Ocean theme wedding

The ocean conjures up images of beauty, majesty, tranquility, and mystery. Your ocean themed wedding can take many forms just by choosing which image you see when you think of the ocean.

In selecting the location for your ocean wedding, your options include the beach itself, a seaside resort or restaurant, onboard a cruise ship or party boat, or even a destination wedding at some lush tropical location. But you can bring the ocean theme to your location no matter where you are by bringing in colors reminiscent of the ocean and objects that will call to mind trips to the sea for all of your guests.

Choosing your colors is obvious, but add complementary colors to set the tone for your wedding. The gorgeous blues and greens of the ocean blend with fuchsia or yellow to give your wedding a cool, contemporary look. Or blend the blues and greens with sunset oranges or warm sand colors to bring the tranquility of the ocean to your location. You can choose to dress your bridesmaids in a range of ocean blues, or choose a clean white look for them and add blue embroidery, blue wraps, or even a sash to bring an ocean vibe to their attire. All white is also a great look for your groom and his ushers, with a blue satin tie. For a more casual look, consider how seaside handsome your groom will look in a sand color pair of linen pants with a white cotton shirt.

For your gown, you could go with a traditional wedding white, but don’t be afraid to bring the ocean to your look. Accessorize a simple white slip dress with aqua colored jewelry, or add shell shaped jewelry. For a more formal gown, have your dress custom made with aqua embroidery or beading in shell patterns.

Instead of a bouquet of flowers, look into a seashell bouquet. This can be done in all white or with splashes of color added. A bouquet of all white roses, wrapped in a sea foam green satin ribbon can be adorned with small shells encapsulate in the slightly blooming rose buds or by hot gluing them on the ribbon. The groom and his ushers could wear small starfish on their lapels, painted white and finished with pearl topped pins. Add an adorable touch by having your ring bearer carry a large scallop shell that holds your wedding rings.

Centerpieces can be whimsical, using children’s beach pails and shovels, surrounded by shells of all shapes and sizes. Or go with a simple, elegant look, incorporating beautiful scallop shells, pillar candles in varying sizes, and strings of pearls.

Invite your guests to the wedding using one of the many stock ocean themed invitations or send them something memorable for a more informal wedding by hand writing your invitations in metallic ink on large sand dollars. You can even find invitations that mimic a message in a bottle. If you plan to have a formal wedding at the beach, let your guests know in the invitation so the assumption is not made that the casual location means casual dress.
Many of your guests would enjoy a feast on the bounty the ocean has to offer. Have a raw bar with freshly shucked clams and oysters, and a mountain of cooked shrimp is bound to be a hit. For something a little different, serve conch chowder or a scungilli salad. Keep in mind that some guests do not eat seafood, but you can still keep the ocean in mind with brightly colored blue china and glassware, or garnishing with orchids or seashells,

Your wedding cake can be the centerpiece of the entire event, and you can use the cake like a blank canvas. Decorate with shells, sea grasses, and starfish; or have your cake decorated with spray painted ocean scenes. Take a more subtle approach by just choosing to tint the cake with pale blue or green and decorate with flowers or strings of pearls. If your ocean themed wedding takes place at the beach, it is probable that the local bakers will have a portfolio filled with ocean theme cake designs.

Wedding guests can take home personalized boxes of salt water taffy, seashell ornaments, or one of any number of available ocean themed favors. For something fun, different and memorable, fill small pails with gummy sea creatures, wrapped in blue or green cellophane, and tagged with a note that says something like “With Oceans of Thanks for Sharing Our Special Day”. You can even have flip flops imprinted with a message from the newly married couple commemorating the day.

The ocean evokes many images and means different things to different people. Your ocean themed wedding will not only conjure up many happy memories for you and your guests, but will help create new happy memories for all who attend.