5 Things You Shouldn't Forget in your Destination Wedding Budget!

It's easy to remember the big things for your wedding budget; cake, flowers, dress.. But what about the things that are easy to forget but just as important?  Sandy Malone writes a quick article about 5 things that are easy to forget when planning your Florida destination beach wedding!

Monday, January 19, 2015 

by Sandy Malone

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Photo: Getty Images

Most brides and grooms try to make up a budget to work with when they first start their wedding planning. This is a very good exercise and often provides a real budget reality check, especially when they're putting together their mock budget before they decide their head count and venue. But there are also a lot of little things that brides and grooms forget they'll have to pay including these five things:

1. Gratuities 
Call them tips or service charge depending on your venue. The nature of a wedding is that almost everybody gets tipped. It's standard to see 18 percent to 23 percent for weddings — so you need to add that to whatever final budget number you come up with. Don't forget the service staff, the kitchen staff, the cake lady, the floral assistants, the ceremony musician, the DJ or band, and all the other vendors you've included in your big day.

2. Invitations and postage
Whether you DIY or order something fancy, printing costs money and so does the postage for the invitations and the RSVP cards. Also, if your invitation isn't a standard size (and most of them aren't), postage costs even more.

3. Gifts for your wedding party and your parents.

This isn't something for the bridesmaids to wear at your wedding — it's supposed to be a thank-you presentfor their efforts. If you want to accessorize them to match, add that as another budget line item. But don't give them all matching shoes and call it a present. The gift for your parents should be significant and sometimes having flowers or gift basket waiting for them in their hotel room is a nice idea too.

4. Lunch for the bridal party on the wedding day 
You don't have to spend a fortune, but you do have to make arrangements for something to feed those ladies as you're all getting beautiful or some of them will be intoxicated or grumpy by ceremony time.

5. Setup/teardown/cleanup crew
Whether you're DIYing most of it or have a planner who is hiring folks, there's a lot of work to be done to build a beautiful wedding. Sure, Chinese lanterns are beautiful hung throughout your venue, but they take hours to properly install. Even those popular tissue-paper pompons take literally hours to assemble and fluff up before they can be hung. And what goes up, must come down. Unless you intend to make yourselves and your wedding party the setup and teardown crew, put money in the budget for those jobs. Otherwise, you may find yourself cleaning a bathroom on your wedding night.

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Who to Invite (or not invite) to Your Florida Beach Wedding

At Beach Elope, we know deciding who to invite to your Destination Florida Beach Wedding can be tricky.  Balancing the budget versus the guest list is important to our Bride's.  Here's an article from Sandy Malone @brides.com on the subject.

Monday, December 1, 2014 

by Sandy Malone

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Photo: Heidi Geldhauser of Our Labor of Love

There are always people you have to invite to your wedding even though you'd rather not. Sometimes you have to make compromises. With that said, here are five guidelines to follow:

1. Give both families the same number of guests to invite. 
Let the moms know they each have the same restrictions to avoid having them wonder. You have to allow both moms to invite their best friends. Whatever it does to your head count, make sure that's a battle you do not fight. They need their moral support there — weddings are emotional for parents too.

2. Decide where you're going to cut off the family invitations. 
If you invite one uncle, you must include all uncles and aunts. If you invite one of your first cousins, you're really supposed to invite all of your first cousins. If you have a big family, this can be the bulk of your guest list unless you have a big budget.

3. An invitation that includes children is entirely up to the bride and groom. 
Many couples do not want children at their weddings, and there's nothing wrong with that, especially at destination weddings where many guests are treating it as an escape from their own little darlings. Put your foot down, and make your wishes clear from the beginning.

4. Return the invite if you've attended a recent wedding. 
If you have been a member of a wedding party or a guest at a wedding in the past 18 months, you should invite those friends to your wedding. (Unless it was a work friend who invited the whole office or somebody else you don't really know but were obligated to attend.)

