Bridal Expo in Wichita offers chance to win 8-day cruise, 220 prizes
With 19 months before her wedding, newly engaged bride-to-be Alexsis Seay plans to be among the thousands of prospective brides and event coordinators attending this weekend’s Wichita Bridal Expo at Century II, 225 W. Douglas.
Billed as the largest bridal show in Kansas with more than 200 vendors, the Bridal Expo “is basically like walking through Pinterest,” said Jenni Alonso, a bride-to-be who attended the expo last year to get ideas for her upcoming March nuptials, where Seay will be her bridesmaid.
Alonso is going to this weekend’s show, this time as part of Seay’s entourage that will include Seay’s future in-laws, Seay’s grandmother and Seay’s fiancé, Sutter Woodman. Expo hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12.
Seay said she’s in the market to get ideas and pricing on everything from venues to catering to decorations. While she thinks she’ll go with a simple, vintage theme for her August 2021 wedding, Seay is open to other themes she’ll likely see displayed. Also high on her list are the twice-a-day fashion shows.
“I am looking forward to the fashion show with the different dresses and seeing all the options available in Wichita,” said Seay, who got engaged Dec. 20.
The fashion shows feature wedding attire from different stores in the two Saturday shows (noon and 2:30 p.m.) and repeat on Sunday (1:30 and 3:30 p.m.), according to expo promoter Cindy Uloho.
The Wichita Bridal Expo is the largest of four shows Uloho organizes annually for brides and event planners. She’ll also hold one-day shows April 5 and Oct. 18 and a two-day show July 25 and 26, she said.
The January show features more vendors — about 220 this year — and draws the largest attendance with about 5,000 people over two days, she said. All vendors will offer prize drawings, according to the show’s website.
This year’s vendors include 55 venues, along with 35 caterers who will offer tastings of their various menus, she said.
A lounge area, designated the man cave, will have a big-screen TV playing NFL games for those looking for a diversion.
The show is a great way for future brides and event planners to meet prospective vendors, Uloho said.
“You can interact with people you’ll be doing business with,” she said. When it comes to an important event like a wedding, “you’re going to want people you make a connection with.”
Prospective brides can sign up for prizes and giveaways from vendors, including a $10,000 grand prize wedding package that has an eight-day cruise for two.
While Alonso didn’t win a prize at last year’s expo, she said, “I got emailed lots of deals” following the show. She took advantage of one of those offers to negotiate a photography package for her March 6 wedding to Adam Drinnen.
She also used last year’s show to comparison shop venue prices and got at least two wedding attire ideas from a fashion show: to include pockets on the bridesmaids’ dresses and to use a beaded sash as a headpiece.
Wichita Bridal Expo
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11; noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12
Where: Century II, 225 W. Douglas
Tickets: $13 per day or $15 for a 2-day pass; free for children under 11. Available at the door or at wichitatix.com
More information: wichitabridalshow.com
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.