What is the best time to get married at the beach?

We prefer to avoid the months of July and August -- it's just so darned hot and humid then...unless you are considering a morning wedding. In 2010 we began to see temperatures of nearly 100 degrees in mid-June. When it's 100 at Holden, you can bet the humidity will be in the upper 90's. What does that mean for our brides and grooms? Wilted flowers, cranky kids, uncomfortable guests and no one wanting to spend even 5 minutes on the beach waiting for a wedding to begin.

How else does the high heat affect a wedding? The caterer has a very difficult time regulating food temperatures to ensure safe food, the frosting on the wedding cake can melt and keeping beverages cold becomes a major issue.

Okay, so now you've heard about all of the reasons NOT to get married on the beach in the heat of the summer...so what if that's your only option? We offer two suggestions -- (1) get married in the very early morning -- humidity will be low, temperatures will be low, there will be a low risk of a thunderstorm, the beach will be nearly empty, and you can plan a party for the evening. OR, (2) get married around 8:00pm -- with daylight savings, you'll have the daylight you want for those precious pictures. Threats of thunderstorms will be diminished, the humidity tends to decrease during the evenings, and your guests will thank you for not having to sit on that hot beach waiting for you to make your appearance.

NEXT: Brunch for the AM wedding; party down later in the evening.