This "Man Song" is instructional for grooms to always have a happy wife.

Who To Call For Scheduling A Wedding Ceremony On Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach and All Other Nearby Beaches

Simple Carlina Beach Wedding

Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach plus all other beaches in the Wilmington area have policies and procedures in place to schedule romantic wedding ceremonies.

What’s not romantic is showing up for your wedding on the beach and finding another wedding party taking place on your spot, at your time - and they have a permit to be there and you don’t.

Some beaches have fees and some don’t. Some allow you to put up tents and some don’t. If your expected group size exceeds a certain number of guests, you are expected to provide port-a-potties on Wrightsville Beach. At the very least, you must apply for a “Special Event Permit” at Wrightsville Beach whatever size wedding you are planning.

Carolina Beach is less restrictive but if you want to use the gazebo for your simple beach wedding, there’s a $25 fee to book and reserve it.

Kure Beach will not allow you to set up chairs, tents or arbors but you do not have to have a permit to get married on that beach.

Fort Fisher has an ocean front gazebo available for weddings but it requires an application and $300 to reserve.

North Carolina Beach is a 'drive-on' beach. Only four wheel drive vehicles are allowed and you must have a pass whether it's for a day, weekend or annual access.

There are restrictions on all of the beaches for setting up and taking down chairs and or arbors.

Cape Fear Wedding Minister on Topsail Island

All the beaches have rules and requirements for using their beach which you must know BEFORE you show up for your wedding.

So, how do you do it and who do you call to set up your ceremony on the beach-of-your-choice?

Cape Fear Wedding has a list of all the New Hanover County, Brunswick County and Topsail Island beach authority contacts. Click on the link below to be taken to an article which has the list. Select the beach-of-your-choice under the heading, “Beach town rules, guidelines, and contacts” at the bottom of the page.

Learn what you need to know to be in compliance with local beach policies so your wedding day ceremony goes smoothly - and legally!

Here’s the link:  The Beach Of Your Choice

A Unique Rehearsal Meal Keepsake

Not all couples have a rehearsal the day before their wedding ceremony. And those who do, often miss an opportunity to capture the celebration on video or in pictures.

Photographers are mostly hired for the wedding day to shoot the bride and bridesmaids as they get their hair and makeup done; group shots before slipping on their dresses; the wedding gown hanging in the ready-to-wear position; bouquets placed in clear vases soaking up water; and shoes, shoes shoes.

Then the procession, ceremony and recession must be photographed. Next comes the pictures of the wedding party and the families. And lastly, the blow-it-all-out reception.

All good and proper, and a must for the scrapbook to document the momentous occasion! Even if it is hundreds of pictures.

But what I have noticed at rehearsals I attend, there’s no photographer.

Family and friends are using their phones to snap some candid. Those candids don’t always make their way back to the bride and groom. And if they do, it’s only a few.

The rehearsal is not THE event but it’s an important part of the overall celebration.

Family members who haven’t seen each other in a few months or even years are coming together. Friends of the bride are meeting friends of the groom for the very first time. Family of the groom are getting their first look in person at the family of the bride. It’s important stuff.

I know the bride and or the wedding planner doesn’t want one more detail to manage but WHY does the rehearsal meal get treated as a non-event when it comes to having someone designated to take pictures of the occasion?

It’s very easy to load pics into Movie Maker on a PC or iMovie on a Mac to create a lasting and stunning video. You can add music to it while your pictures and video play.

Using a high definition video camera which also takes photos is convenient; makes it real easy to download everything all at the same time.

Don’t be overwhelmed with this. But do consider it. If you don’t know how to do it and you don’t want to burden any of your guests, just ask around for a high school or college student.

I’ve been able to receive photos and video from couples by email or jump drive and create a short video for a nominal fee so they have something worthwhile from their rehearsal lunch or dinner.

You only need 12 to 15 pictures and a couples of minutes of video to make a nice three to five minute video. That's why you don't want to pay a professional photographer to shoot the meal. It would be way too expensive for so few pics.

Rehearsal meals have just as much planning and decoration to them as the wedding reception. Hardly anyone thinks about capturing all that fun and those beautiful decorations on camera. 

 

Having a video slideshow of the activity from your rehearsal meal would certainly make a unique keepsake.

Here’s one I put together on iMovie for a couple whose rehearsal luncheon I attended as their

Wedding Minister:

 Rehearsal Luncheon Video

Give the idea some thought and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Or contact me at revdale@capefearweddingminister.com.

Wrightsville Beach Weddings and Parking

Wrightsville Beach weddings and parking issues go hand-in-hand. The challenge of limited parking at beaches often sneaks up on couples as they plan their wedding day. Many couples don't even realize it is something to consider.

Frustration and embarrassment abound when guests can’t find a place to park or don’t have change in their pockets to feed the meters which causes many of them to be late to your wedding ceremony or miss it altogether.

