Beach Wedding Checklist
Unless you’re getting married at an ocean-front venue or privately owned beach property, there are a ton of planning details to consider for having your wedding on a public beach.
A beach wedding comes with its own set of unique challenges, so we’ve created an ultimate checklist to make planning your beach wedding seamless.
Beach Wedding Permit:
Not all public beaches require permits to have a wedding, but if you want to reserve a spot or have a large guest count a permit is usually a requirement. Before you get your heart set on a certain beach spot, ask these questions…
- Does the beach require a permit to hold a wedding? Some beaches are on a first-come, first-serve basis, while others require permitting.
- What is the structure of the permit fee? Is it on an hourly basis? Daily? Flat rate?
- What’s the cost of the permit? Some permits have nonrefundable fees, such as an application to acquire the permit.
- How big of an area does the permit reserve? If any at all, sometimes the permit doesn’t necessarily reserve you a certain amount of space.
- How far in advance do you need to submit for a permit? Oftentimes, public beaches won’t allow you to submit for a permit too far in advance – this is something to note when planning for public spaces.
- Liability Insurance? Is this a requirement for the couple to possess or is it included in your permit.
Tip: If all this permit talk is making your head spin, consider county resources and lean on them. A majority of the time, county parks department can be a note-worthy resource.
Beach Ceremony Logistics:
No one wants a random person photo-bombing their wedding day photos, which is a likely occurrence on a public beach. Research public events in the area on the day you’re considering your wedding (you wouldn’t want to be in the presence of a beach cleanup in your white dress.)
- Can rental companies and delivery trucks access nearby territories? This is something your rental companies will want to plan for when they’re figuring out the logistics of your wedding.
- Are there public restrooms nearby?
- Is the ceremony site handicap accessible? If not, is there a way to make it handicap accessible, such as rolling out some sort of walkway for guests to get to the beach location.
- How early can we set up? Say you have a reserved ceremony time, how early can you set up for your wedding and can certain areas be marked off, so the public is avoidant of them.
Weather Planning:
From the beach tides to the average weather report in the area for that time of year. You will want to plan accordingly for your beach wedding.
- What’s the forecast? California’s coast is known for its seemingly good weather year-round. On the off chance that rain is predicted, you will need a solid plan B.
- How crowded will the beach be? Depending on the time of year, day of the week and time of the day, public beaches can be super busy. Consider this when choosing a beach location, sometimes you can find a hidden gem of a location that isn’t crowded.
- When is high and low tide? There would be nothing worse than a rising tide during your ceremony. Definitely check the tide forecasters to avoid this.
Prep Your Guests:
The key to prepping your guests is finding creative ways to tell your guests what appropriate attire is and what they can expect for your public peach wedding.
- Attire – let your guests know what appropriate attire for your beach wedding (for example, heels and sand won’t mix.)
- Highlight key information on your wedding website
- Pick save-the-dates and invitations that set the tone for your wedding – include key details on these.
- Make your wedding favors fun – a beach ceremony is the perfect situation to create a few fun favors with your wedding details. Sunglasses, fans, mini sunscreens. Anything to make your guests a little more comfortable during your beach ceremony.
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Image Provided by Photographer: JoJo Legnitto
