Whenever I am talking to couples about beach weddings I always tell them that they don't have to stress the little decoration details.  It's not like a traditional wedding at home where you are trying to make a ceremony area look great, most spots for destination weddins are naturally beautiful.  It's the scenery that everyone always remembers...and that's free.

However, you do need some things like chairs for guests and many couples choose to mark the aisle and/or have something where the couple and officiant are standing.  There are all kinds of options out there, and several of them were pointed out to me during my recent visit to the Occidental Grand resort in Aruba.  Aruba weddings on the beach are certainly blessed with natural beauty, but the staff at the Occidental are experts at adding to it to create a really unique package.

Canopies are always a popular choice.  They are usually fairly simple, with some flowers or fabric.  The key is to have something that adds to the scenery, versus overpowering it.

This one to the left is unique because it incorporates a wooden floor (keep you from tripping in the sand - which makes for funny wedding out-take photos...)

Here is a great example of a canopy

that uses a lot of flowers.  It's a great

way to "frame" the couple, but it doesn't

completely take away from the great

view of the water in the background.

What about pillars?  I have to admit, when the staff at the Occidental Grand mentioned that these are popular for Aruba weddings I was curious how they would look.  After seeing them I have to say that they are a really unique way to enhance the beach for the ceremony.

Again, I'm a purist - I say that all I really need is a beautiful beach, and Occidental has an incredible stretch of paradise on Palm Beach.  But if you are looking to add to the scenery then there are definitely some great options here.  Just another reason why we love helping our couples plan weddings at the Occidental Grand in Aruba.