Mexico has been a popular tourist destination for many years, and for a very good reason. The people, food, history, culture, and performing arts are full of life, enthusiasm, and romance. However, where can lovers go to get married without bumping into hordes of tourists? Playa Del Carmen, a prosperous and extraordinary Mexico destination, is the secret wedding destination that lovers try to seek out. It is where marriage and memories can be made to fit the dreams of even the most extravagant weddings.

The very reason why some couples decide to get married at Playa is because of the cut-price costs compared to getting wed in the United States. The price is so cheap that it is actually half the price of most Stateside weddings, with more and more savings as the peso falls in value. Now really is the time to get married in Mexico!

In the Pacific Coast region, you’ll find cities and towns with rich cultural and culinary traditions, as well as some of the best beaches for water sports like surfing and fishing. The Baja California Peninsula territory has been inhabited from time immemorial, in this region you can play golf on world-class courses, discover the underwater treasures of the Sea of Cortez, and witness the amazing migration of the Gray Whale.

Now you can relax, because when you decided to have a beach wedding instead of a more traditional setting, you just may have made the best decision of your life. No mundane local event center wedding for you; instead, you’ll have a romantic, picturesque seaside wedding. Beach wedding planning can be more complicated than planning for a traditional ceremony, however, so you’ll want to simplify wherever you can.

So how do you make planning a beach wedding simple and easy? Here is our five-point, practical strategy for creating a magical beach wedding.

1. Be Realistic

Whether their location is a beautiful church or on a scenic beach, it takes a lot of time to plan and organize weddings. Beach weddings involve a lot of things, including finding the right beach, booking flights or other travel arrangements, organizing the flowers and food, choosing the perfect wedding dress, organizing the reception and more. You see the problem.

To get the best result with the least stress, begin the planning process at least a year ahead of time. This period provides enough time for you to book hotels, make flight arrangements, select your wardrobe and mail your invitations. It also lets your guests have enough time to plan their travel.

The beach setting you selected is absolutely perfect. Now you want to work on making your ceremony and reception beautiful occasions where your loved ones can gather together to share in your happiness.

The right centerpieces are important because they will be the center of attention on the tables at your wedding. Beach centerpieces should look natural and they should complement your beach theme.

The four primary ingredients of wedding beach centerpieces are sand, glass, sea shells and flowers. These ingredients can be easily interchanged allowing for almost infinite centerpiece designs that are dazzling as well as practical.

Below are a few tips about creating striking centerpieces.

Candles in Vases: This is the easiest design to make. Your starting point is a small transparent glass vase of the type sometimes used to protect candles from the wind. Fill the vase about one-third full with white sand, then put a candle on top of the sand. Put flower leis and sea shells around the vase and light the candle. The result is an easy but classic centerpiece for the tables at your wedding. Beach centerpieces of this type are inexpensive and fun to create, and they’re pleasing to the eye.

A wedding has become much more than a blushing bride in a white dress walking down the aisle to say those two magical words, “I do”. Although that precious moment is still a very important factor, many couples wish to break away from tradition and create for themselves a totally unique and unforgettable experience. One way to do this is by having beach wedding favors and decorations like seashells on tables and bridesmaids dresses in a sea blue tone with ruffled wave-like trim.

Everything about a theme wedding can be completely unique, from the cake to the decorations. It is nice to have a flowing theme for the wedding and some brides choose to have a beach wedding, especially if they wish to get married in a colder time of the year. Also, so many cute ideas can come from a beach wedding, like starfish cake toppers and sprinkled sand to walk on even in an indoor setting.

Many people prefer a wedding in spring and this is also an ideal time to pick your place and send some beach wedding invitations. A beach theme wedding is very easy to work with and can take place indoors or out. You might even prefer do both, if you so choose! Just remember to consider the weather and the time of year. The Caribbean is tropical and you don’t want to plan an outdoor beach wedding in hurricane season!

Getting the right beach wedding dress is the key to success of your beach wedding. After all its not just the beach and breath taking surrounding that guests will have their eyes on, it will be all about you and your beach wedding dress. Unlike conventional indoor weddings, when outside you have the Mother Nature to contend with.

Being outside means that beach weddings have much less pomp and ceremony than traditional ones. The same goes for your beach wedding dress. You can be as casual and carefree as the sea breeze. Opt for a casual cocktail dress instead of a frumpy layered one. Keep the lines simple as as close to your body as possible to avoid the dress from blowing up into your face.

Also, many brides have been known to choose light colors for their dresses such as pale pinks, blues, yellows, and various other non-traditional styles which are great for hiding minute stains and also great accent colors for any beach wedding dress.

Even if you opt for the traditional dress you just have to make a few minor adjustments in considering the length of the dress and train and you dress will be brought up to date with, most current beach wedding dress trends.

Wedding trends for this year are being determined by the American economy. As a result of the uncertain financial situation, couples are deciding to have smaller and less expensive weddings. There are many ways to cut down on wedding expenses that do not include cutting out the magical appeal and and white-wedding dream.

Vintage is in this year, which means you can save a great deal of money by wearing your mothers or grandmothers dress. It may have been a classic dress that can be re-used easily with some new jewelry, shoes or other accents and accessories. Having a beach wedding is a fabulous way to save money and you can take that vintage dress and cut it to a length that is more suitable for the beach – and voila you have a new & improved “beach wedding dress” style!