It's the time of the year to be planning your nuptials by the sea. The winter storms are winding down in preparation for the day they give way to those days of glorious sunshine that we all love so much. Fortunately, it perfectly aligns with the traditional wedding seasons making a beach wedding a natural choice. Fortunately the prevalence of beach related materials available means that nearly anyone can put together a beach wedding. This is true even if they have no access to an actual beach at all!

The trick to planning any kind of themed wedding is to narrow your focus. Far too often brides decide they want a beach wedding and that's where they stop their planning efforts and begin gathering decor items. As a result they pick up anything that;

1.captures their fancy, and

2.reminds them in any way of the ocean.

As a result, pretty soon their budget is spent and they don't really have anything more than a box full of sea shells, some plastic flower leis, and a few Frisbees.

Instead they should choose an aspect of beach life that stirs their imagination and look for ways to make every item in your wedding lend to your beach theme. For example, if you chose a lighthouse themed wedding, you might want to choose a restaurant on a bluff with lots of windows looking out over the ocean. Or, if you are not able to have the celebration near the ocean, you could play the sounds of waves crashing on the rocks and hold your event at night with a slowly rotating light mounted high above your dance floor to give the illusion that your wedding is being held in a large lighthouse.

Now continue the lighthouse theme. What elements are characteristic of lighthouse scenes? Light? Fog? The sound of waves crashing on the beach? Lighthouses? Raincoats? Umbrellas? Rocks? Ships? Sailboats? The list goes on.

Choose one or two and build your beach theme wedding around them. For example, if you chose the sailboats aspect of a lighthouse theme you could borrow a sail to hang as a tapestry on the wall and perhaps a small dingy or standing in the corner. Then do an internet search for sailboat or lighthouse themed favors to adorn your reception tables and express your gratitude to your wedding guests.

The advantage of such a tact is that if you choose your accessories and favors well, you won't have to spend as much on decor because those favors and accessories will go a long way to creating your theme.

But don't stop there! Starting with your dress, consider how every element of your wedding serves or detracts from your theme. For a beach wedding a dress with a long train, for example, might not be the right choice. There are, however, a number of beautiful styles that have been designed with beach weddings in mind, or under the inspiration of mermaids.

Once you found your gown, then you might want to choose barefoot sandals with shells and pearls instead of high heels.

Then it's on to the wedding cake, flowers, music, and all the other details that we have come to expect in a wedding. Evaluate each element in terms of how it can advance the theme. The days of importing the standard Victorian theme wedding into every setting are over. Trying to do so runs the risk of spending more money than necessary and getting a less memorable wedding.

Instead, the key to building a beach wedding theme (or any theme) is focus on that theme. Don't worry so much about building a wedding, build the theme. It will be a wedding when the bride and groom are there exchanging vows and celebrating their new life together with their loved ones at their side.

Remember, the beach wedding theme is entirely too broad. But by zeroing in on a specific aspect like sea animals, or surfing, or mariner, you can create a wedding theme that will be remembered for years to come.