This article will help you choose the best beach themed wedding favors for pleasing your guests while protecting your budget.

You can easily make a simple and enjoyable seaside wedding favor by placing a small votive candle inside a small beach pail, which you can purchase at hobby shops. Buy several in assorted colors. Fill each of them about one quarter of the way up with colored sand, which you can also get at hobby shops. Put a candle into the sand and tie a colorful ribbon around the pail. That's all there is to it! These are simple and inexpensive wedding favors, but they perfectly convey the ambiance of your outdoor wedding. Your guests will remember your wedding fondly when they see these favors in their home.

You can also use seashells as satisfying yet economical destination wedding favors. Beach items like seashells are stocked by party supply and hobby and craft shops. Buy shells that are unbroken and approximately the same size. While you are in the store, also pick up some inexpensive fishing net material to cut up into small squares. Place a few seashells in the center of each square, then draw the square's corners together and tie them up with silk ribbon in pink, blue or coral colors. Your guests will be thrilled with these appealing beach wedding favors.

Magnets with a shape and character related to the coastal environment also make charming favors for a beach wedding. You can choose magnets in the shape of starfish, seashells, palm trees or any other form that reflects the seaside surroundings. Your friends and loved ones will likely keep your favor displayed prominently on their refrigerator where they will see it often and be reminded of your blissful event.

Place-card holders are yet another alternative for tropical wedding favors. They can liven up the atmosphere of your reception and can also be used by your guests as mementos. Wedding and gift shops usually offer inexpensive place-card holders in shapes related to the ocean or the beach, like dolphins, seashells and starfish. They are placed on the tables at your reception and hold cards that provide your guests' names and table numbers. When they return home, your guests can slip a photo inside and use the place-card holder as a playful picture frame. They will thank you for giving them a useful wedding favor, and they'll often be reminded of your ceremony and reception.

Our final suggestions for favors, beach themed bookmarks, are inexpensive and practical. Rather than choosing thin paper bookmarks, go with something more substantial and stylish, like bookmarks made of plastic or chrome. Bookmarks featuring starfish, palm trees or even flip flops blend with your beach theme perfectly and are easy to find. They're also practical, and guests who are avid readers will especially appreciate them. You can make a beach-themed bookmark even more distinctive by placing it inside a book of romantic poems or a small photo album containing pictures from your wedding.

BeachWeddingMagic is devoted to helping couples create their own magical on beach wedding. Visit BeachWeddingMagic.com for suggestions and advice on wedding favors, beach themed, decorations, flowers, invitations and much more.

Is a man's designer silk suit appropriate, or should guys wear beach shorts with tropical prints? Is it better to adopt a surfer look with unkempt hair, or should you comb your hair neatly? And should ladies wear their special-occasion $500 red Prada pumps or a simple pair of flip-flops? The typical seaside ceremony is more casual than a traditional church wedding, and beach wedding clothes are usually more casual as well.

Some wedding guests are fortunate and receive invitations with hints about what they should wear. If your invitation didn't give you a clue, send the bride and groom a quick email asking for their suggestions before you start planning your beach wedding clothes. They will probably suggest some type of upscale beach attire, but no matter what they recommend, they'll appreciate your concern and the indication that you are planning to attend.

If you're still unclear after you ask, here are some guidelines to help you:

Men's Beach Wedding Attire: Forget about black, because it is usually reserved for the groom (although this restriction is usually not as strictly observed as white clothing being limited to brides). Dress slacks and a white cotton shirt with a button-down collar are usually safe choices for an informal ceremony.

If you'd feel more comfortable in a suit, go with linen slacks and jacket in a lighter color with a casual, striped shirt underneath - this will give you an air of relaxed formality and help you strike the perfect balance between casual and dressy. If you want to be more adventurous (or beachy) go with well-tailored cotton, linen or silk-blend draw-string pants or shorts and a tropical-print silk shirt.

For footwear, leather sandals are a good choice (though you want to make sure they're open enough to let the sand out). Leather flip-flops work well too. It can be fine to even go barefoot, although that depends on how formal the occasion is and exactly what you're wearing (you wouldn't want to go shoeless if you were sporting an expensive linen suit).

Women's Beach Wedding Attire: You don't want to upstage the bride with your beach wedding clothes, so whatever you decide to wear, don't out-dress her. Formal weddings give you more freedom to wear dressy clothes, but if the ceremony is casual, your best choice is the type of beach attire you might wear to a fancy resort. Cotton or rayon lightweight skirts are perfect if the wedding beach is in the tropics. You'll achieve a flawless look if you pair one of these skirts with a cotton or rayon island-style top in bright, primary colors. A well-tailored jersey dress is another ideal option.

It's usually a good idea to stick with shorter dresses or skirts on the wedding beach. Long dresses and high heels should be avoided as both can make walking through deep sand extremely difficult. An island-themed bracelet, necklace and earrings, or some similar stylish but understated "bling," are just the thing set off your outfit.

