3 Ways To Make A Wedding On A Private Boat A Thrifty Option

Many couples feel the monetary stress of being newlywed long before the vows are said, and one place where many couples feel they can save some money is in planning their wedding, by looking for the thriftiest option available. What many couples don't know, however, is how cost-effective having a wedding at sea can be if done properly. Often thought of as being too opulent for most budgets, having a wedding on a private wedding boat can actually be done on the cheap with a few little tips and tricks. 

Size Control

One of the biggest fears many newlyweds have is that the size of their wedding can get out of hand, and therefore prohibitively expensive due to guests that weren't directly invited. Having a wedding on a boat, then, will act as a way to control how many guests can show up, without having to resort to awkwardly telling guests that they can't bring a plus one. However, boat capacities are rarely spatially prohibitive, meaning that while you can put a cap on the number of people allowed on the boat, these numbers will be put in place from a weight and safety perspective, so your guests won't feel cramped on the boat if you've stayed under the capacity when sending out invitations. 

Venue Consolidation

Unlike having a wedding entirely at a church or in a reception hall, having a wedding on a boat offers the best of both venues. Few things are more romantic than a twilight wedding on the open ocean or in a scenic harbor, so having the ceremony on the deck of the boat is a proven winner. Then, bringing guests below deck or into an on-deck function hall offers just enough change from where the ceremony took place to feel like a reception that you would have to drive to from a regular church. This dual utility saves you the cost of having to book both a church or similar house of worship and a reception hall, which should reduce the bill as opposed to renting out both venues. 

Decorations are a Snap

Depending on your tastes, decorations at a seafaring wedding can be done quickly and very cheaply simply because they're lying around at or near the harbor, lake, or whatever body of water your wedding will sail out of. Tasteful sea glass and smooth, wave-polished stones are plentiful near the shore, and act as great centerpieces when placed in a vase or other container. Depending on what you have in mind, you could decorate an entire boat for a charming nautical wedding with just what's at the nearby beach, like driftwood, shells, and lobster traps, as a couple of examples.