What is the best month of the year to plan my beach wedding in Ocean City, Maryland?
The team at Sunny Beach Weddings has been involved with planning beach weddings since 2008. We are often asked what is the best month of the year for planning a beach wedding. We have taken considerable time reflecting on all our beach weddings, as well as, receiving input from former brides, grooms, and their families on how they enjoyed their beach wedding experience. If you’re planning to get married in Ocean City, Maryland, you’ll have to obtain a marriage license from the CIRCUIT COURT CLERK’S OFFICE IN WORCESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND
To simplify things somewhat, we are breaking things down month by month. Each month will be scored using four categories. Each of these categories will be given a number score from 1-10.
First off the weather. If you are planning an outdoor beach wedding weather is an extremely important factor.
- Secondly the condition and crowding on the beach. Even though it is a wedding in a public setting, privacy and a beautiful clean beach weigh heavily in your decision.
- The convenience of travel. Since most likely you and your guests will be traveling for your beach wedding it must be a time that works well for you and your guests.
- The final category is budget. Being that Ocean City is a resort town the costs involved in lodging and venues have a higher than normal variation rate. Of course, each month contains a few outliers to which our rankings would not apply. For example, planning a wedding during a major holiday such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, Easter, or the 4th of July will drastically change the number of grades we give.
May Beach Wedding
Weather 10
May is the only month we gave a perfect score to. Of course, the weather can never be predicted so it does seem odd to May a 10 of 10. We are basing this on the fact that the weather is usually so much better than any other month. Great temperatures usually in the mid 70s along with low humidity and not a lot of rain.
Beaches 9
The beaches will be nice and clean as the city will have prepared them for the busy summer season. The busyness of the summer has yet to begin so the beaches will be emptier than the summer months. In the earlier weeks of May daytime weddings are allowed as the lifeguards are not on duty.
Travel 8
Guests will be anxious to take a trip to the beach. However, kids will still be in school making it a more difficult time to travel
Budget 8
Hotels and home rentals will not have the inflated prices. You and your guests will be able to find affordable lodging. May is the second most popular month of the year to get married so you will not receive any form of a discount from vendors or venues. But these costs stay relatively similar throughout the year
May receives a total score of 35. Best of all the months. You will be very happy with your decision to plan a beach wedding in May.
April Wedding
Weather 5
April only receives a 5 because temperatures vary drastically this month. It could be absolutely gorgeous, or it could be a cold windy day.
Beaches 10
You will absolutely love the beach in April. It will be nice and clean and you should have it mostly to yourself. No problems for your wedding guests to find a parking spot.
Travel 8
Winter is nearing an end and guests will love taking a trip to the beach. Kids are in school, but you may also have their spring vacation to work with.
Budget 10
You and your guests will be able to find extremely reasonable lodging. Venues and vendors might offer slight discounts.
April receives a total score of 33. Brides often overlook this great month to plan a beach wedding. We highly recommend April for your beach wedding.
October Beach Wedding
Weather 8
October provides some of the most spectacular days for a wedding on the beach. Mild temperatures, cool breezes, and amazing fall lighting create the perfect setting for your beach wedding. The only reason we did not give October a 9 or 10 is due to the threat of hurricane season.
Beaches 9
The crowds have gone away for the season. Enjoy the privacy you receive on the beach during the month of October.
Travel 5
It may be difficult for some guests to travel in the month of October. They may have already used their vacation budget. It might be a difficult time for families to get away as they will be in full swing at school.
Budget 8
The hotels and home rentals will be drastically discounting their rates. October is still a premium month for weddings so there will be no possibility for discounts from venues or wedding vendors.
October receives a total score of 30. It is our favorite time of year for a wedding. October is highlighted most by the empty beaches, great temperatures, and beautiful skies. Get Started.
June Beach Wedding
Weather 8
Overall June provides pretty spectacular weather. The extreme heat from July and August has yet to begin. Humidity is still relatively low and June is often a very dry month. The only thing to be wary of is an unusual heat wave or thunderstorm.
Beaches 7
June is the first month where the lifeguards will be on duty seven days of the week. Neither Sunny Beach Weddings or the town of Ocean City recommend scheduling a beach wedding while the lifeguards are on duty. Therefore, we only plan beach wedding in the early morning or early evening. The beaches will be much emptier during these hours. Vacationers usually sleep late in the morning and naturally leave the beach around 5 to head to dinner. This provides emptier beaches and more privacy.
Travel 9
June is here and most everyone will be ready to make a trip to attend your wedding. They have saved to take a summer trip. Most children are out or almost out of school.
