The Wedding Experience. March 7, 2010.

I recently teamed with a national, publicly traded company to create a Wedding Show in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 7, 2010. As any bride-to-be knows, there are many wedding shows, so in creating a new show, it had to be different. This show is a Wedding Show, brought to brides by a Wedding Planner.

While tradeshows have a functional purpose, they are not pretty and it is hard for individual vendors to really stand out and showcase their work. Brides easily find themselves overwhelmed and jumping from booth to booth. It's hard to foster creative ideas in that type of environment. The approach that I took was to create a show that set the stage and built the image for potential clients to match up with potential vendors.

I approached Grand Rapid's premier hotel (who's building was at one point among the Top 10 Hotels in the U.S.) and was able to gain permission to utilize their facilities. My show which has been titled "The Wedding Experience" truly takes brides through the experience of a wedding day. Showcasing three of Amway Grand Plaza's gorgeous ballrooms, each room is set for a particular part of a wedding and highlights vendors that pertain to that portion of the wedding. The center of the room is adorned with items on display as vendors are throughout the room's perimeter.

The Pantlind Ballroom will be set as a wedding ceremony with ceremony chairs, an aisle, etc. and vendors displaying their products that are used in a ceremony.

The Gerald R. Ford Ballroom will be set for the dinner with tables displaying vendor's linens, centerpieces, menus, etc.

The Imperial Ballroom is a great old bank that has been converted to a ballroom. The bank's original decor has been preserved with large columns. This room will feature a dancefloor, tall cocktail tables and live music as you would find during a reception.

In addition, The Wedding Experience is teaming with area high schools and will be collecting gently worn bridesmaid and other formal dresses. These dresses will be donated to area girls to be used during the upcoming prom season.

We are all busy working to match vendors with this opportunity and to start getting the word out about the show. It's going to be a magical day and truly a Wedding Experience.

www.grweddingexperience.com