For Immediate Release Media Contact: Pam Jones or Marjorie Beenders
March 15, 2010 Phone: 573-636-8282 « Email: pam@tbmg.net
Plan a Perfect Wedding, Reception & Honeymoon
At Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MO—From quiet elopements to extravagant productions, more than 1,200 weddings take place at the Lake of the Ozarks every year. It’s no wonder, considering the Lake area offers everything a bride needs for an unforgettable rehearsal dinner, wedding, reception, honeymoon, too!
To help brides make their plans, the Lake of the Ozarks Wedding Association (LOTOWA) will sponsor the Second Annual Bridal Stroll, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday, March 21. For $25 per person, brides and their two guests will be chauffeured in a comfy tour bus around the Lake, sampling fabulous food and wine, and visiting with lodging representatives, caterers, photographers, florists, jewelers, cake designers, DJs and other wedding-related vendors. Also included will be an hour-long Lake cruise, plus drawings for spectacular prizes worth more than $8,000.
Following is a brief look at a few of the numerous options for couples considering getting married at the Lake of the Ozarks, including several LOTOWA members and Bridal Stroll stops:
“We have been the site for about 30 weddings a year since we opened ten years ago,” says Sue Westenhaver, owner of the romantic bed-and-breakfast, The Inn at Harbour Ridge in Osage Beach, named one of the state’s best wedding destinations by Missouri Life magazine. “We can help a couple put together a simple lawn wedding, a memorable ceremony at sunset in our wedding gazebo or a fireside ceremony, followed by a romantic honeymoon complete with a private hot tub and ‘twosome tubby’ plus a gourmet breakfast.”
She adds, “Just bring your wedding license and wedding dress, if that’s what you’re going to wear! We’ve had couples in Hawaiian shirts who wish they could go to a tropical beach instead of Osage Beach, plus a bride and groom in huge Stetson hats and another couple who said ‘I do’ and then zoomed away on a Harley.” That was Flo and Brian Brockway of Chillicothe, Ill. who married at the Inn’s gazebo on Sept. 20, 2008. “Sue took care of almost everything,” Flo says. “She arranged for the minister, music, flowers and cake. She told us when to walk through the door. Basically all I had to do was show up!”
One week prior, Allison and James Wilson of Ottumwa, Ill., also got married at the Inn’s gazebo. “We wanted a small wedding and we wanted to get away,” says Allison. “Sue took care of everything! She even kept an eye on the stormy weather and had a Plan B, just in case.” Happily, the Wilsons were able to say their vows in the gazebo just before it rained. They returned to the Inn at Harbour Ridge over New Year’s Eve--along with their infant daughter, Lola. “I normally don’t allow children but I just had to make an exception for her,” Westenhaver says.
Brides also love the service—and scenery—at Osage National Golf Resort in Lake Ozark, which hosts about 20 weddings a year. “We offer two fantastic wedding sites--the colorful, landscaped garden area with a gorgeous rock-wall backdrop, and the beautiful pool pavilion,” says Susie Leveridge, Event Sales & Marketing Director. The full-service resort can accommodate up to 230 people with complete catering services.
At Osage National, the bridal couple can honeymoon and guests can relax in the resort’s comfortable condos. “And of course there’s golf on our Arnold Palmer-designed 18-hole course,” Leveridge says. “We plan a lot of tournaments for weddings guests on the morning before a wedding while the ladies relax at the pool.” Leveridge is “ very hands-on” the day of the wedding, making sure every detail is perfect. A stop on the Bridal Stroll, brides and their guests will see Osage National’s banquet room set for a wedding reception with lavish floral arrangements, enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and visit with several vendors.
The well-known Tan-Tar-A Resort & Golf Club in Osage Beach hosts more than 40 weddings a year, from a private ceremony for two to a gala event for 250 guests, says Social Coordinator Susan Miller. For smaller weddings, up to 30 people, many couples choose to hold the ceremony in the resort’s Little Stone Chapel by the Lake. “It’s very quaint and rustic,” Miller says. “A lot of couples also like to be married outdoors with the Lake for a backdrop, especially when there’s a spectacular sunset.”
In addition to its lovely Lakeside setting, Tan-Tar-A offers distinctive lodging (including rooms with breathtaking Lake views) plus a wide array of services including beautiful floral arrangements from its on-site flower shop, entertainment, catering and photography. “Brides and their attendants love to be pampered and have their hair styled at our Windjammer Spa & Salon,” Miller adds. “As a stop on the Bridal Stroll, we will showcase one of our reception rooms all set up for a wedding party. We’re very excited to have brides visit us on the Stroll and show them what we have to offer for their special day!”
Bridal Stroll stop (offering wine tasting and appetizers) Seven Springs Winery and Vineyards in Linn Creek sits atop 160 acres of rolling Missouri foothills. Since Mike Bleile opened this stunning winery in 2008, it’s been the scene of more than 20 weddings. “We offer both indoor and outdoor weddings and can seat 300 inside and 125 outside on our covered, lighted patio which looks out over the hills,” Bleile says. “Some couples have been married in our vineyards, and there’s room for an outdoor tent wedding, too.” He notes, “In 160 aces you can get as creative as you like. For example, we had a wedding featuring a bridal procession with a horsedrawn carriage through our field, and a springtime ‘country wedding’ decorated with fresh-cut blooming dogwood branches in mason jars.”
Seven Springs offers full-service catering, a shuttle service for the bridal party, and vendor discounts—as well as the services of wedding coordinator Jamie Beabout who works closely with couples to create a memorable wedding experience.
For some couples, getting married at the Lake means getting married ON the Lake, on Celebration Cruise’s 150-passenger, 80-foot, climate-controlled luxury motor yacht, docked at Kirkwood Lodge in Osage Beach. Brides-to-be and their guests will experience some of the pleasures of a shipboard wedding during the Bridal Stroll as they enjoy an hour-long cruise. “We hold about 20 weddings a year on the Celebration,” says Capt. Mike Bouffiou. “To make each one special we try to provide whatever background scenery the couple wants for the ceremony, and then we’ll move to a different part of the Lake for after-wedding pictures, from the sunset to a rock cliff to a golf course to million-dollar mansion. There are so many neat locations on the water and that way the whole Lake can be part of your memories.”
Bouffiou adds, depending on the number of guests and the date, couples can reserve the whole yacht or have private seating during a public cruise. “We can accommodate weddings from black tie to barefoot,” Bouffiou says. “We’ve had several couples get married on a beach then board the boat for their reception. It’s not easy to find that in this part of the country!”
Clyde and Kim Bridgeman held their wedding on the Celebration in August, 2008. They chose to be wed on the boat because they love the Lake of the Ozarks and have a part-time home there. “I had seen an ad about the yacht in a magazine and I told Clyde, ‘Let’s try this,’ Kim says. “Captain Mike took care of 100 percent of everything, the food, the photographer, decorations and a limousine. We told him what color flowers we wanted and he got them,” Clyde says. The Bridgemans and their 60 guests had the yacht to themselves for four hours. “It was a wonderful feeling to be married on the water,” Clyde adds. “Our guests are still talking about it.”
For a wedding your guests will talk about, consider a Lake-of-the-Ozarks wedding. For more information, and to find out more about the Lake of the Ozarks Bridal Stroll, please call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau at (800) FUN-LAKE or visit www.funlake.com.
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