Gateway Bridal Show Extravaganza

Today was a first for us, and boy…what a first it was! After toying with the idea of doing a bridal show for a few years, I finally succumbed…much accredited to my wife’s strong encouragement, I must say. We singed up for the Gateway Center’s Bridal Show (www.gatewaycenter.com). They do a show every January, and this was their first attempt at a summer show. It was our first time doing a show, and it was a first-time show (kind of). So, it seemed like a good fit.

Thus, we booked our place in the bridal extravaganza, and there was much rejoicing. The show was on a Sunday, and, not surprisingly considering the time of year, we had a wedding the day before on Saturday. The one thing that made the whole situation rather interesting was that the wedding we had was a wee bit of a distance away from here. The wedding was in St. Petersburg, Florida. Yes…Florida. On the beach. At sunset. With a reception following. We knew that our cab was coming to pick us up from the hotel at 4.45 AM (gulp), and with the reception and all we knew we would be lucky to get 4 hours of sleep. But, since I seem to excel on arranging interesting (i.e. a little crazy) situations like this, we knew we could make it through…somehow. We would be landing back in St. Louis at 9.30 which would give us time to get to the convention center and get the booth setup.

The alarm went off at 4 AM, and we packed and were on our way. We got to the airport and boarded our plane (first of two connections). We landed in Atlanta and head to our second flight. We board, but once on board, we learn our flight is being delayed because of weather. Classic. Well, two additional delays and several mini panic-strewn outbursts later, we arrived in StL 90 minutes later than planned. This lead to some “creative” driving from the airport to make sure we had enough time to get things ready.

Once I arrived, it all went great setting things up. A big shout of thanks to the Weber family (owners of the Sizzor Shak in Collinsville. www.sizzorshak.com) for assisting me in getting things put together. They were the best neighbors for which a first time booth-owner could dream.

The show started at 1 PM, and Shannon and I were chatting away with anyone and everyone who would come to the booth. It was a lot of fun. We were totally exhausted, but we knew it was worth it. We knew this was something we were supposed to do. Long story short (if you can even remotely consider this all “short”), we met a ton of great people and made some great connections. We were not sure what all to expect, but all ready..only a few hours after the show is over, we have already confirmed TWO weddings! Plus, we are awaiting responses from several others we expect to receive. Great show…we had some awesome compliments from people who know their way around these shows, and it was an awesome encouragement. We will definitely be doing more of these shows!

Most of all, I have to thank my wife. She is just incredible, and were it not for her, I never would have been there today. She is my perfect companion and partner!

If I met with you today or you grabbed my card and stopped by the page, thanks for having a look! Please let me know what we can do to make your wedding day something to always remember with joy. Thanks to all of those who came out today, and look for us again soon!

Joel