5. You must allow your friends who are in serious relationships to bring their significant others. 
Many couples crack down on the plus one for anybody who isn't already involved with someone when the invites go out, and that's fine. You are not obligated to invite their flavor of the week. However, if you know the significant other, if they live together, or if the relationship is well-established, neglecting to invite both halves of the couple is a slap in the face to avoid.

Owner of Weddings in Vieques, a destination-wedding planning company off the coast of Puerto Rico, Sandy Malone has helped countless couples plan their big day since 2007.

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10 Things to Know before you start planning your own beach wedding!

Planning a wedding at the beach can be a very exciting experience! We are romantics and love seeing a couple get married in these beautiful surroundings. Beach Elope feels we're part of your lives and want you to have your dream wedding.  Here's an article from Sandy Malone about the 10 things to know before you start planning your wedding.  This quick read might help you decide how much to do yourself or let others do for you!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015 

by Sandy Malone

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Photo: Getty Images

It can be a lot of fun to plan your entire wedding, or even just parts and pieces. But DIY-ing your entire celebration also has some potential pitfalls that every bride and groom should be aware of so they don't end up with problems.

If you plan ahead, and if you assign every task that needs to be accomplished on your wedding day to somebody reliable, things are going to go much more smoothly. Here, 10 things you need to know:

1. Plan to have everything you need to create completed at least a month before the wedding. That's when all the chaos will hit and you won't be able to handle the time-sucking crafting projects.

2. Don't plan to do anything yourself on your wedding day. You'll be busy getting beautiful. Make sure you've assigned everything to your friends and family (or hired staff) who are assisting you. And confirm it again a week ahead and the day before the wedding.

3. Have a bossy friend assigned to handle everything on your wedding day. You can't be the one sending the bridesmaids down the aisle.

4. Don't take on the responsibility of picking up out-of-town guests at the airport. You'll end up spending the days before your wedding playing chauffer.

5. Write your wedding schedule and confirm it with your vendors a month before your wedding so you have plenty of time to iron out the bugs before the big day.

6. Find out ahead of time what you need to do to fulfill the marriage license requirements where you're getting married so you're not in a panic to track down divorce decrees at the last minute. That just puts a damper on the whole experience.

7. Make your own transportation arrangements for the wedding day. Don't count on anybody else to get you to your hair appointments — and the church — on time. If a friend is driving, make sure it's someone incredibly reliable.

8. If you're doing your own centerpieces, finish them as far ahead as possible. Flowers can be done up to two days ahead if they're fresh and kept in a refrigerated environment. You don't need to pull an all-nighter making bouquets after your rehearsal dinner.

9. Order lunch to be delivered for your bridal party in advance — you won't think about it on your wedding day because you'll likely be too nervous to be hungry. But bridesmaids get grumpy (and intoxicated) if you forget to provide food for them when you're together all day getting ready.

10. Make sure you have a cleanup/teardown crew pre-assigned to handle whatever your venue requires. You'll also need help taking the gifts home — possibly the space of several cars. Don't wait til the last minute to deal with this or the bride and groom may end up spending their wedding night dealing with trash rather than romance.

Owner of Weddings in Vieques, a destination-wedding planning company off the coast of Puerto Rico, Sandy Malone has helped countless couples plan their big day since 2007.

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Spring Break in Panama City Beach and Destin!

Here's a question for all you brides!  Do Spring Break and Destination Beach Weddings have anything in common?

We're joking a bit, but generally the answer is "No".  However, not all areas of Florida are brimming with partying college kids.  So the answer could be "Yes"!  Many couples are scheduling their Florida Beach wedding to coincide with Spring Break because they have kids in school that also get Spring Break.  What a great time to combine a vacation with your destination beach wedding!  

Beach Elope knows the spring break schedule and we know what areas of the beach are very crowded and what areas are quieter.  Give us a call to schedule your wedding during spring break and we'll suggest a spot that's not too busy!  

Spring is a nice time to visit the beach, specially after a dreary cold winter!  

Our local website 30a.com posted the spring break schedule for this year.  It's pasted below.

