Vendors offer wedded bliss
01/10/2007
Vendors offer wedded bliss
Downtown Bridal Show showcases flowers, cakes and gowns
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Gathered under one roof Sunday afternoon were all the accoutrements of a modern wedding, allowing prospective brides to tackle to-do lists in one place.
Thirty-five vendors of all things bridal gathered in the Park Place Dome for the 13 Annual Downtown Bridal Show, transforming the meeting space into a slice of nuptial bliss.
"I'm here for a little of everything, said Terri Maison, who with her daughter, Jessica, 15, was leafing through invitations.
With the July 7 wedding date looming large, Maison was checking out photographers and florists as well as different styles of invitations. The pair also stayed for the popular fashion show even though Maison already has her subdued, tea-length wedding dress already chosen.
"It's nice, one-stop shopping so to speak, she noted of the event.
The high-energy fashion show featured gowns and tuxes from To Have & To Hold Bridal Boutique and Formal Wear, Captain's Quarters and Bay Bridal Boutique.
An estimated 350 brides attended the show and accompanied by another 650 family members and friends helping out. Together and separately, attendees sifted through invitations, sampled cake, hefted bouquets and gathered cards, flyers and brochures for later study.
"Due to the fact that our show is free they tend to bring everybody involved in the wedding planning, said Colleen Paveglio, marketing director for the Downtown Traverse City Association.
Paveglio added that the show, which has been held at the Park Place for the past three years, keeps vendor participation at about 35 with about half of them downtown businesses.
"It's still a smaller show so there's not as much competition and the vendors seem to enjoy that it's a smaller show, she said. "We've been sticking with the formula that's working.
Some attendees at the Downtown Bridal Show had specific items they hoped to complete before the afternoon's end, such as Anna Michalski of Kalkaska. Getting her hair done up in an intricate bridal style at the Signature Salon booth, she considered her tasks for the event.
"I got to find flowers and invitations, she said.
Planning her July 14 wedding since last June, the time is flying now with just six months left. Michalski admits that she had not grasped the complexity of a modern wedding until she jumped into the process. Now fixed on a luau theme and, after changing her mind three times, her colors, Michalski hoped to finalize some details before the day's end.
"I did not realize how many decisions there were, said Michalski, who began the process wanting to keep things simple but added that things quickly changed. "It's a lot of work.
First-time mother-of-the-bride Wendy Tigges of Suttons Bay accompanied her daughter, Ashley McIntosh of Traverse City to the show. The November 7 wedding already has a location, Castle Farms in Charlevoix, and a theme, Cinderella, but the two were checking out a host of other details.
"She's been doing a lot of the planning on her own but it's been fun today, said Tigges as her daughter got a wedding make over at the Signature Salon booth. "I can't wait for the fashion show, she doesn't have her dress yet.
Tigges also commented on how weddings have changed in just the past few decades as budgets, accessories, guest lists and features have all revved up.
"I don't think we got so elaborate, she recalled of her wedding "so many years ago. "There are so many details, all these choices and options we never had before.