The weekend of the 9th and 10th of April marked The Wedding Expo™’s seventeenth exhibition and tenth year anniversary, cementing its status as South Africa’s leading bridal show with a record number of visitors through the door. Visitor numbers hit the 15 000 mark, up 2 500 from last year’s show.
“So much preparation goes on behind the scenes between shows – both from the side of the exhibitor’s and The Wedding Expo™ team – to ensure that the standard of the show keeps improving, so it is rewarding to see visitor numbers increase each year. This assures us that we are succeeding in our vision to streamline wedding preparation for as many brides-to-be as possible so that it is an effortless and enjoyable task,” comments Amanda Cunningham, Managing Director of The Wedding Expo™.
The show’s constantly improving standard was clearly evident in the exquisitely decorated stands, with every exhibitor vying for the covetable title of ‘Best Stand’. The aesthetic benchmark was set so high this year that a joint winner category for first place and special mentions category were necessary additions to the line-up. The Best Large Stand award was shared between Wedding Emporium and Café Fleur / Cor De Rosa, Best Small Stand status was awarded to Garnish Couture and Ruby Rain Décor, Beeld and JC Le Roux were awarded top honours in the Best Large Custom Build Stand category and The Wedding Specialist took the award for Best Small Custom Build Stand.
The eight bridal couture fashion shows displaying top local and international talent, and emceed by entertaining media personality Craig Urbani, were a splendid treat for brides-to-be looking for their perfect wedding gown. The admiring audience was privy to a preview of the latest collections by local designers Garnish Couture, Gerald Carrington, New Romantics, Immagika, Dzigns Bridal Emporium and Biji Couture and David Tlale; and international ready-to-wear ranges by Olivelli, Viola Chan, Maggie Sottero, Bride & Co, La Collezione Dei Conti, Oleg Cassini, and Blingtique.
Another sure draw card for the show’s visitors was the opportunity to enter the wildly popular bi-annual Win a Wedding competition which coincides with the April and September shows and will award one lucky engaged couple with a complete wedding package valued at over R200 000 and sponsored by Askari Lodge, The SA School of Weddings, NWJ Fine Jewellers, Art of Make-Up, Morgan and Brown Bridal, Sealy, Tres Jolie, Harpgigs and S Bacher & Company. Now in its third year, the April Win a Wedding competition, which was made possible through a media partnership with the Beeld newspaper, recorded an unparalleled number of entries. Over 5 000 hopeful entrants submitted their forms during Saturday and Sunday’s shows transforming the Beeld stand into a hub of activity and excited energy.
“We are thrilled with the success of the April show and have already started our preparations for a spectacular September show! One thing is for sure, The Wedding Expo™ will keep getting better!” concludes Cunningham.
Next show:
Date: 10th and 11th September 2011
Venue: Coca Cola dome, Northgate, Johannesburg
Time: 9H00 – 17H00
Ticket price: R80 including the spring edition of Wedding Inspirations magazine
Fashion show times: South African bridal couture shows take place at 11H00 and 14H00 daily and international collections are showcased at 12H00 and 15H00
Media Contacts:
Marina Smithers
Marina Smithers PR
Director
082 556 2084
Clio Stevens
Marina Smithers PR
Account Executive
071 355 7882
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