Joanne Goodall
THE AQUINIAN
Should the dress be traditional or modern? How about the flowers- roses or lilies? Should it be a church ceremony or a lounge on the beach? And oh great, I didn’t even start thinking about catering, decorations, invitations, or tuxedo rental! I am way over my head.
It planning looks easy on television but it takes a lot of professional creativity and hard work to pull off gala weddings. Brides in Fredericton can now take the burden off their shoulders for a day and ask for advice from the experts during this year’s 13th Annual: A Time for Weddings Bridal Showcase, held at the Delta this Jan 17 from 10:30am until 4:00pm. It is Fredericton’s largest wedding trade fair.
“The show is just one of a kind,” party planner Nancy Curtis said. “It has everything you can imagine. It’s so convenient too because everything is under one roof. I must say it’s one of a kind.”
The event will include up to 60 booths, all catering to what brides should consider during their plans. These include dress selections, flowers, food, decorations, seating arrangements, invitations, and many more. Many of these businesses are locally owned in both Fredericton and Oromocto.
“Brides coming into the show are all different and looking for various things,” Curtis said. “Sometimes they come to the show, hoping someone will lead them to the right things. Others already have everything listed and just looking for people to do it for them. It is very hard to say what’s going to be popular this year. One year it the most popular colour was brown, last year it was bubblegum pink. You just never know with brides.”
Brides also have an opportunity to watch a makeup demonstration put on my Aloette Cosmetics and to see two fashion shows by Nobility Clothing Designs. Additionally, brides can also pick and choose from five different workshops which include how to dress your man to pampering yourself with manicures and facelifts.
All of this under one roof for the donation of $8 (if you pre-register online) or $10, both payable at the door, towards New Brunswick and P.E.I. branch of the Canadian Deaf-Blind Association.
“I am deeply related to this association because my son is deaf-blind”, Curtis said. “Twelve, thirteen years ago I wanted to do something to the association could benefit from and they’ve been good to me by helping me with the door and with registrations. They are very efficient and very educated and I want to pass this information to the brides who someday may become parents themselves. It’s the maternal instinct- I want to let them know before hand how they can have healthy children, deaf-blind or not. Everyone will benefit from this show.”
For more information about the showcase, check out Curtis’ webpage at perfectpartiesbynancy.com and their ad on Kijiji under event. Last year’s event about 700 people registered, Nancy hopes this year will be a match- or higher.
