Nothing sounds more romantic than getting married on the beach. When done well, beach weddings can be among the most beautiful of settings. However, there are some pitfalls to be aware of, so here are my five things to know while planning your dream beach wedding.
© Steve Keegan, 2014, All Rights Reserved
I grabbed this photo with my iPhone literally five minutes before guests were seated at this wedding. I had to beg and plead with some of these oblivious sunbathers to move for a few minutes and to stop playing catch with a football so the bride could walk down the aisle. I know what you are thinking and the answer is yes. People truly can be this inconsiderate and selfish.
1. Is the beach you plan to get married on public or private and how crowded will it be?
Fall marks the beginning of booking season, and the first thing couples typically look at and book is their venue. Most beach communities have a clear demarcation for tourism season. It starts on Memorial Day and ends Labor Day. In Lake Tahoe in particular, it is as if somebody turned a tourism shut-off valve after Labor Day, which doesn't get turned on again until the first ski resort opens for the winter. So while you are looking at picturesque beaches with nothing but beautiful nature and empty shoreline for miles in the fall, be aware it's going to look far different when your Fourth of July wedding rolls around.
Ask the venue you are considering booking if they have a private beach, and if they do not, how crowded their beach gets during the time of year you plan on getting married. Some venues have gotten clever about this. They have figured out ways to partition off sections of the beach, which gives you a little more privacy. However, if they do not own the beach, they can't promise you there won't be a lot of people in the water behind your ceremony or people loitering along the shoreline. I once had a guy wearing a Jeff Spicoli-style surfer hoodie, shorts and dark sunglasses stand about 7 feet directly behind a couple— chainsmoking heaters through the entire wedding. I can usually shoot around a lot of distracting things like that, but it isn't going to prevent it from being distracting for you and your guests during your wedding. You should be concentrating on each other and not the creepy, voyeuristic clown standing behind you.
(Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli in his beach hoodie)
2. Prepare to get dirty.
Your dress is most likely going to be some variation of white. Sand is basically dirt. So, if your dress has a train on it, you are going to be dragging your white dress through dirt—even if you have a runner down the aisle. At some point in the day, you just have to surrender to the dirt. Your white dress is going to get dirty between dancing, people hugging you with makeup, wine spills, etc. However, your dress is going to get REALLY dirty, really quickly at a beach wedding. I would highly recommend considering a wedding dress with either a minimal train or no train at all. Wedding dresses that show a little leg are becomming more popular now anyway. They are far cooler in the summer, easier to dance in, no stressful bustling required and it would obviously stay cleaner.
3. Direct sunlight in the summer = sunburns and harsh lighting.
Those fair-skinned family members you have coming in from Minnesota are going to fry in direct summer sunlight without any protection—especially if the wedding is at elevation. I've seen people get a serious sunburn within 15 to 20 minutes of sitting in direct sunlight. Consider your older guests and those with small children, who might have more sensitive skin. We don't want anybody stroking out before the reception! Consider a spot with a canopy of trees that might offer some protection from the sun. Stay away from doing a beach wedding during the hottest time of the day. Aim for about an hour or two before sunset if you can. If having your ceremony in direct sunlight is unavoidable, consider providing parasols, fans and sunscreen as party favors when people enter the ceremony site. They can also make for cool photo props later!
4. Consider having your beach wedding just off the beach.
It may sound counterintuitive, but you can have all the beauty of a beach wedding without actually being on the beach simply by backing up a little bit. This is a particularly good solution if you can find a site that is elevated with grass or a patio area. Not only will it keep you clean, but by being elevated you might be able to eliminate sunbathers, swimmers, rafts and kayaks from your line of site (or at least make them smaller in the frame so they are less distracting. If your reception venue is offering up their beach, don't feel like you have to do it there. Chances are people traveled a great distance for your wedding. Nobody is going to mind if they have to go for a five minute drive from the ceremony location to the reception. It will give us more time and privacy to shoot your formal shots after the wedding anyway. If you have your heart set on beach photos, it's not a problem. Your trusty photographer will be more than happy to take you down to the beach after the ceremony anyway.
Being further away from the water also means less water noise. This can really be a problem if your ceremony is not amplified. Ambient water noise is louder than you think (espeically on windy days or when surf's up), and can prevent your guests from hearing the ceremony. If you are having your wedding near water, ask your DJ how much it would be to have them mic your ceremony for you.
5. Be prepared for shifts in weather.
Beach weather is notoriously unpredictible during all times of year. From marine layers along the California coast, to whipping wind gusts off Lake Tahoe, you need to be prepared for all sorts of scenarios. Marine layers typically burn off by noon on coastal beaches. Marine layers and overcast/cloudy skies are typically good news for photography believe it or not. They serve as a giant softbox in the sky, which distributes the light more evenly and eliminates ugly, contrasty shadow situations that are extremely difficult to photograph. It is windy way more than it's not at all beaches. So ask your hairstylist to consider the wind when deciding on a hairstyle. You want something that can work with the wind. You don't want your updo totally thrashed by 40 mph wind gusts before we take the first formal photo. The temperature can shift greatly as well. Be prepared with shade options if it's hot and area heaters if it's cold. Your guests are not going to have a good time if they are uncomfortable.
How upset would you be if you were about to walk down the aisle and there were guys playing football and laying out all around your wedding site? My clients were surprisingly cool about it, but I have a feeling most couples would be disappointed. Please share this with anybody you know who is considering a beach wedding, and help them avoid some unwanted tears on their wedding day!