Bridal show draws 450 future brides

SCRANTON – While most future grooms were likely sitting in front of their televisions getting a face full of football, 450 brides-to-be attended the Northeast PA Bridal show at the Scranton+Cultural+Center%22>Scranton Cultural Center on Sunday.

The event offered them a way to plan their special day.

Nina Leahy, marketing director for Entercom Communications, the event sponsor, said some modern brides look for a traditional wedding, some go for more elaborate settings such as a “princess theme,” but they all want one that is “unique.”

Forty wedding business professionals were available to help them find that distinctive formula.

Leahy said the bridal show gives brides a venue to plan their entire event from beginning to end. They can look at floral displays, hair and makeup, music-video production, formal attire, gowns and honeymoon travel packages, she said.

The list of booth sponsors there to consult the betrothed included Head to Toe Bridal, Sarno and Sons, Flowers by John Mackey, Frankie Carll Productions, Rejuvenessence Wellness Spa, Nasser Limousine and others.

John Mackey, owner of Flowers by John Mackey, advises new brides to go with what they like. Everything is “in,” he said.

A trend toward higher/taller/bigger floral arrangements seems apparent, he added. He also sees brides’ tastes influenced by the latest nuptials from their favorite celebrities.

One woman wanted a “winter wonderland,” he said, in which the reception was covered with artificial snow, trees with candles and a ceiling adorned with branches from white birch trees.

Frankie Carll, owner of Frankie Carll Productions, who has been in the wedding entertainment business for 25 years, points out that the “digital explosion” has had a significant impact on wedding events. Photographs and videos are crisper and clearer, he said.

Plus, the production methods have become more sophisticated. One popular request is the historical videos, in which photos of the bride and groom over a lifetime are shown over large screens depicting their baby pictures to the final wedding portraits, he said.

Carll points out there seems to be an even split between the traditional and the “over-the-top” weddings that include 6-foot-high wedding cakes and huge floral and lighting displays.

Tony Bartocci, from the new business development section at Entercom, said the vendors come from all over, from Stroudsburg to Allentown, to advise the brides on how much they will spend to get what they want. He estimates most brides spend about $120 per guest for their day, which could amount to about $20,000.

Sometimes the choice is to go way over the top, as when the wedding is held on a sandy beach somewhere or on a luxury cruise ship, Bartocci said.

Local brides can attend bridal shows like Sunday’s four times each year, he said. The next one is scheduled for Feb. 22 at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre.