BEACH WEDDING CEREMONIES THAT ARE PERFECT FOR YOU

If you are looking into beach wedding ceremonies, you've chosen a wonderfully unique way to 'tie the knot' - congratulations!

On the other hand, you have lots of decisions to make, too. Beach wedding ceremonies can be held at sunrise, in the middle of the day, or at sunset. The time of day you choose may be for practical reasons - taking into account travel time for your guests, for example. You may want to pick the time of day based on a theme, too. And finally, you might have an opinion about beach wedding ceremonies being more romantic at certain times of the day - sunset, for example, is a popular choice for beach wedding ceremonies. As a couple, you'll need to decide what time of day you want to be married before you plan anything else!

Do you know what you should say? Do you know what you should NOT say? Are you afraid you'll end up embarrassing yourself... or worse yet, the bride and/or groom? That could very easily happen! Below are a few ideas on how not to embarrass yourself:

Wedding Toast: Best Man Toast to Bride

I rise to offer a toast to the Bride. May this day be the beginning of a new chapter in a love story that will endure forever, and bring joy and happiness to her and her new husband.
May she always remember and honor the vows she made today and let them be the strong foundation on which their life together will be built.

Wedding Toast: Best Man Toast to Groom

Here is to my friend. Today I had the honor to stand beside him on this most important day, as he has so often stood by me in good times and bad. I wish him and his lovely bride nothing but happiness, prosperity, and good health for as long as they shall live.

Wedding Toast: Best Man Toast to the Bridesmaid

Let us lift our glasses and salute our beautiful bridesmaids. They were like flowers as they surrounded the Bride today. It was truly beauty surrounding beauty. I salute the love and affection between them and the Bride and I am curious as to if any of them have any plans for next weekend? To the Bridesmaids! Cheers!

Wedding Toast: Maid of Honor Toast to Bride

(Bride), we have shared so much our lives with each other. I am so honored to be sharing this day with you. Starting today, you will begin to share a life with (groom), but remember that I will always be here for you and always ready to stand up by your side. Here’s to our everlasting friendship!

Wedding Toast: Maid of Honor Toast to Couple

It can be hard to share your best friend with someone else, but I have been thrilled to share (Bride) with (Groom.) The love you show to each other is inspiring and beautiful and I look forward to seeing it continue to grow. I am honored to be able to raise a toast to my wonderful best friend and her new husband. To (Bride) and (Groom)!

Wedding Toast: Maid of Honor Toast to Groom

To (Groom), who through his love has shown me a different side of (Bride.) He has made her happier than I have ever seen her, and I can’t wait to witness how your love continues to help her grow. I am so happy that she has you in her life. To (Groom)!

Your beach wedding readings can be light-hearted or deeply moving. Make your wedding ceremony special to you in any way you can. After all, this is what the wedding is all about!

If you would like your ceremony to reflect your beach theme with a ocean or sea theme wedding verse, then look no further. Below are a few beautiful beach wedding readings, lyrics and poems that mention the sea or the tides - perfect for beach wedding ceremonies:

From "Gift From The Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity - in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.

The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. Relationships must be like islands, one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits - islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides.

This is a beautiful and truly spiritual beach wedding reading that is very popular:

An excerpt from "The Prophet" by Khalil Gabran

You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of heavens dance between you.

Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.

Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

The beaches of North Carolina are some of the most beautiful in the world. With some of last remaining pristine beaches, untouched by development and protected by the National Park Services, you can't select a more memorable location to get married. The good news is, it can be done for next to nothing with some facilities costing under two hundred dollars.
The Legal Lowdown

In North Carolina, court-appointed magistrates perform wedding services. A magistrate's fee for performing a ceremony is $10. You must obtain a marriage license, which are issued by the registrar of deeds in any county. Both applicants must have a photo ID and proof of Social Security Number. If you've been divorced, you have to show proof of that too. The license will cost $50 and is valid for up to 60 days. There is no physical, blood test or waiting period required.
The Best Beaches for Affordable Weddings

A good percentage of the beaches in the Outer Banks of North Carolina are controlled and maintained by the National Park Service. The fee for using Park Service land is $100. You will have to keep the wedding plans simple, as balloons, excessive flowers, arbors, chairs and tents are not allowed.

However, many of the National Park Service properties have gazebos or piers and a they all offer amazing natural decoration with pristine aquamarine water, beautiful shorelines and in some instances historical amenities like a beautiful lighthouse for a backdrop. On most islands in the Outer Banks, wild ponies roam freely and are social enough with tourist that you can get within a few hundred feet of them for photo opportunities. For information, contact the National Park Service at (252) 473-2111.

