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Close your eyes and picture yourself on your wedding day in Greece. If you’re envisioning sunny skies, a salt-water-tinged breeze, and sand in your toes, you’ve come to the right country. Whether in Ios, Santorini, Corfu, or any other island in Greece a beach wedding will give you and your guests plenty to be excited about. After our detailed guide on Destination Weddings in Greece, it’s time to talk about weddings on the beach!
Water gives you the most beautiful backdrop. There’s also the extended time together that a beach wedding in a new locale affords a couple and their loved ones a with a destination wedding, it’s not just a day and done. It’s a whole weekend of festivities and fun. Reading to start turning your shoreside wedding dreams into reality? We are sharing our best tips, tricks, and advice for planning a beach wedding!
Beach Wedding Etiquette
How far in advance should I send save-the-dates?
If your beach wedding is also a destination wedding, you’ll want to give guests an earlier heads up on your wedding date so they have time to put in vacation requests at work and get good deals on travel. A year in advance notice is ideal, especially for VIPs like parents and wedding party members, but if you send out save-the-dates six months ahead of the wedding, that will still be more than enough time.
Do I need to book travel and accommodations for my guests?
The marrying couple is not financially responsible for a guest’s airfare, accommodations, or meals while they are traveling for the wedding, but they will want to help guests make arrangements. A hotel block or a private villa is often the easiest and most cost-effective way to ensure your guests have comfortable accommodations that allow for easy access to the wedding ceremony and reception site.
What should I tell guests about the dress code?
Beach weddings are often more casual and carefree vibe, but that doesn’t mean yours has to be. Whatever dress code you settle on, state it clearly in your invitation suite and, if necessary, follow up with more specific details on your wedding website. (Keep guest comfort top of mind, though—if most of the celebration is happening outdoors, asking male guests to wear formal tuxedos might be a bit much.)
If the ceremony—or any other portion of the wedding, for that matter—is taking place directly on the sand, make sure your guests know this from the start. (“If guests are coming to a big resort, they might not assume the wedding is going to be on the beach,”. Share the info on your wedding website and on a paper insert in your welcome gift, and suggest guests bring sunglasses, apply sunscreen, and wear shoes with heels that won’t sink into the sand.
Is it okay if my beach wedding is entirely outdoors?
We get it: once you’ve arrived in paradise, it’s hard to not want to spend every waking moment in paradise. That said, you’ll still want to prioritize guest comfort when selecting spaces for your celebration. If the ceremony is going to be outdoors in direct sunlight, moving guests into a shaded patio or a space with indoor/outdoor access for cocktail hour is important. As the sun goes down, so will the temperature—which means you can send guests back outdoors for dinner and dancing without worrying about anyone overheating.
Steps to Planning a Beach Wedding in Greece
Pick your location.
Ios, Mykonos, Santorini, Tinos – beach destinations exist all over Greece and each one is gorgeous in its own way. When selecting your wedding locale, you may want to consider returning to the site of a memorable vacation, selecting a place where relatives live or that has special meaning to your family, or maybe even a place with good deals on direct flights from where most of your guests are traveling from.
Get the necessary permits for a public beach ceremony.
Unless the beach is on private property, you’ll need to check local township ordinances before setting out an arbor and chairs, as a permit may be required for a larger event. We will be on your side to ensure everything works according to plan!
Make sure your reception works rain or shine.
Unless you have the absolute certainty of it being dry all evening, the best decision is for your plan A to be good to go for rain.That doesn’t mean you’ve got to retreat indoors for the main party, but it does mean you should budget for a tent.
Travel intelligently with your essentials.
Going by plane? Carry on anything you can’t imagine having your wedding without. (Like say, your wedding dress.) The last thing you need to stress about is lost luggage.
DESTINATION BEACH WEDDING IN GREECE
No matter the destination, we’re always focusing on making your wedding day unforgettable with just the right amount of luxury and glamour. Whether on a private villa on a Greek island, or a grand venue in the Athenian Riviera our wedding designs will transform your celebration into what you’ve always dreamed of! Ready to celebrate? Contact us!