Brides flock to Colorado Springs expo for chance to win $100,000 wedding
“Love and marriage” – as the old song says, “you can’t have one without the other.”
But these days, a marriage takes a lot more than love, and that’s evident when planning a wedding. Many couples want a quality venue, a caterer, flowers, a photographer, gowns and tuxedos – a price that quickly can escalate to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.
On Sunday, the Inspired Wedding Expo at The Pinery in Colorado Springs offered the magical chance for one lucky bride to get it all – minus the groom – by entering to win a $100,000 wedding.
The allure of a paid-for wedding – complete with food, flowers, venue and some extra cash – was enough to draw 23-year-old Chelsea Baird , who is planning on getting married in August in Palmer Lake.
“(I came) mainly to enter into the drawing,” she said.
Those who entered to win the free wedding had to rank the eight most important elements to a marriage – including love, rings, family and cake. The winning list will be one that matches one drawn up by Jen Gesick , whose company, Jen Barry Productions, organized the first public bridal expo at The Pinery at the Hill. Baird’s sister filled out the list for her and put love at the top, she said.
But, should Baird not win a dream wedding, she still came to the expo with a passel of her twenty-something engaged friends to get ideas for their nuptials. There was plenty of inspiration to guide them – booths featuring gowns, hair products, photography, soaps and even insurance for new couples.
The Pinery hosted 55 weddings last year and already has 80 on the calendar this year. In addition to giving around 400 brides a chance to look at The Pinery’s spaces – which include ballrooms with expansive views – Sunday’s expo also was able to offer insight into some emerging wedding trends, Gesick said.
Among those are two-piece gowns, said Danelle Meyerle, who along with her husband, Ron, owns Danelle’s Bridal Boutique.
While the ladies might have secured photographers and been inspired by the flower arrangements, the potential drawing still loomed as the big prize. The winning list will be unveiled Friday, and there is always a chance that no one could have the match, Gesick said.
“It has to match it exactly,” she said. “There’s no Powerball 3 out of 5. It’s all eight.”
Models Shelby Wellbrock, left, and Kelsey Maddams model bridal gowns for Danelle’s Bridal during a fashion show Sunday, January 17, 2016, at the “Inspire” Wedding Expo of Trends and Traditions at Pinery at the Hill. The wedding venue hopes to host another “Inspire” wedding event in April. For more information visit thepinery.com. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Kenneth Kloepper kisses his fiancee, Elizabeth Kracker while touring The Pinery at the Hill Sunday, January 17, 2016, during the “Inspired” Wedding Expo of Trends and Traditions. The couple is planning an August 2017 wedding but on Sunday had plans to go to a Broncos party after getting wedding ideas. The wedding venue hopes to host another “Inspire” wedding event in April. For more information visit thepinery.com. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Women check out a wedding dress display Sunday, January 17, 2016, at the “Inspire” Wedding Expo of Trends and Traditions at Pinery at the Hill. The wedding venue hopes to host another “Inspire” wedding event in April. For more information visit thepinery.com. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette
Pianist Tanner Palmer plays Sunday, January 17, 2016, for those attending the “Inspire” Wedding Expo of Trends and Traditions at Pinery at the Hill. The wedding venue hopes to host another “Inspire” wedding event in April. For more information visit thepinery.com. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette