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Have NO Idea where to START

matt&priscillamatt&priscilla
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in Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions
Hello,

Thank you for reading, so here goes: Im thirty and i gave up getting married long ago and never thought it would happen. And here I am, met the love of my life and best friend, So he propsed!!!!! Ok so my parents were never married so my mom wants to help but doesnt I arunderstand wedding, where to start and so forth. I cant decide on colors, who I want as bMS, dresses, etc.  All I know is that I would love a beach wedding.  We are both huge beac ylovers, and thats it... Has anyone attended a beach wedding and give me some advice input ideas anything will help. 

Thanks
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Re: Have NO Idea where to START

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    DramaGeekDramaGeek member
    5 Love Its First Comment
    First and foremost, set a budget. That will determine your guest list, the type of reception you have, etc. Then, start with a basic guest list. Get an idea of how many people you'd like to invite. For planning purposes only, divide your guest list into three parts - Must have, want to have, and the if there's room/money left over, we'll invite them list. Once you've got that, start looking for venues. You'll need a venue large enough at least for your must have list. Only you an your fi can decide how important the guests on the other two lists are and how hard you want to work to include everyone. Once you've found a venue, set a date and start looking at reception ideas. How much you have to spend per person will determine what time of day your ceremony should be and the type of reception you can have. If you can't afford a full meal, that's ok. Have your ceremony at a non meal time and then feed your guests appetizers or even just cake and punch. Does that help?
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    HobokensFuryHobokensFury member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Name Dropper
    You gave up on getting married at 30!?

    Anyway start with a budget and tentative guest list.
     
      Image and video hosting by TinyPic Lilypie First Birthday tickers
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    itzMSitzMS member
    First Answer First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment

    I agree with the previous posters, but I would also add that searching for an officiant should be at the top of your list along with setting the budget & guest headcount. 

    Your officiant can make or break the ceremony (depending, of course, on how personal and/or religious you'd like it to be). Also, keep in mind if you do practice a religion that some do not allow marriages anywhere but in a church. All things to research & consider!

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    OliveOilsMomOliveOilsMom member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Drama gave great advice.  It is a great place to start.  I would just add that once you find the venue and realize how many people can attend from your three lists, those people will be the ones who receive invitations.  Do not B List your guests, it is rude to do.  If you save money and can invite more people at the time invitations can go out, this is perfectly fine.  But don't send out a 2nd round of invites after you have received some declines.
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    MrsGandthebeagMrsGandthebeag member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment First Anniversary
    I had a beach wedding, well our ceremony was on the beach.  I called the town and asked to have my ceremony there.  I had to write a request and then was all set.  It was free.  I got a JOP to marry us there, pretty inexpensive, around $200.  We had chair rentals which was the only other beach related cost.  Then our reception was at a restaurant about 5 min down the road.  I'm not sure by your post if you wanted the whole thing on the beach or just the ceremony.  
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    cwaggoner07cwaggoner07 member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    If you have a general idea of where you want to get married, like staying in Northern California, I would ask the girls on your Local Wedding Board if any of them were married on a nearby beach or any suggestions they can offer.
    They will also help find vendors that fit your budget. I got SO many of my vendors from the Dallas board, and they were all fantastic.
    It was a fairytale. Image and video hosting by TinyPic Anniversary
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    daizedoodaizedoo member
    First Comment
    I'm also newly engaged and in Northern California, and have no idea where to start. I know that once i do start, it will only get worse and more involved lol. Thanks to the above posters for the great tips!
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its First Comment
    Make sure if you plan a beach/outdoor wedding you have a rain back up plan.

    Good luck & have fun with the planning. Using the checklist available here on the knot really helped me with my planning process.
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    jill6972jill6972
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    I saw a beach wedding while I was on vacation this summer.  The groomsmen looked so comfortable in white casual shirts and khakis.  The bridesmaids looked cute in their short blue strapless gowns.  They had a lot of problems navigating through the sand in nice shoes. The older guest lloke uncomfortable navigating through the sand also.   Then, people were playing on the beach so that disrupted their pictures.  I saw the photographer turn the couple around so that they woudln't have random people in their photos.  Instead, the ended up with buildings in their background.  I think this may have been avoided had the wedding occured before 12 noon.

    The ceremony only lasted about 20 minutes.
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    naja2183naja2183 member
    First Comment
    I went to a wedding this year on St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands- it was amazing and there were tons of inexpensive beaches to have the ceremony, as well as resorts to have the reception. Just an idea!
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