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Archive for the ‘Beach’ Category

Who hasn't dreamt of getting married with her feet in warm, white sand with dazzling blue water forming the perfect backdrop? Seaside weddings are romantic, whimsical, and casual. Maybe the sound of the surf even helps calm brides' and grooms' nerves. A seaside blue color scheme provides a breath of fresh, seaside air whether or not your wedding is anywhere near the beach. Here are some ideas for bringing the ocean into your big day.

When choosing a seaside blue wedding, your accent color will be very, very important. A very trendy, refreshing combination is blue and orange. This isn't usually a combination we see, but for seaside weddings, it is light, airy, and incredibly fresh.

The colors are reminiscent of tropical skies and seas and luscious, juicy fruit. How does this look in a wedding? Imagine the bride wearing a sparkling white dress, tied with a brilliant blue sash. Her bridesmaids wear knee-length blue dresses with white sashes. White accents can also be added at the neckline and hemline for contrast. Bridesmaids could also wear a lovely orange-coral dress with blue sash. The flowers are tropical and lovely: the attendants carry bouquets of yellow, orange, and red flowers, while the bridal bouquet is a colorful combination of all of these gorgeous, vibrant tones.

The colors can be incorporated into your cake: a blue fondant cake with orange roses, delicate gold scrollwork, and white beading will look elegant and fun at the same time. A white cake can be decorated with bold Hawaiian style orchids and flowers or a lovely, sophisticated white eyelet cake can provide a nice contrast to the vibrant blues and oranges of other details.

A combination of seaside blue, yellow, and navy blue is also very elegant. The contrast can be dramatic in centerpieces, and yellow always imparts a very fresh feel. For instance, you can arrange a vase or box of bright daffodils adorned with a dark blue and white striped ribbon. The addition of fresh lemons makes the perfect table accessory. White and yellow daffodils look great tied with a seaside blue ribbon, and a dash of navy or light blue will add a fabulous touch of contrast to the bridal gown.

Seaside blue and green are another beautiful combination, and you can really play up the seaside theme with multiple shades of smooth sea glass in your centerpieces, floating candles in blue-tinted water, and ethereal paper lanterns. Tint your cake pale blue or green and adorn with sea grasses, starfish decorations, shells, or simply a classic strand of pearls. Perfect favors for your guests are small blue-green boxes of salt water taffy, bath favors or beach candles.

Images by Polyvore.com (featuring KarenWise.com)

To play up the casual feel of a beachside wedding, have wedding flip flops made for the bridal party, add a sash to a simple slip dress, put vases of white sand with starfish and seashell accessories on your tables, or simply use children's beach toys for a fun, playful feel. No matter what accent color you choose, pillar candles wrapped in raffia, hurricane lanterns, blue glass, shells, and other accessories will provide a breezy beach feel that you can dress up or down to suit your preferences.

Whether your beach wedding is on the sand or a thousand miles away from the coast, you can create a warm, inviting, and refreshing atmosphere that you and your guests will enjoy.

More Beach Wedding Ideas:

• Planning A Beach Wedding
• The Best Beach Wedding Locations
• Beach Wedding Bridal Accessory Tips
• Beach Wedding Favors
• Inspiration: Nautical & Sailor Style Wedding
• Beach Wedding Cake Ideas

You may have seen my earlier post (aqua blue box ideas) where I suggested using treasure chest boxes for a shell themed wedding favor OR a blue chest with white ribbon for a Tiffany blue color scheme or a Something Blue wedding theme.  Here are some more fun ideas for using a chest-shaped box to create one-of-a-kind favors for your wedding guests.  Start with a simple treasure chest-shaped aqua blue favor box and embellish it for your wedding theme or season.

To create the vintage look in the upper right corner of this collage, look to flapper girls of the 1920's or Victorian hats worn in the 1800's for inspiration.  This box was created using simple white feathers, ribbon, and natural floral components that can all be purchased at a local craft store.

For the splish splash beach wedding favors on the lower left corner, you can create a sand surface in any pattern you choose by artfully placing on white glue and then sprinkling it with artificial sand or brown glitter.  For the sand castle, use card stock to make a cut-out and glue it to the chest after you've sprinkled it with "sand" as well.  You can buy miniature seashell decorations at a local craft store as well.  Simply glue them on to the treasure chest with hot glue.

If you are dreaming of a white Christmas, these snowflake adorned treasure chests might be the answer.  Simply cover the lower half of the chest in white glue and sprinkle with artificial snow to create a glimmery effect.  Then add a die-cut snowflake or snowflake dazzler.  The perfect favor choice for a winter wedding!

Favor photo courtesy of the 2009 Weddingstar Catalog.

More DIY Wedding Favor Ideas:

• Quick and Easy DIY Wedding Favor Ideas
• Do It Yourself (DIY) Fall Wedding Favors
• Homemade Wedding Favors
• Discount Wedding Favor Ideas
• Affordable DIY Favor Box Ideas
• DIY Tin Pail Wedding Favor Ideas

Having trouble deciding on a cake theme for your beach wedding? Well there is no need to worry!  In my previous post, I gave you some ideas as well as a photo collage of my favorite beach inspired wedding cakes.  So in this post, I thought I'd share my thoughts and ideas regarding cupcakes for a beach wedding.

One of the biggest trends in wedding cakes this year is the fact that more and more brides are utilizing cupcakes instead of traditional layered wedding cakes.  Generally cupcakes are less expensive and guests love getting their own individual dessert that they can either enjoy at the reception or take home with them in a little cupcake favor box.

