elizabeth city nc the economy has not wilted wedding flowers on the currituck outer banks other businesses may have withered under the economic downturn but the bridal business is blooming say outer banks business owners in terms of an industry its huge said kerri cantinonason associate with the proper setting a kill devil hills business that books weddings for the whalehead club in corolla currituck county much of the upturn can be credited to the growing popularity of destination weddings she said todays brides are cutting their guest list and combining vacations with the big event in many cases bride and groom will book one or more vacation homes for the wedding party and family during a weeklong stay at the resort several event homes on the outer banks have been built for just that purpose the wild horse a 23bedroom oceanfront home on curritucks offroad corova area was designed with special events weddings reunions corporate retreats in mind said jon summerton vice president for twiddy and company realtors the house was booked for 40 weeks this year and reservations for the house with nine master bedrooms and a bridal suite typically need to be booked a year in advance the growing trend has been a boon for local businesses said wedding planner nannette kallestad today the wedding season is longer and more businesses than ever are offering services she said about a decade ago only 40 or 50 vendors catered to weddings on the outer banks in both dare and currituck counties estimated kallestad today more than 300 vendors offer services she said kallestad started out in the business in the late 1990s as the sanderling inns first wedding planner today she and her husband eric own the proper setting which plans about 30 weddings each year the wedding industry is great for the economy and i think its often overlooked said kallestad currituck tourism director diane nordstrom agrees its very big business for us particularly during the shoulder season said nordstrom the tourism department recently launched a new wedding website that lists 78 currituck vendors for everything from photography to catering the website offers tips for planning a wedding and allows a couple to create their own miniwebsite said internet marketing specialist stuart chamberlain kallestad said beach weddings can range from 15000 to 100000 depending on the bride and grooms budget hope quade anderson who married on the beach last year said she budgeted 25000 for a simple but elegant wedding the price included a weeks stay for the bridal party and family members at an 18bedroom oceanfront home and a catered dinner by ocean boulevard in kitty hawk for 80 guests she said there was no need to spend a lot of money on flowers a little goes a long way with such a beautiful place said anderson who chose the outer banks for her wedding after vacationing there for years couples from new york california and other large cities find the outer banks