SPRING BREAK 2015: When Is Your School Out?

Spring Break is right around the corner, folks, and we're ready to welcome tens of thousands of visitors this season! Here's a quick snapshot of when the major colleges, universities and school systems will be here:

FEBRUARY 22-28, 2015	# OF STUDENTS
Eastern Michigan University	23,000
Saint John's University (N.Y.)	15,700
MARCH 1-7, 2015
Ball State University (Ind.)	22,100
Barry University (Fla.)	9,300
College of Charleston (S.C.)	9,900
Dalton State College (Ga.)	6,000
Grand Valley State University (Mich.)	24,700
King College (Tenn.)	2,000
Oakwood University (Ala.)	2,000
Ohio University	38,000
Rice University (Texas)	6,000
Rollins College (Fla.)	2,300
Seneca College (Ontario)	20,855
Southern Wesleyan University (S.C.)	2,400
Temple University (Penn.)	37,700
University of Florida	49,600
University of Michigan	42,800
University of North Carolina – Charlotte	27,200
University of South Alabama	15,100
Vanderbilt University	12,700
Wright State University	18,400
MARCH 8-14, 2015
American University (D.C.)	10,000
Appalachian State University (N.C.)	17,500
Arizona State University	72,300
Austin Peay State University (Tenn.)	10,000
Baylor University (Texas)	15,200
Boston University (Mass.)	30,800
Bowling Green State University (Ken.)	17,800
Central Michigan University	27,000
Cleveland State University	17,200
Duke University (N.C.)	14,800
East Carolina University (N.C.)	27,000
East Tennessee State University	15,600
Emory University	13,900
Florida International University	48,000
Florida State University	40,500
George Mason University (Va.)	33,400
Georgetown University (D.C.)	17,200
Georgia Gwinnett College	8,400
Illinois State University	20,800
Macon State College (Ga.)	5,700
Mercer University (Ga.)	5,500
Michigan State University	48,000
Middle Tennessee State University	24,200
Minnesota State University	15,700
Minnesota State University Mankato	13,600
Mississippi State University	20,000
Missouri State University	21,100
North Carolina State University	34,000
Northern Illinois University	25,400
Northern Kentucky University	15,500
Old Dominion University (Va.)	24,200
Park University (Mo.)	25,500
Pennsylvania State University	44,900
Sam Houston State University	17,700
South Carolina State University	5,000
Southern Methodist University (Texas)	12,000
Syracuse University	20,500
Tennessee State University	8,500
Tennessee Technological University	10,000
The George Washington University	24,600
Troy University	29,700
University of North Carolina	67,100
University of Central Florida	59,000
University of Georgia	33,400
University of Memphis (Tenn.)	18,000
University of Miami (Fla.)	16,800
University of Mississippi	20,800
University of Pennsylvania	21,300
University of Pittsburgh (Pa.)	28,800
University of South Carolina	45,300
University of Southern Mississippi	18,000
University of Tampa (Fla.)	6,900
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga	11,500
University of Texas – Arlington	35,000
University of Virginia	21,200
University of West Florida	10,200
Virginia Commonwealth University	32,000
Virginia Tech	31,000
Webster University (Mo.)	21,100
Western Carolina University (N.C.)	10,000
Western Kentucky University	21,100
Western Michigan University	25,100
MARCH 15-21, 2015
Armstrong Atlantic State University (Ga.)	7,600
Clemson University (S.C.)	15,500
Colorado State University	32,000
Columbia University (N.Y.)	27,700
Edgewood College (Wisc.)	20,000
Georgia College and State University	6,700
Georgia Institute of Technology	20,500
Georgia Southern University	20,300
Georgia State University	40,000
Gulf Coast State College (Fla.)	7,200
Harvard University (Mass.)	21,300
Indiana University (System)	83,700
Iowa State University	31,100
Kansas State University	24,400
Leon County, Tallahassee School System
New York University	38,400
Oklahoma State University	26,100
Oklahoma University	30,800
Ohio State University	56,900
Purdue University (Ind.)	39,800
St. Louis Public Schools
State University of New York (System)	465,000
State University of West Georgia	11,700
Stony Brook University (N.Y.)	24,700
Texas A&M University	53,400
Texas State University	34,300
Texas Tech University	32,700
University of Alabama	33,600
University of Arizona	40,000
University of Cincinnati	42,700
University of Connecticut	22,500
University of Houston	39,900
University of Iowa	30,400
University of Kansas	29,500
University of Kentucky	28,100
University of Maryland	37,700
University of Massachusetts	68,400
University of Minnesota	52,600
University of North Florida	14,300
University of North Georgia	9,000
University of North Texas	36,200
University of Southern California	41,000
University of South Florida	47,200
University of Tennessee Knoxville	27,600
University of Texas	38,500
Wayne State University (Mich.)	32,600
MARCH 22-28, 2015
Alabama State University	5,800
Auburn University (Ala.)	25,500
Bay County (Panama City, Fla.) Public Schools
Dothan (Ala.) School District
Drexel University (Penn.)	25,500
Huntsville (Ala.) School District
Jacksonville State University  (Ala.)	9,500
Kent State University (Ohio)	42,600
Little Rock (Ark.) School District
Miami University	20,200
Nashville (Tenn.) School District
Northwestern University	20,000
Okaloosa County (Destin) Public Schools
University of Akron (Ohio)	24,600
University of Alabama Birmingham	18,000
University of Arkansas	24,600
University of California Irvine	30,000
University of California Los Angeles	42,200
University of Colorado Boulder	29,900
University of Illinois	28,100
University of Missouri	35,500
University of Missouri Kansas City	15,500
University of Nebraska	50,000
University of North Alabama	7,300
University of Oregon	20,700
University of West Alabama	5,200
Valdosta State University (Ga.)	13,100
Walton County (Santa Rosa Beach) Public Schools
West Virginia University	29,700
MARCH 29-APRIL 4, 2015
Birmingham (Ala.) Public Schools
College of DuPage (Ill.)	29,000
Cornell University (N.Y.)	21,000
Fayette County (Lexington, Ky.) Public Schools
Loyola University New Orleans	5,000
Tulane University (La.)	13,400
University of Wisconsin	42,300
APRIL 5-11, 2015
DeKalb County (Ga.) Public Schools
Fulton County, Georgia
Kennesaw State University (Ga.)	32,500
Louisiana State University	29,600
University of Louisiana (System) beachelope keywords: elope to florida, how to elope, where to elope, beach elope, get married in florida, get married on the beach, destin beach weddings, panama city beach weddings, 30a beach weddings.	24,500

