The magic and beauty of a Bermudian wedding will be showcased for millions of romantic television viewer next week.

The Learning Channel will air an episode of `A Wedding Story' filmed from Bermuda's scenic South shore.

The 30-minute programme, the most popular daytime series on the cable network, provides viewers a behind-the-scenes look of a chosen couple's wedding day.

Allister Simmons of The Bridal Suite yesterday said he was contacted by Banyan Productions to arrange a Bermudian wedding for the programme.

Mr. Simmons said a bride, who had already booked a Bermuda wedding, was chosen for the show which reaches a viewing audience in the millions.

He said a television crew arrived a few days before the March 8 wedding to film Sonya Nichol and Charles O'Brien, from Virginia, at various locations around the Island.

"They filmed him fishing and her shopping,'' Mr. Simmons recalled. "They filmed a lot of Bermudian scenery before the wedding.'' The programme, which will air October 7, November 7 and December 18 at 5 p.m.

Bermuda time, will also feature the cliff top wedding at Astwood Park in Warwick.

And Mr. Simmons predicted that the broadcast will have a major impact on the visitor wedding industry in Bermuda.

"I think the publicity is vital and the timing is so right,'' he said. "We need all the help we can get right now.

"I think having 30 minutes of air time showing the beauty of Bermuda should have a major impact and it is not a one time showing. It will be aired several times.'' Mr. Simmons said visitor weddings were an important part of the tourism industry, attracting numerous visitors each year.

"Last year there was 498 foreign weddings in Bermuda,'' he explained. "The wedding market is bigger than diving and couples usually do not come alone.

They may bring 50 to 200 people with them. We are talking major dollars when you include what they spend and the hotel rooms.'' He said visitors came to Bermuda to get married to take advantage of the beauty and friendliness of the Island.

"They want something completely different,'' he explained. "They are looking for romance. They come from all over the world for a Bermuda wedding, from as far as Japan and Switzerland.''