Dressy flip-flops or sandals with painted toenails finish the look wonderfully. If you choose to go barefoot, try wearing one or two pieces of foot jewelry. A toe ring, barefoot sandals or an ankle bracelet work particularly well if made from seashells, coral or other items that match your beach wedding clothes.

BeachWeddingMagic is devoted to helping soon-to-be-married couples create their own magical on beach wedding. Visit BeachWeddingMagic.com for suggestions and advice on beach wedding clothes, decorations, flowers, invitations and much more.

You want to create an invitation so beautiful that your guests will frame it as a memento of your ceremony. Of course, you'll also want to keep an eye on your budget. Did you know that the average couple spends 5% of their wedding budget on invitations? For a $20,000 wedding that's $1000. You don't have to spend that much. Instead of turning the task over to a graphics designer, why not design your own?

Creating your own beach invitations may seem like a thorny challenge at first. Luckily, there's no cause for stress. With so many choices of paper, color, and type-styles, you can easily craft invitations that perfectly reflect your unique style...without breaking the bank. This is a chance for you to be as wild and creative as you would like. Have fun!

Here are some tips to fire up your creativity:

Design Your Invitations Online: If you type "design your own wedding invitations online" into your Internet search engine, you'll be shown a large number of websites that can assist you in creating the invitations for your wedding. Beach invitations are available in a number of ready-made designs which can be customized, or you can begin from scratch. The choice is yours, but both ways are free. There won't be any charge until you have your invitations printed.

Size and shape: You may want your invitations to be in the shape of palm trees, sea horses or other beach-related objects. While custom shapes are in vogue, there are downsides. The printing company will have to set up their equipment to cut the paper into the shape of your choice. This requires extra work and you will be charged accordingly. Also, the post office sometimes charges more to mail odd or oversized shapes so you'll want to consider postage costs as well. If you are minding your budget, your safest bet is to stick with square or rectangular shapes.

Invitation Graphics: What images pop into your mind when you think about the beach? Wedding invitations can incorporate pictures of sand dollars on the beach, swaying palm trees, sailboats on the horizon and other beach-related images into their designs. You can create a tasteful background for your invitations by repeating the same image of a tropical flower, a starfish, a sunset or a dolphin. You can also use a favorite beach photo or painting in your design.

Paper choices: What type of paper should you use? 30 to 50 pound card stock is optimal. This is thicker than standard paper so it prints well and resists bending and creasing during mailing. If you are more eco-conscious, opt for recycled paper. Linen and cotton paper are ideal choices if your goal is elegance. Tip: To save money, go with a cotton blend rather than 100% cotton.

Fonts for Your Invitations: The website you use to create your invitations will provide several fonts you can choose from. You'll want to select a type-style that makes you picture the beach, romance and your personal style. A font called Edwardian Script is among the most popular for wedding invitations, and it's very pleasing to the eye. Vivaldi and Renaissance are other excellent choices.

To make your beach invitations stand out even more, how about including your favorite poem, quote or song lyric? Does your husband or wife-to-be have a favorite expression they repeat often? Include it to give your wedding invitations a warm, personal sparkle that your guests will appreciate and cherish.

BeachWeddingMagic is devoted to helping soon-to-be-married couples create their own magical on beach wedding. Visit BeachWeddingMagic.com for expert how tos on wedding beach invitations, cakes, decorations, clothing and much more.

Try these strategies for creating a winning beach wedding floral design on a budget:

Decide which types of floral arrangements you want

Develop a general idea of the types of floral arrangements you want and estimate how many you'll need for your wedding. Beach flowers can be plentiful or you can have none at all. Brides having traditional weddings usually opt for: floral arches, a wedding bouquet, a basket of flowers for the flower girl, corsages for the bridesmaids and boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen, and flowers for the tables at the reception. It's also common to give corsages or boutonnieres to close relatives attending the wedding. Beach flowers can be put on the sand to create an aisle or path leading to the ceremony site.

Tip: A beach wedding requires fewer flowers because of the natural beauty of the surroundings. If your budget is limited, use flowers only for the bridal couple. Instead of the bridal bouquet and groom's boutonniere, use colorful Hawaiian-type leis. They'll enhance your beach theme.

Your Flower Budget

The average floral budget is $2,000 for a US wedding. Beach flowers can cost much less because you don't need as many unless you want to splurge.

When you've added up the number of flower arrangements you want, decide whether you want tropical flowers, non-tropical flowers or a mixture. After you know this, you're ready to ask florists for price estimates so you can lock in your budget.

Interview Potential Florists

Leave designing the flower arrangements to the professionals unless you have experience. Ask newlyweds, hotels and wedding planners to recommend florists in the area. Try to have a minimum of three potential florists, and meet with each one in person if possible. If not, interview them by telephone.

