Vicksburg’s antebellum homes, its history, its Southern charm and the Mississippi River are assets the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau hopes will draw brides and grooms to the city.

“Destination weddings are big business for tourist locations,” said Bill Seratt, VCVB executive director. “For years, people have gone off to the islands and Colorado. Destination weddings are an emerging market for destinations.”

To keep up, VCVB is launching in December a campaign called Vicksburg Vows geared to attract brides from across the region, and maybe across the country, Seratt said.

Vicksburg Vows will include a wedding planning guide that will include information about the city’s venues, caterers, hair salons, spas, florists, photographers, limousine services and wedding planners.

“It will have anything that you would need to plan a wedding,” Seratt said.

The VCVB is working with local businesses to help each one promote its products and services. A summit with local businesses was held about two months ago.

“Spas, photographers, florists, wedding planners and venue owners all came together so we can explain to them what we wanted to do with their help and to let them have equity in the whole process,” Seratt said.

The booklet and online publication will be available around the first of December when the VCVB kicks off a promotional blitz.

An advertisement for Vicksburg will run in the winter issue of Mississippi Weddings magazine late this month. More ads in bridal magazines and trade shows will follow next year.

The first year’s advertisement in this campaign will cost about $15,000, Seratt said.

Seratt said the idea of destination weddings is not all that new.

“This has been thought of before, and it has evolved into wanting to do the whole spectrum of wedding magazines and have something to send you when you call,” he said.

Vicksburg has more to offer than just history and the Civil War battlefields, Seratt said.

“It’s not just the antebellum experience; it’s the unique experience, the charm and hospitality of historic destinations,” he said. “There are people who are going to go to the islands if that’s what they want to do, but there are a lot of brides out there who want the charm and romance of the Old South.”

Vicksburg is home to about 20 bed and breakfast inns and more historic buildings, as well as five casinos that each offer meeting spaces, caterers and entertainment.

“VCVB and the B&Bs have worked hand-in-hand throughout the years,” said Carolyn Stephenson, president of the Vicksburg Bed & Breakfast Association and owner of Annabelle, a B&B at 501 Speed St. “B&Bs make the ideal location, not just for weddings, but for receptions, bridal showers and rehearsal dinners. We’re set up for romance.”

Stephenson said hosting events like these at the local B&Bs offers intimacy and personality when a bride and groom opt for a small wedding without the big price tag.

The average cost for a wedding with about 250 guests will cost about $50,000, but an intimate wedding with close friends and family in Vicksburg with all the trimmings can be done for about $10,000, Seratt said.

“Destination weddings allow for a limited guest list, close friends and family,” he said.

The economic impact for promoting Vicksburg as a destination wedding is unknown, but Seratt said the dollar impact could reach the millions in a couple of years.

“This is one of our products that we will really be promoting in the coming years,” he said. “To brand something takes about two to three years.”