1. You will have a beautiful set of photos of you and your groom-to-be being yourselves: not in your wedding attire, but in your every day clothes, relaxed and candid.

2. Engagement sessions increase your comfort in front of the camera and makes for good practice prior to your wedding day.

3. Engagement sessions allow the photographer to get to know you better. We get to see how you relate to each other, and understand your interests and personalities.

4. As a photographer, visualizing what you look like look in front of the camera prior to your wedding day is important. It allows me to find out if you blink often or what you look like embracing each other. It give me a frame of reference for their wedding day and ensures that I get the best photos on your big day.

5. Engagement sessions are like a dry run for your wedding day. Why not try out a hair style or makeup you’ve been contemplating?

6. Engagement sessions give you photo choices for newspaper submissions, signature guest books, or personalized party favors.

7. Engagement sessions are fun! You can experiment with different settings and locations, or try a couple of different outfits. Best of all, a session will give you and your groom the chance to relax and enjoy each other.

How do you manage all the pieces of planning your wedding from afar? A destination wedding planner can help!

Budget Management
Budget management is often difficult for destination brides. How to get a handle on the true costs associated with a Grand Strand wedding is challenging – especially when you’re planning from afar. A local wedding planner is able to research costs and put together a realistic budget, then keep you on track throughout the planning process.

Vendor Selection
A wedding planner will save you money by consulting with and booking quality vendors who are in your budget range. Local wedding planners know and work with other vendors on a regular basis, and she can give you recommendations based on budget and needs.

Venue Selection
Picking a wedding venue can be overwhelming, especially on the Grand Strand. There are so many to choose from! Based on your interests and budget range, a planner can help you select the perfect venue. She can also serve as your scout, visiting venues and helping you narrow down the choices.

Unlimited Advice
Which side of the family pays for which parts of the wedding? What centerpieces should we use? What color scheme looks best? A planner can help answer all of these questions and more by providing unlimited advice and guidance along the way

Customized Services
A professional wedding planner will offer customized services and packages to meet your needs and budget. Most planners offer packages ranging from full coordination to day-of coordination and everything in between. The full coordination package is for the destination bride who needs help from beginning to end. Day-of coordination is for the bride who wants her planner to manage only the details of her wedding day or weekend.

Your Happiness
Planning a destination wedding can be stressful. You’ll make one or two visits to the area before your big day, and you want everything to be perfect! To ensure your trip down the aisle is carefree, hire a planner to do the stressing for you. It is her job and what she does best, from helping you make difficult decisions to ensuring your wedding day’s events go off without a hitch. Instead of contacting you, your vendors can work with your planner to solve problems and answer questions that may arise.

Passion!
Wedding planners thoroughly enjoy helping couples make their dream day become a reality. It is their job and passion, so they will be just as excited as you are. A professional wedding planner will find the thrill in planning your special day and creating a lasting memory. After all, it is a true honor to be a part of one the most important days in you and your groom’s life.

I honestly think the wedding I did this past weeekend was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. They hired me as their wedding coordinator, so  I spent a year helping this couple plan their special day and they are amazing!

Brandon & Candace Watts were married on May 1, 2010, at the Members Club at Grande Dunes. I seriously loved everything about this wedding: the family, the bridal party, the couple, and the decor. They had very modern colors and decor ideas that made for lots of fun! Trendy, but simple and sophisticated. Plus, the Members Club is an incredible venue, designed in an old-world Tuscan style with grand touches of Spanish Colonial and overlooking the golf course (a true Myrtle Beach staple).

I have worked on many weddings, but this is one of my favorites. I think it truly showcases what Grand Strand weddings are all about the best!

Thanks to a new non-profit charity in Myrtle Beach, one deserving military couple will win the Myrtle Beach wedding of their dreams. Operation Happily Ever After was founded to benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and award a dream wedding to a military couple every year.

OHEA’s web site allows military brides and grooms to register as a couple. Web site visitors will then vote on the couple they think most deserving of the wedding package from now through January 31, 2011. Each vote costs $1 and benefits the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

“We wanted to give back to our troops who given all for their country,” said founder Angie Eggleston, “so we pulled together all of our friends in the Myrtle Beach wedding industry to put together an incredible wedding packge.”

