7 Pro tips on how to plan a beach wedding
Sri Lanka has recently become quite popular as a venue for destination weddings. Sri Lanka is an ideal location to make your dream come true and have a beach wedding. Weddings, in general, are quite stressful to plan and execute as there are many tiny details that need attention but might completely slip your mind. Planning a beach wedding in Sri Lanka might seem too big to handle right now, but we are here to help you out and reduce some of that stress you may be feeling! Here are 7 tips on how to plan a perfect beach wedding.
1. Pay attention to your location
Not to state the obvious, but the location of your dream wedding is quite important and affects all the other details. Hikkaduwa has some of the top wedding venues in Sri Lanka as they have luxurious hotels serving high quality food and a clean wide beach. But since you may have not been to all the possible beach hotels in Sri Lanka, spend some time talking to people and researching on your various options. Do not rush your decision. Pay close attention to the setting, the view and the various amenities that will be provided by the hotel to find out if it suits your liking.
2. Inform guests about the venue
Before you jump into any conclusions about how obvious this might seem, hear us out. Yes, informing guests about the date and venue is obvious, but for a beach wedding, especially if it requires your guests to make travel arrangements, inform them well ahead. Some people may need prior notice to arrange their trip to your wedding which will help you finalize the wedding list as well. Secondly, it is vital that you mention it is an outdoor beach wedding so that guests will attend in suitable and comfortable attire. The last thing you would want is for guests to be unhappy because their heels are stuck in the sand or their brand new suit has got spoilt by the salty air.
3. Choose the time of day
Just like any other wedding pick whether you would want to get married in the morning or evening, but choose it well ahead. Unlike an indoor wedding, the lighting at a beach wedding can be quite unpredictable. Therefore it is important to decide on the time of day and inform the photographer so they can be well prepared with the necessary equipment. Additionally, the make-up, suit and even menu would depend highly on the time of day. So the sooner you decide on it, the sooner you can get started on the other details.
4. Consider a backup
Unfortunately, no matter how meticulously you plan, everything is not in your control. Especially the weather. In case the weather on the day is not favorable for an outdoor wedding have a backup ready close to your beach location. You can even consider setting up decorated tents and marquees to fight the weather. But let’s hope and pray that on your wedding day the sky would be clear and the weather would be perfect.
5. Make-up check
Make-up is quite a crucial component in the bride and the bridal party’s attire. And even though it can generally be quite tricky, outside weddings make it even more challenging. It is important that your hair and makeup will sustain the outdoor winds. It might be even worth it to have a few trial runs to see how long it may last outdoors.
6. Plan a menu accordingly
Beach weddings have an atmosphere of fun, dancing and drinking. The key to ensuring food and money is not wasted is to serve a light meal. Depending on the seating arrangement you may even consider serving finger food. Guests don’t usually expect a huge buffet at a beach wedding and most guests may not even be interested in it as they may be eyeing the dance floor. So cut down on the food, but don’t forget to spend on the drinks.
7. End with a bang
In the mad rush of planning and ensuring everything is perfect, don’t forget this is you and your loved one’s special day! The wedding may be planned to the very last detail, but don’t forget to make it more special for the two of you. Take advantage of the location and plan a memorable ending to your wedding. Most hotels offer a boat ride for the newlyweds and this getaway might be the perfect end to your perfect day.