Budget 4
The cost of lodging takes a big leap in June here in Ocean City. Not quite as expensive as July or August. Venues will be charging top dollar and some even have stopped accepting weddings until September
June receives a total score of 28. June of course is a wonderful month to get married. From a national standpoint, it is the best and most popular month of the year to get married. In our resort town, there are better months to choose.
November Wedding
Weather 5
Many people do not realize that we often have some amazing days in November. Ocean City is right between the Ocean and the Bay which keeps temperatures up in the fall months. However, there is a chance for very cold temperatures. Also, the sun is down around 5 pm, so plan on staring your beach wedding no later than 4 pm.
Beaches 10
Regardless of the weather expect the beaches to be mostly empty. You will have a very private ceremony.
Travel 2
It might be difficult to convince friends and family to make a trip to the beach this month. Everyone is extremely busy and preparing for the holidays.
Budget 10
Hotels and home rentals will be the cheapest they are all year long. You may be able to rent an ocean front home for a rock bottom price. Venues may offer slight discounts
November receives a total score of 27. It may be hard to believe that November ranks higher than July, August and September. Remember we are basing this on our and our client’s reviews and experiences. Our brides and grooms are typically very happy with their November beach weddings.
March Wedding
Weather 2
We were considering giving weather here a one. Typically, it is extremely cold and windy in the month of March in Ocean City, Maryland. However, you can be lucky and have a gorgeous sunny day in March.
Beaches 8
The beaches may need a little repair from the winter months. The town may or may not have begun this process. You most likely will be able to enjoy the beach all to yourself.
Travel 6
Friends and family will be anxious for a weekend getaway after the long winter.
Budget 9
Rentals will only be slightly more expensive than in November. You and your guests will be able to find great deals. Venues will be anxious to rent out their spaces and likely will offer some sort of discount pricing.
March receives a total score of 25. You could plan a nice little wedding at an affordable price. Just be prepared to wear a coat or even possibly move the ceremony indoors. We can provide venues that will allow the ceremony to be moved inside due to in-climate weather.
September Beach Wedding
Weather 9
Expect great weather in September. Temperatures drop nicely from the hot summer months. Weekend beach ceremonies must be planned for the morning or evening as the lifeguards will be on duty. Weekday weddings may be scheduled any time of day. The only negative is the threat of hurricane.
Beaches 6
We only give the beach a six here because it most likely will be more crowded than you expect. Ocean City has bike week, Sun fest and cruiser week which all attract many tourists.
Travel 3
September is a great month for a wedding, just not the best for a destination wedding. September is typically the most difficult month of the year for families to travel.
Budget 5
Rentals will have dropped a little, but still expect to pay quite a bit.
You may be surprised that September only scored a 23 and is ranked behind November and March. September is our busiest month of the year and we are not trying to dissuade you from planning your beach wedding during September. September is a wonderful month to have a beach wedding. Just be prepared to pay a little more and to deal with Ocean City to be busier than you would expect.
July Wedding
Weather 4
It most likely will be very hot this time of year. Of course, the wedding can only be scheduled for mornings or evenings which offers some relief.
Beaches 2
The beaches will remain crowded throughout the day. If you are set on planning your wedding in July, we highly recommend North Ocean City. This side of town is far less crowded.
Travel 10
Everyone is ready to hit the beach in July. Expect most of your friends and family will accept your invitation.
Budget 1
There is no such thing as a good deal in Ocean City lodging during the month of July. Expect to pay top dollar. If you have saved up for this, it might make it a non-issue for you.
July receives a total score of 17. Just like September, we are not trying to dissuade you from planning a July wedding. This may be the best time of year for you. It just takes a little more careful planning. We can still plan you a beautiful July Beach Wedding.
August Wedding
Weather 2
It most likely will be very hot. It is also the rainiest month of the year in Ocean City. Evening weddings are a must.
Beaches 2
The beaches will remain crowded throughout the day. If you are set on planning your wedding in August, we highly recommend North Ocean City. This side of town is far less crowded.
Travel 10
Everyone is ready to travel to the beach in August. Expect most of your friends and family will accept your invitation.
Budget 2
Hotels and Houses slightly discount their rates for the final two weeks in August.
August comes in with a score of 17 just like July. Like we said before, we can make it work but just plan more carefully. We can find a quieter street in North Ocean City.
December, January, February Weddings
We did not take the time to rate these months. Beach Weddings are rare during these months due to the cold temperatures. However, if you have your heart set on getting married on the beach during the winter we are still happy to plan a beach wedding.
We hope you enjoyed our rankings of each month. Our goal is to plan an elegant and beautiful beach weddings any time of the year, but we wanted to go over some of the advantages of different times of year here in Ocean City, Maryland. We are excited to hear about your beach wedding plans.