The winning couple’s wedding includes the ceremony, a reception with all the trimmings, luxury beachfront resort accommodations for the wedding party, photographers, a videographer, a three-night honeymoon stay, and many other special surprises.   Enter today and help us raise awareness and funds to support the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

The truth of the matter is that within the City of Myrtle Beach, you may not have a ”commercially produced wedding” on the public beach.  The generally accepted local interpretation is this means no chairs, arbors, amplification equipment, or other items that might impede pedestrian traffic are allowed, and no money may exchange hands for services rendered. But don’t take this as legal advice and run the risk of getting a citation. To verifiy what the City’s interpretation of a commercially produced wedding is, we strongly recommend that you contact the City directly.

You CAN have your wedding on private property that borders the beach, such as a resort or vacation home. In addition, the City of North Myrtle Beach and some of the towns that border Myrtle Beach on the south (Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island) do allow commercially-produced beach weddings with a permit.

Cinzia Spa North Myrtle Beach

We had the wonderful opportunity to tour North Myrtle Beach’s newest spa recently: Cinzia Spa at North Beach Plantation.

This fantastic state-of-the-art facility is 17,000 square feet of pure luxury. Beside a huge menu of regualar spa offerings, Ciznia offers unique services such as Celestial Skin Dermatology & Wellness, Life Enhancement Programs such as Oriental Medicine and Holistic Chiropractic Services, and fitness programs such as pilates and yoga. What makes Cinzia so appealing to brides is that they can accommodate larger wedding parties for a full spa day, beauty, hair, and makeup,  and so much more.

Visit Cinzia online and see all they have to offer Myrtle Beach brides.

Check out all the resorts with over 4,000 rooms between them at VacationMyrtleBeach.com.

And you and your wedding guests will have no limit to things to do! Why not make a week long vacation out of your wedding? Golf, watersports, sightseeing, world-class entertainment, shopping, and dining are all at your fingertips on the Grand Strand.

Myrtle Beach is home to a wealth of professional wedding vendors, from photographers to caterers, all ready to help make your wedding the most special day of your life. You’ll find many of them listed on this web site. Or, if you’re not sure where to start, fill out our information request form to contact our vendors.

For the inside scoop, select a link below for tips, traditions, and local rules and regulations designed to help make your Myrtle Beach destination wedding spectacular!

· South Carolina Wedding Laws
· City of Myrtle Beach wedding regulations
· Georgetown County Visitors Bureau
· North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce (visitor information)
· Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce
· Town of Pawleys Island

IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK. Most Grand Strand rental companies have a “no house party” policy.  However, if you have a specific home in mind, ask the rental company for specific permission from the homeowner.  Explain why you want the house and what measures you will take to ensure the safety of everyone and the contents of the house.  Offer to pay an extra security deposit if needed if you really want a particular location.

CHOOSE DATES OUT OF HIGH SEASON.  A good rule of thumb for getting the house you want at a better price is to choose a date that is not in the middle of the busy vacation season.  For Myrtle Beach those dates are May 15 through Labor Day.  All rental terms during the high season are one week. If you plan your wedding prior to May 15 or after Labor Day, chances for a weekend of shorter rental term without the added the expense of extra days are greater.  Be open and flexible to moving the date for these reasons.

IT MAY BE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN YOU THINK.  Keep in mind that a beach home wedding and reception involves extra expense.  You may have to rent chairs, tables, linens, dishes, dance floor, tent, extra lighting and more.  Your caterer  may charge an additional fee to cover the extra work involved in set up and break down of food and beverage at a beach home.

LOOK FOR THE LITTLE DETAILS. Does the home have a large landscaped area or easy access to the beach for the ceremony? Is there a perfect setting for the cake?   Will the home accommodate your guests in the event of inclement weather?  Is the kitchen removed from the main traffic areas so the caterer can work without being seen?  Do the floorplan and furnishings provide flexibility for arrangement? Is there room for a dance floor?