'Adventure' seeks to take stress out of weddings

Local brides stressed out by wedding woes have renewed hope in the form of Bride's Wedding Planning Adventure, a three-day seminar in August aimed at showing even the most overwhelmed of brides everything they need to know to prepare for the big day.

After teaching an eight-week course on wedding planning at Trident Technical College, Dianne Shaver decided to create the seminar to help brides develop the confidence needed to go through with their plans.

"Brides have no idea how to plan a wedding, and they get overwhelmed. I thought if I could teach them what they need to know over a weekend, that would be a good thing," Shaver said.

Over the course of the seminar, attendees will visit four venues, beginning with the Woodlands Inn in Summerville. The seminar will feature such vendors as Woodlands, Cru Catering and Tides Folly Beach.

Each vendor will explain their contracts to brides and provide timelines they should adhere to for best results in planning their weddings.

"The vendors that come have to teach. It's not just about advertising"

Shaver said.

Emily Fralinger, a catering director with Cru Catering, said wedding planning can be a challenge for local brides because Charleston has so much to offer in terms of options. Learning specifically what to look for can help narrow down that search.

"Our main goal, from the catering aspect, is to educate brides on menu designs, tell them what types of questions to ask, and really just how to get the most bang for their buck," Fralinger said.

Rachel Kimel's fiance, Austin, proposed to her in Florence, Italy, while she was studying abroad in Europe.

Kimel lives in Charlotte but plans to have her wedding in Charleston. She hopes that the seminar will help her choose a venue, plan out a budget and help her develop the time-management skills needed to plan her wedding.

"It seems like a really good way for brides to relax, and it will help me think of everything that I need to know,"she said.

Bride's Wedding Planning Adventure will take place Aug. 5-7, and Shaver hopes it will become an annual event.

She plans on having another as soon as February to assist couples who get engaged over the holidays.

The seminar costs $295 for a single admission. Other packages also are available.

Call Shaver at 532-0559 or visit www.bridesweddingplanningadventure.com.