Bridal show at Receptions this weekend offers top vendors

How to go

20th annual Receptions Bridal Expo

When: noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Receptions Conference Center, 5975 Boymel Drive, Fairfield

Admission: $8

FAIRFIELD — The time of year has arrived for aspiring brides and grooms to beginning planning for their future weddings.

Receptions Conference Center in Fairfield is hosting its 20th annual Bridal Expo from noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, providing an array of stylists, florists, clothiers, photographers and caterers for those couples planning to tie the knot to check out.

“We have approximately 70 booths of wedding vendors, some that have been in the wedding industry for over 20 years,” said Renee Schachleiter, bridal show coordinator for Receptions. “A lot of the vendors in our bridal show are considered Cincinnati’s finest wedding vendors.”

Among some of the wedding specialists participating in the show are Wendy’s Cincinnati Bride, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Bridal and Formal and A Gathering of Flowers, Schachleiter said.

“Our bridal show is touted as the ‘best’ little bridal show in the area by wedding vendors and bridal publications,” she said.

Such a wide assortment of booths and services at the Receptions show has allowed it to hold its own among the many January bridal shows in the area as well.

“Januarys are the typical month for bridal shows due to a lot of brides getting engaged over the holidays, and we certainly want to capitalize on that audience,” Schachleiter said. “Receptions Bridal Expo is unique because we draw from our booked brides as well as brides just getting engaged.”

The show — which drew approximately 1,400 attendees in 2010 — will also feature a raffle for a free reception at Receptions and offer food samples prepared by the conference center’s in-house chef’s.

Overall, the Reception’s show has been well received by both the public and vendors alike, Schachleiter said.

“The comments we receive on the show from brides and vendors are always positive,” she said. “The majority of vendors we have that participate in the show have been participating for five years or more. They continue to contract for a booth year after year, and refer other wedding vendors to participate in the show, because they are successful.”