Fall Bridal Affair

As newly engaged women and their close friends entered the Fall Bridal Affair Oct. 12, they were welcomed with the sight and sound of water cascading down a stone waterfall and scents of caterer’s samples wafting from the booths. The Fall Bridal Affair began at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 12 and took place at the Janesville Pontiac Convention Center. This event was orchestrated by the Southern Wisconsin Bridal Affair, led by event coordinator Lisa Sheldon.
This is Sheldon’s second year of producing bridal affairs in Janesville, but she has a total of six years experience as the event coordinator of Southern Wisconsin Bridal Affair. “The purpose of bridal shows is to help brides plan their weddings by letting them meet vendors in person. A lot of people search vendors on-line, but you don’t get to meet people face-to-face. This way, you can tell if you would like to work with this person or not, or if their personalities mesh with yours.”
Brides were able to meet with an array of 40 vendors. To prepare for bridal events, Sheldon sends out notices to several vendors in the area informing them of the opportunity to advertise their services. She does not pick which vendors attend; rather, vendors call and reserve booths if they are interested. Sheldon limits the selection of vendors to five for each category of service. Attendees were encouraged to walk around freely to meet with vendors who interested them. Vendors were not placed in any particular order. “The vendors were not arranged. Placement was based on the need for electric outlets and whether vendors needed one or two booths,” Sheldon said.
“The highlight of these shows for women is usually the fashion show.” The fashion show displayed bridal gowns, bridesmaid’s dresses and men’s wedding fashion. Outfits were provided by Sister’s Bridal Boutique, Bride’s Number One, Fair Lady Bridal and Nedrebos. Models were provided with makeovers from Mary Kay Consultant Patti Woodworth. Sheldon expected many of the attendees to rush toward the back of the room where the fashion show took place, even though the fashion show was scheduled toward the end of the event. She said that people usually set down bags or coats to mark a good seat for the show. At this event, attendees seemed more interested in browsing the vendors than marking their seats before the show.
Heidi Chaput was one of about 150 people who attended. Chaput, a bride planning her wedding for July 2010, was more interested in browsing the vendors than saving a seat for the fashion show. Chaput said that the choice of vendors was helpful, but she would have like to see more bridal gown vendors. The limited number of dress providers also affected her opinion of the fashion show. “Styles in the fashion show seemed to be mostly made of strapless gowns. I don’t like that style, so I was a bit disappointed,” Chaput said.
Overall, Chaput said the event was enjoyable and she thought the vendors were helpful and informative. Cakes by Sheila, Buttercups and The Cake Connection all offered delectable cake samples, making it easy for brides to decide what flavors to request for their cakes. They also provided photographs of previously crafted cakes and their prices.
Photographers were eager to share their style and ideas. One photographer in particular made an impression on several younger brides.
Stephanie Natale of Natale Photography impressed many brides with her unique style and outgoing personality. “I take non-traditional pictures,” Natale said. “I never take family pictures inside, if possible, because I want people to have a good time with me and be more relaxed.” Her products are unique; one option that she offers is a “gift box” for your picture package. She is in such high demand that she books at least one year in advance.
Your Jewelry Dreams offered an assortment of costume jewelry meant to match bride’s and bridesmaid’s dresses. Chaput said, “They offered to look at pictures of my dress and my bridesmaids’ dresses to help me choose the perfect accessories.” Pamela Pollak, the owner of Your Jewelry Dreams, said these services are offered to all brides. “We encourage brides to come in with their dress and try on the whole look together, before they purchase their jewelry. If a bride can’t meet with us in person, we want them to still receive help choosing jewelry, so we will help by exchanging pictures over e-mail.”
Pollak also sells personalized chocolate gifts. “We can print your picture of these treats and they are completely edible.” Interested brides observed how some treats, such as the chocolate frame, can be separated to save the piece printed upon. This allows couples to save the chocolate with their picture on it, while being able to eat the chocolate frame. These chocolate treats include personalized CDs, frames, trading cards and more traditional candy bars.
Vendors offered many samples that made them memorable, Chaput said. Juke Box Bandstand DJ provided a CD with samples of their favorite music. They also offer the service of song requests on-line, so that they arrive at weddings fully prepared. Tom Wilbur of Jammin’ Mobile DJ defined the term “Master of Ceremonies” and explained how he and his wife, Sue, play this role at the receptions they serve. Tom described this role as being the host of the reception, someone to inform, guide, direct and involve everyone in the wedding celebration.
The Pontiac Convention Center, the building hosting the bridal event, also serves as a venue for weddings. They offered DVDs containing a tour of the facilities and descriptions of the packages they offer. By hosting the event, the Pontiac Convention Center displayed their spacious layout and comfortable lounge with plush leather couches and warm colors. Brides were able to utilize the lounge for resting their feet after walking among vendors.
Spa At Riverfront, Ltd. offered trials of many of their products. Chaput especially enjoyed the glitter hairspray which they willingly applied to brides’ heads. Hand spa treatments were offered to keep hands ready to display, brides should be prepared to show off their hands adorned with new diamond rings. Pamphlets were readily available to describe all of their services and prices.
Todd A. Olson Photography handed out miniature photograph books. These books are replicas of the large photograph books that the studio offers as an alternative to the traditional wedding album. Chaput said that this studio, and most of the other vendors, was willing to travel, which was very important to her because she lives in the Milwaukee area.
One vendor offered an alternative to the usual gift registry. I Do Island Weddings enables couples to register for their dream honeymoon. Many couples live together before marriage, and often do not need to register for household items. I Do Island Weddings offers the option for couples to list what they would enjoy doing on their honeymoon. Guests are encouraged to purchase portions of the honeymoon as their wedding gifts. The vendor also provided several ideas on the most popular locations to honeymoon at.
Each vendor at the Fall Bridal Affair offered unique services, and showcased new trends of the wedding industry. The purpose of a bridal show is to help brides plan their weddings and allow them to meet personally with vendors. The Fall Bridal Affair succeeded in providing a helpful event for Janesville area brides to plan their weddings.Southern Wisconsin Bridal Affair hosts two bridal shows each year, a fall and a spring show. The next show will take place Feb 15, 2009. Visit http://www.bridalaffair.vpweb.com/ for more details.

Heidi and I before the show.

Shot of the vendors.