Wedding Show displays nuptial trends
Roxanna Metoxen estimates she spent about $100 when she got married more than 10 years ago.So the 54-year-old on Saturday stopped by the 18th annual Wedding Show with plans to remarry her hubby Robert at a dream ceremony this fall. The initial wedding took place at an Illinois courthouse with clothing donated from loved ones, she said. Metoxen plans on saying “I do” for the second time at an Oneida church.”We didn’t have any money then. We have some now. So I told him we’re going to get remarried and he’s just going along for the ride.”
Metoxen said she’ll spend up to $40,000 on the festivities this time around. She was on the hunt for wedding ideas and browsed several booths at the event, which was held at Shopko Hall.An estimated 3,300 people attended the two-day display, which began Friday and featured a record of more than 180 exhibits, said event coordinator Sara Klemme. PMI Shows & Events produced the show, which was sponsored in part by Bay Area Diamond Co. It featured wedding cake samples, floral arrangements, photography and of course, wedding dresses. The show is the largest of its kind in the state, Klemme said.”It’s a one-stop shop. Literally, everything that you need for your wedding is here,” said Klemme, adding many brides-to-be were on the lookout for reception venues.
A prime benefit of a trade show is that is allows bargain-hunters to make price comparisons, she said.Photo booths, commonly seen at malls, are beginning to pop up at receptions, Klemme said. Cupcake pops in the shape of lollipops �� another emerging trend �� are replacing elaborate stacked cakes, she said.The event featured a one-hour fashion show, highlighting the latest wedding dresses and formal wear.
Traditionally, most guests are planning for weddings in the upcoming fall. However, this year’s event saw more people with weddings scheduled for 2013 and 2014, Klemme said.”If you’re not getting married for two years, you have a lot more time to save money,” she said.Dustin Suggs and his fianc��e Kelsey Wargo, both 19 and from Green Bay, plan to get married in June 2014. They expect their wedding to cost up to $25,000 and said the early preparations will help them with budgeting.”She has all this stuff planned and I’m just sitting here scratching my head,” Suggs joked.
The pair plans to recite their nuptials in the backyard of Wargo’s parents’ home in Pulaski.Experts noted a growing desire for destination weddings, where couples have their wedding ceremony out of the country.Mike Mendolla and Maureen Collins, both of Green Bay, are planning to get hitched at a Jamaican resort this March. However, they still want to have a local reception for loved ones. They said the show helped them realize they would have to coordinate the scheduling of the cake delivery with other services.