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I recently stayed at a gorgeous resort in Bohol where my friend and I saw a beach wedding. Personally, I’m more of a church wedding kind of gal but some do prefer a beach wedding. Imagine this. Standing on the beach at sunset. The sky, a palette of oranges, reds and purples and the night sky creeping over the horizon. You’re standing under an archway of florals and leaves, and the person you love the most is standing opposite you in their finest clothing. Your dress catches in the breeze and floats around your ankles and you have music floating over the congregation with the sound of lapping waves in the background. Doesn’t it sound dreamy?

A beach wedding – it’s the ultimate in luxury and love right in front of you. If you have visions and dreams of booking a celebrant for a beach ceremony, you should be making your plans as early as possible. Planning a wedding on a beach is not as straightforward as a church or a hotel. There’s so much more to consider so planning should be done early! Getting married soon?

Here are five things that you shouldn’t forget when it comes to planning a beach wedding:

1. Permission

Did you know that you can’t just walk down onto the beach and get married? Some beaches, like the one my friend and I stayed at, are privately owned and so you need to secure a permit to get married there. Public beaches may also need some input from local councils, especially if you plan to have confetti or release birds. Don’t forget this one because you want your wedding ceremony to be perfect – it would suck to have it shut down just as you set up. 

2. The celebrant.

Now this is definitely a very important item to plan for your dream beach wedding. After all, the very point is to be joined as one legally with the one you love right? So think about this: are you having a priest or a celebrant to conduct the wedding? Then make sure to book someone to officiate the ceremony. It’s so much more than the right chairs and archways; you need someone who can do the vows properly and sign your wedding certificate with you!

3. Catering.

The wedding ceremony may be on the beach but chances are your reception won’t be so you need to make sure that you look beyond the beach and book a venue for the food and cake to sit away from the ocean front. After all, you wouldn’t want a strong gust of wind toppling off that gorgeous wedding cake! Luckily, there are plenty of venues with a private beach. They can hold the ceremony for you and ensure that you have a good set up afterwards for everyone to dance and have fun. 

4. Accessibility.

Beach weddings are destination weddings which means figuring out how your invitees are going to get there. If anyone in your family finds it difficult to move across sand, make a point of putting a pathway from the main road to the ceremony area so that wheelchairs and prams can get there. You want anyone who is any kind of infirm to be able to maneuver so make sure that you have a handrail, too.

5. Check the weather.

Lastly, don’t forget to check the weather properly. You need to make sure that the tide won’t come in while you’re saying your vows and you might need a gazebo set up for the weather – in case of harsh sunshine or rain!

With some careful planning, you’ll definitely be able to have the beach wedding of your dreams!