Bridal Festival has given brides and grooms in Spokane a head start in planning for decades

Future brides filled the Spokane Convention Center this weekend to plan their weddings at the Bridal Festival, which has brought together a wide variety of wedding vendors every year for decades.

The goal of the event is to create a one-stop shopping event for brides to make wedding planning easier, said festival organizer Tammy Schneider.

“It’s so hard to figure out what you’re going to do,” she said. “It’s just a fun event. They’re here and they’re excited.”

It’s possible for people to find a venue, a wedding dress, a tuxedo, a florist, DJ, caterer, photographer and more. Cakes, pies and a variety of other catered food were available to sample and regular fashion shows during the weekend showcased dresses and tuxes from several shops.

“We just have some unbelievable vendors,” Schneider said. “So many have been with us the entire time.”

More than 40 years ago, Schneider was asked to put on a bridal festival at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, where she worked at the time, even though she had no experience in the industry.

“I just did some research and figured it out,” she said.

After several years of that, she began working with the founder of the Bridal Festival in Spokane. She bought the festival from the founder 35 years ago and is now working with her daughter Tiffany Teal.

“She kills it,” Schneider said of her daughter. “She certainly does most of the work now. She grew up with it.”

This weekend the festival had over 150 vendors, which is lower than pre-COVID highs of about 200 vendors, Teal said. Festival attendance is also down from pre-COVID highs but has been slowly rebounding in the last couple of years.

“It’s good to come and sample and see it in person,” Teal said. “There’s so many vendors who offer discounts exclusive to the show.”

Sofia Pizzillo and Connor Coker, who got engaged last month, were there to get their first taste of wedding planning, comparing prices and considering whether they wanted a DJ or a videographer.

“We’re in the early stages,” Pizzillo said.

Coker said he appreciated being able to learn about a variety of vendors and that the couple had found some venues they hadn’t known about before.

“It’s easier to see everything in one spot instead of calling around or Googling,” he said.

Marcella Davis, who has owned Marcella’s Bridal for the last 36 years, said there’s not really a big wedding dress trend right now. However, she has noticed that brides are more likely to embrace a nontraditional wedding dress, including colors other than white. She saw one bride at the festival who was looking for a black dress.

She said her clientele seems evenly split between those who want fancy dresses with a lot of bling, those who just want a comfortable dress and those in the middle.

“Just when you think you have it figured out, it shifts,” she said of popular wedding dress styles.

Davis said she’s happy that more women are looking for the dress that fits them and their personality without worrying about what other people will think.

“They don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do,” she said. “I always tell them ‘Don’t let your head get in the way. Listen to your heart and it will guide you.’ ”

Mr. Tux co-owner Kareem Willis said his shop has been a part of the Bridal Festival from the beginning.

“It’s just a great opportunity to meet grooms and brides and connect with them,” he said.

Willis said he and his partner spend time at the show asking couples what they’re looking for and use that information to guide their purchases for the next year.

While quite a few couples are looking for suits and tuxes in classic white, black or gray, other colors have become more popular in recent years, including earth tones.

Last year, he brought a hunter green suit to the Bridal Festival to gauge people’s reaction to the more vibrant color.

“We displayed that last year at the show and it was popular, so we purchased that,” he said.

Nontraditional colors seem to be more popular with couples planning outdoor weddings, Willis said.

“I think people are more open to not sticking with the traditional rules,” he said.