Wedding Location - Beach Bride

6 Ways to Have a Beach Themed Wedding without the Beach

By Katherine

Many brides would love to have a destination beach wedding, but because of their budget, the distance, or other factors, this isn’t a possibility. If this is your situation, don’t get discouraged! You can still have a beach themed wedding away from the sand and waves. If you love the seaside and would like to incorporate it into your wedding theme, here are some ways you can have a beach themed wedding without the beach.

Wedding Color Scheme

If you want to have a beach themed wedding away from the beach, it is important to remember not to go overboard with the “beachy” theme. Too much beach can start to look tacky. One of the best ways to bring in a subtle beach theme is to incorporate it into your wedding color scheme. Blues, tans, oranges, greens, and whites will give your wedding a fun and upbeat look and will remind you and your guests of the seaside. This color scheme works especially well in the summer months.

Photo Source: Rising Lotus Photography

Food

Food is another great way to bring in the beach feel, without going too over the top. Fruits, seafood, and mixed drinks make a great addition to any party and will help give the feel of a seaside feast.

Photo Source: Katya Nova Photography

Decor

This is one of the best ways to bring the beach inland. Use seashells, sand, tiki torches, and other light and breezy decor to create your own artificial beach. Just make sure everything is done tactfully so that your decor matches the level of elegance you would like to achieve on your wedding day.

Photo Source: Something Blue by Susan Elizabeth

Unity Sand

Many couples choose to add some sort of activity during their ceremony to symbolize their union. If this is something you plan to do, the unity sand tradition would be a great way to symbolize your coming together as a couple, as well as continue with the beach theme.

Photo Source: VeroLuce Photography

Wedding Favors

Sending your guests home with a fun beach themed wedding favor is a great way to help your guests remember the amazing seaside celebration they got to share with you.

Photo Source: Wedding Favy

Sea-Colored Engagement Ring

If your heart is with the Sea, but you want to be more subtle in showing your love of the beach on your wedding day, wearing a sea colored engagement ring may be a good option for you. EraGem offers a wonderful selection of blue green sapphire rings that would make a stunning engagement ring for a beach loving bride.

Enchanting Blue and Green Beach Wedding

By Car

Destination weddings are always a lovely idea. Our featured couple, Maggie and Danny, wanted to host a memorable event for their loved ones traveling from across the globe (Poland and Chicago, to be exact) to celebrate their special day. Thus, the beachside wedding. Blue and green were the perfect color combo for their special day just as the two are perfect for each other! I just can’t help but swoon! Congratulations, Maggie and Danny! May you have a lifetime of shared laughter and sweet kisses! Now, let’s take it from Marilyn of Rising Lotus Photography as she shares special details of the wedding!

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The Ceremony

Simple, dramatic and intimate! The ceremony was held facing the clear blue waters of Florida. Beach chairs with nautical elements accommodated the guests while the minister ordained their marriage under the shade of a dressed bamboo arch.

The Wedding Outfits

Her wedding dress projects her bubbly personality! Embroidered with facets and pearls, she looks stunning in this modified trumpet cut dress. Her blue studded open-toe shoes match her pearls. Those matching robes are pretty too! Her bridesmaids wore blue cross strapped dresses matching the men’s blue ties.

Clean, dashing and elegant! Danny looks handsome in his taupe suit.

The Invites

Consistent to their beach theme, their wedding markers are filled with nautical elements and the personalized plane ticket invitation absolutely showed their love to travel.

The Bouquet

The tulips in Maggie’s bouquet had the tiniest hint of bright pink- which we think suited her sweet personality perfectly!

The Table Arrangements

They selected the Boca Ciega Ballroom– which was the perfect backdrop for their colorful blue and green decor. The tall floral arrangements were stunning- they really drew the eye up toward the fabric draped ceiling (LOVE)!

The Dessert Table

Cupcakes, mallows and brownies! You couldn’t help but drool at this wonderful arrangement. The blue and green theme is still present in this dessert table. The vases are made with broken down teal glasses that fits perfectly in this beach wedding.

The Photo Booth

Who doesn’t love photo booths? A wonderful way to toss around the feel of joy and fun in this magnificent beach wedding is having creative wearables in your photo booth.

