A Tip (On Wind)

TIP:

Beach weddings present some unique challenges that are often not considered.  One of these factors I warn every bride about is wind.  Whether you are getting married in Destin, Panama City Beach, or Pensacola, the beach is always windier than you may think.  When you are visiting the beach with your family, you are there to have fun enjoying sand and sun.  A sea breeze probably is welcome on a hot summer day.  During your beach ceremony however, you may need to take some precautions to ensure you have a stress free experience.

                

One aspect you need to consider in the wind is decoration.  Improperly erected arbors or arches are not only embarrassing if they blow over but may injure someone.  At Sunset Beach Weddings, we take extra precaution to secure all of our set-ups, so you have no worries.  Another consideration with wind is that candles will not stay lit on the beach.  The typical candle unity you see in church weddings is often substituted with a sand unity ceremony.

                

Perhaps the most important factor with wind is hair and wardrobe.  Veils are beautiful but if you choose to wear one, make sure that you have it secured.  With all hairstyles, I suggest you use extra hairspray and/or bobby pins.  As a wedding photographer, I’ve had many brides become frustrated with hair blowing in their face while we try to do photography.  I have recently started encouraging brides to pass this advice along to moms, aunts, sisters, or anyone who may be fussy about their hair.  

The last caution I offer about wind is in considering the length of your bridesmaids’ dresses.  Enough said?

This veil was worn for a few photos and then taken off, but imagine wearing a veil that long!

Little Pirate Dude!

So from time to time at Sunset Beach Weddings, we encounter funny, but harmless incidents on the beach.  Most of the time, they involve children.  This story happened in Panama City Beach at St Andrews State Park.   The park is a popular spot for families to go to the beach for the day.

I was officiating a small wedding straight down from the boardwalk just to the east of the Pier.  We were right at the water's edge.  We had made a Heart in the Sand for the couple with red rose petals in the heart.  The beach was almost deserted except for us and a few other people waiting to watch the sunset.

Our couple walk down to the heart together, and as I turn to face them, I see out of the corner of my eye a young pirate up near the dunes.  He looks shipwrecked!  He's meandering down the edge of the sea grass poking in the sand with a stick.  My attention goes back to our couple and the ceremony.  Vows continue as normal and as I turn around to pick up the sand unity jar, I see the young privateer watching the wedding from a distance.  Then after, as our couple celebrates their new marriage with a kiss, I see him clap, turn, and wander back the way he came.  Looking for his buried treasure no doubt!

The strangest thing, is that we never saw parents, and he seemed to be in character the entire time.  You'd never believe me, if I hadn't snapped off a photo with my phone after the ceremony.  It's a little grainy, but you can see the buccaneer just enough.  Was it my imagination?

Sunset Beach Weddings Little Pirate Dude!

Give Me My Shovel Back!

One of the most unpredictable aspects of any wedding is children.  As the photographer for Sunset Beach Weddings, I get the opportunity to see a lot of flower girls.  Each one is adorable as she makes her way down the aisle, dropping her petals before the bride’s entrance.  At least that is what is supposed to happen. 

Last April, at a beach wedding in Destin, Florida, I brought a container of rose petals intended to go in the flower girl’s basket.  As I delivered them to the bridal party, it was discovered the little girl’s basket had been forgotten.  A quick thinking uncle ran to the condo and brought back a beach pail with shovel.  How perfect for a beach wedding!  The rose petals were placed inside the pail and the processional started on time.

Right on cue, the little flower girl stepped off the boardwalk ready to make her way down the beach.  Instead of heading down the aisle however, she walked straight to me!  She held out her hand with the plastic sand shovel and said “Hold this.”  I took the shovel and stuck it in my back pocket.  The flower girl continued down the aisle dropping her petals as was intended.   The bride was walked down by her father, given away, and the ceremony started.  Right after the “I do’s”, I looked down to see the flower girl standing next to me.  At first I expected that she wanted me to take her picture, but what she said next I’ll never forget.  “Give me my shovel back!”

Ah my shovel! Sunset Beach Weddings

We're Bloggin'!

Our first blog!

Of all the beach weddings we've performed here on the Emerald Coast of Florida, we at Sunset Beach Weddings have laughed at quite a few little anecdotes.  Most involve kids in some way!  Check back here for some fun wedding humor!  We'll keep you updated!

Ken and Heather Delo

Sunset Beach Weddings

850-366-8054

sunsetbeachwed@gmail.com