What is the Best Style Wedding Dress for a Beach Wedding?

Getting married in Hawaii means thinking about the best beach wedding dress!

If you’re planning a tropical wedding on the sand, now it’s time to find the perfect beach wedding dress. Follow our guide and learn all about which silhouette, length, fabric and detailing will work best in the sand and sun on your big day.

Silhouette

Once you start dress shopping, the first thing you need to narrow down is which silhouette works best for your location. There’s no way you’ll enjoy your beach wedding if you’re traipsing around the sand in a ball gown. Your dress should be lightweight and be able to move in the breeze. However, be sure it’s not so loose that it gets kicked up too high if it’s windy.

Length

When you’re thinking about which length is best, remember that you will probably be wearing sandals or even no shoes at all. And although a long dress is beautiful, we don’t recommend having a train as you’ll be dragging sand around with you.

Consider tea length (about mid-calf) or even shorter. It’s a beach wedding, after all, and being a tad more casual is perfectly acceptable.

Fabric

Your beach wedding dress should be lightweight and have some movement to it. One important thing to consider is how well it will pack. You don’t want to pull a wrinkled mess out of your zippered wardrobe hanger! Here are some fabrics that work best in this scenario:

• Chiffon
• Organza
• Georgette
• Voile
• Crepe
• Cotton eyelet

These fabrics will keep you nice and cool, will flow beautifully in the breeze, and will pack and unpack well.

Detailing

On the beach, the main focus should be you and the scenery. Because of that, simple dress details are usually best. There is no need for heavy beading or intricate handwork. Instead, use ruffles or pleats, flowers, and your own smile as your main accessories. If you don’t want to deal with a blowing veil, you may want to consider a different type of headpiece.

It may be very bright and hot the day of your wedding so consider using a fancy parasol to block the sun. There is also a chance that you will encounter cooler weather, wind or scattered rain while on the beach. You may want to plan to have a beautiful scarf or shawl handy just in case.

If you have any questions or want a Kauai wedding photography consultation, contact us today and we’ll be thrilled to work with you!