He said a small wedding can be “affordable, intimate, something they will remember.”
The Connection recently added three wedding venues to its facility at 4140 Linden Ave. for smaller weddings and receptions.
The business will host a grand opening reception and bridal open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The smallest wedding space — a decorated chapel — holds four to 16. The largest suite can accommodate up to 150.
Wedding packages range from $95 to $595, depending on the room size, decorations and features such as lit monograms, unity candles and candelabras.
Petite reception packages range from 30 to 90 minutes and $195 to $495. Options include cake, specialty lightning and a disc jockey and the emcee.
“I think in this economy, there are a lot of people who want to have something nice and not have to pay a lot,” Fritts said.
Cam Sells, a spokeswoman, said couples also can bring their own caterer and alcohol.
The facility hosted several smaller weddings, mostly for those connected to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Sells said many of the couples were facing deployment or have out-of-state relatives. The Connection is part of the Event Connection Dayton, which began in March.
The building formerly was occupied by the Dayton Bridal Connection, a collaborative that opened in 2008 to serve as one-stop shopping for bridal needs.
The concept remains intact as several vendors with the Bridal Connection stayed with the new company.
The vendors range from florists to officiants, travel agents to event planners.
Sells said Connection can help organize appointments with vendors.
Brides “don’t want to run around and plan their wedding,” Sells said. “They want to come to one place and be hooked up (to vendors).”
Fritts, who also owns Party Pleasers DJ Services, said he started the Dayton Wedding Connection after the Bridal Connection had issues with its operations.
“I thought the concept was a good concept and I wanted to improve on it,” Fritts said.
He hopes to expand the business’s services. For instance, Prime Time Party Rental will establish a “play room” where brides can experiment with various centerpieces and linens.
Fritts also plans to offer classes on topics such as flower arranging, the groom’s wedding responsibilities and wedding photography.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2384 or arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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