in your wedding will make it even more beautiful and memorable.

Writing Your Vows

So you are going to get married to the love of your life and you want to write a beautiful, simple wedding vow for your ceremony, because you know the memory of those deep, heartfelt words will last for a lifetime.

These days it’s becoming more and more common for couples to write their own unique yet simple wedding vows. Here are 3 tips to help you write your own romantic and memorable wedding vows:

Don’t Try to Impress People

Some people try to write a wedding vow that is impressive and mouthful. They feel this will make their wedding ceremony more special. But the truth is that it’s completely the opposite. It will just make your words sound insincere and faked, so your wedding vow won’t have any impact on your loved one, or even the guests.

Simply speak from your heart. It doesn’t matter if you use very simple words that you speak in your day to day conversation. It’s the feeling in those words that matters. Because “what comes from the heart, reaches the heart.”

Speak from Your Heart

Go to a peaceful place so that your mind slows down and is relaxed. Then close your eyes and imagine that your partner is standing in front of you smiling at you.

Look into his/her eyes and remember the beautiful memories you’ve had together. All those days that you laughed and cried together. Feel how much you love him/her with all your heart. Then, as your eyes are still closed and you still see your loved one in front of you, think about what you would like to tell him/her at this very moment. No one else is there. Just you two. So tell him/her whatever your heart desires.

When you try this, you’ll find yourself expressing your feelings in a very deep and heartfelt way. These words will make the perfect wedding vow for your wedding.

Read Romantic or Spiritual Prose

Another great way to get you thinking is to read something beautiful, romantic or insightful. That might be poetry or it might be spiritual.

Let yourself be inspired from the author’s deep, romantic language. Write down any words that reflect your feelings for your loved one as well. Before you know it, you’ll be writing beautiful sentences that will be perfect for your wedding vow.

Photograph courtesy of Scott Hagar, Dallas

Ceremony Etiquette You May Not Know

The first thing you can do for the wedding couple is to arrive on time. It doesn’t matter that most weddings don’t begin at the exact hour indicated in the invitation. It is still good manners to show up on time. If you are going to be late or arrive after the appointed time, you can do the following:

• If the processional is underway, don’t stroll down the aisle at the same time as the wedding party. If the processional is underway, wait in an area outside and/or out of the way until the processional has been completed.
• Exercise discretion: you may prefer to be up front, but this time, you should sit in the back to avoid drawing attention away from the ceremony underway. Enter and seat yourself as quickly and quietly as you can.
• If you are attending a religious ceremony of a faith other than your own, be respectful. Be discreet in your non-participation.This is not the event for making a political statement.
• If you are unfamiliar with the religious rituals, go with the crowd. Watch what others are doing and do you best to follow along or blend in.

Match Your Colouring to Your Bridal Flowers

Blonde brides look good with blue, purple and pink wedding flowers. Red, orange and bronze flowers look best for brunettes; while redheads look stunning with plenty of foliage, green flowers and small touches of colour. For darker skinned brides, the more vivid colours work well, and white flowers look perfect.

Selecting a simple colour palette will create impact and style. Brides wearing white or ivory should match the colour with ribbons or accents of white or ivory in the wedding bouquet flowers. Corsages and buttonholes should stay within the palette of colours. White or ivory corsages for mothers look right against any outfit.

Size matters with Wedding Bouquets

When choosing flowers for the bride and bridesmaids, think of the appropriate size wedding bouquet or posy. A petite bride could carry a delicate posy of small flowers whilst a taller bride might have a regal calla lily bouquet trailing ivy. The same goes for bridesmaids of all ages. Smaller girls carry smaller flowers.

We wanted to share these wonderful bouquets from Jordan Payne Events one of our StrictlyWeddings.com partners in Dallas, for we think they Rock! The beautiful photos were taken by Gary Donihoo-f8studio.

How to include your dog in your wedding

For some this topic may seem “over the top,” yet for others, their dog is as much as part of their family as any cousin, niece, etc. So this one’s for you!

In the right conditions, the addition of a dog, as a ring bearer or walking with the flower girl works out quite well. That’s not to say it’s right for everyone. For many dog lovers, your dogs are your best friends, companions and confidants. They’re a part of the family. Why wouldn’t you want to involve them in the most important day of your life? It’s not that simple though.

