Destination weddings have become more and more popular for newlyweds. Combining a beautiful locale, your honeymoon vacation, and a great place for guests to get a little R & R as well is the way to go for many couples. Martha Stewart has even partnered with Sandals Resorts to offer her brand of beautiful wedding packages for the destination brides and grooms.
Lets talk food! I am a huge foodie. The only thing I love more than weddings, design, and fabric is FOOD! A coastal reception is an opportunity to present truly decadent sea fare. With the lightness of seafood and coastal inspired dishes, a multi-course dinner can be achieved with a little work with the many talented chefs and caterers who often reside near the water. If your wedding is smaller, or you truly wish to create a memorable meal as fellow gastronomes, lobster, scallops, shrimp….all shellfish prepared well cannot be anything but fabulous. Started with a refreshing fruit is something my family in France does during the summer, and serves as an amuse bouche or palette cleanser from cocktail hour hors d’oeuvres.
Ceviche is one of my favorite foods. Introduced to me by a fabulous chef in Morehead City, NC, this cold South American dish is light, zesty, fresh, and I order it any time I see it on a menu. Ceviche is a concoction that varies from region to region, restaurant to restaurant, and chef to chef. A combination of seafood cooked utilizing denaturation in citrus. In other words, a little heat is sometimes used for part of the seafood used and marinating the rest of the ingredients in citrus juices chemically “cooks” the rest. Often accompanied by fried plantains or fresh chips and avocado, ceviche is a fresh starter or course in an upscale meal near the ocean.
Another staple of any special meal is the salad. Frisee is a great salad to mix in to your menu and its light texture complements light sea fare. Here is a frisee salad with mango, dressed lightly with citrus vinaigrette.
Table Settings for your coastal wedding are often also kept light and clean. New England is evoked through hydrangeas, the tropics by orchids; flowers can and should reflect your locale as well as personality. Roses and peonies are beautiful, but if you are in St. Lucia, the heat and overall feeling of the island might conflict with them. If you have chosen a beautiful coastal location for your wedding, why not bring in all the beauty from the area?
Something I have seen for ceremonies held on or near the beach is the chuppah. Even those couples who are not Jewish are opting for this lovely canopy as a frame for their nuptials. Representative of the home a couple will make together, a chuppah is not only beautiful but meaningful.
Some nautical and seaside inspired cakes!
Some inspiration for the outdoor ceremony and reception with ocean breezes and lanterns.
A friend’s wedding had a beautiful fan for the guests during the ceremony to cool themselves in the sunshine. I kept it, framed it, and gave it to her later as a gift. I LOVED this idea and there are so many beautiful options to keep your guests cool and protected from the strong coastal sun.
One of my favorite ideas for a coastal wedding is the biodegradeable hot air lantern. Provide gold markers so that guests can write a message of good wishes to the bride and groom and have them send them up into the night sky.
Favors are my business and the Luahala box is one of my favorite packages for your guest’s gifts. Available in many sizes, these woven grass cloth boxes are a keepsake in them selves and can be left alone or decorated simply.
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