Tips for Planning a Beach Wedding in California

It’s here y’all! My best tips for planning a beach wedding in California! So excited to finally be sharing a blog post like this. As a Temecula Wedding Photographer, I’m lucky enough to be able to photograph weddings all over Southern California and the beach is definitely a popular location for weddings… especially elopement weddings in California!

Beach weddings sounds simple and easy, right? NOPE!!!

Are beach wedding absolutely freaking gorgeous? YES!!!!!!

… but logistically speaking, Beach weddings take a lot of extra work and detail planning than most weddings. Why is that you ask? It’s simple – the beach is a public place! This means that extra planning needs to go into the logistics of the wedding day. No worries though, I’m here to help you and share my top 5 tips for planning a beach wedding!

Tip #1: Book a room or a cute Air BNB near the beach!

Honestly, this is a tip for ANY wedding – book a hotel room near your venue if you aren’t getting ready at your venue! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had brides regret not having a hotel room near their venue or ceremony cite for this case. It makes your day much easier logistically speaking to be closer to your venue and away from the chaos that is probably going on in your home while everyone is trying to get ready for your big day. The absolute best thing about having a beach wedding in CA is that many hotel rooms can be found right across the street from whatever beach you chose for your wedding day.

Booking a hotel room also allows you to just relax and have fun with your girls the morning of your wedding! Add in a few mimosas in and boom – we’ve got a good time going!

Pro tip: Make sure your hotel room has neutral colored walls – it will elevate your images x100!

Tip #2: Have a designated driver to drop you and the wedding party off at the beach – Uber, Lift, Limo service are all great options!

The number one reason why beach weddings start late is due to the lack of planning when it came to the logistics of parking and having a beach wedding. This might very well be my top tip for planning a beach wedding! The beach is a crowded place, especially on the weekend when most weddings take place. Trying to find parking for yourself, the wedding party, and your family all in the same location can be a nightmare and can cause over an hour delay – believe me! I’ve seen it happen first hand.

Tip #3: Less is more when planning a beach wedding

Hear me out on this one! I absolutely LOVE photographing details – freaking love it I tell ya! At the beach, less really is more. I mean, look at these images! They are absolutely stunning and the only decore we used was her bouquet. You chose to get married at the beach, this is a great way to document it! Save your beautiful and extravagant details for the reception!

Tip #4: Skip the shoes!

I know this one sounds like an obvious one… but people forget. I once photographed a wedding where the groom lost his custom shoes because they didn’t know where they took them off. Once you hit that sand, the shoes are coming off so just save yourself the hassle and wear a cheap pair of sandles there.

Pro tip: Make a go-bag with your shoes and anythign else needed for once you are off the sand/beach. You’ll be ready to go for your reception without the hassle of trying to get sand out of your shoes.

Tip #5: Don’t stress about what you can’t control

This tip can apply to any and all weddings! As a Temecula Wedding Photographer, I photograph all over Southern California and I can assure you of one thing – some stress, is a normal part of a wedding day but there are several ways you can easily avoid stress (uhmm… I should really write a blog post on that!).

Having a beach wedding means that there is going to be a lot that you can’t control. Beach weddings are open to the public – yes you read that right. Anyone can be walking by or choosing to watch your ceremony happen. The guest might see you before you walk down the aisle. It’s really hard to hide a person at the beach, lol! You can’t control the weather or sand blowing in the air. The point is, you can’t control everything about a beach wedding… it’s just not possible! So why stress over things we can’t control?!