Beach Wedding Ideas

Whether you're planning a wedding on the beach or just want to celebrate with a beach theme, these beach wedding ideas are guaranteed to make a splash!

Invitations

Put everyone in the right frame of mind with these ideas for beach wedding invitations!

Beach Basics

For a simple beach-themed invitation, consider the style of the sweet seashells design. To make your own, layer a smaller piece of cardstock over a bigger one to make the border.

Accent the text with beach themed stamps like the shells and starfish you see in the invitation above.

Island Gateway

For a tropical tryst of your own, simply print your invitations on patterned cardstock.

Tropical Influence

If you're feeling artistic, you can easily add wispy palm leaves to plain cardstock as you see in the Palm Beach design.

Decorations

You'll need something to go along with the sun and sand, so consider these ideas for a beach wedding!

Beach Photo Display

Why not opt for a place setting that guests can use again and again? Tuck a name or photo into these summer glass photo coasters to seat guests for the reception, and then send them home as truly unique wedding favors!

If you have a few extras, add photos of the bride and groom throughout their relationship – from the early years through the engagement photos – for a display everyone will enjoy. Here is the guide of how to shoot spectacular beach wedding photos.

Set The Scene

If your wedding won't actually take place on the beach, ask guests to bring in their favorite beach photos to create a big display of seaside vistas from around the world. This idea will be a fabulous conversation starter and is perfect for getting guests in the beach party mood!

For The Birds

No beach is complete without a few shorebirds! Paper birds are both elegant and whimsical, so treat your bridesmaids to a class in origami or look up the directions to create these stunning paper creations on your own. With just a bit of air current, these exquisite birds will offer a realistic display!

Barefoot In The Sand

If you can't make it to the beach, why not bring the beach to your wedding? Tempt guests into taking off their shoes and kicking up their heels by creating a sand dance floor. Simply lay down a large tarp, craft a frame from wood, and spread the area with clean fill sand. It's delightfully easy for an outdoor wedding, no matter how far you are from the ocean!

Food

No matter what your food plans are, you're sure to have a place for these beach wedding ideas among them!

Shell-themed hors d'oeuvres: With a tiny seashell topping each one, you'll find so many uses for these beach themed toothpicks!

Not just cupcakes: You can certainly serve cupcakes in these single-serve wrappers, but the seashell and palm tree designs are perfect for so many more of your beach wedding ideas! Serve finger foods, nuts, mints, and anything else you can think of in these beautiful theme designs!

Cookie cutter perfection: Whether you're serving melons, sandwiches, or offering a meat and cheese tray, nearly everything can be creatively matched to your beach wedding theme. Simply use shell, starfish, or palm tree cookie cutters to shape your food any way you'd like!

Wedding Favors

Try these ideas for beach wedding party favors straight from the tropics!

Cheap Beach Wedding Favors: Give guests floating flip flop candles as a more affordable option than flying them all to the beach for the real wedding.

Personalized Sunscreen: This gift can be as unique as you are! Choose from several designs and your choice of text to make your personalized sunscreen an unforgettable memento of your big day.

Seashell Candles: Candles will make beautiful additions to your decorations, and guests will be delighted to bring these lovely seashell beach candle holders home as party favors after the event. Made with real sand, starfish, and shells, there's no better way to create the feel of the beach than with these fantastic favors!

Unique Favor Holders: Whether you're giving away mints or chocolates, try presenting them in these amazing shell favor holders. You can make anything look simply delectable when you present it in an actual shell, which is beautifully iridescent to lend a magical touch to your event.

Thank You Notes

Don't let guests get away without sharing your sincerest thanks for their part in your big day. Here are a few beach wedding ideas for your thank you cards.

• Match the invitations: use the same technique you used to create the invitations for the thank you notes for a lovely coordinating card.
• Take pictures: if possible, take a photo with each of your guests during the reception to include with your thank you notes. For larger weddings, set out a few beach wedding cameras and send out a copy of the best photo of each guest with your cards.

• Candid memories: every wedding has its mishaps, and they can make the best memories. Send your funniest photos out with a note to each guest explaining what happened. This is a particularly nice gesture for the folks who sent gifts but couldn't make it to the ceremony or reception.

With all of these ideas for a beach wedding, you're ready to relax and prepare for the big day!