Event features many wedding ideas
Sporting the bridal veils handed out at the door, bride-to-be Josée Bolduc and her flower girl, four-year-old Madison Robert, explored the second annual Sudbury Living Bridal Showcase March 2.
“I think it's awesome,” Bolduc, who will marry James Robert at Science North Sept. 7, said. “It's so much fun to see people, meet everyone, get different ideas. I love it.”
She said she has her wedding mostly planned already, but the bridal showcase was the perfect opportunity to find ideas for the finishing touches.
Putting together a wedding can be stressful, but Bolduc said she's very organized, “so it hasn't been too bad,” adding that she's had a lot of help from her wedding party.
Hundreds of people turned up for the bridal showcase, which was put on by Northern Life's sister publication, Sudbury Living, and held at the Steelworkers Hall.
Sudbury Living has a wedding publication, and the bridal showcase brings the contents of the magazine to life, said staffer Kimberley Wahamaa, who helped to organize the event.
The brides-to-be enjoyed putting on their veils at the door “and feeling like a princess” as they explored the booths, she said. They also had a chance to win prizes and take in wedding fashion shows.
Josée Bolduc and her flower girl, four-year-old Madison Robert, explored the second annual Sudbury Living Bridal Showcase March 2. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen.
“We have over 50 vendors today, and it's quite exciting,” Wahamaa said. “There's everything from photography to cake decorating — anything that you want to plan your special day.”
Brigitte St. Germain and Chris Raymond, who are getting married June 1 at the Steelworkers Hall, also said they were looking to find the finishing touches for their wedding at the bridal showcase.
“It's very useful being here, because we had the limo to do, and a few other things,” St. Germain said.
The couple say they managed to plan their 200-guest wedding over the span of about eight months, which has been hectic, to say the least. “I can't believe how much there is to do,” St. Germain said.
Desiree Martin, who will marry Sylvain Lefebvre in 2014, was using the bridal showcase as a starting point for the wedding planning process, as she hasn't done anything except set the date yet.
She said she'd already gotten a few good ideas from the show.
The bridal showcase included many local businesses, including Mr. Rite Limousine. Owner Mike Piché was kept busy by brides and grooms interested in renting one of his vehicles for their wedding day.
He said he thought the bridal showcase was well-organized, with “incredible” traffic. “I've been to many wedding shows,” Piché said. “I've never been to one this busy.”
Piché said his business focuses on weddings and corporate events. A few years ago, he bought a stretch Hummer. The vehicle proved to be so popular, that he's since purchased a second.
The Hugh Jazz band kept the crowd entertained with a variety of upbeat tunes.
The group's singer, Jessica Crowe, said while all of the band's individual members have performed at weddings in the past, they've never done so together. She said they'd love to break into the wedding market.
If the number of fliers she handed out to those at the show is any indication, the band may be booking its first wedding soon.
“There was an opening here, so we thought 'Why not give it a shot?” she said. “I mean it's perfect for the cocktail hour. I think this band has a really good feel and can really liven up a room. It really does create a vibe.”
For more information on the exhibitors who participated in the Sudbury Living Bridal Showcase, visit www.sudburylivingmagazine.com/bridalshowcase.
