A beach wedding is an ideal way to enjoy a fun , easy & stress free wedding. Most beaches are blessed with stunning natural beauty that result in fantastic wedding pictures. A destination wedding at the beach is a great opportunity for your friends and family to enjoy a mini vacation during your wedding week. A destination wedding may reduce your list guest. Not only will this minimize overhead, most guests who decline will still send gifts! Many couples who tie the knot on the sand conveniently combine the wedding and the honeymoon. This is a wonderful cost saving option that may free up some money to put a down payment on a house or pay off some student loans.
Ocean City Beach Weddings
Ocean City Beach Wedding Tips and Info
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Save money with an Ocean City Beach Wedding!
Speaking of saving money- can you guess the average price of a wedding in the metro areas of Baltimore, Philadelphia & Washington DC? In 2010 it was over $32,000. Recent unpredictability in the economy has prompted the modern bride to be as resourceful as possible to keep her dream wedding on budget. The beauty of the beach is that it is an inexpensive venue. Ocean City, MD is a free public beach. The wedding friendly local government has made this family resort one of the most popular destinations on the east coast to say “I do”. Beaches in Delaware and Virginia impose small beach permit and parking fees. These fees are minimal compared to what you would pay by the hour in the city for your ceremony venue. The pictures and video from a perfect day at the beach are priceless.
What time should I have my Ocean City Beach Wedding?
During the summer months the best time for your beach wedding pictures is sunrise or sunset. The skyline is spectacular at those times and there are usually less spectators on the sand. From 10 am until 5 pm the beaches can get pretty crowded. It can also be ridiculously hot in the middle of the day. Even a nice ocean breeze won’t keep you dry during a 3 pm August ceremony. Try to wait until the lifeguards vacate the beach. Families and children will usually follow soon after. After 5:30 pm, the beach is pretty sparse- a few surfers, a couple playing Frisbee and an old man with a metal detector. Early morning is the best time for exclusivity. A sunrise beach wedding is as romantic as it gets!
What time of year should I have my Ocean City Beach Wedding?
The beach season is traditionally from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Once the kids are back in school, the beach traffic is sparse during the week. Weekends stay very busy in the autumn shoulder months of September and October. There are usually special events during the weekends which increase traffic and occupancy. The weather is ideal in the fall. The past few Octobers have blessed us with temperatures in the low 80s here in Ocean City. Late April and May offer ideal temperatures and smaller weekend crowds than the summer. If it is scheduled to rain on your day, contact your officiant a few days before to make the necessary changes. Sometimes we move the ceremony a few hours up or back to avoid the storm. If it’s a warm, light rain it may not be an issue- most beach ceremonies only last about 10 minutes. In a worst case scenario, you can always have the ceremony under cover where you are staying. I’ve never had one bride who came to the beach to get married leave without tying the not due to weather. Relax- spot of rain is nothing to lose sleep over.
Ocean City Offseason Weddings
An offseason beach wedding has plenty of perks. Hotel rates drop significantly in the winter. The top venues have more availability. Parking is plentiful and traffic is minmal from New Year’s until St. Patrick’s Day. If you have a winter beach wedding, schedule it between 12-3 pm to get the most warmth from the sun.
Ocean City Bay or Beach Wedding?
Beach vs. Bay
Many of the best reception spots are on the bay. After your beach wedding, you may consider having your after party on the bayside. This is a great way to add diversity to your photography portfolio. The bayside offers majestic sunsets that ease into the tranquil waters. There is also a diversity of marshbirds that inhabit these lush coastal waters. You may be able to borrow a boat or jet ski for some of your pictures- people usually love to help the wedding party!
Ocean City Beach Wedding Decorations
Once you choose your ceremony spot, it’s time to think about your decorations. In a perfect world, your friends and family will have the time and resources to help you create a theme and haul the supplies down to the beach with them. Then they’ll set everything up perfectly prior to the ceremony and pack everything up and cart it away after your “I dos”. The modern bride on the go doesn’t always have that luxury. Renting may be the practical part of the equation. Unless you have access to a flatbed truck, I would let the professionals worry about the archway,tables, chairs, runners, palm trees, columns, tiki torches and music.
These can take quite awhile to set-up and break down. Exert your creative influence on the ceremony with decorative ribbons, flowers and shells that match your color scheme (and fit easily in your trunk).
These can take quite awhile to set-up and break down. Exert your creative influence on the ceremony with decorative ribbons, flowers and shells that match your color scheme (and fit easily in your trunk).
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