Vendors

Photographer: Rising Lotus Photography
Bakery:3 C’s
Design and Decor: Ideal Design Evets
Dress Store:Laurel Bridal
Event Venue: Loews Don Cesar Hotel
Photo Booth Equipment:Prints Charming Photo Booth
Makeup Artist:The Destiny & Light Hair & Make-up Group by Priscilla Marie

Pink and Sky Destination Wedding

By Car

Everything in today’s feature is PERFECT! This couple was beyond thrilled and glad to have a planner like Tide the Knot Beach Weddings! The colors they picked for the wedding were a perfect match for the amazing view of this private beach in Lido Key, Sarasota .FL – one of the most beautiful spots for Mir*Salgado Photography to capture gorgeous photos even though it was cloudy. Thrilled? Sit back, relax and scroll away ladies!

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The Wardrobe

Anna is wearing a white off-the-shoulder empire waist ball gown wedding dress that fits perfectly with her studded hair pin and elegant necklace while Jeremy is wearing matching khaki vest and pants with white inner shirt and a white rose corsage. Both of them looks stunning in their beach wedding!

The Venue

Look at this fantastic view! This lovely couple chose Florida as their Destination wedding, a super romantic and fun occasion with closest friends and family who came to Florida to enjoy a super nice and lovely day with them. Attractive blue accents on those white beach chairs look wonderful. The simple wedding arch made of bamboo – decorated with flowers and fabric fits perfect as the center piece of the ceremony.

The Ceremony

Here comes the feels! The ceremony was romantic! A very intimate matrimony of soulmates who finally agreed to spend forever with each other. The picture-perfect wooden placard simply implies whats happening here. No sides, just one happy family!

The Decors

The location was filled with nautical elements that sticks seamlessly to the overall theme. Starfish, shells and sand glasses are some of the favors that adds to the relaxing ambiance of this beach wedding.

The Desserts

Let them drool no more! This cake from Cakes by Ron looks tempting. The shells and scales lines up to the beach themed wedding.

The Bouquet

Anna’s bouquet is a posy of pink and red roses which totally complements her white wedding dress.

The Invites

Simple yet fits the overall theme. Their minimalist approach to their wedding invitation shows us that it doesn’t take an expensive invite to be alluring.

Heed this Advice

Hire a wedding planner or coordinator if you are having a Destination wedding. Don’t forget to plan ahead knowing the hurricane season for locations like the tropics. Trust your instincts! Buy a dress that fits your body, the location and the weather so you can enjoy and have fun. Always SMILE!

~Miriam Salgado/Photographer

About the Photographer
Since 2011 Mir*Salgado Photography has been creating moments as the best memories for the people to have. Life is full of moments and you don’t want to miss them, your heart and memory are full of those but your eyes sometimes missed some of them, this is my job to get those memories in beautiful pictures for you and your family. Now we are part of ALLURA STUDIOS,LLC and we are offering VIDEOGRAPHY services too. I graduated in Sales and Marketing and I loved it. Actually I worked in this area for almost ten years. Once I got married and started traveling the world, I just couldn’t find something to further develop my skills…so I decided (an idea by my husband) to take a complete course and certify myself in photography while we lived in London. Up until now I experienced an amazing time in shooting weddings, portraits, special events and everything that crossed my lens, so that I can share with people that SPECIAL MOMENT they wanted to freeze in time!!! I already had the chance to work with so many amazing people in countries like: SPAIN, PORTUGAL, ENGLAND, MEXICO & USA. So don’t think twice and feel free to send me an email to tell me more about you, comment my work or maybe sign up to freeze some special moments of yours in front my camera… “Do you want your moments be UNIQUE Memories FOREVER?

Money Mattes

$5,000 – $10,000

Vendor

Photographer: Mir*Salgado Photography
DJ: Grant Hemond and Associates, Inc.
Event Venue: Holiday Inn Sarasota, Lido beach
Officiant: provided by Tide the Knot Beach Weddings
Bakery: Cakes by Ron
Ceremony Location: Tide the Knot Beach Weddings
Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse

Cotton Candy Sky Styled Bridal Shoot

By Car

If you’re looking for an adventurous engagement session, then consider this one-of-a-kind outdoor inspiration for your whimsical bridal portraits! Shot on the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, this location would definitely offer a very intimate and dreamy scene. The cotton candy sky that afternoon was otherworldly! Enjoy the photos taken by Leah Moyers Photography!

