Beat The Heat! - Beach Wedding Article
If you are planning your ultimate island wedding, chances are that heat will be a factor in your planning process. To avoid the pitfalls that could potentially ruin your dream day, consider the following:
Time of day
Organize your wedding for the morning or dusk cool periods and avoid the midday sun. Check with a wedding planner in your chosen island however, as some islands have a restriction on getting married after dark ie. The Bahamas
Dress
Keep your wedding attire light and airy. Consider fabrics that will allow you to move in heat but will not show every drop of perspiration as you get through your day. Also consider your footwear. If you are getting married on a beach you might want to re-consider the three inch heels, or you could ask for a red carpet to walk you to the aisle over the sand, and back to a concrete path safely.
Ask your groom and groomsmen to wear absorbent vests underneath their shirts and inform your guests of the venue so that they can also adopt the correct dress code.
Hairstyle
Discuss your outdoor venue with your stylist and come up with a plan to wear a style that can weather the weather! Remember that humid climates can reek havoc with a perfectly coiffeured “do” and you might want to opt for a traditional “up-do” as an alternative to long, luscious curls.
Flowers
Discuss the effect of heat and humidity on your floral arrangements and consider spraying floral decorations (table, arches etc) with water during the day to keep them fresh and perky. Better still, ask your venue manager to keep floral arrangements refrigerated until the ceremony is about to start.
Drinks
Keep lots of non alcoholic drinks on hand for guests to avoid deyhydration.
Fans
Consider printing your wedding program on a paper fan so that guests can cool themselves during the ceremony. Alternatively you could organize electric fans, powered by a portable generator, to provide wind.
Sunscreen
Consider handing out mini sunscreen bottles/sachets as guests enter the ceremony site.
Shade
Create shady areas for your guests near to drinking wells or sitting spots.
Bugs
Remember that along with heat come our annoying flying, crawling friends. To avoid bugging your guests with bugs, ask the location manager to spray for sand flies, or mosquito’s the day before your event. Also consider handing out mini bottles of insect repellent if you are in a particularly forested area.
Food
Offer guests light foods, possibly cold entrees and where you are preparing a buffet, avoid food stuffs that could spoil in the heat ie. Mayonnaise, prawns etc.
