The Perfect Setting For Your Ocean City Beach Wedding
Ocean City has all the ingredients for a picture-perfect, unforgettable wedding. From the beautiful blue skies to soft white sand, gentle breezes, and the sound of the waves crashing it’s truly an oasis and perfect for your beach wedding. At Sunny Beach Weddings, we believe that every love story is unique and beautiful, and your wedding day should be too. As your Ocean City wedding planners, we’ll help you plan a sensational affair created with your vision in mind.
How To Plan a Wedding in Ocean City, MD
The beaches of Ocean City, Maryland are a beautiful place to get married. With miles of open beaches and no permit required, this coastal town is an ideal setting for a beach ceremony. It’s no wonder Ocean City, Maryland tops our list of favorite places to plan a wedding. Here are our top reasons for planning a wedding in Ocean City, MD:
- Clean beaches
- Free parking
- Endless locations
- Great hotels
- Delicious restaurants
- Fun nightlife
- Sunny Beach Weddings will acquire the permit from the Town of Ocean City. There is no additional fee to obtain the permit.
- As an added bonus, the OC Police Department offers wheelchair rentals for family and friends who may need some assistance onto the beach.
- Free rain backup plan in case of inclement weather in north OC.
If you’re ready to start planning your wedding in Ocean City, MD, follow these steps to kick off the wedding planning process:
Hire a Wedding Planner
Planning a wedding is both fun and exhausting. With a seemingly never-ending to-do list and countless decisions to make, it makes sense that these days many engaged couples turn to wed planners for help. The benefits of hiring a wedding planner far outweigh the cost. They’ll help keep everything organized throughout the planning process, provide you with vendor recommendations (and sometimes discounts), and give you peace of mind on your wedding day.
At Sunny Beach Weddings, we love helping couples plan the ceremony of their dreams. We offer three beach wedding packages or the ability to customize a package that fits your specific needs. All of our packages include custom ceremony planning, a wedding officiant, filing of your marriage license, one hour of wedding photography, portrait posing, downloadable high-resolution image files, and city permitting assistance. We also provide a variety of la carte services that can be added to any of our affordable ceremony packages. Book Your Ocean City Wedding
We love celebrations and helping people design a wedding day that will be unforgettable. Our passion lies in the details and creating an experience that no one will forget And because we offer affordable packages, you’ll be able to tie the knot in style with a ceremony that’s unique to you. From whimsical drapery, with beautiful greenery and flowers, to an aisle accented delicately with breathtaking florals to boho-themed decor, together we’ll plan the most magical wedding day ever!
Set a Date for Your Wedding
If you’re hoping to get married in Ocean City, we recommend planning your wedding during the months of April, May, September, or October. These off-season months bring cooler temperatures, more affordable accommodations, and greater privacy during your ceremony. During the summer months, the weather is hotter and the beaches are more crowded. It’s for these reasons that we only offer our services for weddings held before 9 am or after 5 pm during the summer season.
Choose a Wedding Venue
Whether you choose to get married on the beach or at a local venue, deciding where to have your ceremony and reception will likely be one of the first decisions you have to make. Being a beach town, we can’t deny that the beach is our favorite location for wedding ceremonies in Ocean City, MD. With the waves gently crashing behind you and the sand beneath your toes, the beach makes for a breathtaking wedding in Ocean City ceremony setting. If you choose to have a beach wedding, there are plenty of wonderful reception venues throughout town. We collaborate with many venues in OC and we would be happy to share our recommendations with you.
Share Your Wedding Vision
Once you’ve chosen your wedding venue, that’s when the fun begins! The next step in the planning process is choosing an aesthetic and setting a tone for your wedding. Do you prefer a traditional wedding? Something a little more casual? Whatever your preference, we can help you take the vision you have for your beach wedding and transform it into a reality. We love partnering with couples to understand their unique personalities and plan a celebration that truly reflects their style as a couple. From writing your own vows to incorporating a sand ceremony, we love to dream up ways to bring your love story to life. And our affordable ceremony packages mean you can have your dream wedding day without breaking the bank.
Select Your Wedding Vendors
To bring everything together, you’ll need to select a team of vendors that can help make your vision a reality. You’ll need to hire an officiant, photographer, florist, caterer, and more. Since you’ve already started working with a wedding planner, they should be able to help you through this process. When you work with Sunny Beach Weddings, you can check many of these vendors off your list. We provide you with an officiant, photographer, ceremony music of your choice, and event decor items for your ceremony. There is an option to add a videographer that will create a documentary-style memory of your ceremony. When it comes to other vendors, we’re happy to provide you with a list of outstanding vendors in the area, including hotels, venues, hair and makeup stylists, florists, bakeries and caterers
Get Your Marriage License
Your day is quickly approaching! After the majority of your planning is done, it’s time to get your marriage license. If you’re planning to get married in Maryland, you’ll have to obtain a marriage license from the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office in Worcester County, Maryland. You can also print the non-resident marriage license affidavit form for the State of Maryland. Although you must obtain your own marriage license, after your wedding, our officiant will file the license with the county on your behalf.
