The colours of the land and seascape and the unique geographic formations of its coastline give a beach wedding a distinct New Zealand flavour. The freedom of the great outdoors and the relaxed, informal atmosphere of a beach wedding reflect our way of life, and suit the style and personalities of many Kiwi couples. And even if you don’t choose to have your wedding ceremony at the beach, it’s a great photo location. Include iconic coastlines and recognizable island outlines in your photos to add a touch of Aotearoa to even the most formal of weddings.

If you can’t get to the coast, New Zealand has some of the most beautiful lakes in the world that offer an ideal alternative to a beach wedding. Imagine the crisp, clear water of a lake set against a magnificent mountain backdrop….bliss.

Tips for beach weddings

• It’s a good idea to hold your ceremony on a sheltered spot on the beach. Strong winds can be just as uncomfortable as rain, and will carry away the voices of the celebrant, bride and groom. You also don’t want your guests to be staring into bright sunlight or for them to become too hot.
• Think about the accessibility or your spot. Is it easy to get to and does it have sufficient parking? Neither the wedding party nor the guests will want to trek too far or deal with obstacles, such as steep rocks or locked gates. Also, make sure there are toilet facilities nearby.
• Check with the local council if you need a permit to marry at your location of choice, and ask if alcohol is allowed, or if the beach is being used that day.
• Provide seating for guests who may need it, plus a table for signing the register.
• Check the tides. A low tide can leave a residue or smell, and a high tide may bring a rogue wave to dampen your ceremony. An ebb, or outgoing tide is a good choice because the surf is usually quieter as it works it way out.
• A beach breeze is refreshing but can cause havoc to flowers and decorations. Keep everything simple and well anchored!
• If it’s sandfly season think about providing insect repellent for guests. Some extra tubes of sunscreen won’t go astray either!
• Always have a back-up plan. Hire a covered venue for the ceremony just in case the elements aren’t on your side and your beach plans have to be abandoned. The last thing you want is to have your guests running for cover and your carefully curled hair going limp. Your secondary location needs to be near the first so that guests can be easily diverted to the new venue at the last minute.

• A processional song for the bridesmaids
• A separate processional song for the bride (if needed)
• Signing the register song (a good idea to have 2 songs in case it takes longer than expected)
• A recessional song
• A song while the bridal party enter the reception
• A first dance song
• A cutting the cake song
• A last dance song
• Pre-ceremony music
• Music for guests while they have canapes/drinks while bridal party away getting photos
• Dinner music
• General dance music

If you’re hiring a DJ or a band then they will be able to help you out with what is good music to be played at each of these times. You will of course have your favorites which you’ll want to include, but don’t forget there will be some form of music playing for the majority of the day, that’s a lot of songs to choose! You may decide to DIY your wedding music and just use an IPOD and some speaker instead of paying a professional, this is perfectly OK, just make sure you have a responsible person on the night looking after the playlist, there is nothing more annoying than drunk people taking over the music so you only get half songs played before they decide they want to listen to something else!

The upside of hiring a professional DJ or band to take care of your wedding music is they can act as your MC if you don’t have one. It’s very useful having someone with a microphone telling people the “housekeeping” rules.

Popular Wedding Songs

• Nothing Compares To You. – Sinead O’Connor
• Close To You. – Maxi Priest
• Power of Love.  - Jennifer Rush
• Love Me Tender.  - Elvis Presley
• I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.  - Elvis Presley
• Just the Way You Are.  - Billy Joel
• When You Say Nothing At All.  - Ronan Keating
• From This Moment On.  - Shania Twain
• You Made Me Love You.  - Al Jolson
• How Deep Is Your Love.  - Bee Gees

1. You must have a Registered Marriage Celebrant perform the ceremony.

There was recently a wedding horror story about a couple who had gotten married by their celebrant only to find out a few months later that their celebrant had let her licence lapse, therefore any marriages she had performed since her licence lapsed were not technically legal! How would you feel knowing that you weren’t legally married? Always check your celebrants references and choose a someone reputable.

The good news was after a lengthy battle with the courts the couple were allowed to keep their wedding date and were “legally” declared married over six months after their wedding day.

2. You must have obtained a marriage licence from the registry office prior to your wedding date.

Contact your nearest registry office for information on obtaining a marriage licence. It currently takes three days for your application to be processed so don’t leave it to the last minute! Once you have your marriage licence it is valid for three months.

The marriage licence is signed on your wedding day by the officiating celebrant, the bride, the groom and two witnesses (usually members of the bridal party or close family). There is no age specifications so your witnesses can be your children, just as long as they’re at the age that they can understand what they are witnessing (no very young children). This can be a great way to bond “mixed families”, having a child from a previous marriage be a witness for you.

3. You must hold the wedding ceremony at a specified venue

When you apply for your marriage licence you must stipulate two addresses where your wedding ceremony could take place. The first of these venues is your church, garden or other ceremony venue. The second is usually your wet weather option. Make sure you get the addresses right on your application. If your actual ceremony isn’t at one of the specified addresses you will run into legal issues.

As previously mentioned there are certain things that must be said during your wedding ceremony. The following is a basic format; your celebrant will have suggested words, readings and formats that will assist you to put together your ceremony.

1. Welcome to the guests
2. A Reading or Prayer can be read here
3. Declaration of intent by bride and groom
4. A Reading can be read here
5. Vows
6. Exchange or Giving of Rings
7. Pronouncement
8. Kiss the Bride
9. Signing of the Register
10. Congratulations

There are other things to consider if you are having an outdoor wedding ceremony such as, will your wedding guests be able to hear the bride and groom reciting their vows? You may need to use a microphone and speaker system. Most wedding celebrants usually have a small system which may be including in their fee.