Florida Beach Wedding - Escorting the Bride down the Aisle!

Escorting the bride down the aisle! Although the father of the bride is the traditional choice, we've seen both parents, just mom, children, siblings, uncles, even best friends. Who has the honor on your wedding day?

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Come On Already Spring!!  We're ready!  Here's an article from Yahoo Travel that talks about the best beaches to visit in the US.  Sunset Beach Weddings covers most of the Emerald Coast, and you'll find a few our beaches on this list!  

Specifically, check out 5. Pensacola Beach, Florida and 10. Beach at Panama City, Panama City Beach, Florida!  The inexpensive lodging ideas the article gives are spot on as well, we recommend both of these frequently for your Florida Beach Destination Wedding!  

Feeling Frozen? These are the Best Beaches in the World According to TripAdvisor

Greg KeraghosianAssociate Travel EditorFebruary 18, 2015

If the weather outside your window is depressingly cold, or you just need a change of scenery for a few days, there's nothing like planning a beach trip in February to help you get through the end of winter. To provide some inspiration, the booking site TripAdvisor released today its 2015 installment of the beaches getting the highest ratings among its users.

Florida and Hawaii dominated the Travelers' Choice U.S. rankings, taking up all but one beach in the top 10. The grand prize went to Siesta Beach in Siesta Key, Fla., while the top-rated beach in the world is Baia do Sancho, in Brazil.