Here are a few suggestions:

• There are a few churches that will allow animals in their sanctuary, however, most churches will not. If your wedding is at a church, you will need to ask the pastor or officiant if their policy precludes any animals inside during the ceremony. Even if their policy allows it, make sure to ask the pastor or officiant if they personally have any concerns about allowing the dog to participate in the wedding ceremony.
• If you are arranging your wedding at a park or outdoor venue, you will still need permission from the venue to include your dog. Always keep your dog on a leash at an outdoor wedding, for your dog’s safety and your guests’ comfort. Designate someone your dog is familiar with as their handler.
• If you are in the early planning stages of your wedding and don’t yet have a venue for the ceremony or reception, look for a hotel that has a policy allowing dogs in their rooms. In addition to including the dog in the ceremony, you would have a room at the hotel where your dog could relax prior to and after the wedding ceremony (with supervision of course).
• Make sure you have a plan for the care of your dog before and after the ceremony. You also need to make arrangements for your dog during the reception. Although you probably adore your furry friend, there may be some on your guest list that are allergic to or even afraid of dogs.
• Include your wedding planner or wedding coordinator in the plans for your dog. She can help with ideas and help make sure the person handling the dog is doing their job correctly.
• This next advice seems so obvious but, during the confusion of the wedding day it can easily be overlooked. Make sure your dog’s handler remembers to take the dog outside for his/her “potty” breaks and gives your dog plenty of water. Dogs can become overly excited with the wedding crowd around them, causing added thirst and the possibility of “accidents,” even with dogs that are highly trained. Don’t forget to supply the handler with disposable doggy bags.
• Whatever location you choose for your wedding, it is a very good idea to purchase wedding liability insurance, especially if you have a dog in attendance. Wedding insurance is a good idea anyway and there are several companies that make it easy to purchase reasonably priced policies.

Although we do like to offer all sides of the equation, we wouldn’t even know where to begin if you want your family cat! 

Photo Courtesy of Rick Aguilar, one of StrictlyWeddings.com new partners who will be part of our next city launch – Chicago.

Nervous Brides – Practice & Visualize

Do you dream about tripping and falling on your face as you walk down the aisle? You are not alone.

It’s human nature to think about the worst thing that could happen during the most important day of our life. The trip down the aisle (no pun intended) is the most nervous part of the wedding for the Bride. Brides walk down the aisle with varying degrees of composure or elan. 

The Processional is the focus of a lot of anxiety in the months preceding the wedding. Often, but not always, the Bride has an escort to help her navigate down the aisle. The escort might be her father or another male relative; or her father and her mother. The Bride might be escorted down the aisle by both her dads: her natural father and her stepfather, or accompanied halfway down the aisle by one dad and the rest of the way by the other. I have seen the Bride and Groom process down the aisle together.

Most brides know how to walk. The problem comes in trying to match your steps to the music selected as the Processional. Don’t. Walk slowly and normally. (The emphasis is on SLOWLY. Nervousness will tend to speed you up! Resist the temptation. Walk slowly and normally down the aisle.)

Few Brides do the “hesitation step” well. Most often it looks awkward and contrived. If you do try it, pay attention to what it says it is: It’s a hesitation step. It doesn’t look good when you do it fast. It also doesn’t look good when you take big steps between “hesitations.” If you feel you must do the “hesitation step,” be prepared for a long processional, and do it slowly, taking small steps.

Most of us do not have experience walking in a big dress. The wedding gown shouldn’t be dragging on the floor in the front as the Bride walks. We recommend you practice walking in the dress; not just standing. If the aisle is carpeted, practice walking on carpet to see if the front of the dress in fact will clear the carpet and not drag. Also practice wearing your wedding shoes (just as important, especially if it’s a different heel then what you’re used to). Stand up straight! There may be a train to negotiate. If you haven’t already, assign someone to spread your train out behind you as you are about to start down the aisle. Also assign one of your bridesmaids to straighten the train once you’ve arrived at your destination.

One reason to have your escort on your left is so that he won’t have to step on or over your train in order to reach his seat on the Bride’s side of the aisle.

Your Groom will approach and offer you his arm on your right side.

If you have steps to climb as part of your processional, pay close attention to your dress and your hands. You have several things to do and think about, but if you don’t pick up your dress when you climb stairs, you may stumble. In the swirling nervousness of the moment, it’s a detail that can be easily forgotten – please don’t!  The problem is that you run out of hands. If you are the Bride, you are carrying flowers in one hand and the Groom has just arrived to offer you his arm. You take his arm. Unless you put the flowers in the same hand that is linked to the Groom’s arm, you won’t be able to pick up your dress.

Don’t worry too much about doing this in high style. You most often will have your back to the guests as you climb stairs. They can’t see in which hand you have flowers or just how you manage to grab the dress (and accompanying slips, etc.) to pick it up. 

So as in all things that we want to do well on our special day – vows, that first dance – practice and visualize with the music that you will be processing to. It will help add that extra edge of confidence to get you past (some of) your nerves on your wedding day.

Photo courtesy of a new StrictlyWeddings.com partner – Bride Associates - DFW’s largest wedding coordination firm

A Dance To Last a Lifetime…

The moment has come when the bride and the groom take the dance floor … it’s definitely not the time to be awkward or self-conscious. Many couples take several dance classes just to get comfortable with each other or just to learn a single dance. Don’t wait until the last minute to learn your dance! 