The license is issued at the same time the application is taken. The license will reflect an effective date and time at 6:00 a.m. on the second day after issue, and will be valid for 6 months. This means that for a Saturday wedding, you must apply for a license no later than the close of business on Thursday.
The Circuit Court Clerk’s Office will give you three copies of the marriage license, which the official performing the ceremony will complete. Instructions for completion and distribution are on the copies of the license. If you would like a civil ceremony, please note that there are no justices of the peace in Maryland.
Get Married and Celebrate!
And finally, it’s time to make it official! This special day signifies just how far your love has come and marks the beginning of an exciting new season in your life. Once all the planning is done and the big day is finally here, we’ll jump into action to ensure everything goes off without a hitch. Whether it’s an intimate Ocean City wedding or a big affair, all you’ll have to do is soak up every moment and enjoy the magic of the day. And of course, celebrate this exciting milestone in your life. Congratulations!
Tips for Planning Your Ocean City Beach Wedding
Obtain the Required Permits
When planning a beach wedding in Ocean City, it’s important to make sure you’ve obtained all the proper permits. In the Town of Ocean City, Sunny Beach Weddings will acquire the beach permit on your behalf (No Fee). However, if you’re considering other beach locations such as Bethany Beach or Rehoboth Beach, we will guide you thru the application process. Don’t worry, as your Ocean City wedding planner we are knowledgeable about what’s required, we are happy to assist you with this process!
Consider The Time of Day
The ideal time of the day for an intimate Ocean City wedding is about an hour and a half before sunset. With temperatures cooling off, you and your wedding guests will enjoy more comfortable weather, as well as less crowded beaches. This time of day also allows for golden hour photos following your ceremony. Just an hour before sunset, the golden hour produces the best natural light for your wedding portraits. They’re simply incredible!
Ditch The Veil
Most often, the weather for beach weddings in Maryland is pristine. With warm sun and clear skies, rain is usually not a factor. However, from time to time, the coastal winds can be an issue. It’s for this reason, we recommend forgoing a long veil that may be distracting in windy conditions. Of course, if you want to go the traditional route, a little breeze can certainly create some unforgettable photos.
Embrace Simplicity
Although we love big and beautiful formal wedding gowns, they are not always the best option for beach weddings. Choosing a more simple, form-fitting wedding dress will often prove to be a much more comfortable choice. We also find that most times a simpler wedding gown ends up being a better match for the groom and groomsmen’s more casual beach wedding attire. Whether you dream of an intimate Ocean City wedding or something on a grand scale, beach wedding attire is usually a little more casual in style making a simple gown perfect.
Skip the Heels
We always recommend brides and their bridesmaids swap out their high heels in favor of flat-soled sandals, espadrilles, wedges, or any shoe that won’t sink into the sand. Sand and high heels just don’t mix. Whichever you choose, make sure to have your wedding gown hemmed for the shoe you’ve chosen to wear. Although you may prefer to go barefoot, keep in mind that depending on the weather, the sand may be hot on your wedding day.
Protect Yourself from the Sun
If you plan to soak up the sun before your wedding, don’t forget to use plenty of sunscreen to protect your skin and avoid any sunburns or noticeable tan lines on your wedding day. Remember to remind your groom, groomsmen, and bridesmaids as well to avoid any unwanted sunburns in your wedding party group portraits.
Last Minute Ceremonies
Not into long engagements? TIred of waiting to tie the knot? No problem! We can help you design a ceremony at the last minute. Our professional and creative team will help you navigate through the process of planning an intimate ceremony for a dream event. And we can do it in days, without sacrificing on details, the perfect ceremony is just steps away. We’re always coming up with new ideas on how to provide you with your dream event, and yes! We can plan it all in just days. Affordable beach ceremonies are our thing, and we can’t wait to help design yours.
Ready to plan your dream beach wedding in Ocean City, Maryland? Let’s Chat!
We are dedicated to creating amazing, inspiring experiences. Regardless of the magnitude of the event, we’ve devoted ourselves to producing memorable and innovative experiences for our clients and their guests. Every client’s needs are met and exceeded by our team. This is because we recognize the value of collaborating with (rather than working for) our clients in order to make their events exceptional, creating lasting memories long after the last guest has left.
We’re ready to become part of your love story by creating a magical event that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. Each step along the way will be effortless and stress-free and on your special day, you can simply relax and take it all in. The sounds, the emotions, the smells, the laughter, and the tears are all part of what makes your day unique and unforgettable. Life is about finding love and once you have, it’s time to celebrate.