Looking for the ultimate beach wedding destination? Discover the Burgess guide to the most romantic coastal locations - and set sail into wedded bliss...
From Fiji to the French Riviera, destination weddings are one of the most popular ways to celebrate a marriage. Whether you are looking to turn your wedding into a holiday for both you and your guests, for a different and more exotic celebration with close family and friends or absconding with an exclusive entourage across the globe for a 'yacht guests only' beach wedding, chartering a yacht can be the ultimate platform for the most memorable of occasions.
Obviously, no stranger to lavish celebrations, a superyacht provides the ideal venue for a party – romantic decor, amazing cuisine, beautiful setting – the opportunities to wow your wedding guests and create memories are endless. But what cruising ground, or even beach, should you choose? Here we take a look at the destinations that could capture and integrate the beauty of a coastal setting into your wedding and show you the finest selection of the most romantic beach destinations for a wedding by the water.
Sugar Beach, St Lucia
Not many weddings take place within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the location of Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort offers the yacht charterer not only one of the world’s most iconic beachside settings, but the superb cruising grounds of St Lucia to discover once the nuptials are over.
Located within 100 acres of rainforest beneath St Lucia’s famous Piton peaks, Sugar Beach is widely considered to be the most idyllic spot on the Caribbean Island. Centred around an 18th-century plantation house, with hillside villas dotting the surrounding hillside and landscaped grounds that spill down to a flawless (imported) white sand beach – this luxury resort is the perfect tropical stage for a sand-in-toes ceremony.
Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort offers prospective brides and grooms a variety of ceremony venues and party locations. Whether you want to be married directly on the beach beneath the Pitons, overlooking the sea from the Sunset Deck, or on the open-air Great Lawn, there are numerous settings depending on the style of ceremony and party and the number of guests. What is more, the resort’s sprawling variety of 130 rooms, villas and residences can easily absorb large wedding parties without seeming crowded, while smaller, more intimate ceremonies can easily include guests staying both ashore and aboard, with a jetty for easy tender access for the guests in the wedding party staying on the yacht. Wedding planning and coordination services are also located on site, making the organisation that bit easier.
Best beach wedding features
- Unique UNESCO World Heritage Site setting
- Access to St Lucia’s stunning cruising grounds
- Tropical location
- White-sand beach
- Piton backdrop
Santorini, Greece
Swap the Mykonos crowds for a Mamma Mia style wedding on Santorini. Arriving by yacht to anchor under the enormous cliffs at Santorini is an experience not to be missed. The cliffs, along with the island’s sunsets, keep up Santorini’s reputation as one of the most romantic places on earth. Added to this the island’s culinary scene and you have the recipe for the perfect wedding location.
To experience the best of the island, why not exchange your vows overlooking the volcanic caldera that originally created the island itself. White-washed villages perch themselves around the crater’s edge, all with breathtaking views of the sunsets that can literally set the sky ablaze on this beautiful island.
When it comes to weddings, on Santorini you can choose from lowkey retreats, cliffside properties and boutique hotels festooned in fuschia flowers. It’s hard to choose but the location of Andronis Arcadia is about as prime as it gets, perched as it is on the edge of the island with Caldera views, and located just a short stroll from Oia, the most famous village on the island. Ceremonies here are sun-soaked, with sunset receptions taking place while the sun sinks slowly below the horizon and dancing long into the warm night. With a large villa and 53 suites for guests, it also offers a variety of dining options, including the Pacman Sunset Restaurant and the new Beefbar.
Santorini has an ideal and reliable summer climate, a huge variety of cruising options and with plenty of superyachts to choose from, the Cyclades are one of the most popular charter destinations in the world and make a great and memorable place to celebrate your nuptials.
Best beach wedding features
- Reliable warm summer climate
- Variety of cruising options
- Stunning Caldera views
- Beautiful beaches
- Architecture and culture
Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas
Few locations could be more romantic than a wedding on a beautiful pink sand beach, and the aptly named Pink Sands Beach on Harbour Island is consistently rated as one of the top pink beaches in the world. Just over three miles long and half-a-mile wide, sleepy Harbour Island feels like a place where time has stood still. The beach, naturally, plays a starring role in most nuptials on Harbour Island, with its uninterrupted views across a boundless horizon and almost guaranteed sunshine all year around.
Situated between the flora and fauna and the powder-soft beach, the Pink Sands Resort’s old-world style cottages and villas are an exotic vestige of the old colonial Bahamas. The colours of the tropical foliage, sand and sea intensify the beach wedding vibe, while steel bands, lanterns and a few rum co*cktails can easily transform a formal ceremony into a full-steam ahead beach party. Reception spots on the island can range from intimate moonlight dinners to sprawling banquets with just-caught, grilled fish or a traditional Caribbean barbecue.
