Why to Tie the Knot in the First City
Savannah is, without a doubt, one of the hottest (both literally and figuratively) destination wedding spots in the southeastern United States. The warm climate is complimented by the amazing history – Savannah became the first official city in the state of Georgia in 1733 – and its gorgeous Spanish moss is also one of Savannah’s most distinctive and romantic traits.
But besides these obvious reasons, here are five others that maybe you hadn’t considered:
1. You have two bodies of water to work with. TWO. You have the gorgeous Savannah River (yacht party, I’m on a boat, etc.) and some of the best surrounding islands in the lowcountry (beach wedding, yacht party, I’m on a boat).
2. The food. You can’t throw a rock in Savannah without hitting ten Paula Deen prototypes (pre-racism scandal..), and there’s also a multitude of world-class ethnic restaurants for those who want an amazing menu minus all the butter.
3. Cultural diversity. Yes, this is the Deep South, but Savannah is home to not only various kinds of Protestant churches but also Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Jewish houses of worship. They also have these things called “outside,” “historic places,” “art galleries”, and “cool restaurants” for those who wish to have a nonreligious wedding.
4. The bars are open until 3am, and you can drink out of plastic in the street. So tell your fiancé that he IS NOT going to Vegas for his bachelor party, and you can both go out pre-wedding and post-reception for a good time with your friends. Savannah also has pedicabs - so word to the wise, if you’re staying downtown for the night, skip the taxi and hop into a broke SCAD student’s rickshaw at the end of the night.
5. Literary history. We all know that Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt took place here and the movie was filmed on location as well. It has also been the setting of High Noon by Nora Roberts, and, less admirably, Southern Lights by Danielle Steel. The best part is, unlike most places in South and North Carolina, no book by Nicholas Sparks has ever taken place here, for which we are all grateful.
All photos courtesy of VisitSavannah.com and https://www.facebook.com/VisitSavannahGA.