10 Steps How to Have a Jersey Shore Themed Wedding

Picture your romantic, New Jersey shore wedding ceremony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean horizon as the sun is setting behind you, casting cool shadows across the sand, while a warm balmy breeze plays with the dune grass, and the moon slowly rises to light your Jersey shore wedding reception.

Planning your Jersey shore wedding ceremony and reception will be a lot of fun, carrying the theme from your engagement announcements through to your wedding gift thank you notes. Being able to search the Internet for all your needs is a luxury today’s bride is able to enjoy compared to the past when brides were limited to the resources to pull from - it certainly required a lot of time and “leg work”.  

So, let’s begin:

1. Choose your New Jersey shore wedding venue from one of these premier Jersey shore wedding vendor venues. 

   Most wedding facilities will accommodate your wish to also hold your ceremony on the premises, and if possible, on or near the beach. You can have your wedding on a Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, or on a Sunday to save on the cost. To save even more on the expense, have a cocktail reception or a Sunday brunch. If you want a very relaxed celebration, ask the caterer to prepare a beach picnic or luau.

2. Choose your colors from the “sea” spectrum available for your bridesmaids and groomsmen attire.

   Shades of blue, coral, pink, yellow, and sand are those that reflect the feel of a wedding by the sea. If your wedding day is near Memorial Day, you could use a navy blue with accents of white and red. Flower girl baskets and ring bearer pillows can also be found in shore wedding themes. If you don’t find one you like, you can always add charms, flowers, or shells to the items.

3. Working with those colors, decide on the linen colors that will compliment your bridal party colors, allowing contrast to set off your table decorations.

   You can layer the colors with blue underneath and white on top or vice versa with yellow or a darker aqua, or use aqua and pale yellow with coral accents, or navy and white with red accents. A tan and pink combination or tan and coral has been popular for the past couple of years.

4. Choose your stationery with your wedding stationery to match the tone of your wedding - formal or casual - this will help your guests know how to dress. 

   If you send an invitation with a somewhat humorous looking couple building a sandcastle, your guests may show up in casual attire when you expected them to wear semi-formal or formal evening wear.  Send white formal invitations with embossed shells for a more elegant feel send invitations in the shape of a castle, shell, or beach ball if you are having the beach picnic. It is up to the bride and groom to set the level of formality they wish their guests to follow.

5. Search for the perfect centerpiece.

   We suggest you use a hurricane lamp in your centerpiece. You’ll be able to add romantic candlelight which will be protected from the balmy sea breeze. Using a hurricane lamp, place clean deocrative sand in the base, insert a pillar candle, place shells and silk New Jersey summer or tropical flowers at the base on the sand and add glitter. Place the centerpiece on a large mirror tile and add smaller candles protected from the breeze in decorative glass candles holders. Here’s another suggestion: place sand in the bottom of the hurricane lamp, add a white sandcastle pushing the bottom into the sand to keep it set, add shells, sea glass, and a couple of small star fish, then fill with light blue water. Place the base of the hurricane lamp in a silk floral ring and surround with small candles protected inside glass holders, each sitting on top of a mirror tile to help illuminate the glow placed in front of each guest’s place setting. Use beach theme placecard holders, too.  Remember the possibility of a breeze, so with the hurricane lamps and protective candle holders, floral rings, and placecard holders, you won’t need to worry about the breeze undoing your table decor. Add seaside napkin rings to help weight done the napkins while your guests are up and enjoying the entertainment.

6. Get creative and look for Jersey shore themed favors that can be used and enjoyed by your guests.

   You can choose from items such as beach themed key chains, chocolates, frames, or candles. The possibilities are endless…just search and you are sure to find favors to fit your Jersey shore theme. 

7. Combine items for out-of-town guests’ welcome baskets following your Jersey shore theme.

   Items might include a beach pass, white or black flip flops, suntan lotion, sun visor, beach towel, Jersey Shore guide and map, list of local Jersey Shore popular gathering spots with directions, themed soaps, and snacks like gold fish, salt water taffy, etc.

8. Choose gifts for your wedding party from the Jersey shore.

   Depending on the budget, gifts such as salt water taffy, jams, honey, wine with personalized labels, tropical shell jewelry could be given keeping with the Jersey shore theme. Another gift that everyone could enjoy together would be to give your bridesmaids and groomsmen tickets to a PNC concert for lawn seats or a Blue Claws baseball game for a date after you return from your honeymoon for a reunion and to reminisce about your wedding. Gifts for the younger members of your wedding party might include a piece of jewelry for the young ladies and collectible popular trading cards for the young men. it is best to find out what their favorites are, then decide on gifts. The gifts need to be more personal than something they might receive for their birthdays.

9. Give each other a gift that will remind you of your wonderful Jersey shore wedding.

   The groom could give his new bride a pearl necklace and earrings, a framed photo of the Jersey Shore taken by the groom, a bike to ride along the coast roads or Sandy Hook. The bride could surprise her groom with a kayak, a framed photo of the Jersey Shore taken by the bride to hang along side the groom’s, a bike so they can ride together along the Jersey coast roads, or a fishing rod.

10. Work with your baker and design a beach themed wedding cake.

    If you are a DIY’er, click here for directions to make your own sandcastle wedding cake. Note: you don’t have to use fruit cake, carrot or pound cake can be substituted. Today, it seems any wedding theme is possible to be included in the cake design.