by beautiful waters, the church has traditionally served as the backdrop for most on their wedding day. A recent trend however, is incorporating such scenes into the ceremony, with couples electing backyards, beaches, cliffs and even boats as their location of choice. Meeting much of the overseas demand is The Bridal Suite, a management company which for the past six years, has made the special event a worry-free one. "Ninety five percent of our weddings come from overseas and ninety five percent of our weddings are held outside,'' said Allister Simmons, the company's president. "People today are opting for the dramatics of Bermuda. They can't wait to get down on the beach; to pull up their frilly dresses and trouser legs and wait for photos to be taken. What they want, and what we're doing, is a lot of clifftop weddings, beach weddings and motor yacht weddings. I don't want to downplay the traditional church ceremony but it's not very often that we get requests to hold weddings in a church.'' Outside of an appreciation for Bermuda's scenery, Mr. Simmons said the choice of an outdoor venue could be attributed to either of two factors: "These people are leaving home to get married,'' he said. "They come to Bermuda where they can be married barefoot on the beach or anywhere outside.

It's a big thrill for people. "Also, because many of them have been married before, they've had all the fanfare involved in a big church wedding and they want something intimate, soft and quiet. They want something different. Owner of Lady Tamara , Gloria Prescott said many local couples are holding outdoor ceremonies as well, often hiring the luxury motor yacht for the locale. "We went into business the year after Hurricane Emily struck Bermuda, in 1988, and we've been doing weddings ever since,'' she said. Bermuda's waters, Mrs.

Prescott added, provide a wonderful background which add to the beauty of a moment to be forever cherished. "They've got the ocean and the sunset, it really is a wonderful and unique setting.'' The tour operator added that she and her husband, Nigel, first began with just wedding receptions aboard their yacht, Gay Venture , back in 1970. "We now have a few members of the clergy who will perform elsewhere, other than the church,'' she said. "And we get many requests, just through `word of mouth' usually and people are always satisfied. It's such a unique setting and the guests and the bride and groom always tell us how much they love (the scenery).'' Another bonus by holding the ceremony and the reception in one place, she added, is that it can cut down on the expenses incurred. "You don't have to pay for an organist and all the individual costs involved (in a church ceremony). It's all there; it's all part and parcel of our cost. You can have the band there and caterers, the skies the limit. And if you're really trying to save money, you can even have family members prepare the (hors d'oeuvres or meal).''