While some brides dream of a traditional church wedding, others long to tie the knot on a beautiful beach far from home. Destination weddings have become increasingly popular, and more and more couples are choosing to celebrate their marriage away from where they live. Typically there are fewer guests at a destination wedding, but planning a destination wedding is not a walk in the park. Use the following tips to plan a gorgeous, stress-free destination wedding on the beach:

Choose Your Venue Carefully

The Internet has made wedding planning so much easier for brides- you can spend hours researching venues until you find the one that best suits you and your fiance. But if possible, don't book your wedding and reception venue based on pictures alone. A good idea is to choose a few different venues that you're interested in and arrange to travel to the destination so you can see them in person. Pictures can be deceiving, so seeing a venue in person can ensure that the venue you book is exactly what you expect. 

Give Your Guests Advance Notice

Destination beach weddings are often very beautiful, but if you want friends and family to be able to witness your wedding ceremony it is important to give them as much advance notice of your wedding date as possible. Depending on where you are having your wedding, guests may need to budget for airfare, lodging, and meals. The more time you give people to set aside money to travel to your wedding, the more likely it is that they will be able to attend.

Work with a Local Wedding Coordinator 

One of the challenges of planning a destination wedding is trying to attend to all of the details of your ceremony and reception from far away. If you want to save your sanity, it is a very good idea to hire a wedding coordinator who is experienced in planning beach weddings in your destination. If your venue does not have a wedding coordinator on staff, consider hiring an outside coordinator. He or she will be able to give you valuable information about local vendors, and on your wedding day your coordinator will ensure that everything goes smoothly so you can enjoy being a bride.  

Wedding Day Beauty

Don't forget to consider the location of your wedding when shopping for your dress (from an outlet such as Moonlight Bridal). Most brides who have beach weddings tend to purchase dresses that are more casual than the more traditional gowns worn at church weddings. You will also have to think about your hair and makeup; heat and humidity on the shore can make it harder to get the look you want, so you may want to hire a makeup artist and hair stylist to assist you in looking your best on your big day.