Beach weddings in Thailand: the parts nobody photographs

A beach ceremony looks effortless in photographs and is one of the more technical set-ups to get right. Four things decide whether it works: the tide, the wind, the sun and who else is on that beach.

Tide tables set your ceremony time as firmly as any schedule. On some beaches high tide leaves no usable sand at all. We check the tide for your date before we confirm a time, not after.

Wind decides your florals, your candles, your sound and your hair. An exposed west-facing beach in the afternoon will take down anything tall. Low, weighted arrangements survive; slender arches often do not.

Sun angle decides your photographs. Late afternoon light is the reason most ceremonies run between 16:00 and 17:30, and it is worth defending that slot against everything else in the day.

Public beaches are public. Some are quiet on a Tuesday and busy on a Saturday. If you want privacy you either book a private property or accept that strangers will be in the background, and there is no charm in discovering that on the day.