Bridal expo one-stop shop for brides

From custom invitations to wedding cakes and DJs to photographers, the second annual Royal Gorge Region Bridal Expo on Sunday was a one-stop shop for brides-to-be planning their special day.

Thirty-one vendors filled the Abbey Events Center, displaying their offerings, giving out free samples and extending discounts on services.

Event co-organizers, Brenda McKay, sales and marketing for the Abbey Events Center, and Gillian Marriott, owner and operator of Sweet Cheek's Cakery, said there was more vender participation Sunday than last year's inaugural event, which featured 22 vendors. About 63 brides had registered at Sunday's event before its half-way point.

"It's been real steady," McKay said before the half-way mark of the expo. "I think we'll have even more brides this year than we had last year."

Vendors featured catering businesses, wedding dresses, carriage services, hair and makeup services and even event planning. Most were local, but there were some from Salida and Pueblo.

Johanna Patterson of Occasions By J, an independent, professional event planner, plans to utilize all businesses and venues for her clients' birthday parties, dinner parties, weddings, corporate events, fundraising events, theme parties and other special occasions. She is still building her new business, but she most recently organized the New Year's Gala at the Robison Mansion.

"A lot of what I am doing here is to connect," she said. "I do need to find the best fit for whatever the venue is. The connections with the other vendors is just as important as the brides themselves here."

Bride-to-be Christa Hansen-Gill on Sunday scheduled a consultation with Patterson. She is getting a head start on her March 2016 wedding.

"I wanted to give myself a year to plan a wedding, that way I am not rushing any details," she said.

As a mother of four children, Gill said using an event planner will alleviate a lot of pressure.

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Bridal expo one-stop shop for brides