The solution is to make sure you first include parking as an item on your planning checklist and second, find options to meet the challenge based on the size of your guests list. Once you overcome the challenge, make sure to give good and complete information to your guests ahead of time so they can be prepared.

Parking on Wrightsville Beach is a

first-come-first- serve system.

It’s metered, $2 an hour, and closely monitored by local authorities. You can’t save spaces or reserve blocks of spaces. But you do have several good options for the convenience of your guests.

The Cape Fear Wedding Guide provides some GREAT information and tips about parking at beaches as well as downtown Wilmington. 

Wrightsville Beach Weddings and Parking

The Town of Wrightsville Beach also posted details about parking places on the island.

Town of Wrightsville Beach Parking Information

NEVER PARK on private property or in a spot reserved for customers of a business or any other restricted site, you will be towed. Make sure you inform all your out of town guests so they do not return for their car and it's gone.

Whatever size guest list you have, parking must be discussed and decided upon long before your wedding day to ensure everyone arrives on time to witness your  beautiful beach ceremony.

Getting Married on Carolina Beach

Carolina Beach Weddings, CapeFearWeddingMinister.com

CB Fireworks; CapeFearWeddingMinister.com

Carolina Beach is one of the most sought out beaches for destination weddings in the Wilmington, North Carolina area.

During the busy season from May to September, the island rocks with activity! A carnival sets up at the Boardwalk, an outdoor movie screen at the Lake shows movies on Sunday nights, and live music along with a sunset fireworks display takes place every Thursday night. It’s all FREE (except the carnival rides).

So many couples getting married make their event a family affair so all these great activities keep everyone from the kids to the grandparents happily engaged in the rhythm of celebrating your wedding!

As of this writing, the township of Carolina Beach does not charge to have a ceremony on the sand like Wrightsville Beach does. On Carolina Beach you can even set up a tent, arbor, and chairs if you’d like. Sometimes flower pedals grace the center isle for the bride.

Beach rules apply at Carolina Beach when having a wedding on the sand, like:

*you can't officially reserve the spot for your ceremony,

*you can't block a public entrance/exit to the beach,

*no open flames like candle or tiki torches,

*no blasts like fireworks or poppers.

There is not a webpage or website at this time which has all this information but you would be conducting good due diligence by making a phone call.

For all the information you could need to know about having your beach wedding on Carolina Beach contact:

Carolina Beach Parks & Recreation
1121 N. Lake Park Blvd
Carolina Beach, NC 28428

(910) 458-7416

A Wedding Love Story With a Great Ending About Saving Lots of Money

Ever wonder if the wedding of your dreams is in your budget?

With only $2,000 to devote to their wedding budget, Tim and Lisa weren't sure if they had enough money either.

But thanks to their wedding planning strategies they managed to plan their dream come true wedding and have a couple hundred dollars left over in their budget!

Everyone has their own wedding dreams. Read how Tim and Lisa's wedding planning strategies can make your dreams come true.

Make Your Budget Wedding Look like a Million Bucks

By Tim and Lisa Spooner

Contrary to popular opinion, beautiful weddings can be achieved while spending little to none of your (or your parent’s) money. We should know! We planned our beautiful dream wedding on less than $2,000 and want to share a few tips and ideas to help you plan your dream wedding on a tight budget.

The first thing you need to understand about planning a wedding is that the budget is your foundation. That is why we call it wedding planning ON a budget. Before you do any planning, you need to sit down with your fiancé and figure out what you can afford to spend. Consider what type of help your parents will be providing and what you have available in savings. The amount you are both comfortable spending is your wedding budget.

Once you have a set amount of money earmarked, it is time to figure out how you will achieve your dream wedding without spending more money than your budget permits.

You and your fiancé should develop a vision of what your wedding will look like and write it down. Ask yourselves the following questions: What aspects of your dream wedding are most important to you? What would make your wedding day a dream come true? Don’t be shy about flavoring your wedding with touches that reflect your personality. Personal touches not only add meaning, but make the occasion more memorable.

At this point you have two clearly defined goals:

1) A budget that tells what you can reasonably afford to spend.

2) A summary of how you envision your dream wedding.

Keep these written goals in a prominent place in your wedding planning folder and refer to them throughout your planning experience.

Now it's time to save the big bucks! Most brides spend a lot of energy trying to get discounted wedding products and services. These are of course important to successfully planning a wedding on a budget. However, discounted wedding products and services are often not enough to help you achieve your dream wedding within your budget. In addition to discounted products and services, you should follow strategies that will produce FREE wedding products and services for your wedding.

Learn how to get not only discounted but more importantly FREE wedding products and services. Download the wedding planner that reveals how we planned our beautiful dream wedding on a $2,000 budget. Discover our proven tried and true strategies for planning a dream wedding on a tight budget!

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Get Our Money Saving Secrets for Your Dream Wedding!

Download "Wedding Planning on a Budget" to discover how Tim, Lisa, and other
couples have been saving thousands upon thousands of dollars on their dream weddings!