TODAY’S BRIDE
BRIDALSHOWS

NORTHEAST OHIO’S BIGGEST & BEST BRIDAL SHOWS
A SEASON IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 2008/ JANUARY 2009

For 20 years, Today’s Bride Shows have helped to bring you – Northeast Ohio’s engaged couples – face-to-face with the area’s leading wedding professionals. As another wedding season begins, Today's Bride is dedicated to provide its attendees with the best products and services our growing list of participating bridal companies have to offer.

Last season, over 4800 brides-to-be registered to attend one of our four Today’s Bride Shows, where they met with over 300 local and national bridal merchants. Accompanied by fiances, moms, future mother-in-laws, and friends, they learned nearly everything there is to know about planning a wedding. Without question, these shows are Northeast Ohio's biggest and best bridal planning events - more than 15,000 guests attended in all.

These one-day events brought to life ideas, trends, and important advice found in the pages of Today' s Bride Magazine. If you were personally unable to attend any one of these fabulous trade shows, here is a recap of each event; think of it as a preview of our upcoming bridal shows beginning this October! (See bridal show section for dates and times.)

October Shows:
October 12, 2008 & October 19, 2008
Akron/Cuyahoga Falls - Sheraton Suites
Cleveland/Independence - Embassy Suites

The October shows arrived at the perfect time for engaged couples to get their wedding plans well under way or finished up before the hectic holidays approached. With over 80 wedding exhibitors each weekend, brides-to-be had the rare opportunity to discuss their wedding ideas and get great advice on how to plan weddings that fit their own personal styles. Attendees saw unforgettable fashion shows featuring an array of beautiful wedding & bridesmaids gowns, mother-of attire, tuxedos, bouquets, and children's formals. The area's finest vendors were showcased and available to answer questions: photographers, disc jockeys, florists, bridal salons, tuxedo companies, bakeries, decorators, deejays, limousine companies and so many more! Nearly everyone with a sweet tooth took advantage of the free wedding cake samples provided by several local bakeries as well as delicious flowing chocolate fountains throughout the venues.

Exclusive to the October Today’s Bride Bridal Shows, three lucky brides-to-be fullfilled childhood dreams as they were randomly chosen from the audience to be the featured "makeover bride" for the day. These brides were whisked away behind the scenes while the fashion show took place to have their hair styled & makeup professionally applied by top-notch beauty experts at Jack Arra’s Hair Salon (Cleveland show) and Carol Martin, Inc (Akron show). Then each bride got to pick out and wear a wedding gown of her choice from Henri’s Cloud Nine bridal salon. But the fun wasn’t over yet. The big surprise came when each bride was escorted on stage during the fashion show’s finale. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

We couldn’t leave the future grooms out of all the action. Three lucky grooms-to-be and their fiancés were brought on stage to play the Today’s Bride "Battle of the Grooms" contest - a fun challenge to test the fiance's ability to “follow directions” from their fiance - - proving they would be helpful not only in the planning process, but in married life as well!

January Shows:
January 11, 2009 & January 18, 2009
Akron - John S. Knight Convention Center
Cleveland - I-X Center

The best keeps getting bigger and better! Thousands of brides came out in the brisk winter air to attend the year’s largest and most elaborate, most talked about bridal shows in NE Ohio.

Each weekend, representatives from 150-200 wedding businesses were on hand to unveil the newest & the latest styles and trends - everything from invitations to teeth whitening services, photographers to financial services. Guests could even tour the many limousines and party buses that were brought into both facilities. Seeing all of the variety in transportation options and sitting inside (or standing) helped brides picture their perfect wedding day riding in style.

On stage, brides and their guests got close up views of the latest in wedding attire during the lively New York style fashion shows. Over 80 different gowns were featured, paired with tuxedos, flowers, jewelry, shoes, and the latest in hair styles for all types of brides. Chick-Fil-A started off the shows with their Bride & Groom Cow Mascots leading the audience in a chicken dance contest for the chance to win Free Chick-Fil-A for one year. To everyone’s delight, the famous American Commodore Tuxedo dancers made a personal appearance to prove that men can dance in a tuxedo and never skip a beat. As if the dancing wasn’t energizing enough, local bakeries were on hand to let guests taste test the creative confections of trendy wedding cakes and dip fresh fruit into ornate fountains flowing with decadent chocolate. Then, attendees toured the “Cake Design Showroom” to get ideas on their favorite cake design from the talented, local bakeries that displayed over 40 cakes.

Reception halls and rental companies didn't want to feel left out. Nearly two dozen showcased their dazzling reception table presentations in the "Gallery of Ideas" for guests to vote on their favorite designs and concepts. These companies creative juices shined through with the latest table sizes, ornate centerpieces, chair covers, linens, china, and unique favors. Brides were left with endless possibilities and inspirations, helping them decide on the details for their own receptions.

As with every Today’s Bride Bridal Show, thousands of dollars in prizes were awarded including a FREE 4 day / 3 night vacation to a Funjet Vacation all-inclusive resort including airfare. Today’s Bride thanks many sponsors for their support that contributed to the continuing success of these large bridal shows; Henri’s Cloud Nine, Miller's Party Rental, American Commodore Tuxedo, Christopher Norris Photographers, and FunJet Vacations - Unlimited Vacations & Cruises.

For future show locations & details, call 216-393-5677 ext. 4, or visit www.todaysbrideshows.com. On the site, you can also view a video preview of the show and get a sneak peek of 2009-10’s show exhibitors!