Tip: Ask each florist the questions below to narrow your search and identify the one that's perfect for your wedding:

What services do you provide for weddings? Do you include your design services in the flowers' cost? Have you designed floral arrangements specifically for beach weddings before? If so, can you show me some examples? Are there any additional charges on top of the cost of the flowers themselves, such as delivery or setup? How much lead time do you need for my order? Instead of an estimate, is a firm price quote possible?

Compare answers and quoted prices. Choose the florist who provides the most satisfactory answers to your questions AND offers a reasonable price in comparison to their competition.

Some other ideas to save money:

Use locally grown flowers

Stick with flowers that are indigenous to area where you'll be getting married. Locally grown flowers do not have to be refrigerated and shipped which means that florists typically sell them for a lower price. This lets you achieve a sumptuous look for your wedding with a smaller budget.

Tell your florist about the color of your decorations, the bridal couple's clothing and the rest of the wedding party's clothing. When your florist knows your color palate, they can recommend local flowers that coordinate with your wedding beach theme.

Use floral arrangements for more than one purpose

To cut your budget, use the same flowers for both the wedding ceremony and the reception. Arrange ahead of time for your florist (or a few close friends) to immediately move flowers from the ceremony site to the reception location.

Make sure you use flowers with strong, waxy blooms if you want your flowers to do this kind of double duty. Heliconia, antherium, orchids and calla lilies work better because they hold up in heat and keep their fresh look throughout the ceremony, the reception and beyond.

Use potted plants and greenery in addition to flowers

Cut flowers are more expensive. Instruct your florist to stretch your budget by using potted plants and local greenery extensively in your flower arrangements. Palm fronds, for example, are quite attractive. They're plentiful and they're also dramatic. You might even be able to find some free local greenery, depending on where your wedding will be held.

To stretch your budget even further, include potted plants such as African violets, smaller orchids, and tillandsia, and give them to guests as wedding favors.

BeachWeddingMagic helps soon-to-be-married couples create their own magical on beach wedding. Visit BeachWeddingMagic.com for expert how tos on wedding beach flowers, cakes, decorations, wedding planners and much more.

That's the enchantment of a beach wedding. Beach gowns for this blissful occasion are available in an almost limitless range of choices. Need a little guidance to help narrow the field? Read on.

A beach wedding is usually more casual than an indoor wedding. Beach gowns for a destination wedding should be understated yet elegant. You will also want to consider the season. Will you have a Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter wedding? Beach temperatures can fluctuate widely from season to season. Pick lighter fabrics for warmer climates, for evening weddings or cooler climates, choose a slightly heavier fabric and include an appropriate wrap.

You can start with these basics, but some additional tips can help you sort through the options and find a stylish and sophisticated dress to complete your look impeccably:

Style

A shorter dress is usually your best bet. Longer gowns, especially ones with trains can become wet, soiled or even torn by sand, water, stones and shells. Stick with ankle length or shorter. A simple tea-length A-line style will help you create a look of understated elegance. If your ceremony will take place on concrete, a boardwalk or other stationary surface, you can wear a longer sheath-style dress. You still want to avoid a train for beach settings.

Shape

Here are a few ways you can match your dress to the shape of your body. If you wear a plus size, look for dresses that feature a lightly belted style. This will help define your waist and minimize the boxy look. A low-cut neckline will also help.

If you have a petite figure, a sash waist will give you the appearance of added height.

Add elegance to a fuller figure with a curve-hugging tailored shape.

If you have a pear-shaped body, opt for a strapless or halter-style dress. The design will draw peoples' eyes up and provide a more balanced appearance. Make sure your skirt doesn't cling if you go in that direction.

A busty figure looks most attractive wearing a dress featuring a high scoop-neck and supportive straps. A one-shoulder design is fine too. Also consider a fabric with a smaller print if you have a bustier figure; these fabrics can make your breasts look smaller.

Fabric

Choose a fabric that's breathable. It will help prevent the heat from becoming stifling and make you much more comfortable during the ceremony and your reception. Avoid heavy fabrics such as brocades, and stay away from embroidered or heavily sequined fabrics. Choose a crepe, chiffon, batiste, charmeuse, duchesse satin, illusion net or damask fabric instead. They all work admirably.

Choice of color

White and ivory are perennial favorites for a wedding. Beach dresses however, give you more flexibility with color. Darker colors that attract and hold heat can quickly become unbearable on a hot, muggy summer day. At the same time, darker colors give a more slimming effect to plus size figures. If you want to lean more toward the casual side, go for bright, primary colors. Tropical prints can also perfectly fit the beach theme of your wedding.

You can take a few risks with beach wedding gowns. Unless you'd rather keep your wedding more formal, it's OK to be a little wild and crazy. Informal wedding dresses with bold, tropical prints fit the beach theme perfectly. Let your personality come through. The dress you wear on your wedding day should perfectly express your unique style.

Beach Wedding Magic helps soon-to-be-married couples create their own magical on beach wedding. Visit BeachWeddingMagic.com for tips and advice on wedding beach gowns, cakes, flowers, clothing and much more.