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UÜ|wtÄ Zâ|wx From searching for that perfect wedding gown to picking out the wedding cake, WSAV.com has tips for you and your fiancé for that magical day.

This online guide will help you plan all of your Lowcountry wedding details such as the re-hearsal dinner, the wedding ceremony, the reception and even your honeymoon.

We at WSAV wish you the best and hope that all your bridal and wedding day dreams come true.

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Contents

• Venues

• Gowns & Accessories

• Cakes

• Photos & Videos

• Formal Wear

• Make-up

• Music

• Rings

• Honeymoon locations

• Transportation

V hoosing the location for your wedding will either be one of the easiest things about planning your wedding, or it will be one of the most difficult. Many couples have a home church that they wish

to get married in or a special location that has sentimental meaning to their relationship. But many others choose to go a different route or do some shopping around before they decide on a venue.

Lighting: Bad lighting can throw your wedding day into chaos. Both your photographer and videographer will have problems with poor lighting and you want to look your best walking down the aisle. Poor lighting can wash out your complexion and cause dresses to appear to be a different color than what they are. Avoid locations that have fluorescent lighting or have yellow or green windows or light shades. Look for a church that has recessed lighting near the front of the church or a lighting system that can cast additional light on the wedding party.

Size: if your home church is small and you are planning a large wedding, consider an alternative location. Trying to seat 300 guests in a sanctuary that will comfortably hold 100 or so peo-ple is not going to work well. Along the same lines, you would-n’t want to seat 25 guests in a sanctuary set up to handle 500 parishioners.

Style: If you are planning a very elegant and formal wedding, a small country church is probably not the best choice. By the same token, a informal morning wedding is not well suited to a huge, elegant sanctuary.

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Facilities: Is there plenty of space for the bride and her attendants to have a dressing room well away from where the male contingent will be waiting? If you want to have your reception on-site, is there a kitchen and food preparation area available? Is there a place to take photos other than in front of the alter (this could include a stained glass window that you would like to have as a backdrop or a arbor or gazebo outdoors, even the church entrance if it is attractive)?

Shopping Around: Once you have determined that you want to shop around for a venue for your wedding, you will need some idea of what kind of site interests you. The choices are almost endless. There are churches, wedding chapels, hotels, banquet halls, restaurants, parks, his-toric sites and bed and breakfasts.

Churches: They come in all shapes and sizes, as well as all denomina-tions and affiliations. You can usually find a church to fit any style or size wedding. However, some churches have rules about who can get married in their facilities and who can perform the ceremony. Some-times you have to be a member of the congregation to qualify. Also, there may be rules about who is allowed to perform the ceremony. If you are planning the reception at the church, be aware that there may also be rules about serving alcohol on church grounds. Also be aware that many pastors now require a pre-wedding class or series of meetings before they will agree to perform the ceremony.

Hotels: A sizeable hotel can accommodate very large weddings and re-ceptions. The seating, reception tables and caterers are normally already on-sight, and out-of-town guests will find it very convenient to stay at the same location as the wedding. The downsides of a hotel wedding can include a reduced choice of caterer or menu, having more than one wed-ding in the same hotel on your wedding day and the chance (especially if you book early) that the decor of the halls may change. Be sure to ask about upcoming renovations and approved vendor lists before making your final decision.

Banquet Halls: Those that are separate from hotels offer many of the same benefits ? with the exception of overnight rooms for your guests. Most -- including the Centre in Bristol, Tennessee, and Southeast Culi-nary and Hospitality in Bristol, Virginia ? have caterers (and sometimes bakers) onsite, limiting your food options. Sometimes these facilities can be quite beautiful and other times the decor may not be up to the standards you set for your wedding. Be sure to have a thorough look around and be satisfied with what you see before you sign anything.

Restaurants: If you want to get married at your favorite restaurant, you will be guaranteed that the food will be good, but most restaurants can’t accommodate a large guest list and most do not have the space available for a walk-down-the-aisle wedding.

Parks: Interested in an outdoor wedding? If your back yard is not up to the challenge, consider one of the area’s many parks. But outdoor wed-dings do cause some challenges. Accessibility may be a problem for guests who are elderly or handicapped (ask about renting a golf cart to shuttle your less mobile attendees). Facilities including bathrooms and kitchens are sometimes hard to come by. You can’t control the weather. Hope for sunny skies and a temperate day, but be sure to have a back-up plan. You will likely have to arrange for your guests seating and a multi-tude of other small details that are taken care of automatically at other locations. There may also be restrictions on alcohol and the number of guests who can attend the wedding.

Bed and Breakfasts: These quaint, often stylish inns can be the perfect location for a small wedding. The feel is often warm and welcoming. and are furnished with local antiques and decorated beautifully. Some B & Bs may cater the reception, while others may have approved or sug-gested caterers. Be sure to ask. You will also want to check on how many guests the inn can accommodate and what its facilities for the wedding and the reception are. Many weddings are held outdoors with the reception following inside. If this is the case, inquire about rainy day alternatives.

Savannah

• Westin Savannah Harbor Resort

• Hamilton Turner Inn

• Ballastone Inn

• Mansion on Forsyth Park

• Owens-Thomas House

• Inn at Ellis Square

Hilton Head Island

• Sea Pines Resort

• Marriott Resort Hilton Head

• Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort

• Country Club of Hilton Head

• Westin Hilton Head Island Resort

Beaufort

• The Beaufort Inn

• The Rhett House Inn

• Sanctuary Golf Club

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The Westin Savannah Harbor Resort

Hamilton-Turner Inn

The Ballastone Inn

The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa

jxww|Çz Vt~xá • Two Fabulous Cakes

• Delectable Designs

• Kerry O’Conner Cake Design

• Minette Rushing Custom Cakes

• Art Cake Company

• Sheri’s Edible Designs

• Signe’s Bakery