Update from 2011 Bridal Fashion Debut and Show
The results are in – the 2011 Bridal Fashion Debut was a success for the Bequest a Nest concept! We heard it again and again from brides: “This is exactly what we want to do!” From mothers-of-the-bride we heard: “Why wasn’t this around when I was getting married?” We were so happy to share the concept with brides and grooms and instruct them on how to get started.
The average bride was 28 years old and some of them had weddings coming up in just a few months while others were planning up to 2 years ahead. Brides came with their maids-of-honor (frequently spotted carrying huge bags of handouts), bridesmaids, grooms and parents. Actually, there seemed to be a lot more grooms in attendance this year – so kudo’s to the men for getting involved in the planning. Everyone was enjoying the food samples and beverages (even beer & wine) as they perused the aisles. Some people were clearly “on a mission” while others were just wandering around looking dazed by all the incredible displays. Nathan and I enjoyed checking out the other booths and had awesome conversations with the owners of the Kokopelli Winery and Emily Cross, Wedding Officiant. The wedding cake displays were amazing (as usual) and we were surprised by some new concepts this year. It’s always amazing to see creative entrepreneurs coming up with new concepts – it’s the American Way!
We also heard from many brides that they already own a home or sometimes even two homes – and many times that they were underwater because they purchased at the height of the market in 2006-2007 - so unfortunately they have a more complicated situation facing them. We were happy to provide as much support/education as we could to those couples and passed out quite a few Help Packets for distressed homeowners.
In the end it was a great show and we’d definitely recommend it to brides & grooms and other vendors as well!