Hamilton Bridal Show 2013

Last weekend was a wonderful time at the Hamilton Bridal Show!   Hundreds of brides came to gather wedding planning information from close to 200 vendors, and to enjoy fanstastic fashion shows.  Some brides came alone... others with their grooms... and others with moms and bridal party members.   It made for a very busy couple of days!

I was also very excited to be able to display my new business logo on my banner as well as new business cards and service information handouts.


I make sure that I display my Wedding Day Emergency Kit at the show as I find couples are always intrigued with.  This year, I also displayed samples of the Welcome SWAG BAGS - a service I offer to put together welcome bags for the out-of-town guests who attend weddings or events.

Its always a fun time meeting and talking to many different brides.  I met brides who were very young... and brides who were in their 60's.  Most brides were first-time brides, but there were quite a few doing for the second time around as well. 

I love finding out about the themes and ideas that brides have for their special day.  Quite a few are planning to head away on a sunny destination wedding - definitely a growing trend.  One bride I met is planning a wedding weekend at a country retreat center - what fun spending a weekend with your guests!  Another bride is planning a 1920's theme wedding with their reception at a unique local theatre, with silent movies included!   One bride and her groom are big into sea-doos ... so their wedding theme will be sea-doos... held at a gun club with a lake at it!   Another bride won her wedding a local waterslide park and they plan to wear bathing suits under their bridal attire and go in the wave pool!   What I come away with from talking to all these brides is to realize that there is no limit to the creativity and unique ideas that these wonderful gals are coming up with!  

The days of cookie-cutter, traditional weddings are long gone... today's bride is all about unique, individual, creative, one-of-a-kind experiences.

Thanks to all the brides who stopped at my booth and took time to chat with me and fill out a ballot to win a champagne & chocolates gift package!  Congratulations on your engagement and enjoy your planning experiences!


To check out the websites of all the vendors who participated at the Hamilton Bridal Show:
http://hamilton-halton-spring-2013.exhibitors.topweddingshows.com/exhibitors/list

Weddingstar Warehouse - WOW!

During the first week of January, I was out in Medicine Hat, Alberta visiting family - and I found out that Medicine Hat is the headquarters for one of my favourite wedding catalogues - Weddingstar.   And - my brother in law knows the owner/president!   Before I realized it - I found myself meeting the President, Mr. Rick Brink and enjoying a fantastic tour of their 90,000 sq foot warehouse! 

I knew that Weddingstar provided thousands of great wedding products - but I had no idea they distribute over 3000 products and that they ship to brides in 70 countries around the world!  This company is truly committed to making every bride's dream of a unique, personal and special wedding a reality.    Quality control is very important to this company and they have excellent processes in place to ensure that every order they receive is filled exactly as expected.

Weddingstar is one of the world’s leading designers, manufactures and retailers of wedding accessories and they are celebrating 30 years in business this year.  They specialize in personalized accessories... everything from candles to stationary, glassware to favours, stickers to ribbons, napkins to cake toppers (and more!) can be personalized.

Recently, Weddingstar has formed a fantastic partnership with prestigeous wedding and event planner, Preston Bailey.  Preston has planned weddings for celebrities, dignitaries, CEO's, sports stars and royalty.  He will be launching his "Preston Bailey Tabletop Collection" with Weddingstar early in 2013, offering brides unique tabletop accessories for their weddings. 

It was an eye-opening experience to tour the Weddingstar facility and to learn all about the great services that they provide to their customers. 
It was truly a highlight of my visit to Medicine Hat.

For amazing ideas, great tips and excellent products, be sure to check out their website - or pick up their catalogue at your local bookstore (magazine section).
www.weddingstar.com

And of course, for more information about the creative Mr Bailey - check out his site as well....
www.prestonbailey.com.