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How large is "too large" for a beach wedding?

flash8785flash8785 member
Sixth Anniversary 10 Comments
in Hawaii
I'm doing my wedding reception at a restaurant on Kauai, but we're still up in the air about where to do the ceremony.  Ideally, I'd love to do a beach wedding, but I have a few concerns.  First of all, I've heard chairs aren't allowed.  We're expecting 75 people.  I'm worried that it would be too many people standing for our ceremony.  Any other thoughts on this?

Secondly, I wasn't sure if doing a ceremony on the beach would feel less private.  Did any other brides have issues with people staring or walking behind the ceremony?

We can always do the ceremony in the gardens at the restaurant where we're getting married, but I have my heart set on an ocean-front location.  Any suggestions?
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Re: How large is "too large" for a beach wedding?

  • breanessbreaness member
    Fifth Anniversary 1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I'd say anything over 20 calls for a private location where you can have seats.

    There are lots of private locations with ocean front options, though not on the beach.
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  • Tanq&TonicTanq&Tonic
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    I agree with Brea. In addition to seats, you'll also probably want a sound system so all of your guests can hear your vows.  Definitely consider an ocean front estate or park where you can have seats, but still be right on the water.

    I don't think any brides on this board have posted about beach onlookers lately, but I know it was a definite consideration for us when choosing our venue and we nixed a few properties because of their exposed nature.
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  • carrieoz_76carrieoz_76 member
    2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    We had 29 guests at our beach wedding, and it was fantastic - I wouldn't have done it any other way.  Having said that, I think 75 is probably too many for that location.  With that many people you're sure to have a few who can't stand/walk for that long (we didn't).

    Also, be aware that no matter how big your outdoor ceremony, if you don't use sound amplification (which is near to impossible to do on a public beach) many people won't be able to hear.  We spoke pretty loud (or so we thought), and lots of people couldn't hear parts of the ceremony.  This isn't just a Hawaii thing - the same has happened to me as a guest at many outdoor weddings back home.  This wasn't something that I bothered worrying about, but it's something to think about.

    As for feeling private, I think that depends on the beach.  If the beach you select is a pretty popular one, you're likely to have some bystanders, or at least people walking by.  We chose a very small beach and only had a couple people we didn't know swimming out in the oceacn, but we had the beach to ourselves.  It was perfect.
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  • flash8785flash8785 member
    Sixth Anniversary 10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for your tips, ladies!  We're definately going to use a sound system.
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