Bridal Expo 2014 draws big crowd
Bridal Expo model Chris Richardson tosses his jacket to the audience Saturday.
MOSES LAKE - Brides and their moms, brides and their friends and occasionally brides and grooms sampled cakes and reception menus, discussed options for wedding venues and generally got a look at their wedding options at the 2014 Bridal Expo Saturday.
The show was sponsored by the Columbia Basin Herald at Big Bend Community College's ATEC Building. The space was filled with choices for brides looking for wedding cakes, wedding dresses, wedding photographers, reception venues and menus.
Adam Lenz, who tagged along with his mom and sister, sampled wedding cake and some punch, and thought that was enough wedding stuff. "Can we go now?" he asked. But his big sister Arianna Colon wasn't ready to leave. She was talking to vendors, getting information about her options for her wedding in July.
Arianna said the information will help her with the planning. "Actually, yeah. I had no idea how to do any of it," she said.
It turns out there's a lot to the whole wedding thing. The date, the dress, the groom's look, the bride's makeup and hair, the cake, the photographer, the reception venue, the reception menu.
Gabby's Bridal, of East Wenatchee, presented a fashion show featuring dresses for all special occasions, from weddings to prom to quinceaneras. The decorations were the work of D&Z Events, Othello.
Other vendors had advice and options for venues, cakes, even the bar. Possible reception venues like Moses Pointe and the Grant County Fairgrounds had information about their facilities. Avon representatives were on hand with makeup tips. Wineries and breweries had displays and advice on matching the wine and beer to the menu, and Pour Girls and Some Guys had non-alcoholic options.
The Moses Lake Safeway and the downtown bakery Bumbleberrys displayed cakes and cupcakes, and Safeway employees also had floral displays.
Trade shows help vendors as well as brides. "Generally speaking, yes," John MacDonald said, owner of Hyak Photography, of the Tri-Cities. The 2014 show was his first year in Moses Lake. Brides and grooms learn about their options, he said, and vendors introduce themselves to potential customers.
The bridal expo, and other shows like it, allow the vendors to show customers what they can do, Janet Lackey said, owner of Pour Girls. They allow brides and grooms to get an idea of the cost of various options, and what will fit within their budgets, she said.