StrictlyWeddings.com suggest you start 4 to 6 months before the wedding with your dance lessons.

Be patient when learning. Dancing is a great stress reliever, and a fun date night, so don’t put too much pressure on each other. Take your lessons in the right shoes. We suggest wearing shoes to your lessons that are similar to the ones you’ll be wearing on the big day.

Take at least one dance lesson a week and practice when possible. Everyone feels most comfortable with a private lesson, but the classes and parties will be closer to what the rest of your reception will be like.

Learning to dance for a wedding is a special gift that you and your spouse-to-be can give to each other. A couple who feels confident and poised when they dance together will ensure that their very first dance together as wife and husband will be a memory they will cherish forever.

Things you may want to know for your first lesson…

1. What kind of music will you have at the wedding?
2. Will a band or DJ play your first song?
3. Will you have Mother/Son, Father/Daughter or bridal party dances?
4. Will your honeymoon have dancing? (Latin/Tropical getaway, Cruise,etc.)
5. What is the size of the dance floor at your reception?
6. How many other weddings will you attend this year?

POSSIBLE FIRST DANCES

• Can You Feel the Love Tonight
• How Sweet it is to be Loved by you
• Crazy for You
• Don’t Know Much
• Fascination
• Fly Me to the Moon
• When a Man Loves a Woman
• Here and Now
• I Just Called to Say I Love You
• I Get a Kick Out of You
• I’ll Always Love You
• I’ve Got You Under My Skin My Girl
• Night & Day
• Our Love is Here to Stay
• Smooth
• Someone to Watch Over Me
• Stand By Me
• Unforgettable

P.S. If you’re in the Dallas area and looking for a dancing lessons, visit The Dance Centers of Fort Worth and Mid Cities. 

Photography courtesy of Larry Sengbush Photography

Destination Weddings – Bridesmaid Considerations

Showing appreciation to your wedding party is a must, especially when they are willing to travel hundreds if not thousands of miles to bear with you.

1. Go easy on the extra expenses — two hundred dollar heels or a designer gown is simply unnecessary and unreasonable for a bridesmaid who’s so giving of her time and finances. If asking your wedding party to travel for your union, be flexible on the actual attire for the day. Consider allowing each lady to choose her own attire, with your approval of course. Or plan a shopping day when you arrive at your destination to find the perfect dresses. A lightweight sundress for the beach is the perfect compliment for the day or a chic vintage cocktail dress would be perfect when marrying in Europe. No matter what, get creative on ways to cut costs for your attendants’ attire.
2. A Spa Day Guys and Dolls — whether it’s golfing for the guys or a full on pamper fest for the ladies, treat your attendants to a day of bonding and relaxation in your destination of choice. After all, it’s their vacation too.
3. Please don’t expect those extra’s — don’t put added stress on your bridal party for extras like an over-the-top bachelorette party in Vegas or a lavish bridal shower. Let them off easy by hinting that simple get-togethers will do for any pre-wedding celebrations and demand no gifts from attendants who are already dishing out lots of cash.
4. Upgrades a winner with all — if your budget allows, consider contacting the hotel where your attendants are staying and upgrade their rooms. Whether you give them an ocean view or complimentary breakfast in bed every morning, they will definitely feel your love and appreciation.
5. Welcome them with Grace and Style — definitely consider gift baskets for your bridal party, if for no one else. Fill it with all the goodies they will need throughout their stay. When going tropical, give them sunblock, lip balm, after sun lotion, waterproof cameras and other treats that will get them beach ready. If heading off to wintery climes, a lush scarf, hot cocoa with marshmallows and extra thick socks are perfect.
6. Let’s Spoil the Family — if your attendants are traveling with their spouses or children, be sure to do something extra special for the family. In Hawaii, set up lei making classes for the kids, while sending your attendants and significant others off for duo massages. In Mexico, set up a private dinner in seaside cabanas for each couple.
7. Make it effortless — whatever happens, make the travel plans for your wedding party as easy as possible. Have your wedding planner or travel agent do all of the footwork, researching the best accommodations and fun activities each attendant might enjoy. Also, don’t forget to provide an itinerary for each member of your bridal party so they can be plan for their trip accordingly.
8. Down time a must — when planning the week’s celebrations, don’t forget to allow each attendant some down time. Give them the opportunity to explore the location on their own and partake in activities that you may not have incorporated into the week’s events.

No matter what, showing care and consideration for each person in your out-of-town wedding party will help you create the memories that will last a lifetime, not just for you, but for them as well.

StrictlyWeddings.com Destination Wedding Partners

Photographs Courtesty of Larry Sengbush, Photography