The trend for beach wedding dresses or any wedding dress for that matter, has been leaning towards simplicity for the last several years. Gone are the wedding dresses that incorporated heavy materials, yards of lace and large fabric flowers. The bride's arms came uncovered, bare shoulders became stylish and beach wedding dresses became uncomplicated and unencumbered.
Beach weddings have so many plus points it's easy to see why more and more couple go down this route instead of having a traditional wedding. Since your wedding is no longer traditional, your wedding dress shouldn't be either.
If you look up the synonyms for simplicity, you'll come up with words like ease, effortlessness, minimalism and cleanness. But then again, you'll also encounter words like plainness or even blandness. If you look at the two groups of words, you probably have an idea of the challenge you'll have to face if you choose to wear a simple beach wedding dress on your big day.
Many brides struggle with finding the perfect beach dress or find the perfect wedding gown for them only to realise while it was perfect for them it wasn't perfect for the beach.
To make sure you don't make that mistake follow these simple rules.
So what is simple? Choose words like 'minimalist' or 'ease' and combine that with 'clean lines' and you'll have an idea of how a simple beach wedding dress should look like. If you need a good example of a simple but stunning wedding dress, go back several years and imagine what the late Carolyn Bessette wore for her wedding to John Kennedy, Jr. That was a simple gown with no frills - just clean, beautiful lines, a long sheath dress cut on a bias and made to hug the bride's enviable figure perfectly.
Make sure your beach wedding gown is the right length
A traditional bridal dress generally hits the floor and has a train this isn't going to work on a sandy beach. If you still want a long dress make sure it stops around your ankles. This will help keep you cool as well as not getting in the way when you walk along the beach and getting stained by the sand. Depending on your style and your personal preference it's perfectly acceptable to wear a shorter dress on the beach, if you want to show of you legs opt for something above the knee if you feel like your legs aren't worthy of being shown off then try a calf or ankle length dress.
Whether short or long, a simple beach wedding dress will work perfectly if it fits you to a T. Consider your silhouette and go for clean lines that follow your natural curves. Choose materials that work great with beach weddings such as linen, chiffon, tulle and organza. They are light, are available in different colors and will work well with your desired cut.
If you know that the beach that you're getting married at is known to be windy you need to consider the effect this will have on your bridal gown and your hair. An ankle length dress could prove difficult to walk in if the wind keeps wrapping itself around your legs. If you've got any layers or ruffles then the wind will constantly catch these and you don't want to spend your wedding ceremony pushing ruffles back down so you can see what's going on. In fact its better not to buy dresses with ruffles or layers and sand likes to find a way into these nooks and crannies and you'll never get it out before you head back to your hotel.
You can also go for a sarong-style dress. A simple length of fabric can be wrapped around and worn as a beach wedding dress - no frills, no need for sewing and it doubles as appropriate beach wear.
Make sure your wedding dress is created with thin, light breathable material
If you're getting married on a beach, I'm going to assume you're getting married somewhere sunny and hot, the last thing you want to do is overheat and sweat all your make up off on your wedding day. Choose fabric like cotton, chiffon or silk to keep you cool, these fabrics are also light and thin so wedding dresses created from these fabrics are easily transportable.
Make sure you can transport your wedding dress
If you've tried on traditional wedding gowns in the bridal shops then you'll know that there's no way that a dress like that is going to fit into your suitcase. Plus do you remember how heavy they are? Just think of the excess baggage you'll end up paying. Your beach ceremony dress should be made from light thin material so it's easy to transport.
