Many couples are now planning their 2021 weddings and may be thinking about a Florida destination wedding. You might even be working on your guest list which is always a challenge. Having a Beach Wedding is meant to be relaxing and enjoyable. In order to ensure a smooth beach wedding ceremony it is best to make sure your guests are will informed. Below are some helpful tips to help your guests arrive on time, know where to go, and ensure they don’t have to add stress to your special wedding day.

Teal Distinctive Design Package beach wedding with guests in chairs

1. Most important: Time of ceremony.  Your guests should arrive at least 15 minutes before your ceremony start time. This allows them plenty of time to get to the beach, find parking, and mingle for a few. TIP: On your invitations put your ceremony start time 15 minutes prior to the actual start time, so you can guarantee your wedding will go off on time. Everybody will be relaxed and ready to watch the bride walk down the aisle!
2. Location of the beach wedding ceremony. If you are all staying at the same hotel, or rental home on the beach and you just have to walk outside to the beach, great. However, if you are all staying at different locations, or they will be driving in, you need to provide your guests with an exact address of the beach area. Any landmarks, street intersections, etc. that can assist them in getting to the correct beach wedding location will help them navigate unfamiliar streets. Our Florida Beach Weddings company always provides you with detailed information about the beach location, and this can be shared with your guests. You may wish to designate someone as a contact to help with any guest issues that arise prior to the ceremony, for peace of mind.
3. How to get to the beach wedding ceremony.  As you may know, parking is not always easy to find. We try and provide you with beach wedding location choices that are close to large parking areas to accommodate the size of your wedding guest list. Keep in mind, most parking is paid parking (meters are usually found in the parking lot areas — they take cash, or credit card). Your beach wedding guests should be aware that most of the parking is paid parking, so they can be prepared.
4. If you, and all of your beach wedding guests, are coming from out of town, you should provide them with a couple of hotel options. Or at least one, if you want everyone to stay at the same hotel.  You may want to contact the hotel directly, and talk to their group sales department. They will be able to  provide you with information about how to block rooms. This usually requires a five to ten room minimum.  You will receive a code to give to your guests when they make their reservation.  If you are having a smaller group, you can provide them a few hotels in the area, and they can make their own reservations. We have hotel recommendations we can share with you after booking your wedding to help you make this decision.
5. Provide your beach wedding guests with a general timeline of the day of the ceremony. This way, they know how much free time they will have to enjoy the day and what time they will need to arrive for the ceremony. You may also want to let them know about any after ceremony festivities. Such as meeting at a restaurant, or  providing a small reception, etc. Florida Beach Weddings company will provide you with the timelines to facilitate a smooth and happy wedding ceremony.
6. If your beach wedding guests have never been to the area, you can provide them with some interesting things to do. If you choose to have a Gulf beach wedding in the Tampa area, you have the Florida aquarium.  And, the drive to all the major attractions in Orlando, is only a little over an hour from east coast beaches. Your guests might get lucky and get the chance to see a NASA space launch near Cocoa Beach!
7. Your wedding guests might be wondering what to wear, especially if they have never visited Florida.  You can tell them to make sure they are cool and comfortable. There are many options to be “dress casual” and still enjoy the beach. For the gentlemen: Polo shirts, linen shirts, khaki pants or shorts, boat shoes or flip flops. For the ladies: Comfortable sun dresses (tip: make sure they aren’t see-through in the sun), dress shorts, cute flat sandals, pumps, or flip flops. If dressing up, great — another hint, if the dress is too short, it may blow “up” in the sea breeze. If you want, you can even give them some color options for those special wedding photos. For example, you can let them know that it would be great if everyone followed a color theme, and give them two to three choices of colors (for example, khaki, coral, and teal) to go with your beach wedding decor.  This gives everyone some type of guidance, and it would make a great, color-coordinated group wedding photo!

If you make sure your beach wedding guests know where your Florida beach wedding will take place, this just means less stress for you. You want the day of your ceremony to be filled with joy and laughter, not stress for yourself or those special people in your life. Our beach wedding specialists are here to help you from booking your date, to choosing a complete wedding package, Florida marriage license, and arriving on the beach for your marriage ceremony. So, remember, an informed beach wedding guest, is a happy guest! 

Congratulations, and we can’t wait to see you, and your special wedding guests, on the beach!