For those couples who prefer to have a private, intimate and classically simple wedding or a couple who doesn’t have much time to invest in planning a wedding a beach wedding could be the perfect solution.
Whether you live near a beach in Europe or the States or in the UK where beach ceremonies aren’t yet legal, a beach ceremony could be the just what you dreamed of. If your lucky to live near a beach outside of the UK, or your hoping to fly out to a sunny retreat you’ve got various options for example an exotic island such as Hawaii or a romantic secluded bay on a greek island. 

However as idyllic as a beach wedding sounds, before you set your heart on it, make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into.
Beach weddings are usually cheaper than the traditional white wedding but this does depend on whether you’ve invited lots of family and friends and offered to pay for them all.

Sometimes guests will be unclear whether you’re paying for their travel and accommodation or whether you’re expecting them to pay for it, it’s important you make this extremely clear to your guests as this could be a source of friction and bad feeling.

If your guests are paying for themselves, try to be helpful by suggesting inexpensive flights, decent hotels and transport.  Send them information about the destination so they can treat it like a proper holiday. Because people will need to take time off work, make sure they enough notice to organise the time off so send out beach themed save the date cards a year before your wedding.  Follow these up with wedding invitations 2 months before your wedding.
Beach weddings aren’t just usually less expensive, but they tend to be more informal too, you have less demands placed on you and there’s a more causal and relaxed feel to the day.

There are things you need to consider when planning a beach wedding that won’t have even crossed your mind if you were having a wedding in the UK such as the wind and the tide.  If you know your destination is great for surfing then you might want to ask your wedding planner to find a sheltered area for the ceremony.

Just because you’re planning on getting married on a gorgeous warm beach somewhere doesn’t mean that it won’t rain, so be prepared just in case. You can rent a canopy and decorate it for the evening, for when the sun goes down and the temperature’s a little cooler. That way if it pours down there’s somewhere else where the ceremony can take place.

Each county has different obligations that need to be fulfilled in order for your marriage to be deemed legal, double check everything with your wedding organiser and another independent source.