As waves splash onto the beach behind them, the bride and groom hold hands and exchange wedding vows. The romantic backdrop of South Padre Island  —  promising moonlit beach walks and carefree fun – draws hundreds of wedding parties each year.   Although Valley couples see the Island as a close-to-home wedding venue, most everyone else views South Padre as a dreamy tropical wedding destination that doesn’t require a passport. Businesses specializing in beach and Island weddings – event coordinators, hotels, photographers, caterers and officiants – provide services that increase the perfection and reduce the stress of the momentous occasion.

A Beach Affair owner Judith Beat, who had managed destination weddings on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, saw the potential to develop South Padre Island as a destination for wedding parties in 1995.  Starting small, Beat has built her business catering to a niche market for intimate weddings (less than 50 guests) of out-of-Valley residents.  “I was very fortunate that somebody believed in me and wrote me a check to start the business,” Beat recalled.  The funding enabled her to buy chairs and champagne glasses and to advertise.

Beat said 95% of her clients are from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma or Mexico. Others come from Canada, Australia, and fresh from deployment in Afghanistan.  Everything is done via A Beach Affair‘s Web site, texting and phone calls. Clients select the wedding package based on the number of guests and the decoration and services they want.  Beat introduced the sand ceremony, in lieu of unity candles, and offers a selection of vows.   “All you have to do is show up,” she said. “We can arrange for your cake, flowers, decoration, photographer, music.”

Beat is in her element doing small weddings, making sure everything is delivered, dealing with the caterers.  “I don’t leave anything to chance.  I want it to be perfect. I’m also adamant that you stay on the island.”  A licensed officiant, she presided at almost all the 93 weddings she coordinated in 2012, a boom year for Island weddings. “I think it was because the economy is getting better.”  And 2013 is even stronger: Beat performed 17 weddings in July.

For summer weddings, favored by the youngest brides, Beat strongly recommends morning weddings:  smaller beach crowds, easier parking, less wind.  A Beach Affair ceremonies frequently are held near Beach Access #14, which has a wide walkway, making it easy to setup and for guests to find.

Beat’s Island connections open doors for her clients’ small wedding receptions. “I’m very blessed that Bob (Friedman) at Sea Ranch will open for a private lunch for me.”  She works with local vendors,  including her daughter, photographer Teresa Raymond and wedding cake baker Deborah Parkins.

Sunset vows

Janelle Allen got married at sunset on “a private island,” a floating platform, in the middle of the Laguna Madre.  “That is what piqued my interest.  It got me wanting to emphasize sunsets on the bay.  I love weddings, wedding planning, and travel to unique places.”  Allen’s self-described OCD approach to wedding planning and coordination blossomed into her company South Padre Sands Destination Weddings.  Her husband Bryan is the operations director, Web master and officiant.

Allen said that 80% of her events are South Padre destination weddings and half of those are Texas residents.  “We have to get to know them, to make it their dream wedding here, without them having to be here themselves ahead of time.” People used to think that the Island was for last-minute weddings, but now it rivals other venues for elegance, Allen noted.  “We can bridge the gap between their ideas at home and what the Island can provide with higher end accessories.”

Allen, director of the island’s NAMAR Event Center where numerous weddings and receptions are held, also works with the Pearl (where she coordinated the June wedding of a National Hockey League pro and his bride) and Schlitterbahn’s rooftop Sea4ever, where she coordinated the first wedding held there. South Padre Sands refers clients to Valley vendors such as photographers David Pezzat, Anahi Navarro and Jay Caballero.

April, May and October are the most popular months for beach weddings, although destination weddings run through the summer. “We want them to stay on the Island and make it a fun, family fun trip. We help them get accommodations for beach house weddings.” Allen explained.  “They can have the ceremony on the beach, and then the party shifts to the house for catering.  With destination weddings, it’s common to have smaller parties, but they should have the same amount of amenities.  Everyone appreciates the all-in-one wedding coordinator.”

For 2014, South Padre Sands projects increasing local resident weddings, on and off the island.

“You can’t beat our sunsets,” Allen added, with a smile.

Seclusion

Casa Mariposa is a private, hacienda-style guest house and wedding venue on South Padre owned by Sherrie Gomez.  “People fall in love with the atmosphere and the building.  We’re all inclusive:  we do all the catering, the photographer and flowers, so they don’t have to worry about anything,” she said.

Gomez will arrange beach ceremonies, but brides often choose Casa Mariposa’s courtyard which can accommodate either intimate wedding parties or up to 225 guests.  “It depends on their budgets and needs. Most of my clients are from out of town.”  But Casa Mariposa’s four guest rooms and bridal suite package appeal to Valley folks, too.  Gomez recently hired an assistant to keep up with the growing demand.

Hotel weddings

Couples getting married at the Pearl are not obligated to stay at the island hotel, according to Marissa Castillo, director of Sales and Marketing there.   “But discounted rooms are part of a great package for destination weddings. If brides want something basic, it’s stress-free.  They don’t need to have a wedding coordinator.”  Brides can book one of the three wedding venues at the hotel and choose reception food from the hotel’s menus.  “But we work well with professionals like Janelle Allen and Maury Collections for décor, too.”

Most weddings at the Pearl involve couples from San Antonio, Austin and Dallas whose families have vacationed on the Island, although Valley couples often choose it for summer weddings, Castillo said.   Families are starting to see the Island as an affordable and accessible alternative to Cancun, without the hassle of passports.

Destination driven

For the last eight years, McAllen-based David Pezzat has concentrated on wedding photography, particularly destination weddings. He sees South Padre Island is coming into its own as a destination wedding site.  “As a whole, the wedding business is growing.  That’s great for all the Island businesses and hotels.  Wedding guests come and enjoy a mini-vacation.”

Valley residents have their own connections to the Island and associate it with good times, Pezzat pointed out.  “It’s a great place to have a wedding not that far away.”   More northern Mexico clients are choosing Island weddings, too, because it means they won’t have to worry about security, he added.

The newlywed bride and groom kiss passionately under the flower-draped canopy at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico.  In this romantic, memorable and relaxing setting, their marriage has begun.

For more information, see  ABeachAffair.com; southpadresands.com; casamariposaspi.com; pearlsouthpadre.com; Davidpezzat.com; anahiphotoart.com;  jaycaballero.com.

August cover story by Eileen Mattei