NY The Wedding Affair Valentine's Heart Bridal Show

A new season is coming our way NY "The Wedding Affair" Valentine's Heart Bridal Show.

Wedding events are fun and exciting way to learn about wedding trends and fashions as well as a great way to find local wedding professionals. 

Brides and Grooms come out and meet your local vendors indulge in samples, extravagant giveaways, fashion show, cake tastings, on-site consultations this show will help you create the wedding of your dreams.  


"Brides are free when accompanied by to paid attendees".  Tickets are on sale now $5.00 pre-register on line.  www.nytheweddingaffair.com - Tickets at the door $10.00 

Register for our "Grand Prize"  Honeymoon get-a-way 4 days-three nights - AM Resorts -Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa (airfare is not included)


Vendors if you are a interested in getting your brand out in front of these newly engaged couples this is where you need to be.  We help support the small businesses by showcasing you as our preferred vendors.  We have three vendors per category.  This is where you need to be.   It is a first come first serve. 

For vendor and sponsor opportunities go to www.nytheweddingaffair.com

African and Ethnic Wedding Gowns Modeled at Bridal Showcase

African and Ethnic Wedding Gowns Modeled at Bridal Showcase: African wedding gowns and ethnic bridal dresses were on display in New York City during an annual bridal showcase hosted by Circle of Sisters and WBLS Radio.

A Fresh Flower Wedding Crown

A Fresh Flower Wedding Crown

"Budget Bride"

A ruthless discussion of the term ‘Budget Bride’ and wedding decision making 

by:Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing

I only have $500. Will you take it?

 

A couple of days ago, I posted an item about the differences between money (price), value, budget and result. It generated lots of traffic, a comment or two, and plenty of direct email.

It also caused me to consider the phrase, ‘budget bride.’ Along with DIY Bride, these are two of the most annoying and poorly used descriptors in the wedding industry. To a great degree, I lay that at the feet of my friends in mass media for the wedding industry. Mass media tends to be a popularization tool as much as an information source. If you repeat a phrase, such as ‘budget bride,’ often enough, it becomes part of the wedding lexicon, for better for worse.

The problem with these phrases is they paint the bride’s resources with the grayest of brush strokes. So, at the risk of being more precise, I’ll break it down from my experience.

• DIY Bride: (Budget: under $5000) Someone who probably doesn’t have the resources to get married just yet and is likely to turn most of her wedding into an Arts and Crafts project.
• Low Budget Bride (Budget: $5000 – $14,999) Has the resources, but will have to make some tough decisions on the reception. The big conundrum is whether to economize across the board or cut in specific areas, and not others.
• Statistically Average Bride: (Budget: $15,000 – $34,999) Has the resources to do a nice job on the reception. Her biggest decision should be ‘How many guests can we invite to have a nice reception?’
• High Budget Bride (Budget: $35,000 – $60,000): Has more than enough money to do great things. Her biggest challenge is not to make bad choices among wedding vendors, irrespective of money.
• Luxury Bride (Budget: more than $60,000): Daddio has wads of cash and she wants to be awash in greenbacks. Not all brides in this financial category are Bridezillas, but the risk and tendency is greater than in any of the lower tiers. Bridezillas almost always make bad decisions. It’s in their DNA.

A budget is not:

• … is not throwing a dart at a target.
• … budget is not the total amount in the parent’s bank account or your bank account.
• … budget is not what one or more girlfriends spent on their wedding.
• … is not necessarily what you see on Platinum Weddings or Get Married TV (those are inspirations)

A budget is:

• A study of the range of what wedding products and services cost in your area, balanced against your tastes, inspirations and fantasies.
• Factored by the number of guests you choose to invite.

A line budget item is not:

• “I only have $750 left for videography. Will you take that?”
• “Oh, my third cousin, Oscar, is going to take the photos.”

A budget is:

• $1 Million
• $50,000
• $25,000
• $7,500
• $3,000

Budget does not necessarily mean low budget. A budget can be…

• A specific dollar amount or less
• A specific dollar amount or more
• A range from $X to $Y (this is the preferred budget)
• Money is no object (must be the truth)

The Wedding Report publishes ongoing data about spending in the wedding industry. It consistently reports that brides spend close to 50% more than they had budgeted for the wedding, with an average wedding expense running  just under $30,000. This shows a major discrepancy between the original money allotted, from reality of their desires.

I would assert the reason for this is that their original money allotment was not a budget at all. It was dart throwing at a bank book.

Here’s the challenge from every wedding professional, wedding media outlet, and industry trade association:

• Clearly delineate what it means to be a professional in your category of the wedding industry, from the standpoint of ‘benefits to the bride.’
• Explain the relationship (if any) of your business category to others. Such as the interactions between entertainer, photographer, videographer and caterer/venue. Or flowers and cake.
• Explain the Truth or Consequences and effect of making a sub-standard choice.

The naked truth about satisfaction vs. money spent: When a wedding day is over, either the bride and groom are happy with a particular product or service or they are not. A vendor is not wearing a price tag around their neck. There is not a dollar cost at your place card, showing the price of each dinner. There is not a little flag in your slice of cake, showing its cost plus a cake cutting fee.

