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Beach House Wedding Help!

katechadkatechad
in Wedding Reception Forum
We would like to have a casual beach house wedding and reception in the summer.  We are willing to do it anywhere on the east coast from Maine to Florida.  Has anyone planned a beach house wedding and have suggestions?  I'm stressing out over finding the perfect place that won't break the bank.
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Re: Beach House Wedding Help!

  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    We got married at a beach in New Jersey.   While the actual wedding was not at the rental, we did have our RD at the rental house.

    Things we noticed was:

    Very few owners allowed parties at all.  At least in NJ and DE options were very limited.  Not impossible, you just have to look a little harder to find ones that do.  We had to pay an additional $500 just to have our RD (100+people).

    Read the contract and then read it again  Some towns have noise ordinances.  So you can't have outside parties past a certain time.   Are you allowed to move furniture?   Are you allowed a tent?     These are things you have to ask and not assume.

    Nearly all the  rentals were from Saturday-to-Saturday or Sunday-to-Sunday.  With check-ins being in the afternoon and check-outs being at 10am.  That makes it harder to plan.  We had our wedding the weekend after labor day and were able to talk the owners into letting us rent from Wednesday-to-Monday, but had to pay more money since it went over two different weeks.    If we wanted to get married during peak time I don't think we would been able to negotiate.  

    .We had to leave the place in the same condition we found it and pay for any damage (completely reasonable).   There is more oportunity for damage at a house party than at your standard venue.  Drinks spill, food drops, it happens.    We had a screen door open so people could walk out to the deck.  I'm sure out of habit someone closed the door, but a guy who just walked out didn't know that and turned round and walked right through the screen.  Ooops.    It was an easy fix for my dad, however it could have been costly.     Someone else spilled a drink on the sofa.   Luckily it was only vodka and soda, but it could have easily been red wine. 


    Good luck finding a place.  Ask a ton of questions and do not lie about wanting a wedding there.  Neighbors talk to each other.







    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
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  • OBX2011OBX2011 member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited March 2013
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_beach-house-wedding-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:1657494c-4620-4279-9df8-2d50841db463Post:49aed466-5115-4ba5-82e2-414515305939">Beach House Wedding Help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]We would like to have a casual beach house wedding and reception in the summer.  We are willing to do it anywhere on the east coast from Maine to Florida.  Has anyone planned a beach house wedding and have suggestions?  I'm stressing out over finding the perfect place that won't break the bank.
    Posted by katechad[/QUOTE]



    You're from North Carolina.....what about The Outer Banks?? It would definitely save money as far as travel is concerned. I'm the Mod for the NC-OBX board and there are a lot of weddings that have a beachfront ceremony with the reception at the beach house, they are considered event homes and cater to large parties & weddings.

     

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its First Comment

    Other things to consider when planning outdoor wedding, # of bathrooms versus guests & parking. If you invite 50 people, which isn't much, you still need to plan for at least 30+ cars. Also if ceremony is outside on beach, will you need a permit & what is rain back up plan. Also make sure to take hurricane season into mind when picking date.

    We're not trying to discourage a beach wedding, but there are a lot of logistics to take into consideration when planning an out of town beach wedding.

    I've seen a couple of times knotties recommend contacting rental home agencies & let them know what you are looking for & they will know exactley what homes they have available that will fit your needs.

    I would also consider comparing the costs of beach house wedding compared to a beach front hotel that has a party room available. Pro to a beach front hotel, you don't have to deal with clean up, preparation, parking, kicking people out at end of night, etc. And everyone can just book a room there & they can probably help with everything for planning a beach front ceremony (along with rain back up plan). Which in the end means a lot less stress for you too because you just tell them what you want & they do all the labor.

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