Like the large beach cakes, small cupcakes tend to incorporate the same types of motifs to create a tropical or beach feel.  Consider incorporating seashells or starfish, brightly colored tropical flowers, or palm trees constructed from chocolate or marzipan.  The most popular color schemes for beach inspired cupcakes are a sandy neutral brown or an ocean blue.

In the photo collage below, you can see some of my favorite beach inspired cupcake displays.  In all cases, I like the use of cupcake stands to create an impressive, tall display.  As you can see, the most popular beach theme is seashells that are likely molded out of chocolate.  You can use various shapes on each cupcake (you can even use the shapes to denote different cupcake flavors).  For instance, you could use a starfish shape to indicate chocolate cupcakes, a seashell to denote vanilla cupcakes, and a seahorse shape to denote red velvet cupcakes.  The possibilities are endless!

Photo Credit:
1. Beach Wedding CupCake Towers; Wilmington, NC Carolina Cakes & Confections, 2. Beach Themed Wedding Cupcakes, 3. Beach Themed Wedding Cupcakes., 4. Beach wedding cupcakes, 5. an alternative to wedding cake - cupcakes!, 6. Beach Cupcake Tower, 7. 4989_1073228919465_1488420009_30201004_5981428_n, 8. Beach theme wedding cupcake at the Sawmill creek golf resort and spa Camlachie 2, 9. Wedding cupcake tower

More beach wedding ideas:

• Planning A Beach Wedding
• The Best Beach Wedding Locations
• Choosing Your Beach Wedding Bridal Party & Guests
• Beach Wedding Bridal Accessory Tips
• Beach Wedding Favors
• Inspiration: Nautical & Sailor Style Wedding

When it comes to creating a beach wedding cake that will wow your guests, consider the location of your wedding and use the local landscape and scenery as your inspiration.   Will you be getting married in a more tropical setting full of hibiscus flowers or a more nautical setting near a cliff-side lighthouse?  Take a cue from your surroundings and you are sure to have an impressive cake.

Seashells
Without a doubt, the most popular motif for a beach wedding cake is seashells.  Television shows like Cake Boss demonstrate just how creative and talented cake bakers across the U.S. are these days.  If you give your baker some shells that you love as inspiration, they should be able to create similar "shells" out of marzipan, chocolate, and other tools at their disposal.  I've found that it is best to try and get the shells to look as natural as possible using colors that you find on the actual real shells.

Besides shells, you can consider using other sea creatures on your cake as well.  Things such as sand dollars, starfish, and seahorses always tie in well with a shell and beach-inspired cake theme.

Sandcastles
If you've ever been to Virginia Beach during the sand castle building contest or to the malecon in Puerto Vallarta, you've seen some of the amazing sculptures that can be created using beach sand.   You can have your baker create an elaborate sand castle cake just for you.  They simply use brown sugar to create the "sand".

Tropical Flowers
You can always choose to keep your cake classic and simple by utilizing some tropical flowers such as hibiscus, bromeliads, birds of paradise, etc. around the base of your cake.  You can also get your baker to create edible tropical flowers out of gum paste, marzipan, or icing for the top and sides of your cake.

If you are having difficulty choosing a cake design, I recommend looking around online for inspiration.  Below I've put together a collage of some of my favorite beach cake designs....maybe one of them will be just what you want for your big day! Now, what on earth are you going to do for your wedding favors?

Photo Credit:
1. Seashell Wedding Cake, 2. "Coral and Shells" with ruffled cupcakes, 3. Seashells & Bows Wedding Cake, 4. Mindy's Beach Cake, 5. Beach Theme Bridal Shower Cake 2, 6. Chocolate Sea Themed Wedding Cake, 7. Beach themed Seashell cake, 8. Sandcastle Wedding Cake, 9. beach wedding cake

More wedding cake ideas:

• Black & White Wedding Cake Ideas
• Wedding Cupcake Ideas
• Calla Lily Wedding Cakes
• Wedding Cake Trends
• Fake Cake Budget Secrets

If you are having a beach wedding or seaside event, then you've realized that there are endless possibilities when it comes to wedding favors.  In the photo collage below, I've pulled together some of my favorite choices that cover the gamut of beach styles from casual to elegant.

Having a casual beach wedding? Flip-flop themed favors are the perfect choice  for a casual wedding.  Choose from personalized lemonade packets, luggage tags, notebooks, and place card holders that all feature a flip-flop motif.  And don't forget about the margarita or cosmopolitan drink mix favors.  Personally, I can't think of anything better than digging my toes into the sand, kicking back on a chaise lounge and sipping a margarita on a sunny beach in Mexico.  Aaaah, wish I was there right now!

Want a more upscale feel at your beach wedding? Favors featuring a seashell motif can have an elegant feel if you choose the correct item.    I suggest glass coasters, candles, or Adirondack chairs that can do double duty as the place card holder.  You can find hundreds of favors online that incorporate a seashell theme including several of the items in the photo below.

Personalize It! I always think that adding your names and wedding date to a favor makes them extra special for your guests.  When it comes to personalized beach wedding favors, there are many great options including candy jars that you can fill with your favorite candy (like gummy fish for example) and then add a personalized sticker with a palm tree or flip flop design.  The margarita or lemonade packets that I mentioned previously can also be customized with your names and date.  But I have to say that my favorite personalized favor for beach weddings are the miniature bottles of sunscreen.  They come in tons of color and theme choices and best of all, their labels are printed with your names and wedding date.

Beach Wedding Favors from Wedding Favors Unlimited

More Beach Wedding Ideas:

• Planning A Beach Wedding
• Beach Wedding Cake Ideas
• Beach Wedding Favor Ideas
• Seaside Blue Wedding Color Scheme
• Beach Wedding Favors
• Inspiration: Nautical & Sailor Style Wedding