The rankings are based on the quantity and quality of TripAdvisor reviews over the past 12 months. The site also threw in an affordable hotel choice with each beach that you can book on TripAdvisor for around $200 per night. Here are the top 10 beaches in the U.S.:

1. Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, Florida

Siesta Beach (Courtesy: TripAdvisor)

This chilled-out Sarasota County getaway is famous for its pure white quartz sand, and it has been recognized before — Siesta Beach was No. 1 in the 2011 "Dr. Beach" rankings as the best beach in America. Unlike some of Florida's more party-centric beaches, this one is considered an ideal spot for families. Hotel you can book: Captiva Beach Resort, as low as $172 on TripAdvisor

2. Saint Pete Beach, Florida

Saint Pete Beach (Courtesy: TripAdvisor)

Located on the west coast of Florida, Saint Pete Beach doesn't lack for white sand, and this barrier island community offers a mix of sunlit seclusion with appealing cultural excursions. On the southern tip of Saint Pete Beach is Pass-A-Grille with its historical district. And if you want nightlife, you can drive into the nearby Tampa-St. Petersburg area. 
Hotel you can book: Inn on the Beach, as low as $174

3. Ka'anapali Beach, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Ka'anapali Beach (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

This laid-back beach is three miles of gorgeousness on the western end of Maui. It's beloved for its snorkeling opportunities around Black Rock. 
Hotel you can book: Maui Eldorado, as low as $195

Related: Drumroll … The Best Beach Destinations in the World

4. Wai'anapanapa State Park, Maui, Hawaii

Wai'anapanapa State Park (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

The Road to Hana can scare off some tourists, but make the drive and you'll be rewarded with this gem that includes black volcanic sand, hiking trails, lava rocks, and freshwater caves. 
Hotel you can book: Aina Nalu, as low as $212

5. Pensacola Beach, Florida

Pensacola Beach (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

This Gulf of Mexico destination is famous for a few things: white beaches, a mellow vibe that's perfect for families, a pier that beckons fishermen, and some outstanding restaurant options. 
Hotel you can book: Margaritaville Beach Hotel, as low as $229

Related: Can You Guess the 5 Biggest Beach Dangers? (Hint: It's Not Sharks)

6. La Jolla Cove, La Jolla, California

La Jolla Cove (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

This tiny beach is the one non-Hawaii, non-Florida outlier in the top 10. How did it get there? With a  postcard-perfect view, easy swimming and snorkeling, and protected marine wildlife. 
Hotel you can book: Empress Hotel of La Jolla, as low as $180

7. Kailua Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii

Kailua Beach Park (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

Located on the windward coast 30 minutes from the more hectic Waikiki, this half-mile stretch of white sand is a sanctuary for both island locals and President Obama, who owns a vacation home here. Water sports, including kayaking and windsurfing, are a big draw here. 
Hotel you can book: Vive Hotel Waikiki, as low as $190

8. Clearwater Beach, Clearwater, Florida

Clearwater Beach (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

Families love visiting this low-key, friendly Gulf Coast destination. Dolphin sightings are common from the beach, and a favorite onshore attraction is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. 
Hotel you can book: Ebb Tide Waterfront Resort, as low as $189

9. St. Augustine Beach, Saint Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine Beach (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

Saint Augustine is an upper-income beach town, with luxury hotels and restaurants in the area. But this wide and clean expanse of beach is still egalitarian, with plenty of room for everyone. While there you can tour the historic area of Saint Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the U.S. 
Hotel you can book: Ascend Collection Castillo Real, as low as $187

10. Beach at Panama City, Panama City Beach, Florida

Beach at Panama City (Courtesy: TripAdvisor) 

If you like a little extra towel room when you're posting up at the beach, this 27-mile beauty will satisfy you. Activities here include dolphin watching, parasailing, and jet-skiing. 
Hotel you can book: Palmetto Inn & Suites, as low as $124 per night

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