Best beach wedding features
- Stunning setting at Pink Sands
- Access to varied cruising grounds in the Exumas, Abacos and Harbour Island
- Friendly locals
- Easy wedding documentation and travel from the U.S.
- Unspoiled tropical environment with a myriad of flora and fauna
Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
Fiji’s azure waters and spectacular white sand beaches were seemingly made for hosting romantic nuptials. What is more, the local government makes the wedding legalities easy, and their official language is English so there is no need to have documents translated once home. What is difficult for a wedding couple though is the myriad choice of islands; the archipelago has a seemingly endless array of resorts to choose from, each offering something slightly different from the other.
The main islands you should consider for a destination wedding are the northern islands of Tavenuni and Vanua Levu, along with the smaller islands found in the Mamanuca group, which lie close to the mainland. Whichever island you choose, as you cruise from atoll to atoll, you and your wedding party will certainly marvel at Fiji’s beauty – from volcanos to tropical rainforests to white-sandy beaches and coral reefs, this is nature on steroids.
Offering unparalleled exclusivity, the Likuliku Lagoon Resort is a feverishly romantic wedding venue. Incorporate the local culture into your wedding ceremony with a traditional procession with the bride arriving on a flower-adorned raft, known as a bilibili. Then accompany the procession of the wedding party to the aisle with the haunting sounds of a davui (conch shell) being blown. You could embrace the ancient Fijian wedding tradition with a Tevutevu Ceremony – known as the ‘spreading of mats’ – whereby each guest places a mat on the floor to symbolise where the couple will sleep.
Best beach wedding features
- Picture-postcard tropical beach setting
- Tropical Frangipani scented bouquets
- Local culture
- Access to the ultimate honeymoon cruising grounds
- Friendly locals
Amalfi Coast, Italy
Imagine saying your vows accompanied by a warm, salt-laden breeze and the sound of waves against the rocks, followed by an al fresco wedding reception – lanterns flickering alongside the fishermen’s lights in the bay as the sun dips over the horizon. The setting and glamour grade of the Amalfi Coast is second to none. Embody the European coastal glamour of old with a wedding at the 11th century palace turned Belmond property, the Belmond Hotel Caruso in Ravello. Set on a cliff overlooking Italy’s breathtaking Amalfi Coast, this must literally be one of the most romantic locations in the world. The hotel’s suntrap terraces are the perfect setting to make memories in front of the blazing Mediterranean sunset. With an infinity pool, private gardens, frescoed ceilings, a 900-year-old Duomo of Ravello, and more than 50 rooms and suites for your guests, rest assured that this will be an event to remember.
Best beach wedding features
- Romantic setting
- Breathtaking sunset views
- Italian cuisine
- Stunning cruising grounds
Pampelonne Beach, Saint-Tropez, France
Possibly the chicest of summer wedding destinations, the French Riviera, and Saint-Tropez in particular, has been immortalised by film and fiction as the part of the world where ‘chic’ is written into the once sleepy fishing village’s DNA. Known to have no less than 310 days of sunshine a year, gorgeous beaches, stunning backdrops and beautiful interior countryside all make this coastal town a sought-after wedding destination.
Fortunately, there are also a number of interesting wedding locations in the vicinity, ranging from the traditional chateaux-style venue to vineyards and then of course the beachfront, including the iconic Pampelonne Beach. Here almost all of the beach clubs offer a large beachfront space as well as indoor and outdoor seating suitable for a wedding reception, with unparalleled views of the sea and your yacht anchored in the bay.
Best beach wedding features
- Exceptional venues
- French cuisine
- Favourite cruising grounds
- Provençal colours
- History and culture
Key West, Florida
Whether you are looking for a resort wedding, an extravagant venue, or a beachside location, the Florida Keys has plenty to offer, but for those who have always dreamed of getting married on their own private island then Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in Key West has to be one of the most intimate locations on the entire east coast U.S. What is more, with the entire island being yours alone you can choose where you would like to have your wedding ceremony – whether on the island’s white sandy beaches, at the resort itself or on the Sunset Dock. While you and your loved ones retire to your yacht moored just off the island, guests will then be accommodated in colonial-style bungalows, all with private decks and ocean views.
Best beach wedding features
- Privacy
- Location
- Climate
What are the advantages of a beach wedding?
A beach wedding, or at least a coastal celebration, lends itself to many interpretations, with a variety of possible styles ranging from casual and boho to exotic and elegant. The ocean as the backdrop, the sunshine and sunsets, and the feel of being at one with nature, these will all contribute to an elevated feeling of occasion for you and your guests. And, unlike so many traditional and more urban options for wedding venues, getting married by the water has a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that simply cannot be replicated inland.
One of the most obvious reasons to have a beach wedding is the romantic setting well away from the travails of your guests’ daily lives. Whichever destination you choose, the options to dine al fresco, along with a variety of spectacular party settings, can all contribute to the advantages of a beach wedding and to making your wedding one that you and your guests will always remember.
