Nautical Wedding Idea for the Skillful Sailors Theme

There are a fair amount of people who would rather sail the great seas, than live and wander on land. For them, there is nothing more enchanting, and desirable than being a sailors theme. The magic stays for some time. But when someone extraordinarily special comes in, and shows them how life could be twice as wonderful – that’s when love anchors the soul, binds two people to live together as one, and unite them in a blissful occasion.

Sailors Theme & Nautical Wedding Ideas

Weddings are always beautiful. It is a promise of love, forever and always, and committing to share the journey and overcome life’s obstacles together.  

Get the hottest wedding trends you won’t want to miss.

If the skillful sailors theme in you wants to hold a nautical theme for the big day, worry no more! Here are beautiful nautical wedding ideas sure to make your better half feel and appreciate your love for the sea, and surprise family and guests!

Invitation cards

You can’t have a nautical wedding without sailor-inspired invitation cards to give away to the guests! The key is to stick to a simple, yet enticing nautical design you may also incorporate on other paper items on the wedding day. It will create a cohesive, and cute look, for sure!

The navy and white striped design never gets old. It’s the most popular nautical wedding ideas design up to this day.

Bride and Groom wedding outfit

There’s nothing more telling of one’s love for sea, than making sure you look the part.

The couple doesn’t have to wear the typical sailors theme outfit. It would be considered underdressing, since, it is, after all, the wedding day! The bride may simply pick the perfect white dress – whether it’s an empire, asymmetrical, exaggerated drop, or Basque-styled dress.

Get the Guide to a lace wedding dress for a bride from here!

There are so many options, that’s true. But whatever makes her feel so amazingly beautiful is the right wedding dress. As for the groom, he can play a bit more, and incorporate the nautical theme in his attire. If you look at the picture above, the groom is seen wearing white pants, a royal blue long sleeve, suspenders, and boat shoes. Boat shoes. Genius.

Boat props

A very important prop that shouldn’t be left out in a nautical wedding is a boat model.

Whether you plan to have a yacht as the show-stealing wedding cake topper, or order a huge custom-built USCGS Adelle (US Coast Guard Ship) to make your stage at the reception look much more interesting, make sure you get it from credible, and experienced artisans!

ModelWorks Direct has been in the model fabrication business for many years, and they ensure customized solutions for hobbyists, collectors, and companies which are in line with their highly developed skills, professionalism, and artistic proficiency. They make custom made models of boats, ships, submarines, automotives, airplanes, and more.

Don’t forget to have a trusty, and creative coordinator with you, so this boat prop would perfectly blend to the nautical decor ideas! You don’t want to break this masterpiece, nor have the guests not see its beauty, do you?

If you want to flaunt it at the reception area, just have it in a glass box, and accentuate the display with pretty floral arrangements on each side. Or if you prefer a more subtle approach, have it as a table centerpiece! It gives the wedding guests more time to ogle at the unique and creative masterpiece.

Fun signage

The thing about nautical weddings – you are free to be as creative as you like, and not conform to the traditional wedding sailors theme styles. Blue and white are the colors of the sea. Use it well.

A directional signage such as this will live up to the theme, while being very Instagrammable, at best. If you don’t think this signage will do for your wedding, try to look for other inspirations! At the end of the day, you have your say, and you can just add whatever it is you really like. Some couples prefer to have quotes in painted wood instead. Of course, it should have the flair of a sailor.

Some quotes you could use:

“In high tide or low tide, I’ll be by your side.”

“May our love anchor our souls.”

“I’m going to love you until the seas run dry.”

“You are the compass that gives me direction when I am lost.”

Read this to get 7 essential tips for planning for your perfect wedding!

Sailboat Portraits

Celebrating the reception on a sailboat won’t be easy on anyone’s budget. Be practical, and have a custom built sailboat made, for photoshoots and wedding day pictorials. You also get to keep it in your home as the perfect nautical decor ideas sailors theme souvenir!

This is the best way to show you’re happily sailing away to the new, married life. Best when taken at the beach, for the ocean vibes. Another good photography session would be holding a customized life buoy with a “Mr & Mrs,” together with your beau.

Table Decorations

Ditch the plain colors and go for navy and white striped table runners. Or else, your wedding won’t be “Nautical – done right.”

Besides, this style isn’t just a trend. It’s also a very interesting piece of history. What about  the seafaring stripes?

Sailors of the French navy in 1858 wore stripes for a simple reason – its function was purely practical. If a sailor fell overboard, then the bright and distinctive striped pattern, will help others spot you amidst the waves. These “mariniere” striped style had exactly 21 stripes to symbolize Napoleon’s 21 victories. It’s not just a fashion staple, it’s a great decor as well!

When using navy and white striped table runners, don’t forget to add a simple rope table number holder for a natural touch!

Photo wall

Any soirée won’t be complete without a photo wall. In fact, this is the most-loved area of guests, aside from the dining table. Prepare a simple backdrop, and have nautical props for everyone to use!

Be sure not to miss out on these classic nautical props: boat, sailor/captain’s hat, lifebuoy, ship wheel, funny sailor-related callouts, maritime telescope, compass, statement props, mustache, glasses, anchor, map, lighthouse, mermaid, starfish, bow tie, and eye patch.

DIY Nautical Arch

There’s nothing wrong with a flower arch, because it always looks heavenly, and divine. But if you want your nautical wedding to be the talk of the town, you should brave changes, and do something different. Go for something simple, but eye-catchy.

Doing a DIY arch is definitely more cost-effective. You can control the overall look and style within your specified budget. You can either find a creative friend to put this up, or ask the wedding coordinator to get the help of trusted individuals to make sure your arch stands oh-so-beautiful on your wedding day.

This DIY Nautical Reception Arch looks simple, but truly beautiful. It made use of different nautical elements such as a lifebuoy, lamp, sailor’s knot, model boat, seashells, and pearls. Its soft appeal also stood out because of the sheer curtains. Isn’t it lovely?

Wedding Tokens or Giveaways

Some people think giving wedding favors are not required for sailors theme, but it’s a meaningful way to show your gratitude to the people who joined the joyous celebration of marriage. Given the nautical wedding theme, you should take a considerable amount of time preparing something that’s really pretty, memorable, and of course, nautical.

Some couples give away stuff no guest could ever use, or want to keep in their life. The usual tokens are mini memorabilia with the couple’s photo. But guess what nautical wedding ideas? What good does it do to give away a wedding favor which has your initials, or names on it? Let’s face it. The personalization isn’t theirs, so it’s not as special.

What’s a good token? Take for example this lifebuoy bottle opener, which is perfect for guests who love to drink! It’s simple, compact, but really useful! Not to mention – gotta love the nautical theme! It may not blend with the other stuff at home, but it works as a “standalone.”

Nautical Decor Ideas

One last thing, make sure it’s not a cheap trinket! As cute as it is, your guests would absolutely appreciate this token, if it’s not a one-and-done by nautical decor ideas!

If it’s going to last for just a couple uses, you might as well save the time, and money buying these! No one will notice or care you didn’t hand out favors.

A nautical wedding is the ultimate sea fairy tale! While having it by the sea is the BEST option there is, it won’t hurt to style an events place and turn it into a nautical wonderland. The only thing left for you to do is collect some inspiration, and sort out what you like, and what you do not like.

There are just hundreds, and thousands of ways to incorporate sailing motifs and seafaring elements in a beautiful occasion, such as a wedding.