America's oldest unrestored garden offers a backdrop like no other.
“Sharing the Romance”
of a wedding in Charleston
Seventeen premiere wedding vendors in Charleston and Magnolia Planation and Gardens will provide a wedding package valued at $50,000 to the couple who wins "Sharing the Romance."
June 15 is the deadline to apply for the wedding giveaway - "Sharing the Romance" - that will culminate Feb. 9, 2013, with a ceremony and reception at Magnolia's Carriage House on the west bank of the Ashley River.
To enter, submit an application along with a 3- to 5-minute video that states what you love about the possibility of getting married in Charleston and explains how you met your future spouse.
Judges will select four finalists in July. Their videos will be posted on Magnolia's and Charleston Weddings Magazine's websites to give the public an opportunity to vote for the couple with the most compelling story. The winner will be announced in early September 2012.
Comcast C2 in Charleston and Charleston Weddings Magazine are the media sponsors for "Sharing the Romance."
The vendors and the services they'll provide are:
A Charleston Wedding, limo and tuxedo for the groom
Atlantic Tent Rental
Charleston Place Hotel, two nights hotel stay
Cindy Zingerella of Engaging Events, wedding planner
Classical Charleston, ceremony music
Complete Music of Charleston, DJ and videography
Elaine's Events, cake
EventWorks and Snyder Event Rentals
Fabulous Frocks, bride's dress
Ice Box Bar Services
Mist-a-Mosquito, lawn spray
Mosaic Catering
Richard Bell Photography
Scotti Kline Designs, invitations
Tiger Lily Florist and floral designer Judy Johnston, the exclusive florist for Engaging Events
"We are thrilled to have such an impressive lineup of wedding vendors to join us in this wedding giveaway," Magnolia's events manager Jessica Cruz said.
As America's oldest public garden, Magnolia is one of the most impressive wedding sites in the country, she said. "The expansive views of the Ashley River, the ancient live oaks adorned with Spanish moss, and the intimate garden walkways set an unforgettable stage for a day of elegant romance."
Tom Johnson, Magnolia's director of gardens said, "At Magnolia, we pride ourselves as being a romantic-style garden where we create a landscape that is in harmony with nature."
Johnson noted that Charleston was recently voted the nation's "Top City in the United States" in the 2011 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards. "We are fortunate to be in Charleston, one of America's most picturesque cities. As a result, we want to share the romance with a lucky couple and their wedding party."
Rules
Thank you for your interest in a romantic destination wedding in Charleston, S.C., sponsored by Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Comcast C2 and Charleston Weddings Magazine. Please complete the online application below. Please answer all questions or your application will be forfeited. The last day to submit an application is June 15, 2012.
Entertain us with a video and convince us that you are the right couple:
Tell us why you are the most qualified couple to receive this amazing wedding giveaway. What do you already love about the idea of getting married in Charleston? You might include how you met, how he/she proposed, or any other story, quip, interesting tidbit, etc. The video must be at least 3 minutes, not to exceed 5 minutes. Your video must be postmarked by June 15, 2012. No entries will be accepted after 5:00 p.m. on June 15, 2012. Upload your video entry to YouTube and email the link along with the entry form (see below) to sharingtheromance@gmail.com.
Please note:
Along with your video, please email a still photo of the two of you and complete contact information. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens takes no responsibility for videos or materials that are lost.
When applying, you are agreeing to receive materials, including emails and phone calls, from Magnolia Plantation and Gardens regarding the promotion. With submission of your application, you agree to be featured on our websites (magnoliaplantation.com, our Facebook page and any other publication or broadcast outlet), in promotions related to this event and any other Magnolia Gardens initiatives. Please note that your video may be posted to YouTube or other sites.
No Phone Calls Please
Eligibility Criteria:
Each applicant must be available for an interview, either via phone, internet conferencing or in person. Each applicant must be of good moral character, must not have a criminal record involving conviction for a felony, any crime of moral turpitude nor may their background check reveal anything deemed inappropriate in Magnolia Garden’s absolute discretion. Applicants may not be elected officials presently in office, nor may they be currently running for any political office (local, state or federal).
Applicants who reach the semi-finalist stage must agree to a background check and must agree to participate in publicity releases related to the applicants and the contest.
This opportunity is open to currently engaged couples who are legal residents of the U.S. and meet the matrimonial laws of the state of South Carolina. Each applicant must be at least 21 years old and each must also comply with the additional requirements set forth in these rules.
Each applicant must be willing to have his or her wedding ceremony performed at Magnolia Gardens and must use the vendors selected to participate in this contest. Magnolia Gardens will not provide transportation for the winning couple.
Each applicant must be willing to sign an affidavit attesting to the truth of the facts in the application form and Video and attesting that each applicant meets all the eligibility requirements.
