Why Not Get Married by the Sea?

Why not get mar­ried by the sea?

The sea has always been an impor­tant part of Britain’s her­itage and cul­ture, inspir­ing count­less artists, writ­ers and musi­cians down the cen­turies. Long asso­ci­ated with plea­sure, romance and mys­tery, the ocean makes a stun­ning back­drop for a wed­ding, whether it’s the white cliffs of Dover, the pretty har­bour of Torquay, or the gaudy arcades at Blackpool.

A coastal loca­tion adds a spe­cial flavor to a tra­di­tional church wed­ding. A clifftop church, like Tal­land Parish Church in Corn­wall, guar­an­tees a beau­ti­ful and dra­matic set­ting. The ulti­mate in roman­tic wed­dings, though, must surely be get­ting mar­ried on an island. Islay in Scot­land has a choice of six churches, each beau­ti­ful and unique.

For those who are look­ing for an alter­na­tive to mar­riage in church, or for a wed­ding recep­tion with a dif­fer­ence, there are sea­side venues to suit all tastes. From coun­try house hotels with sea views to an open air cer­e­mony on the beach, Britain’s var­ied coast­line offers end­less oppor­tu­ni­ties for scenic weddings.

Sea­side wed­ding pho­tog­ra­phy. Photo credit Vick­er­staff Pho­tog­ra­phy | www.vickerstaffphotography.co.uk

All kinds of amaz­ing build­ings are avail­able for cer­e­monies or recep­tions. Try a light­house, like Nash Point in South Glam­or­gan, Wales. Martello tow­ers were erected dur­ing the Napoleonic Wars to defend coastal areas. Now the Martello Tower in Jay­wick, near Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, can host your wed­ding recep­tion. For a truly fab­u­lous wed­ding, the glit­ter­ing Brighton Pavil­ion offers wed­ding cer­e­monies in its Red Draw­ing Room, dec­o­rated by George IV. Portsmouth, with its rich naval and mar­itime his­tory, offers a num­ber of wed­ding venues, includ­ing the Vic­to­rian war­ship HMS War­rior and the 170 meter tall Spin­naker Tower with its views over the harbor.

There are wed­ding cer­e­mony and recep­tion facil­i­ties on many of Britain’s beaches, includ­ing Cam­ber Sands in East Sus­sex and West Cliff in Bournemouth. One of the more inter­est­ing and spec­tac­u­lar venues is Tun­nels Beaches in Ilfra­combe, a series of man-made tun­nels lead­ing to a secluded beach where wed­ding par­ties may be crashed by an unin­vited seal or two.

Coun­try house hotels by the sea are both attrac­tive and con­ve­nient, with wed­ding, recep­tion and accom­mo­da­tion all under one roof. For a venue that’s both quirky and lux­u­ri­ous, try the Welsh vil­lage of Portmeirion.

A marine theme can be a lovely way to tie the cer­e­mony and recep­tion together. Choose blues and greens, the colours of the sea, for dresses and flow­ers, or take a more light-hearted approach with seashell dec­o­ra­tions. For a touch of fun, give the guests sticks of rock with the couple’s names run­ning through them.

Finally, a sea­side loca­tion makes for won­der­ful pho­tographs, whether it’s the groom and best man enjoy­ing a pad­dle or the small­est brides­maid star­ing fas­ci­nated into a rock pool. Cap­ture these moments to help pre­serve the mem­o­ries of this spe­cial day.

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Guest blog­ger Jack Old­ham is a jour­nal­ism grad­u­ate blog­ging on behalf of Puma Hotels Col­lec­tion, who have a range of coun­try house hotels through­out the UK.

Sea­side wed­ding invi­ta­tion ideas!

No doubt you’re con­vinced a sea­side wed­ding is the way for­wards… or you’ve found this blog post while plan­ning your own beach wed­ding. You will of course need wed­ding invi­ta­tions, and these are some of my favourites from UK wed­ding invi­ta­tion designer Bunny Delicious.

From adorable lit­tle beach huts, to flip flops, seashells and an “our wed­ding on the beach” invi­ta­tion — these designs have all the charm of the Eng­lish sea­side — they’re unique, and quirky, and I love them!

www.bunnydelicious.com