Cape Lookout National Seashore, which offers one of the most beautiful historical lighthouses in existence, is a secluded island just a few minutes by ferry from Carteret County. Though all the ferry captains are licensed through the county, they are privately owned and arrangements can be made for special trips and after hours voyages.

* Anna Maria
* Captiva Island
* Clearwater
* Cocoa Beach
* Destin / Ft. Walton
* Ft. Myers
* Key West
* Marco Island
* Ft. Lauderdale
* Miami
* Naples
* Orlando
* Sanibel Island
* Sarasota & Surrounding Keys
* St. Petersburg

When you start planning your beach wedding music, make sure you and your fiancé discuss your specific music tastes. Your wedding is the perfect place to play music that suits both your personalities and your theme. You can even combine different styles of music if you like, just give some consideration to how it is presented.

There is also the decision of whether or not to have live beach wedding music. If live music is within your budget, it can add a great atmosphere to any wedding. Great beach wedding options are steel drum bands or even look-alike bands. If you want something a little more formal, perhaps a jazz band would be perfect.

A disc jockey on the other hand is much more versatile than a band and you have the option to hear many different kinds of music throughout the evening. It is recommended that you put together a list of your favorites so your dj knows what your tastes are.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again ... start with your theme, and then stick with it. Themes are not just for regular parties, or every-day entertaining -- picking a theme for your beach wedding will help immensely with the whole planning process. Having a theme will especially help with choosing beach wedding favors for your guests!

A VARIETY OF BEACH WEDDING FAVORS

There are lots of different beach wedding themes to choose from, and then you can figure out what to use for your beach wedding favors. 'Tropical Nights,' 'Things Nautical,' 'Sea Creatures' or 'On the High Seas' -- these are just a few of the possibilities. Use your own interests, hobbies or passions about the beach to come up with a theme - or just use your imagination!

Once you have a theme, you can use that aspect of the 'beach life' to choose your beach wedding favors. For example, if you're having a 'high seas' theme, you can order mini-lighthouses with your names and wedding date on them. A 'beach party' theme calls for 'flip flops' ... do a search on the Internet for flip flop wedding favors, and you'd be amazed at the choices available to you.

Edible beach wedding favors could include a personalized candy bar (with a picture of the two of you on your favorite beach), sand dollar-shaped cookies, or a tropical drink mix in a beach 'bucket.'

You can even make your own beach wedding favors. Here are two ideas:

- Fill small shells with potpourri (or tiny mints or chocolates - or even wedding cake!), wrap them in plastic wrap and then tulle, and tie a ribbon on with your names and wedding date.

- Create a 'message in a bottle' by filling little clear glass dollar store bottles with sand, and rolling up a piece of durable paper (or vinyl) with your names and wedding date on them.

Have fun thinking up -- or creating -- your beach wedding favors!

In some ways, beach wedding planning is exactly the same as indoor wedding planning - you still need to choose a venue, get a minister, not forget your marriage license, and decide what to do about invitations, catering, and photography. But in many other important ways, beach wedding planning is unique.
6 MAJOR BEACH WEDDING PLANNING DIFFERENCES

When you are planning an indoor wedding, you never need to worry about these things:

1. The tide, and whether it will be incoming or outgoing. If you are having a shore-side wedding, tide is everything!

2. The weather in general. Oh, sure, it’s always nice to have a warm, sunny day for the biggest day of your life - but it’s not really necessary, if you’re actually getting married in an indoor venue such as a community hall, a church or a conference center. But when you are beach wedding planning, the weather becomes one of the most important considerations.

Having said that, of course, there isn’t much you can do about the weather … except have an alternative to your beach wedding plan.

3. Outdoor photography — it’s completely different than indoor.

4. The public. Beach wedding planning generally means that you’ll need to be dealing with the public - most beaches are public property, so you may very well be sharing the space with total strangers. When you are beach wedding planning, you need to know in advance how you’ll deal with that!

5. Food arrangements. More care needs to be taken with food when you are beach wedding planning - how will you handle refrigeration?

6. Accessibility. Accessibility becomes more of an issue when you are beach wedding planning, because of potentially uneven or difficult terrain - there are no elevators or gently sloping ramps at a beach.  Will there be a lot of elderly folks attending? How will you make your beach wedding venue accessible to everyone?

Even though there are special considerations when you are beach wedding planning compared to having a traditional indoor wedding … if what you’ve always dreamed of is a beach wedding, then ‘You go, girl!’