In retrospect, most wedding couples can point out decisions they made, that were off-the-mark. There are hundreds of decisions, big and small, involved in a wedding. Amazingly enough, it only takes one or two really bad decisions to create an unhappy outcome. And, amazingly enough, a really bad decision is often not related to money.

It would be outstanding if all wedding industry professionals would embrace educating the bride to realistic and exciting expectations, rather than than just fanning the flames of fairy tale dreams. It is true that if the wedding budget is spent disproportionately, bad things usually happen.

A bride with $12,000 to spend, should be able to experience as much happiness on her wedding day as one with $50,000. But that supposes she has enough information, common sense, and critical thinking to make consistently good decisions, and then does so.

Come to think of it, that’s a pretty good operational mission statement for the wedding industry.
Don’t you agree?
Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing

NY the Wedding Affair - Saturday, January 26, 2013

NY the Wedding Affair is looking for the following representatives for the upcoming Bridal Show in Richmond Hill, GA

520 Cedar Street, Richmond Hill, GA

Saturday, January 26, 2013

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Ardyss Body Shapers

Avon

Candy Station Vendors

Dance

Lingerie

Mary Kay

Pamper Chef

Passion Party

Pure Romance

Slumber Parties

Weight Loss

Yoga

Are you or do you know a representative for one of these vendors that would like to be a part of the upcoming show if so please goes to www.nytheweddingaffair.com for more details.

Wedding Designers For The Summer

Allure Romance - www.alluredbridals.com

Allure Bridals has bloomed into an award-winning bridal manufacturer.  Their background of 12 years a retail store.  Their first gown was which was an unadvertised collection.  Allure Bridals quickly gained reputation for beautifully beaded and well-constructed gowns.  The Allure family of brands has expanded

 Allure Bridals brand, the exquisite Allure Couture collection, as well as Allure Romance, Allure Modest, Allure Women, Bridesmaids, Allure Quinceanera, and Night Moves by Allure. 

Strapless, scooped neckline with lace appliqued, fitted bodice. Swarovski crystals define the dropped, waistline while lace and lace appliques edge the hem and train.

Colors:	White/Silver, Diamond White/Silver
Fabric:	Satin
Sizes:	2 - 32

Signature Allure embroidery and Swarovski crystals make this ball gown outstanding. The fitted bodice features a sweetheart neckline and rich embellishment throughout.

Colors:	White/Silver, Ivory/Silver
Fabric:	Tulle
Sizes:	2 - 32

An A-line ball gown with beautiful detail. The strapless bodice is adorned with embroidery and crystals while a ruched band defines the waistline.

Colors:	White, Ivory
Fabric:	Satin
Sizes:	14W - 32W

This gown is breathtaking. The slim silhouette is created from a soft charmeuse satin and all over Venice lace. The neckline is a sexy, sweetheart shape encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

Colors:	White/Silver, Ivory/Silver, Ivory/Cafe/Silver
Fabric:	Charmeuse Satin and Lace
Sizes:	2 - 32

A full, A-line gown featuring a ruched organza bodice with v-shaped neckline that continues to the back. The waistline is accented with beautiful beading and crystals.

Colors:	White/Silver, Ivory/Silver
Fabric:	Rich Taffeta
Sizes:	14W - 32W

Renaissance Wedding Gowns

Renaissance wedding gowns are some of the most appreciated types of wedding gowns these days, mainly due to their incredible look and fancy style. Most romantic women would always choose a Renaissance wedding gown instead of a classic one, because Renaissance wedding gowns are lot nicer, more interesting and more sophisticated. A Renaissance theme is always welcomed, but the truth of the matter is that it can be quite hard to put together. Even so, there are plenty who try it and most of them succeed.

Unusual Wedding Dresses

The wedding dress is the most important element in the entire wedding and that is mainly related to the fact that the bride should be in the limelight during this important day.  The wedding dress must be suitable to the bride, in every aspect. It should fit not only her body, but her entire personality and style as well. It is important that the bride chooses the type of dress which she feels most comfortable in. However, at times, what feels comfortable for some, looks completely weird and unusual to others. This is how the trend with the unusual wedding dresses started and it seems that are very many those who would actually wear weird wedding dresses.  By unusual I do not necessarily mean nice-looking, at least not all the time.
 

Unusual Wedding Dresses (Source: instablogsimages.com)

I am pretty sure that you have heard about wedding dresses which come with lights attached or about dresses made out of fur or all sorts of weird things. Even so, the unusual wedding dresses I’m going to tell you about are not ugly and there was not need to kill any type of animal to make them. The wedding dresses you are going to read about are some of the most sophisticated, beautiful and interesting looking there have ever been made.

A Soolip Wedding 2012:’ a Modern Bridal Event Media Preview

We joined Chinese American A Soolip Wedding founder and gracious living guru Wanda Wen and exclusive Wen-curated A-list wedding panelists at Black, Starr, & Frost in Newport Beach on February 1 for a preview of the latest in modern wedding style and how to plan weddings from the heart.

The Wedding Affair- gives thumbs up to Monica Cameron of Salisbury, NC

 Monica Cameron is owner of  Bellissima on the Square in downtown Salisbury.  Monica wonderful story was published in the Salisbury Post on Sunday, February 5, 2012. 
 

By Emily Ford

eford@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — As Monica Cameron tried on her wedding dress five years ago, a bridal consultant in Winston-Salem placed a beautiful veil on her head.