The Dress

Model Hannah is wearing a local custom gown by Mignonette Bridal with a Verdant Company bouquet. Her bridal accessories – fur jacket, chandelier earrings and the veil are from Mignonette too. Mignonette Bridal is a bespoke wedding gown salon with elegant gowns that have a vintage appeal.

The Bouquet

This floral arrangement of pink carnations, blue stocks and delphiniums is romantically aggressive. Arranged by Alice Hanson Floral Design, it simply contrasts the soft pastel background of the beach. An understated arrangement that would simply be enticing!

From the Photographer

From getting to know couples, planning adventurous engagement sessions, preparing for a wedding day by location scouting to create one-of-a-kind wedding day portraits, I’m all in. I love intimate weddings in outdoor settings most and love the challenge of shooting in different locations around the world. I believe in authentic wedding photography- capturing true personalities, the spirit of a wedding day and what’s important to the couple while creating art. I love giving my couples the gift of reliving all of the sweet, hilarious, emotional, quirky and behind the scenes moments.

Vendor

Photographer: Leah Moyers Photography
Floral Designer:Alice Hanson Floral Design
Dress Designer: Mignonette Bridal

Laid-Back Destination Wedding

By Chie

It’s fascinating how this lovely beach wedding in Cancun was a perfect mixture of laid-back and elegance. Like during the ceremony, if you look at one side you would see the groom and his groomsmen sporting very casual outfits then if you look over at the other, you’ll find the bride and her entourage wearing an elegant gown and fuchsia cocktail dresses. Add this up to how the sun was shining down on them accordingly. It looked like it wasn’t too hot for the guests to be uncomfortable but it was bright enough that it was a perfect day for a wedding. Congratulations Rachel and Gary!

Here is what our bride has to share with us…

How did he propose?

Gary and I had been together for almost nine years when he proposed. We had overcome five years of long distance while he played professional hockey and finally began to talk about marriage. We got engaged August 24th and it was the most exciting moment of my life. I knew it had to be happening soon because let’s face it- it had been almost nine years! As the summer was coming to a close, and Gary working nights, he had one more night off so I thought this has to be it! My parents invited us for a barbeque and I tried to decline for fear of ruining what I thought could be “the night” but Gary accepted the invitation and as disappointed I was, we went. We were getting ready to go and as I checked his pockets (no box) I started to get mad inside. I was thinking this was never going to happen! I let it go by the time we got to my parents and we were enjoying a glass of wine while supper was cooking when he took my hand. In front of my family in their kitchen, he got down on one knee and proposed. I was blown away. This moment was made equally as special because he chose to let my family in on my big surprise. My dad has been battling advanced prostate cancer for the past five years and his condition was beginning to progress quickly. Gary and I knew the likelihood of my dad being able to walk me down the aisle if we waited the year was slim.

Tell us about your wedding day

We decided to have a March wedding and the only way to it within six months was to do a destination wedding. We signed on to Destinationweddings.com and were assigned a wedding specialist named Susan. She researched resorts for us in various parts of Mexico based on our price point and criteria as well as flight packages for our selected dates. After much discussion we decided on the Barcelo Tucancun Beach Resort in Cancun, Mexico over spring break and it was fabulous!

The resort was absolutely breathtaking; the beach stretched for miles, the sun was gorgeous. The wedding day was magical and everything went so smoothly. The flowers were freshly delivered, the food was tastefully prepared and the service was phenomenal. I’ll never forget dancing for hours outside under the beautiful lighting and hearing the waves of the ocean.

There were many ups and downs with the wedding process but in the end we had 45 of our closest family and friends there to spend a week with us in Cancun and be a part of our special day. The intimate ceremony was on the terrace overlooking the ocean and the sun was shining. The beautiful thing about a destination wedding is that it can be as stress-free as you make it not to mention as cost effective as you need. The onsite coordinator does everything for you so that you and your guests can enjoy the day. Via email, we were given choices of food menu, hors d’oeuvres, linen, flowers ect. Many items were included in a package, and the rest we added on a la carte. It was so easy! We decided to look for a photographer locally and bring him/her to Mexico with us, which was probably our best decision. Taliah Leigh Photography documented our entire wedding week and the photos couldn’t have been better. I couldn’t have imagined a better day- it was truly a dream.

I loved waking up each morning and seeing family and friends at breakfast, at the beach or around the pool deck. We spent time with family who flew in from across Canada and had a nice time reconnecting. This was my last, most memorable vacation with my family.

Vendors

Photographer: Taliah Leigh Photography