If selected, applicants must also be willing to undertake the following:
* to be interviewed by telephone and to either appear in a videotape produced by Magnolia Gardens or to submit a video in which the couple appears;
* to make themselves available to attend fittings and to participate in public appearances and in photo shoots as needed by Magnolia Gardens (although an effort will be made to set such events in a manner that is mutually convenient to applicants and Magnolia Gardens, in the event that applicants cannot be available as needed, then Magnolia Gardens reserves the right to move to the next viable applicants);
Applicants must agree that, if selected as the winning wedding couple, they will be married at Magnolia Gardens on February 9, 2013. This date is subject to change in the sole discretion of Magnolia Gardens. Magnolia Gardens and its participating vendors will provide a wedding package for up to 150 guests, including, catering, flowers, planning, event rentals, hotel accommodations, etc.
Selected applicants must agree to make themselves exclusively available to Magnolia Gardens for publicity and promotion. Applicants must agree that they will not allow interviews by other media outlets, including television, magazines, newspapers, radio, and internet, unless authorized by Magnolia Gardens, from the time the four finalists are announced, through the wedding.
If, at any point during the contest, Magnolia Gardens deems an applicant or couple to be ineligible, Magnolia Gardens may disqualify that couple at its sole discretion and select an alternate.
Selection Process:
Magnolia Gardens in its sole discretion will select a preliminary group of couples from eligible entries (completed application form plus video) submitted. Magnolia Gardens will begin reviewing entries on a rolling basis as they are received and will end the selection process when a preliminary group of qualified couples has been chosen.
Selection criteria used by the judges shall include:
* The couple’s video and application materials;
* The personality and the charisma of the applicants, both individually and as a couple;
* The demonstrated strength of the couple’s commitment;
* The nature of the couple’s history and background (how each couple met, became engaged, how long they have been engaged, the relationship of the couple with family members and friends, and any other factors that make the couple’s story unique and compelling);
From the preliminary group of couples, Magnolia Gardens will then select up to ten semifinalist couples, based on these factors, plus telephone interviews with the couples. These semifinalist couples will be required as a condition of continued eligibility to complete and sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Waiver of Liability and Publicity Release in the forms attached to these Rules.
The semifinalist couples thus selected will be interviewed by Magnolia Gardens and may be asked to participate in the filming of a videotaped interview by representatives of Magnolia Gardens.
The semifinalist couples will also be subject to background checks to verify and determine additional information about each of the individuals.
Based on the Magnolia Gardens’ interviews, the videos, the background checks and the selection criteria noted above, four finalist couples will be selected by representatives of Magnolia Gardens, in its sole discretion. Magnolia Gardens, in its sole discretion, may have guest judges and may grant immunity to certain couples. After each competition, a panel of judges selected by Magnolia Gardens may comment on the finalists’ performances and may grant immunity to a couple from being eliminated in that week’s viewer vote.
Pictures of the finalist couples, and a brief synopsis prepared by Magnolia Gardens regarding each of the couples and their performance in Magnolia Gardens’ competitions will be placed on the Magnolia Gardens website in July 2012. Viewers will be asked to vote each week on which couple shall receive the Magnolia Gardens wedding. Each viewer may vote only once per week. Multiple votes will be voided.
If the wedding couple is disqualified or otherwise unable to fulfill the requirements asked of them, a second couple from among the four finalist couples, selected by Magnolia Gardens, may receive the Magnolia Gardens wedding.
Wedding:
Couple must agree that elements of the wedding will be determined by Magnolia Gardens, including but not limited to, wedding planner, rehearsal dinner, wedding site, ceremony, reception and catering, accommodations, florist, photographer and videographer. The couple may have some opportunities to work with the wedding planner, which will be determined by the planner.
In entering this contest, applicants are agreeing to legally wed; if your religion does not permit this, please do not apply. Couples are responsible for completing licensing requirements for Charleston County, S.C.
Disqualification:
Couples may be disqualified, by not complying with these rules or if they cannot fulfill all of the requirements. If the finalists are disqualified, they will become ineligible and the runner-up couple will selected to take their place.
MULTIPLE ENTRIES RECEIVED FROM ANY PERSON WILL VOID ALL SUCH ADDITIONAL ENTRIES. Entries that are incomplete, illegible or corrupted are void and will not be accepted. If any applicant becomes ineligible during the contest, they may be disqualified.
All entries, including application forms, video and photos, become the property of Magnolia Gardens, will not be returned, and may be used by Magnolia without acknowledgement. Applicants must verify that they possess the rights to any materials submitted in the course of the contest.
Disclaimer:
Magnolia Gardens is not responsible for telecommunications, network, electronic, technical or computer failures of any kind, for inaccurate transcription of entry information, for errors in any promotional or marketing materials, for errors in these rules, for any human or electronic error, including but not limited to the administration of this event or prizes, or for entries that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed by computer transmissions, lost, late or damaged.
Magnolia Gardens and its vendor partners are not responsible for any injuries or damages caused or claimed to be caused in the event and will not assume any liability.
The decision of Magnolia Gardens is final.
Timeline:
Deadline to apply is June 15, 2012. The top four (4) entries will be posted for online voting in July 2012. The winner will be announced in September 2012.
Wedding ceremony on February 9, 2013, at Magnolia Gardens and honeymoon in Charleston, South Carolina.
