LOVE ON WHEELS: Shay Flett and Cory Hession with a limousine for hire at the Wedding Expo at AELEC. 090912BSB04
PROSPECTIVE brides-to-be were in seventh heaven as they got a taste of what’s new in weddings this year.
With wedding season just around the corner, the 2012 Peel Valley Part Hire Bridal Expo featured more than 30 exhibitors showing off cakes, cars and catering skills, just to name a few.
Among the exhibitors at the Australian Equine Livestock and Events Centre (AELEC) on Sunday, some were new additions and some old hands, all looking to attract more of the lucrative wedding market.
New wedding trends are emerging for cost-savvy couples looking to save a few dollars, and businesses are jumping on board the do-it-yourself theme.
For a new twist on dessert, self-serve candy bars are proving popular for a sweet-tooth bride.
Brent Hutchins from The Lollie Hut in Tamworth said at Sunday’s expo they were inundated with people keen to have jars of sweet treats at their weddings.
“This is a much cheaper way of doing dessert,” Mr Hutchins said.
The most popular lollies of choice are the brightly coloured UK bonbons, rock candy and jelly beans according to Mr Hutchins and he said just $200 worth of the candy can feed 120 guests.
Another popular addition to weddings these days is a digital photo-booth, where guests dress up in an array of props and snap themselves in candid and amusing moments in a self-functioning mini photo-studio.
A revamp of the classic old photo booths, Kelsey Leis from Tamworth-based Happy Booth said that due to the booth’s popularity, they are travelling to weddings across NSW with their business.
“Ours is like a little open-air studio, so everyone can watch. It’s like a different aspect of entertainment,” Mrs Leis said.
Mrs Leis said they provide a printer along with the booth so guests are able to take home their memories of the wedding, and not have to wait weeks for prints.
“We mainly get bookings from people who have seen one of our booths at a wedding,” Mrs Leis said.
Engaged couple Lynn Stahlhut and Ben Sutton were among the visitors to the expo but with a date of October 13 for their nuptials, they said they were just looking for some final finishing touches.
“We’ve got most things sorted already, but it was good to get some inspiration,” Mr Sutton said.
The pair, who said they were aiming for a low-key wedding, said they bought a guest book before checking out the cake designs and table settings.
Peel Valley Party Hire owner Catie Woods said the expo was a huge success, and said traders reported being busier than last year.
Mrs Woods, who had the task of setting up a 9m x 21m marquee filled with different table setting styles in the days before the event, said that brides were looking for “that special touch” for their weddings.