Making dreams come true

Everything a bride- and groom-to-be need to plan their lives together is available right here in Thunder Bay, from dresses to financial planning homecoming dress shop online .
More than 100 companies and services were at the annual Wedding Wishes Formal Affair on Sunday to give couples planning to get married a comprehensive look at all facets of planning weddings, honeymoons and securing their futures together.
The Valhalla Inn was a hive of activity with hundreds of people perusing what the vendors had to offer and taking time to enjoy six fashion shows from local clothiers and boutiques, and two dance demonstrations by World Dance Centre.
“This is a one-stop shopping experience for all those who are planning their big day,” show manager Nancy Milani said in an interview.
“We have pretty much everything a bridal party needs to plan that perfect wedding, no matter where or when it is going to happen.”
Interest in planning larger, more elaborate weddings and destination weddings have grown in popularity. Milani said the wedding business has been picking up since the recession and couples want to have that dream wedding day.
She also attributed reality TV for the upswing in bigger weddings.
“There are so many shows out there and people see these big ceremonies and they want that too,” she said.
There was a draw for a $15,000 grand prize wedding package.
Creating and planning an elaborate wedding can be overwhelming for many couples. Professional planners like Bethanie Kramer, owner of You’re Invited Wedding and Event Consulting, said many couples start planning up to two years in advance and the cost can average $20,000 to $30,000 for the wedding day.
“It’s been a growing industry and it’s a service that has been growing in Thunder Bay,” she said.
“We are letting people know that there is help out there. Coming to this show can be overwhelming and I help them keep track of the planning and help them make sense of everything they are going to see.”
Kramer said she’s noticed more people are applying for marriage licences and coming to her with their ideas.
She said with more people planning marriages, they don’t want just a simple ceremony, they want to have fun.
There are so many options to choose from, including themes and destination weddings. She said she is currently working with a bride who wants a night club theme for her wedding. Destination weddings have become popular because they are a ceremony and vacation in one. Many resorts have planners on site to make the ceremony easy to organize.
While weddings are steeped in tradition, there are trends that follow the latest fashions and the reality of the times.
The all-important bridal dress has gone through many changes, said Josy Vaillant of Irma’s Bridal Boutique. She said some traditions have endured, like all-white dresses and veils, but the styles have changed to fit with modern tastes.
“This year, we are seeing a lot more mermaid-style gowns, lots of pearls, shimmer and various shades of white, from pearl, to mocha,” Vaillant said.
“More brides are also asking for sleeves, or false sleeves because of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, they want that same style, too.”
How dresses are designed is often a reflection of attitudes toward protocol.
Vaillant said that before the 1970s, brides were expected to be fully covered from head to toe to reflect the “virginal” look. During and after the 1970s and into the ’90s, puffy sleeves and sleeker dresses became popular. By the 1990s sleeveless dresses became standard issue in bridal shops.
“Most weddings and receptions happen at night and brides wanted a sleeveless gown for a more elegant look,” she said.
Another tradition changing with the times is the gift registry.
Couples still want to make gift selection easy for their guests, but the reasons may be different.
Richard Koskiniemi of The Kitchen Nook, which offers a bridal registry, was showcasing items that couples may want, from the practical to the more elaborate.
With gift registries, couples choose what items they want and make the list available to their guests so they can choose what to buy.
“In a store like ours, because we are so diverse, they are looking for practical things they can really use, like microwave and dishwasher safe tableware,” Koskiniemi said.
People are also getting married later in life, which can influence what they choose for their registry, he said.
A more mature couple may already have an established household, so they might choose something like the Tiffany line of stemware, or something they wouldn’t normally buy themselves.
“We can fill both sectors,” he said.

From：http://www.chroniclejournal.com/