ceremony aisle

Flimsy aisle runners (the kind you buy at the craft store or get through a florist) do not work well at a beach ceremony. Even if you weigh them down, they inevitably start blowing around with the slightest breeze from the water. One of the first things I do when I'm showing a bride-to-be our oceanfront ceremony location is discourage her from even considering one of these runners. Instead, define the aisle by lining it with large seashells or decorating the inside chairs like we did in the photo shown here. Hanging these flower balls was easy, and not only did they add charm to an already charming setting, but they added color and coordinated with the flowers on the wedding arch, in the bride's bouquet, and in the centerpieces at the reception. Sweet and simple.

beach wedding photography

This time of year I get a ton of requests for information from couples who recently got engaged over the holidays. Not only do they want to know about the availability for a beach wedding where I happen to work, but they also want suggestions on things like beach wedding photography. I'm married to a commercial photographer who also happens to shoot weddings. In addition, I was a photographers' agent in NYC for 10 years before moving to the coast of South Carolina, going to culinary school, and getting into the wedding business. Photography is obviously one of our specialties!

I asked my husband to offer his single most important piece of advice for being photographed on a sunny beach. He thought a while and gave a simple suggestion: If the sun must be shining in your eyes for whatever reason (this happens sometimes if you're insisting on a particular background - like the ocean! - and the positioning can't be avoided), right before the photographer is going to click the shutter, look down at the sand for a few seconds, keep your eyes open, and then look up at the camera for the shot. The photographer needs to know you're doing this so that she/he can take the photo immediately while your eyes are still wide and not yet squinting again. By looking down at the sand, your eyes will get acclimated to the reduction in sunlight, and they will open more. Pick up your head toward the sun for the shot, and there's a short timeframe for your photographer to capture your eyes open. Often, photographers will tell you to close your eyes and then open them for the shot. Bad idea. You'll over-compensate when you open, and the result is the deer-in-the-headlights look. Attractive! Feel free to take a look at Chris' wedding site at www.cmrweddings.com to see some beach shots. All the beach weddings you'll see took place on our island.

wedding arch

This is one of the best interpretations of a wedding arch that I've ever seen. Two trees (wish I had asked the florist the name! lesson learned) are simply tied together at the top, creating a beautiful, organic focal point for this ceremony on our oceanfront deck. The base/roots are covered, thankfully, otherwise it wouldn't work as well.

What a great idea. Just think about it, after the wedding, the couple could take the trees home, plant them, and enjoy them in their yard for years. Perfect re-purposing!

wedding dresses

I just got off a phone call with a bride I'm working with who's having a tough time finding a great wedding dress for the beach. I've posted this photo of a wedding we had this summer. This wedding dress is one of the best I've ever seen for the atmosphere and the beach environment. It's simple, sophisticated, and basically, beachy. One of the things to keep in mind when shopping for a beach wedding dress is to not overdress for the location. Giant, satin ballgowns are perfect for cathedral weddings, but they look out of place on the beach. Not to mention, beaches are sandy and often hot and humid, so consider the weight of the dress, as well. The last thing you want is to look out of place at your own wedding. And believe me, it happens.

Ruth, thanks for sending me this photo. I can't remember who desinged your dress or where you got it, but if you're out there and want to pipe in, that'd be great. I will say that J.Crew has awesome beach wedding dresses. They're extremely well-priced, too. Also, the wrong wedding dress isn't the only thing that can look out of place at a beach wedding. The groom's attire can be totally wrong, as well. The groom in this photo, however, looks perfect for the occasion and location. Personally, tuxes can be a little heavy and a little overdressed. This suit is the perfect color and degree of formality for this bride's dress. They look great. And they were really nice to work with!!

starfish placecard favors

One of the best things about having a wedding on the ocean/beach is that you have all the reason in the world to incorporate starfish. Who doesn't love starfish? In this photo, starfish were used not only as favors that guests to take home with them, but they served a second purpose, as placecards for guest seating at the reception. This is a super-easy thing to do yourself. Buy the starfish (great website is www.seashells.com), print the guest name and corresponding table number on a card, and attach the card to starfish using a thin ribbon that coordinates with the rest of the the colors of the day. I've also used natural raffia for a very organic feel. Colored raffia works well, too.

The tray in this photo is actually a clear, plastic picture frame. Turn it over, and it's a tray. The sand is a key element here, and you have to get it right or the whole project will be a disaster. In my opinion, craft sand works really well. You can buy it at craft stores like Michael's. What you shouldn't try is sandbox sand that you buy at Home Depot. It's moist, heavy, and it clumps. You may assume that you can just use sand from the beach, but I wouldn't. You'd be surprised how dirty beach sand is when you bring it inside!! Another key, buying enough of the craft sand. You'd be surprised how much sand it takes to fill a tray deep enough so that the starfish can be propped up in it. If you're not using a wedding designer/planner/coordinator and you're doing this all yourself, remember to alphabetize the placecards by last name. You'd be surprised how many brides forget to do this. Without alphabetizing, there's no rhyme or reason to the display, and your guests will have a hard time finding their name and moving out of the way for other guests to find theirs! This will result in a bottleneck at the entrance to the reception (escort table).

Well, I've done it. I've been contemplating doing a blog for some time now, and a conversation with old friends, who, thankfully, were enthusiastic about my idea and know me well enough to know when I need a push, has resulted in this first post. Also helpful is my associate, Michelle, who is techno savvy enough to walk me through a process that wasn't difficult at all!!!!

I work at an oceanfront club on the South Carolina coast, and have "produced," for lack of a better word, over 100 weddings at this oceanfront venue in the past 3 years. Some ceremonies we do on a deck/boardwalk/pool area and the others are directly on the sand. Most often they are at sunset. Typically we have the cocktail hour outside with dinner/reception inside our clubhouse. Each wedding is different, of course, but with this many in my pocket, I know a thing or two about weddings on water.

I'll get into the other aspects of my background in later posts, but anybody out there has any questions about weddings, especially if outdoors, I'm happy to answer. I hate to sound like a sap, but weddings are awesome. The planning process can be confusing, draining, exciting, etc, and every girl wants to do things her way to be most reflective of her style and vision, but the best advice you can get is listen to other people's mistakes so that you don't make them your own!